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Downtown Grocery Store List (current + proposed)

Farm Boy is amazing, but I don't go there often enough because both locations are inconvenient when living downtown. Looking forward to the Metrocentre store!
 
Farm Boy is amazing, but I don't go there often enough because both locations are inconvenient when living downtown. Looking forward to the Metrocentre store!

Farm Boy does have lots going for it. But it does have a few shortcomings.

I've tried a few of their house-made items (including stir-fry and pizza, both feature good ingredients); but they're flat. The Pizza crust is borderline awful and flavourless; and good toppings don't shine; while the stir-fry is overcooked and underflavoured.

They have fairly good produce and meat; the bakery is a bit more suspect with very uneven quality.

While the shelf stuff is typically above average in quality.......its not very ethnically diverse....
 
Farm Boy's frozen pizza dough is great and their store brand pizza sauce (both ~$2) is good as well. I also recommend the kefir masala dip and the toasted pita crackers. The flavoured variety made in-store, not the boxed ones.

The stir fry counter cooks with non-stick pans, so don't bother.

The store-brand canned coconut milk is decent and cheap. If you're trying to build a decent curry, your shopping trip will probably need to involve a visit to a second grocery store.

They have a really good variety of kombucha as well and there's always one type on sale. The Leslie and Lake Shore store makes the wait for an east-end Organic Garage location a little easier. I wish it was more pedestrian friendly, because I'm limited to whatever I can carry home in my backpack on a bike. Walking to that store is absolutely ridiculous.
 
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Farm Boy's frozen pizza dough is great and their store brand pizza sauce (both ~$2) is good as well. I also recommend the kefir masala dip and the toasted pita crackers. The flavoured variety made in-store, not the boxed ones.

The stir fry counter cooks with non-stick pans, so don't bother.

The store-brand canned coconut milk is decent and cheap. If you're trying to build a decent curry, your shopping trip will probably need to involve a visit to a second grocery store.

They have a really good variety of kombucha as well and there's always one type on sale. The Leslie and Lake Shore store makes the wait for an east-end Organic Garage location a little easier. I wish it was more pedestrian friendly, because I'm limited to whatever I can carry home in my backpack on a bike. Walking to that store is absolutely ridiculous.

"The stir fry counter cooks with non-stick pans, so don't bother." - what does this mean?
 
"The stir fry counter cooks with non-stick pans, so don't bother." - what does this mean?
Non-stick coatings can't handle the high heat necessary for a proper stir-fry and ingredients won't develop a good sear. They just slide around and steam, and the result is a wet and disappointing stir-fry. It's a waste of the good produce they're using.
 
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Non-stick coatings can't handle the high heat necessary for a proper stir-fry and ingredients won't develop a good sear. They just slide around and steam, and the result is a wet and disappointing stir-fry. It's a waste of the good produce they're using.

Doesn't help that their sauces are seriously under flavoured; and they don't use enough fresh garlic or ginger.
 
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Liberty Village Longo's grand opening is Wednesday Nov 20th.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/longo-collaborates-amsterdam-beer-jacked-191500808.html

Features include:

- Fresh pasta bar,
- Hand-stretched mozzarella,
- Salumi bar,
- Burger bar,
- Stone oven pizza counter
- Fresh sushi.
-Jacked Up Coffee,
-order ahead with Ritual or receive prepared meals through Uber Eats straight to their doors. Grocery Gateway same-day pickup will also be available at the location

Plus:

Inside Corks Beer and Wine, Amsterdam will be brewing on-site marking the grocer’s first brewery integration. The brewery will feature craft brews from the Amsterdam Adventure series on rotating taps year-round at the Liberty Village Longo’s. There will also be co-branded menu items inside the restaurant including Amsterdam Boneshaker short rib agnolotti.

And, not yet, but in the future

- Plans to make the location the first fully liquor licensed grocery store in Canada, allowing for the freshly brewed Amsterdam Beer to be enjoyed while perusing the aisles.
 
Liberty Village Longo's grand opening is Wednesday Nov 20th.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/longo-collaborates-amsterdam-beer-jacked-191500808.html

Features include:

- Fresh pasta bar,
- Hand-stretched mozzarella,
- Salumi bar,
- Burger bar,
- Stone oven pizza counter
- Fresh sushi.
-Jacked Up Coffee,
-order ahead with Ritual or receive prepared meals through Uber Eats straight to their doors. Grocery Gateway same-day pickup will also be available at the location

Plus:

Inside Corks Beer and Wine, Amsterdam will be brewing on-site marking the grocer’s first brewery integration. The brewery will feature craft brews from the Amsterdam Adventure series on rotating taps year-round at the Liberty Village Longo’s. There will also be co-branded menu items inside the restaurant including Amsterdam Boneshaker short rib agnolotti.

And, not yet, but in the future

- Plans to make the location the first fully liquor licensed grocery store in Canada, allowing for the freshly brewed Amsterdam Beer to be enjoyed while perusing the aisles.

Amazing - now that's innovation. I hope they don't forget to include drink holders on the shopping carts!
 
It's only 23,000 sf - that actually isn't that large for a Longos, no?

Yes.

Longos Mapleleaf Square is large for them at 48,000sq ft

But

Yonge-Sheppard is 40,000

So this is definitely a smaller space relative to all the features being included.
 
No Frills on Coxwell Avenue reopens after its '3 year renovation' (which involved removing the roof and 3/4 exterior walls)............ December 5th.
 
I'm gonna go check out the Longo's down the road this week. Pretty stoked about the Amsterdam Brewery-whatever-the-hell on site.

Unrelated as hell but also pretty stoked for the CT to open in the spring in the same building.
 
Alas, no, just a bunch of shitty China, but it's alright for random work things like hand cleaner, car washing product, camping fuel, straps, and so on.
 

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