We've been going to Hi-Top for our groceries for as long as I can remember. We've actually been…read moremoving from one place to another, yet whenever it's possible, we buy from Hi-Top. They have a very wide and often complete selection of goods. They also have fresh products that are cheaper than in other grocery stores. The downside? Hi-Top is not Hi-Tech. Their cash registers are old-school, so it takes a much longer time for you to pay for the groceries. This causes long lines that make me restless most of the time. Also, if you're gonna use a credit card, you'll need to go to the Customer Service counter just to swipe your card instead of doing it in the Cashier counter itself. So if you really want cheaper prices, you're gonna have to endure the long wait.

One of the best places to shop for groceries if you live in Quezon City. They are much cheaper than…read morebig grocery stores in malls. Parking is a bit difficult since this place is usually full but there's a parking area beside it with a rough road. I love how old fashioned they keep everything -- even the payment process. If you want to use a credit card you actually need to go to the customer service counter because they don't even have the POS for credit cards at every counter. Seems like a hassle, but I love how they've kept it traditional. This is also the best place to buy some items in bulk, we found a gallon of extra virgin olive oil for only P500 here. Just for comparison, a small 200ml bottle of good quality olive oil would normally cost about P250. So imagine my joy when I got a hold of that (I literally cooked everything in olive oil for weeks on end). If you're buying beer for a party, you can get it here by the box for less. When you're done shopping, stop by Henny Penny just outside for a nice sandwich.

Not in a hurry going home after office hours. I can still go to grocery store even late at night…read moresince its operation is until 11:00 pm. Thanks a lot Shopwise Commonwealth!

It's honestly surprising how there's so many groceries on Commonwealth Avenue. You'd think with…read moretheir number they would saturate the market. Curiously enough, each establishment is still standing. I guess they all have a target market in mind. Shopwise is the newest kid on the block and boldly opened smack dab in the middle of it all. I quickly converted to the church of Shopwise when I found out that they close at 11PM every day. During late nights working (or just bumming around) at home, I'm able to buy last minute junk food at grocery store prices and not at inflated convenience store ones. I take advantage of this late closing time even with my regular groceries. If you go during peak times, you'll go crazy with how long the queue is. At the wee hours of the night, there's only a handful of people so the queues are short and sweet.

Let's face it. SM Supermarkets make it convenient to do groceries. If I were their brand manager,…read moreI'd stop referring to it as Hypermarket and start calling it the Mega-Convenience store. One of my only complaints is that the store is so big that my weak ankles get pained after awhile. It helps that I live close by, but I have unintentionally grown dependent on this branch. I like to cook in bulk so the wholesale sized SKUs in the back of the store are always worth checking out. When I'm there during the grocery rush hours, I tend to pass by the Wine and Spirits section. I pick up a bottle of alcohol and they let me check out at the bakery. Shh! Don't tell everyone; but also don't abuse the privilege.

People have different ways to de-stress. Some run at the gym or have a hobby. I have two activities…read morethat I love to do to de-stress: a) Cooking and b) Grocery Shopping. Fine, eating and drinking are there too. However, I completely zone out when I do the groceries. It's just me, the cart and my grocery list. I can forget all the problems of the day and focus on...which Mayo brand and size will save me more money? Of all the supermarkets, SM Hypermarket is my ultimate favorite place to shop. It's the nearest to my parent's home and there are so many other useful shops inside like a BDO bank, Watson's, Office Warehousem Clinica Manila and, of course, restaurants. Plus, they close at 11PM! I can spend an hour or two cruising from one aisle to another after work. Super convenient! As the motto of SM goes, "We've got it all for you!" and, yes they have everything you need. Inside the grocery, they also have appliances, electronics, clothes, furniture, kitchenware, and even pet supplies. Another feature I love in SM Hypermarket is their bulk buy section (this is where I go when I need to buy for get-togethers and parties). The building is smaller than the other SM Hypermarkets I've gone to but, this one has everything you need in a compact package! Also, I love that they have a big screen in the food court area. So, after you shop, you can sit, eat and watch the latest PBA game! :D

For a smaller-scale supermarket, this Rustans Fresh is pretty well-stocked. It can go head to head…read morewith any major supermarket! I guess it's because they know they're the go-to spot of all the villages, condos, and dorms around Katipunan. Sure you have Save More grocery somewhere there, but I think it's really just between this Rustans Fresh and Shoppersville, and sometimes Shoppersville can be a bit too far so this wins by default. Not to take away anything from there though! It's an institution in itself. But Rustans, aside from being right there in the middle of the Katipunan strip, offers more specialty stuff. Their imported goods section, deli section, and ready-made takeout food section are all very reliable. They even have a decent wine & liquor aisle. There's also a good selection of house goods, produce, and fresh meats and seafood. Again, this is supposed to be a small supermarket, but with all that available, it's no wonder this is a favorite for people in and around the area! It's not just for light, last-minute, minor shopping - you can really do your full week's household grocery in here! Easy to pass by too on your way home from school or work, and there's enough parking right in front and in the basement.

Rustan's Supermarket along Katipunan Avenue is the closest branch of the grocery chain to where I…read morereside. It's significantly smaller compared to the other branches in say, Makati, but it still has the things that I look for in a Rustan's. This saves me a lot of time since I don't have to go all the way to Shangri-la Plaza Mall or Rockwell in Makati to get the items that I need. Gateway Mall in Cubao has a Rustan's but it's less convenient for a full-on grocery session since it is inside the mall, and you'll have to haul those bags wherever you go. Rustan's Katipunan still has the trademark deli area that makes pretty much the same kinds of sandwiches, pastas, and salads that you'll find in other branches, as well as a rotisserie corner. I can't count on them for my smoked salmon, caviar, and Australian rib eye steak cuts. The foreign beer selection isn't bad as well, as you'll find the usual Chimay or Rogue brews on shelf.

Unimart has always been one of my preferred supermarkets in Metro Manila…read more I enjoy shopping here because I find everything I need and want, and in reasonable prices. I would have given a 5 stars but on paying at the cashier they did not accept my Chase Visa card. We were previously at Landmark and Fishers Mall a day or two ago, and they both accepted my Chase visa debit card. It was a good thing I had cash. Then we decided to have merienda at their cafe and on paying our bill my sister gave her senior card, and my wife and I gave our Nevada ID to show our age. Our IDs were not accepted either. We told them that our IDs have been good at every dining establishment we've been to but they still declined. I realize now that it is a company policy and the employees have nothing to do with this decision. It is just sad that they prefer to alienate their old customers who are balikbayans now. It is a total discrimination for us. We as Filipinos were never discriminated on in the United States, and now we were discriminated in our own country. I hope they enforce the same discriminating policy to the Chinese nationals.

Doing some shopping here in Greenhills, San Juan City…read more Clean place to shop. Well lighted, almost new supermarket in the area. Service staff are courteous and helpful. Almost all products are being sold here. Pricey merchandise as compared to public market prices. They cater to upscale customers, tourists and visitors in the area. The only setback for foreign visitors is you can't use your foreign credit cards to make your purchase in Unimart. They only accept Philippines banks issued credit cards. You need to pay CASH! I would like to suggest for Unimart's meat and fish outsourced vendors; Unimart management must provide de-sanitizers and paper towels to customers buying fish and meat. It's so unsanitary!

I always tell my friends that it is impossible to be bored in Maginhawa. There is a wide variety of…read moreshops, establishments and dining places to keep you entertained, and when all else fails, you can always shop around for good deals. One of the best places to shop along Maginhawa is The Good Shelf. What I love about this eco-store is their commitment to corporate social responsibility, as they empower small producers that create artisanal products that can rival other commercially prepared food stuffs such as jams, preserves and other packaged produce. The eco-store has a variety of food items such as fresh produce and processed items that they have on display. The place also has a restaurant that serves healthy organic food. Upstairs is a small yoga studio, where residents from the neighborhood usually come for their practice. I usually come back to get more of my Human Nature environment friendly skin products such as hand sanitizers, lotions and refreshing sprays. The Good Shelf also carries my favorite Malagos Dark Chocolate, an excellent single origin dark chocolate from Davao. Small and independent producers can be part of the eco-store as consignees.

Going to the deli is convenient when you want to eat right away and buy an ingredient or two for…read moreyour next meal. I think. Most delis also have food that you can't easily find in the usual grocerires or supermarkets and that's what I love about visiting such places. The Good Shelf offers a variety of cheeses, pickles, and many other bottled (or pickled) products. I went in there intrigued by their cheesecake ice cream, which did not cost me much. It's packed in a plain plastic cup but I wasn't expecting them to transfer it to an actual ice cream cup when I said I was going to eat it inside. It was surprisingly spacious inside, too. They have pasta, smoothies, and mocktails in their menu. I love their blackberry-flavored one. And if you're in the area, I suggest you go inside and have a look.

The issue with the Makati store is that they will sell very expensive milk with an expiration date…read more5 days from now and the milk is already Turing bad when you open it and then the management gives you a hard time to get a credit even though we have been coming to this store twice a week for 2.5 years and as Americans we stand out and they all know us. Then they tell us to come back next time for the credit slip, when it should take 2 minutes to give you a credit slip that day, then you come back and they say they lost your request for a credit - Mickey Mouse business practices and this is wrong.

This is supermarket we choose when we have to do our big monthly grocery. There's a reason: The…read moreLandmark brings together good variety and also lower prices compared to Rustan's, for example. The highlights, for me, are the great variety of greens, fruits and vegetables (including organic ones!) and the fact that they sell Santïs meats, so I don't have to do two shopping trips. They sell also a good variety of rice (if you're not used to the filipino one, then they have Basmati, Jasmine, Brown Rice and much more) and beans. Thanks to the beans from Landmark, I can keep the Brazilian "rice and beans" tradition at home. And believe me, that means a lot to me :) I also love Landmark's food court. There's a green juice in some stall there that's is just perfect. I also like Bread Talk and Kumori, the Japanese bakery. I mean, there's a lot to explore there before you start pushing your shop cart! TIP: Landmark is cheaper than Rustan's and has much more variety than the SM Supermarket. Choose it for the big once-a-month grocery.

Belcap has been around FOREVER. Even way before Maginhawa opened up as a food street, Belcap was…read morearound and thriving. Unlike everything else around it though, Belcap is more of a tiny grocery with food that you have to cook rather than actual meals that you can eat. They're known for their frozen food even though they have other things like snacks and detergent for sale too... so you can pretty much say they're a larger sari-sari store? Either way, it's the frozen stuff in the back that you need to go back for. They have all sorts of things: fish burgers, longganisa, chicken nuggets, hotdogs... but the siomai. The siomai is pretty good. While it's around 200php for a kilo, it's still a heckuva lot of siomai and makes for a pretty good meal. There's a LOT for sale at Belcap so if you're looking for a little something to add to your meal or make a meal out of, I recommend giving their freezer a look at. Protip: It's in the building that's right in front of Maginhawa's ZenTea. You have to go inside and head to the back of the first floor. Look to your left.

When I first moved to Teachers Village years ago, I'd always pass by Luisa 2 Building and wonder…read morewhat Belcap is. Was it a canteen? A supplies store? We found out then that they sell some food and groceries. OK. No biggie. Then we found out something more. PROS: My aunt used to get us these frozen chicken nuggets from the same supplier for McDonalds (or so they claim). We loved it more than the typical ones you buy at the grocery. But she lost contact with said supplier and we lost our nuggets. Good news, and the main reason we love Belcap, is that they sell these same nuggets! Hooray!; We mostly buy drinks here when we wait for our laundry to finish. CONS: It's quite dimly lit and not as exposed as the other stores. But hey, they've been around for a while and whatever their doing seems to work. TL;DR: Thank you, Belcap, for your nuggets and other processed meats for our lazy cooking consumption.

Since its buddy Shopwise lies so close beside it, and with several other smaller groceries in the…read morearea to compete with, the SM Supermarket succeeds in stepping up its grocery game to get people to shop there, despite its basement location and relatively smaller size than its bigger competitor. For one thing, it *is* at the basement of the department store. After a demanding day of window shopping and trying on clothes just to put them back on the rack, you can actually end up doing something productive and take the escalator downstairs to do your groceries conveniently. Sure, it may have a lower ceiling, be more modest in space, and have a less expansive selection, but its compactness may also be its advantage--if you like to do your shopping quick then it's easier to do at SM, where you will better know where everything is and spend less time getting lost in tall, lengthy racks of stuff. They also have a lot of cashiers at either entrance and I find their centralized queues for smaller basket purchases a lot more efficient and effective. You can lose your mind waiting at individual cashiers! Never again will you switch lines and curse yourself when the line you switched to ends up taking longer than the one you left. And if you get hungry, there are many food stalls a hop and a skip away in the basement lobby. I will always love Shopwise, but sometimes you just need SM to get the job done.