We stumbled upon International Foods completely by accident and have been shopping here ever since…read more The staff are very nice and helpful. I enjoy cooking and trying different recipes, there is no problem in finding the ingredients here. For the first time in my life I have encountered fruit and veg I have never seen in my life. Now days good butchers with good meat are difficult to find and to find both along with reasonable prices to boot! Definitely a gold mine.

went into shop today and i had was my daugther who is 2 and son who is 4 when going round shop i…read moreseen a large mouse may be a RAT!!! when eventually got to till with my kid and mentioned i had seen a large mouse he called me a BITCH and swore at me and told me to get out! He had no respect that i regularly buy in this shop. Also he swore infornt of my KIDS. I WILL NEVER GO IN OR ROCOMMEND ANYONE ELSE TO PURCHASHING ANYTHING IN THIS SHOP AGAIN! CUSTOMER SERVICE - VERY POOR OVER ALL EXPRIENCE- ENVIROMENTAL HEALTH NEED TO CHECK THAT CLEANNING AND ROTATATION IS TAKEN PLACE. THE OWNER AND EMPLOYERS NEED TO GO ON COURSES CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HEALTH &HYGIENE. I am asian and this store and people who run this put us SHAME

Deli Fonseca is one of the few places that makes me wish I was loaded…read more A fab independent deli in Liverpool's business district, it's packed floor to ceiling with all kinds of mouthwatering goodies. The gigantic counter displays a myriad of delicious cheeses, hams, olives, pates, anti-pasti and salads whilst the nearby baskets display fresh sticks and loaves of bread. To top it off, they have dozens of wooden shelves groaning with all kinds of lovely store cupboard treats from organic granola, cereals and cookies to oat cakes, chutneys, olive oils, vinegars, sauces and spices. Now, where did I put that darn lottery ticket?

This review is for the upstairs restaurant area - and sadly it is not a good one. One Saturday…read morelunchtime, I popped in for a light lunch. Nothing complicated - in the end, I ordered a Greek salad and a plate of Serrano ham rather than the pricier mains on the blackboards. I'm not sure how two really basic things could be so disappointing. I think it's because on the surface, this looks like a place that prides itself on sourcing and attention to detail. On the specials during my visit were such items as hand foraged local samphire, Cumbrian lamb and Pink's award winning sausages. So why was the Greek salad about 50% raw onion? Why did it feature those mealy crunchy supermarket basics tomatoes, cold from the fridge? Even the black olives mentioned on the menu were green. And they clearly did have black olives in the kitchen, because my four slices of Serrano ham (almost £6) came topped with a single olive. They boasted it was "20 month aged" - most of it had clearly been in their fridge, as it featured a faint tang of refrigerator and managed to be unpleasantly rubbery. Not sure how Serrano ham can even go rubbery but there you go. If you've boasting of excellent ingredients then it's unacceptable for the basics to fail so badly. I wouldn't bother returning.

Before Lidl came to Oxford Road, Worldwide was the place where I did most of my shopping. My…read moreflatmate and I set ourselves a challenge - each time we went to Worldwide we would buy an item of fruit or veg which we had never tried before, bring it home, attempt to prepare it and sample it. This led to some rather funny looks at the counter. One one occasion, on asking our Kenyan friend for cooking information, he explained to us that they probably laughed at us because *no-one* buys just one bhindi. We soon learnt from this school-boy error. As well as fruit and veg I always picked up pitta, naan and other foreign breads here, but it's probably not the place to go for a reasonably priced loaf of Warburton's. They also sell exciting fizzy drinks from all over the world, baklava, mango lassi and every herb, spice, bean or pulse you could think of, all of which I can recommend. Things that I have purchased from here and regretted include tinned palak paneer, a tray of 30 very unethical eggs, weird smelling incense, cheese and DIY henna. As a vegetarian I've never looked at the meat counter. But I know that my Muslim flatmate bought her meat there as it is all Halal and my Chinese flatmates bought their meat there because they sold all the disgusting-sounding parts of animals that they liked to boil up in stews, such as chicken feet. I challenge you to visit Worldwide and not to come away with more than you went in for. Even the fruit and veg is priced so that you end up with 3 cucumbers (£1) rather than the one (50p) you went in for!

Worldwide Foods. Not just a clever name my dears, certainly not. While its location on the Curry…read moreMile might make you think it's an Indian supermarket, well! Remember that it's not only Indian restaurants in Rusholme. Okay, so most of them are curry houses, and that's reflected in the fact that Worldwide Foods is mostly Indian, but you're just as likely to find your Turkish flatbreads or your Jerk seasoning here as you are your Patak's pastes and poppadoms. But you'll find so much more. As I found out far too late on the way out, there's a massive fresh produce fruit and veg stall at the back. There's also a Halal butchers, and tons of stuff you've probably never heard of. We picked up some unusual little treasures like miniature crisp puri breads with cumin seeds, like tiny poppadoms, sweet buns made with sesame seeds and egg, and crumbly shortbread-like biscuits with coconut and topped with chopped pistachio and almonds. In fact, if you're as unfamiliar with ethnic sweets as I am, you may well spend most of your time in the cookie aisle to pick up new treats. As well as this there are additional niche items like rose syrup (for faluda methinks), tropical drinks, every kind of Bombay mix you can think of, canned goods and tons of pulses and rice... just do what I did and explore. It's so much fun. Worldwide Foods is nothing short of a culinary adventure!

The snacks in the supermarket are brilliant and the drinks are very nice I really recommend you…read moreto go to the restaurant and the supermarket

W H Lung or Wing Hing Lung as many Chinese know it, is a Oriental Supermarket located right next to…read morethe ever so popular Tai Pan Restaurant . The store is situated in an ideal place for people from afar, who want to but a few items before or after their meal at Tai Pan or whether it's just for a weekend shop. They are always well stocked with products and have a huge wholesale section at the rear of the building for larger purchases. Staff who are Chinese and British will be on hand to help and advise you of your needs; they will search for an item, especially if it is large and heavy and bring it to you. There is usually someone who helps pack your bags at the check-out too. If you're looking to cook up a treat and try something out of your borders, then you will find a wide variety of foods here whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried. On a weekend, they usually have portions of freshly hot cooked roast duck (laid out near the tills) with an aroma that will certainly tempt you!

This particular ethnic food shop is food from Bangladesh, as well as the usual random items from…read moreother countries, and your average couple of shelves with things like Heinz ketchup. My friend found some maize meal here which she's been looking for so she can make corn tortillas. I guess it's really hard to find that around here. It was a really big bag only priced at £`1.99. Mmmm. I'm waiting for her to make me some tortillas now. I had a hunt around for Mountain Dew as apparently a lot of ethnic food shops carry it, but I didn't find any. Sigh. The staff seemed friendly, and the prices were really decent.

Eastern Food Store in Renshaw Street sells a variety of Halal, poultry and continental foods both…read morefor wholesale and retail. When you walk into the shop, you can immediately smell the aromas of Asian ingredients which sets your senses going. You are presented with essential sauces, dried and canned foods with a mid/far eastern taste so if you fancy something different, then here is a shop that can offer you that exotic twist to your dishes. There is even a butchers at the end of the shop where a friendly guy will provide you the best cuts of meat how you wish. Prices are generally a little dear but you are paying for good quality products so that is your guarantee.

This foreign grocery store offers a little wider variety than Hondo in that it sells Indian items…read moreand other Asian items as well. I personally think they are smaller than Hondo, though. (I'm not sure why someone said that Hondo was the smallest of the main three?) This seems to be a quieter shop as well, but that could because it's not as near to China town. Besides dried and canned goods they also sell fresh produce and meat. Still, I don't think you will find as wide a variety here as you will in Hondo (my personal opinion.) And the prices are a little higher.

A small wholesalers on Smithdown Road, if you fancy buying some out of the ordinary spices and…read moresauces, putting some pazazz into your kitchen or only want to buy your favourite hot sauce once every five years then come here! (Sweet chilli goodness, here I come!) It's cool walking around this store, they have a small butchers inside and fresh fruit and veg, as well as rows of freezers full of massive fish with their eyes gawping up at you. It's really cheap for the quantity you get so if you don't want to go to Asda and are feeding the five thousand then consider yourself in good hands.

Continental Supermarket is an alternative supermarket which deals in foreign food for those who are…read morenot natives of Liverpool but are after some home comforts. In principal this is a great idea and it follows in the footsteps of a number of Polish general stores which I have seen dotted around Liverpool and various other places across the country. Inside however this appears to be a poorly run establishment and one which could do with a good tidy to be honest. The order of the supermarket seems to be none- existent and the staff do not seem to be forthcoming with help or indeed seem to concerned about tidying the general mess. There is a wide selection of goods inside from fruit and vegetables to halal meat and in this sense this is a useful and caring place, the problem is it has too many faults. With a good tidy and a spruce up this could be an excellent stop for an alternative shop it just happens that there is work to be done.

The name Euro Wines makes it sound as though it would stock and sell a selection of fine alcoholic…read morebeverages from across Europe but this is really not the case if I am going to be honest. This place has nothing distinctive about it all so there is no real reason to go here as opposed to any other off licence or supermarket. The outside doesn't look particularly appealing and inside the place is fairly plain and I would be lying if I said there was anything inside which really caught my eye. Obviously as a student I have always been keen to look for cheap booze and as such I have visited a lot of off licences and this one did not really stick out in my mind at all. The name seems to suggest a lot more than the place actually delivers and as such I found this place to be a real let down.

Adjacent to Liverpool's China Town is this handy convenience store. Euro Wines not only stocks a…read morenice variety of booze and a good few groceries, because of its proximity to Merseyside's Oriental capital it has a few surprises too, such as Chinese ingredients, unusual vegetables and plenty of noodles. As well as wines you'll find a vast array of spirits here and beers too, and the staff have always been friendly and pleasant when I've popped in. All in all it gives weight to the term 'convenience' with its handy location for a lot of nearby urban dwellers and those potentially heading into China Town.

I was amazed at how much this European and Asian food and drink superstore had. There is a small…read morebutchers on site, fresh bread, fresh fruit and veg as well as herbs, spices and nuts. There were lots of products that I hadn't come across before, which was great, but also those more familiar ones such as heinz and baxters. Flat packed olives - and loads of them! Mmmmh mmmmh. Huge bags of basmatic rice that could feed an army 100 times over. With such wonderful things to buy, you might need a car park. As I was stumbling out of the shop with all my bags and a few miles to go, I noticed a car park just over the road near St Vincent Street. Might be a good idea next time - ah dear!

Basically this is an ideal supermarket if you are not a native of this country and are in need of a…read moreshop which reflects your own culture. The place itslef has a wide variety of goodies which you wouldnt find in a standard supermarket. To be honest there wasnt much which suited myself as I didnt really have a need for the niche food products they were selling but nonetheless it is a great little store. If your looking for a standard supermarket shop then this isnt your place but if you want an alternative food shop then visit.

"I'm the only Indian (restaurant) in the village," the Raj would cry in triumphantly in…read moreWelshish-Indian if it were a character on Little Britain. It's up there with the Millon Tandoori and Gulshan as one of the best Indian's in Liverpool, or at least south Liverpool, I would say. There's a range of dishes to pick from. I'm usually into a bit of spice - not the kind enjoyed by Wayne Rooney, I hasten to add - but my favourite dish here is the Shahee chicken. A mild dish full of honey, and chicken of course, which is utterly delectable. Throw in a sumptuously cooked peshwari naan, and I'm away. Oh yeah, and a pint of Tiger or Kingfisher or some other great Indian beer. The prices aren't bad for an Indian restaurant , the food is always worth it and the service is always quick and with a smile. They often throw in an extra poppadom too, which is a real bonus. But perhaps you have to be a fat regular like me to enjoy that privilege!

The Raj is a great little place in Woolton, it blends in well with the traditional village setting…read more Located in a quaint little cottage, you could easily mistake it for someone's house! There is a little garden at the entrance with a gold water feature, which if it was working and didn't have water pipes hanging around everywhere, would probably look really nice and authentic. The interior is pretty traditional, with Indian style ornaments dotted around the place. The staff are friendly and polite, and will advise you on what to order if you're unsure. The prices of the food aren't bad, a three course meal will cost around £16 per person, with the mains costing around £7.50. There are set meals available which range from £14-£17 per person. I strongly recommend one of the chef's specials, the bulsari salmon - delicious.