Update! Came back here after reading a TO Star article about this plaza. Decided to check out a…read morefew units, including Roasted Nut Factory. The unit is located at the back of the plaza. In between the 2 green-roofed buildings. It's at the very end, #42. "Factory" is a bit deceiving. It's more like Roasted Nut Closet! Only 1 person is allowed in at a time and that's probably for the best as *maybe* only 3 people can fit inside. It's basically a window and the owner is behind plexi scooping the nuts you want. The lady behind the plexi was very helpful and honest. She said they didn't have macadamia nuts, BUT if I were to buy them elsewhere, make sure they are fresh. I appreciate this because I have purchased rancid nuts before! ha ha, not fun as macs are $$$! I thought that I'd feel pressured to buy in such a small space, but atmosphere was relaxed. I believe they also offer samples as I saw a couple inside chewing on something. I decided to buy 1lb of mixed nuts are they were DEVINE! Soo fresh. Expensive nuts also included in the mix, so they don't shaft you with peanuts. They also sell freshly roasted coffee. And according to their sign, nuts are roasted...daily. A pretty long line formed while I was waiting outside as well, so I think that that's a really good sign!

I was led here by a Toronto Star article highlighting the plaza…read more When I walked into the store I was trapped in a vestibule with clear acrylic walls floor to ceiling, so it did not resemble the others photos shown. 1 person allowed in at a time. It is hard to see what is in stock so you will need to ask for what you want and how much per lb. A very helpful woman allowed me to sample the cashews (under my mask) to help me decide how much I would get. I like the lightly salted option - not too salty, but more salt than plain. They also had plain. I went home with: Lightly salted roasted jumbo cashews Lightly salted roasted pistachios in the shell Honey roasted cashews Wasabi peas Oriental mix Tasty, freshly roasted nuts. Also, high praise from my husband on the pistachios. I swung by the Cheese Boutique on my way back home. I am well stocked with snacks and treats for Christmas company.

They sell the most delicious upscale chocolates and other sweets. I loved the mini egg crunch for…read moreEaster. The wrapping was see-through with a pretty pink ribbon. It's hard not to devour the whole contents at once. If you are able to leave some for later, a twist tie is provided to reseal the package. I wish there was a list of ingredients on the package. According to their website, it's made with Belgian milk chocolate, mini eggs and a buttery toffee biscuit. The taste is a nice balance of sweet and salty. The price is kind of high ($12 for 160g). I don't know if their products are sold anywhere other than their store in Burlington and online. Shipping is available for a fee. They produce a great selection of beautiful, tasty and seasonal chocolates which make wonderful gifts.

Christy's is my go to for artisanal treats! I found Christy's a few years ago, and now they are a…read moreregular stop for Easter and Christmas treats. Their packaging is beautiful and the quality is amazing. My absolute favourite is the Espresso chocolate shortbread. Their little shop in Burlington is beautiful and a pleasure to visit.

Taza fine foods is a small specialty grocery in a commercial complex…read more It's a nice spot to pick up spices, nuts, coffee, and candies. They have a beautiful assortment of baklava and offer to roast on the premises coffee as well as nuts. The store keeper let us sample before buying. I picked up some brazil nuts for a pretty good price. I also picked up a flavourful zatar blend. They sell zatar leaves, which is something that I have never seen in a grocery store. There are probably quite a few things that you wouldn't find in most stores. I look forward to trying their baklava next time.

You don't visit a Bulk Barn for haute cuisine…read more There is something extremely... utilitarian about the Bulk Barn chain, and this location in Port Credit is no exception. Having established itself as a mainstay in the Credit Landing Shopping Centre for several years (replacing a Blockbuster - RIP in pepperonis), this place has become a favored destination for cheap(ish) snacks and some weird food items. Lest you think I'm being too critical of a bulk store chain, when you've grown up on dollar-store bags of candy and other cheap items like I have, you need to keep your expectations in check when you visit these places. For some items, the prices are fantastic (especially when there's a sale or they're clearing stock). For others, it's not spending upwards of $5 or $6 for a medium-sized bag of candy when you could get the same thing for at least 15-20% less across the plaza at the Dollarama. The benefits come in the selection, of which there are strange foreign brands of confectionary items, spices, chocolates and more that you're unlikely to get anywhere else. This location is also a bit bigger than I've seen in other places (I'm looking at you, former Dixie Mall Bulk Barn). Service itself is a bit aloof - you get the sense that the cashiers are just going through the motions. You're not going to make CEO ringing through Pocky sticks and Swedish Berries all day. Still, there is some undeniable benefit to coming here. (I've even run into people I hadn't seen in months here, so maybe there's some invisible, unifying force that brings people together here?). This Bulk Barn is worth a look. 3/5.

The ultimate store to buy snacks…read more I'm so thankful to have a Bulk Barn close to home. It's convenient whenever I need to stock up on delicious snacks. I consider Bulk Barn to be part of my weekly routine. From soup to nuts, candy to cereals and grains to spice, Bulk Barn has it covered. Bulk Barn has everything you need to throw a great party. My new favourite snack that I buy from Bulk Barn are Wasabi Peas. If you're looking for a snack with a kick, wasabi coated green peas are sure to open your eyes and taste buds. Crunchy, spicy and loaded with fibre. *Pairs well with an ice cold beer* Bulk Barn focuses on freshness and selection of quality product at competitive prices. With an amazing assortment of products for an exciting unique shopping experience, Bulk Barn continues to be my favourite bulk "grocery" store.

I stopped shopping here for myself a long time ago because I went vegan (but would come at Holidays…read morefor gifts) I had heard recently that they got plant based chocolate so went in to check it out. They had 3 different ones available (regular - hazelnut and salted caramel) I thought it would be in the small ball forms but it was just a bar. It came to around $6 and was well sized for its cost. The staff was AMAZING! The cashier Monica was super funny and liked my skirt I did not get a chance to see the other beautiful persons name tag (I try not to assume genders) but gave me such great info on the plant based line! I was so happy with my shopping experience. I was asked if I wanted a bag and said okay because I knew I would eat all the chocolate asap if I held it in my hand.It did not help. I ended up eating it the second I left the store. I went back on my way back to my car to run in and tell them I ate it all I will for sure shop at that location again!!!! *update: did not think of taking a photo of the back for the stats and nutrition chart! It is available on their website! But I added a screenshot for the regular bar*

This Lindt chocolate shop is located inside Square One in Mississauga…read more I was here just after the holidays, during the busy post-holiday sales. What a great place! There's every sort of Lindt chocolate that you could think of, and there are bins upon bins of the rarer flavors. The only nitpick I would have is that although a lot of it is by the pound, a little bit more distinctive signage pointing out the different prices per pound. This would cause a lot less confusion. Otherwise, this is a must visit if you're a fan of Lindt Chocolates!

Balsam Tahini is a unique epicurean store with a huge variety of flavored fresh ground tahini's,…read morenut butters, halwa's, imported candies and gifts. The store looks small from the outside but a huge paradise of lovely delights await you to experience! Muhammad was so friendly, greeted us and was generous to let us try many of the freshest ground tahini's and flavored halwa's. All natural, vegan, non GMO and no preservatives or additives. With every taste, I couldn't pass anything up! I love the flavors of everything I purchased. These products are all excellent top quality made and packaged. The flavors are all creamy, smooth and burst with amazing taste! I bought some to give as gifts as you won't find many of these flavors anywhere in the world!! This is one of those shops you never forget and will return to every visit to stock up! Thank you Muhammad for your generosity and sharing with me your unique halwa's! Especially ALL your other naturally flavored tahini's!

Came across this place while picking up some dessert at this busy plaza in Eglington and Ridgeway…read more They offer various nuts both raw and roasted. They also have different confectionery offerings. The lady who was helping us said that they sell platters of these confectionery for parties and events. If you are a nut butter fan this place is an absolute treat and a must place to visit. They make it fresh on site! I am a coffee junkie and I saw that they also roast their coffee beans on site. I bought a pound of their arabica beans. As much as I love a light roast coffee, this was not my fave unfortunately 6/10 in my books. But, other than the coffee, this place is definitely a good store to visit if you love nuts and nut butter.

Decent, but these sweets are not for me…read more I enjoy sweet and even the occasional Timbit, but I found these puffs drenched in oil and super sweet. Overall just very wet and aggressively sugary. In an age where people are trying to eat healthier, I cant really imagine myself coming back for this when I could have a larger portion of more refined sweets elsewhere. Likely a better fit for people with a major sweet tooth or for kids. It's similar to a treat you'd eat at a food truck in a festival or outdoor event. I feel as if I ate an entire week's worth of sugar in one go. The shop itself is pretty modern, spacious, and clean. Sparse seating, lots of mirrors, etc. But the location is great, and there's lots of plaza parking. Staff were ok but very busy with orders. The rest of the menu seems good. Lots of variety of other sweet drinks and pastries, but also items to balance out the sugar like coffee, tea, savoury pastries, etc. Kind of like a crossover between Tim's and Starbucks. I am hesitant to try other items though because of how sweet the puffs were. The pricing is also really steep for the kind of food it is. Personally speaking, Id rather hit Krispy Kreme because those donuts while sugary, don't feel as greasy / heavy as these puffs. For comparison these puffs are around $1/pc and an original donut at Krispy Kreme is around $1.50 An additional minus is the online/app ordering process. I ordered on the app, arrived, and didn't notice any instruction for pickup ( no signage , markers, etc). I waited 10 mins because it was pretty busy, staff were working nonstop, and I had just ordered less than 5 mins ago. I had to ask the staff about my order, and it turned out it was ready all along sitting in a cabinet with frosted glass doors, so I couldn't even tell they had any orders waiting. The app also didnt have a progress bar, just an estimated finish time at time of order. Less than seamless, for sure

Ordered: 12 Puffs (~$10 CAD): with Reese's & Chocolate and…read moreSpeculoos Aya's take: Mr. Puff's is not good for the heart but it is good for the soul. We got 12 Puffs which are perfect for sharing (2-3 per person is plenty). They're made fresh to order and I like that you can get 2 flavors. We tried the Reese's & Chocolate and the Speculoos flavor. Speculoos was so good!! Very rich, decadent, and sweet. The Reese's & Chocolate was a good try but the peanut butter was too thick for my liking. I prefer the lighter drizzle options.

We visited Zalabya on a Monday after school and enjoyed a variety of decadent treats. I was…read moresurprised at the vast menu and it took us about 10 minutes to finally decide on what we want while the poor man stood there and waited patiently for us to decide. My kids each ordered a large milkshake ($14.99 and it comes in a take home bear cup), hubby got cappuccino (expertly made in a fancy espresso machine), and we shared a large pistachio Dubai chocolate bar (made in house!) and an order of Zalabya drenched in strawberry and caramel, topped with Oreo bits. As I mentioned, the man taking our order was very patiently and friendly. He answered all my questions before we finally placed the order. I wasn't what zalabyas area and asked if it was like Mr. Puffs - he said that zalabyas are Egyptian sweets made with all natural ingredients and is better than Mr. Puffs - and I agree! The texture just seems better. Each order of Zalabya comes with 2 flavours and 1 topping. The milkshakes were flavourful - the mango milkshake actually tastes like mango and the KitKat milkshake tastes exactly like KitKat. I didn't watch him make it, but it definitely had real, quality ingredients in it. And on top of that, you get to keep the cute plastic bear cup! Lastly, the pistachio Dubai chocolate bar - I was expecting it to come prepackaged from a store, but I was told that it was made in house. The chocolate wasn't too sweet, it had that satisfying cracking sound when you break it apart, and the centre was so crunchy. Zalabya has so many sweets to choose from, we will definitely have to come back for more!

Zalabya is located in Ridgeway Plaza, which is already a super busy area with lots of food spots…read morearound. I went pretty late at night, right before they were closing, so it was a lot quieter than I expected. It was actually nice though, more chill and relaxed compared to how packed that plaza usually gets. Since it was near closing, the service was super quick. We were in and out in less than 5 minutes, which I appreciated. Everything was smooth and efficient, and the staff were nice even though it was the end of their shift. I tried the Dubai chocolate strawberries. They were really yummy overall, but definitely on the sweeter side. The chocolate itself tasted really good, rich and smooth, but the strawberries tasted slightly artificial to me, not as fresh as I expected. I was also expecting more of a pistachio flavour, but it wasn't super strong. One thing I will say is that the portion is a lot. After like 5 bites, I was already kind of done because of how sweet it was. It's definitely something I'd recommend sharing, especially if you're not huge on super sweet desserts. It can get overwhelming pretty fast. Price-wise, it was $10.99 for a cup. I think it's a bit cheaper than some other similar spots, but still kind of expensive for what you're getting. Not crazy overpriced, but not cheap either. Overall, I'd give it around a 7.5/10. It's a good treat if you're craving something sweet and a bit different, and I'd probably get it again, just definitely sharing it next time.