Waitrose in Islington is right next to Sainsbury's and also fairly close to Marks and Spencer, so…read moreit does have a lot of competition nearby selling similar products, even for London standards that's a lot of competition nearby and I've never seen two major supermarkets and a Marks and Spencer (which is known for its Food selection) basically in a row. This Waitrose store is pretty poor, even though it has faced the brand all John Lewis Partnership owned stores have adding "& Partners" They didn't stock the Pots and Co, which is a dessert range I like which was quite surprising as I've seen at least a small selection of these in every Waitrose store, even in stores formerly known as "Little Waitrose" They did have some nice selection of dairy products and meats - but pretty much, in general, they seemed to stock a reduced selection to what you'd find at any other Waitrose store, but it is slightly smaller. Interestingly, this store appears to be smaller than your regular Waitrose store but larger (yet sadly less modern) than typical Little Waitrose stores. It isn't completely rubbish and is a useful brand to have within the centre of Islington (Liverpool Road shops) and I do prefer it to Marks and Spencer nearby but that's pretty much where the positives end. 2*

Q: How do you know you're standing in the centre of the beating heart of yummy-mummyville?…read more A: You find yourself pulsating in a queue 40 people deep (20 standing, 20 resting easy in prams) at 10:15am. On a Tuesday. Yet where else could I go for that low-fat Feta cheese, those perfectly ripe avocados, raw almonds, the only decent veggie burgers around and the rare-as-a-magic-sparkle-unicorn whole wheat tortillas? Turns out there's, well, nowhere. but. Waitrose. (And heaven, of course.) Mum's do always know best...

I can't help but go into As Nature Intended en route to my yoga class and stock up on healthy…read moregoodies. I was going to describe it as a health food shop, but that gives the impression that it's one of the many typically small ones dotted about London, but this place is more like a super healthy supermarket. It has a fantastic range of organic fruit and veg, meat and chilled items, but what's most surprising is the quality of their frozen food. You'll never have to feel guilty about eating microwave meals again as the ones here such as 'Halibut and Sweet Potato' are delicious (they have see-through covers so you know exactly what you're getting) and they're nutritionally balanced too. Perfect for after yoga when I'm too relaxed to bother cooking. They also have a great range of organic beauty products including fantastically fruity smelling Jason shower gels. You can even take in your old Ecover containers to fill up to save on nasty throwaway plastic. The staff are always smiling and often come over to offer help, but not in an annoying way where you feel like they're only doing it because they have to. These guys really are interested in nutrition! This comes in helpful in the natural remedies area where they're happy to go through all the products until you feel assured that you can find what you're looking for when you don't really know yourself. It's very shopper friendly, showing that eating well and respecting the environment doesn't have to be a specialist or difficult way of life and I really admire such a great attitude.

This is a great health food supermarket in Balham. In London, most health food nuts seem to shop in…read moretrendy shop Fresh & Wild. Although I love Fresh & Wild, there's nothing wrong with seeking an alternative and As Nature Intended is a great alternative to small chains like Fresh & Wild. I love their selection of fresh fruit, vegetables and juices. I bought some fresh fruit and veg from this place before and you can really taste the difference - tasty, fresh and organic. Yum! There are all the usual things here too - organic snacks and meats as well as little brands you can't get in the big chain supermarkets. I'm all up for supporting stores like this, plus you know what you're getting is fresh and *really* organic without a marketing campaign or Jamie Oliver's big face branded all over the products!

I like Sainsbury's Central. It's a fabulous format for a supermarket to fit into a smaller urban…read morefootprint. Their focus here is clearly on apartment ("flat" in Brit-speak) dwellers who have limited kitchen space and limited storage. For example, the packages of kitchen paper and toilet ("loo") rolls are in smaller quantities than the pallet-sized ones you generally find at full size shops. Large selection of pre-made "heat-and-eat" items, ranging from a full Indian meal with starters, mains and sides to whole roasted chickens. This Sainsbury's has a solid produce section with all the major items and the veggies all looked quite fresh. Sandwiches and salads and drinks and chips all up on display for a quick grab-and-go. I imagine this place gets quite busy during the lunch hours on work days.

As a lot of people might know, Sainsbury's is iconic. This specific store though was perfect and…read morebetter than others, the aisles are nicely set up, everything felt like it sort of made sense. The staff were lovely and would help with anything, I'm not used to this Sainsbury's as it was my first time coming but I know for sure I will be coming back. Staff actually have a clue what they are doing unlike some other Sainsbury branches. This shop has everything and I would shop here everyday if I could. I have medically diagnosed social anxiety and don't go out a lot, but you could approach staff slowly and speak to them as little as you want and they still would know exactly what you need. Overall if I could I would give this place infinity stars.

12/13/2018: Amusingly, the night before, I was checking via the Internet for organic and health…read morefood stores . . . Waitrose appeared several times via YELP. Little did I realize my family lives just a few blocks from Waitrose. Upon walking towards the entrance and entering the grocery store, the ambiance and appearance were bright and cheery. The lime green hues were calming as well. Perusing through the isles was reminiscent to the Rainbow Market located in El Cerrito CA USA. The wine selection had quite a few different varieties including, lol~"The Rest Of The World" humorous labeling. The pastries were not labeled with the entire list of ingredients used making each pastry so, I was unsure what the ingredients used were. The common daily necessities such as organic milk and eggs were ample as well as diapers for my grand-daughter and TP located on the shelving were plentiful, too. Fruit and veggies appeared fresh as well which my daughter bought three bananas for my grand-daughter.

This store is HUGE! Deceptively so given it's location at the end of white cross street, surrounded…read moreby small food stores and boutique shops. I've been in here a few times when I've fancied a cheaper lunch than that offered on the street itself. Every time i've been in there the staff have been lovely, courteous and patient (which is a surprise considering some of the rude lunch crowd they get through). I normally do my 'side shopping' at the Co-Op on old street itself, but since that store is closed at the moment for refurbishment I ventured a bit 'up market' and I have to say, I'm glad I did. The selection of food, fruit and veg on offer is staggering in comparison to the co-op. Everything I've eaten from here has been faultless, which is surprising considering the first sandwich I bought was a cheese and celery (It sounds weird but I couldn't resist). One thing that suprised me was definitely the price, it was my misconception that Waitrose was very expensive when compared to other retailers. OH HOW WRONG I WAS! On the items i bought (sandwiches, fruit and other nic-nacs) Waitrose was consistently the same price or cheaper than it's counterparts. Need I say, I'm definitely shopping here again and I reccommend you do to!

Went to Waitrose in the Kings Road Chelsea London today…read more Saturday 7th October 2023 at 3.15pm After purchasing my shopping I went to collect my Free Coffee and there was a note on the Coffee machine that stated cleaning in progress. I asked a Waitrose partner who was reducing items near the machine to ask how long when it will be ready and the Waitrose partner informed me that the Coffee machine has not been working for a long while. I said to her that is not good service and then left the store without my Free Coffee (very disappointing service from Waitrose) WHY LIE TO CUSTOMERS BY PUTTING A FALSE MESSAGE ON THE COFFEE MACHINE?!

It's a pretty poorly laid out store here, with a small entrance, short aisles and cramped check…read moreout. The slightest flaw in customer flow can (and does) screw up the everyone's movement and cause mass hysteria. I don't know what it is about the people who shop here, but they don't seem to know how to move in a supermarket type environment. It's like they arrive at the store and all rules of human motion, and even the laws of physics I'll argue, mysteriously cease. They walk briskly and abruptly stop. They ponder over an item, blocking your access to a display, for way too long. They inexplicably reverse course and swing a full cart around, perilously close to important body parts. They move sloooooowly. They linger. They chat on mobiles in the middle of cramped aisles. They stand with their kids in strollers in front of things you need. They don't move! It happens every time I'm there. Great store otherwise.

Walking distance from the hotel and very convenient, it's thier own 7/11 version in Englandread more

Having a snack page on Instagram (check it out at @thesweetspot_sv) and doing snack swaps with…read moreother countries, I've tried many different snacks from around the world. However, my favorite ones are from Germany and the UK. I knew when I came to the UK, I had to take a look to see what they had to offer. One of the stores I wanted to check out was Tesco. There was a Tesco Express near my hotel, but I wanted to look at what was available in the bigger store. While not exactly close, my kids were able to trek the 20 minutes from where we were and the 25 minutes back to the hotel. What troopers! Well, it was either that or no snacks for them! While I wouldn't exactly call this Tesco a "superstore" per se, it was a lot bigger than the express. It was basically a regular size grocery store. However, their selection of snacks was insane! I'll be honest, I didn't go thru any of the other aisles, but I'm sure they had a good supply of lotions and Kleenex, too. You know, just in case you're looking for those 2 things together. Just sayin'. Anyway, like I said, one aisle had all the candy, cookies, snack cakes and anything else that will give you diabetes. If that isn't enough, they have a huge selection of ice creams in another aisle, too! Including Kinder Ice Cream! Now, back to that snack selection. Of course, they will have a lot of Kinder and Cadbury items. But, they also have unique M&Ms and Kit Kats, that you can't find in the US. Not to mention other brands like Galaxy, Mr. Kipling, McVities, and Thorntons. Also underrated are the Tesco-branded snacks. They have unique flavors and the taste is that of any other name-brand item. Unless you are a snack freak like me, you can probably get most of your snack needs at any Tesco Express. Yes, they have a bigger selection, but of course, the more popular items are stocked up at the other stores.

Made a quick stop here and was not impressed. This is tiny and has very few options. I know it's an…read moreexpress but still...

Happened to be in the area and just wandered in to get some snacks. (This is a small but well…read morestocked store.) I'm in SNACK heaven! I cried tears of happiness when I found the cheese section. Much to my daughter's dismay I bought every flavor of potato chip available. The cashier was very helpful and assisted me with figuring out how much (cash) money I needed. This is a busy store so there's no time to dawdle-grab what you need and move on.

Just too small…read more I know you can only use the space you have available but I'd prefer to see something else here rather than such a tiny supermarket. Then again its just about the right size and location for yet another bland coffee shop like Snorebucks, so maybe I should commend them for tenaciously hanging on to the territory while the coffee merchants circle menacingly.

I'm not sure who put up shop first, but both Tesco and Sainsbury did me a huge favor and put up a…read morenice pair of local markets right next to each other within a few blocks of my flat. Now, this is great for two reasons. 1) Options galore. 2) Sainsbury has certain items that I like better and vice versa. The close proximity also tends to lend a bit of competition to the items I need. For proximity, ease of shopping and having the necessities, I like this Sainsbury, even though the big one in Angel is way better, this one suits me just right 95% of the time!