Location, location, location. This Coles is very convenience right inside the Mayer Centre and the…read morebus station is just right underneath. This is the Express Coles not a regular one, so don't expect to find everything you want there. It's a small place, so everything on the counter usually run out quick. They also have many self check out merchines. I remember there were a few time I couldn't find what I wanted to get (sorry it has been a while and I don't remember). The vegetable section usually is fresh but occasionally isn't but I guest it's almost the same as other grocery stores. The staff are friendly.

This is the closest thing to a decent general grocery store I've found in Brisbane so far, one that…read morehad decent selection, including (for once) almond milk, and some super cheap detergent. It was clean and the checkout efficient, and this central mall location is prime real estate. I'll likely be sampling the other Coles locations as well, but you can't beat this one for convenience.

Brisbane has come a long way over the years but it can still be frustrating trying to get a decent…read moremeal late at night. Hospitality workers, shift labourers and the inveterately disorganised know this fact only too well - if you end up trying to sort out dinner after the 9pm mark on a weekday you won't be able to get anything from the major supermarkets and your takeaway options will be seriously limited. That's why I appreciate the role of chains like IGA. To me, they represent the happiest compromise possible between a 24-hour convenience store and a full-blown supermarket. IGA Milton has an especially good range and boasts impressive opening hours: 6am - midnight 365 days a year (foreign readers from countries where 24-hour supermarkets are easy to find will have to excuse my excitement)! The deli here is quite gourmet, with a good selection of salamis and prosciutto as well as an array of olives. There are also some wholesome ready to eat salads and other heat-and-eat options like tortilla stacks. The nearby cheese selection showcases a well sourced selection of brie, camembert, blue and many others. I've even bought a very tasty pre-made sand crab lasagne from the refrigerated section. I suppose we have the area's high socio-economic status to thank for these epicurean touches.

Yep, I'm jumping on the bandwagon to rave about Baroona Road IGA. Such a sellout, aren't I? Hardly…read more Have you ever tried getting a park in Baroona Road Centro? It's a nightmare! My roommate laughs at me every time I say I'm popping down there for groceries and sarcastically wishes me luck getting a park, and he's not wrong. It's every man for himself when it comes to parking at this place. Horrible parking experiences aside though, this IGA is a godsend. The amount of times I've panicked when I've had nothing to take to work for lunch the next day or I've run out of milk and this place has saved me, I simply cannot count. One particular occasion I forgot it was a coworker's birthday the next day so I frantically rushed into Milton IGA at around 11pm and quickly swiped up a chocolate mud cake. It's a constant topic of conversation in my house how amazing the Baroona Road IGA's opening hours are. 6am to 12am every night; how does it get any better than that? Plus it's a TINY place, and yet I always seem to be able to find everything my heart desires. How do they manage to pack all that stuff into this tiny little space? Beats me, but they do. I prefer it to even larger supermarkets where they'd have about five hundred different brands of washing powder or mango juice because Baroona Road IGA always has what I need. For a small place, it has a ridiculously amazing selection of gourmet cheeses and healthy cooking options, plus a better range of caesar salads than I see in larger IGAs or Woolworths stores. Rather than go to Toowong's large and probably cheaper Coles, I prefer to go here. It's more convenient, and the selection is excellent. It's far better than any other chain grocery store I've experienced thus far. Everything is super easy to find whether you're in a rush or planning a larger shop. Because of Baroona Road IGA, I never go hungry. If you're a Milton/Auchenflower local, you'll find that you cherish and appreciate this IGA as much as me; if you survive the rat race of the car park out front, that is.

Australia has a pretty limited marketplace with regards to food shopping, but this locally owned…read moregrocer seems to be bringing something to the table. It has a bit of a warehouse feel, and some clearance sales lying around, but also a fairly respectable selection, including things that aren't all that easy to find; some nice vegetarian specialty items and a decent international section. They have ample fresh fruits and vegetables and a lot of dried beans and grains, so we're not talking unhealthy food either. The location is reasonably convenient, near the hospital with ample bus access and a train station on the other side of the hospital. Some of the sale items will understandably be a tad sketch, buy you can certainly find some deals here.

As you'll see in my review of the Gabba Fruit Market, I'm a little bit attached to it. However, I…read morewas driving past Mother of All Fruits the other day and decided to check it out. I've gotta say, I was pretty impressed with the range and presentation of fruit and veg. Tucked just inside a Spar-owned shopping centre, Mother of All Fruits occupies a huge floor space. Most of this is taken up by rows of fresh produce, but there's also a section for packaged and frozen goods. The range of fruit and veg is great and their herbs come in huge bunches for around $2.95 each. There are also lots of "bucket" specials to be had where you get a reduced price for buying a large amount. For $30, I filled a green bag and walked out with a tray of 20 bowen mangoes. Pretty good value, especially the $10 tray of mangoes. Whilst extremely well organised and well presented, the only thing I don't like about this produce store is that it feels a little too much like a supermarket. I remain faithful to the Gabba Fruit Market, which has a more local feel to it and has a less hectic carpark.

Location, location, location. It's everything, right? Well, no. For me, this location is great…read more It's right near where I live - and because it's on airport drive it's never particularly busy. There's always people around, but not like going into a supermarket at 5pm when everyone is at the checkouts. The selling point of this Woolworth's is as Tenniele said in her review, is the trading hours. My only problem is actually remembering they're open. I mean, how often have I decided after 6 that I want something from Woolies on the weekend? Often (on account of my love for snacks). And you know what? They're open until 7pm. But that's just weekends. Weekdays they're until 10pm. TEN PEE EM! That's fantastic. Also the staff aren't intrusive, and it's a good sized Woolies so it has everything you need. Parking isn't difficult and it's not overcrowded. All in all a good woolies. I suppose the only thing that has stopped me from making it a 5 start shop is the fact that the staff aren't fantastic. They're not bad either though. So you know, if you're around near the airport I'd definitely make it your grocery store!

It's a bog standard woolies for the most part, although I did see a sign making a claim to some…read moresort of large steak, but beyond the sign, I saw no sign of it. That said, it is quite a large store, so they probably have whatever you need. The absolute best thing about this Woolies is its opening hours. Toombul Coles closes 9pm weekdays, 5pm Saturday and 4pm Sunday. A mighty bummer when you need something and didn't get to the shop earlier! No worries! Zoom out to 'Skygate', 'DFO', whatever you wanna call it, and Woolies is there for you. 24 hours! I'll admit, it's a bit out of the way, but it's not really that far. Watch the signs though, it's easy to end up in the wrong lane and on your way out to the airport, the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast.

One of the many Korean supermarkets popping up around Brisbane, Asia Mart offers all the dry goods…read morelike noodles, kim chi, teas, chilli pastes etc you'd expect from an Asian food store. They also have a selection of homewares, kitchen utensils and other non-edibles at the back of the shop on the left. They don't have too many fresh vegetables save for a few bunches of herbs and some pre-peeled garlic cloves in a fridge. There's a freezer chest full of exotic Korean ice creams (covered in characters I do not understand). Here's s a fun game -- pick an ice cream at random and see if you like!

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Walking aisles of supermarkets can be super…read morefun. Think of all the different packaging design to devour. No, just me? Okay then. Awkward. This super chic grocer is up there for me. Head straight to the aisles of jams, chutneys, and other such condiments. Packaging branding heaven. I used to live across the road from James Street Market (and still visit frequently) and yes, it is as dangerous on your back pocket as you might imagine but let's break it down. For a slightly higher price you're selecting top quality produce, specialty cheeses, sweets and other accoutrements. You've got access to a patisserie (French Twist), a florist, a butcher, a fishery and sushi bar. The produce is always fresh and the ability to walk out empty handed? Extremely difficult. Case in point: a friend and I were recently on the hunt for salted caramel for a cheesecake. Sure, we could have made it from scratch (and normally we might have) but to put it bluntly "Ain't no body got time for that!". We'd hunted a few different specialty stores we thought would be on the money but it was James Street Markets that came through with the goods. The staff member that looked after us found it on the shelf with such air and grace. There was no trouble for her to point us in the direction of the jar that held our salted caramel dreams.

Despite its namesake, the drawing card for Fine Fruit On James is actually its cheeses. Yes, yes…read morethey also have fresh fruit and vegetables but in general, I find Brisbane has such an excellent range of fresh fruit and vegies anyway, especially if you shop for seasonal produce. You can usually pick up a few unusual mushroom types at Fine Fruit On James - enokis, King Oysters, wood-ear mushrooms but Asian supermarkets usually cover the same range. I repeat, it is their cheeses which stand out against their competitors. They have everything from camembert in the Adelaide Hills to Spanish manchengo. I became a goats' cheese convert after sampling their 'Lingot Chevre De Pelussin'. They also stock a decent range of gourmet deli products such as ice creams, pates, dips, oils, sauces and vinaigrettes. For an indulgent grocery shopping experience, Fine Fruit On James is the place to go.

Good place to shop under the same place good on price and u earn Woolworths dollars on your card…read moreand u can buy coffee and any hot drink or light meals at the cafe

My Sunday isn't complete without a trip to the Gabba Fruit Market. It's a little bit out of the way…read morefor me, so I like to make one trip and stock up on all my fruit and veg for the week, so as to avoid shopping at Coles and Woolworths. The produce at the Gabba Fruit Market is fresher and often much cheaper than that sold in the supermarkets and if you shop according to what's in season, you can fill a couple of green bags for around $30. They also have a great sales rack, selling produce that's nearing its expiry. I hate to think how much the supermarket giants must throw out just so that they can have display shelves full of "perfect" or under-ripe produce, but it's so nice to see places like the Gabba offering its old produce to customers who are happy to slice off the mushy bits and, of course, get a bargain. The Gabba Fruit Market also sells a small range of packaged, canned and other goods such as dairy products and bread. They often have great specials on staples like canned lentils and dried pasta. Make this part of your weekly ritual too!

With a respectable collection of dry goods, dairy and, of course, all the fruit and veg you could…read morewant, this top-shelf greengrocer really is a practical alternative to the supermarket. You'll find reasonable quality fruit and veg at very cheap rices: eg. * Watermelon @ 69c/kg * 3 avocados for $2.50 * 1kg bag of red onions for $1.99 * 5 ruby grapefruits for $2 * Jap pumpkin $1.29/kg And the list goes on. The specials no doubt change but you can rely on finding a bargain here. Last I went there were some pretty good specials on dry goods, like two boxes of cous cous for $3 and jars of olives for $2 each. The counter staff are pretty nice, just watch out you don't get bowled over by one of the burly guys wheeling around stock in trolleys.

I love consistency. I can always count on finding exactly what I'm looking for when I find…read moreWoolworth's!

Even on vacation I seem to spend a fair amount of time doing the "hunting and gathering" thing for…read morethe family. Being a city boy, I usually find a good food market to do my "gathering" and skip the whole "hunting" part altogether. Found this place about an hour after our arrival in Brisbane and, frankly, have been back here no less than 4-5 times is less than three days. I guess when you travel with a teenage boy and twin 4 yr olds, you spend most of your time at the grocery store buying drinks, snacks, meals, souvenirs (Vegemite), etc. Relatively small by U.S. Standards, but if you live in a city where space is at a premium, it's to be expected. VERY clean and organized. Prices are pretty fair, and I've noticed they offer some decent sale prices as well. The fruits and veggies were excellent. The staff were helpful, although since I mainly used their "self check-out" my interaction with humans was limited . . . However, one of the clerks did smile at me, or was it a smirk???? I'm sure I'll be back numerous times before we leave.

The best thing about this Aldi is it's not really in the middle of a large population so there are…read morenot normally many people in the shop! The other bonus is that weekly specials that are often sold out in other centres can be found here. Don't bother fighting the crowds at Carindale or Chermside, just pop on in here and get that cheap camping gear or knock off Le Creuset. There's 2 hour free parking underneath.

Popped into this Aldi to get some ingredients and to see if Woollies was more expensive. The minute…read morewe walked in I knew that this experience would be a disaster. It's tiny and has little or no meat in the deli and very little choice in vegetables (some mushrooms were so old they were going grey in the packaging). The cans of food were dented and about the same as woollies home brand. Quite disappointed as the one in stones corner is far better. As the person I was with said, "It was like waiting in que to enter the gates of hell and it couldn't possibly inspire anyone to cook anything creative. Just depressing".