A World of Grocery Stores in Downtown Victoria
When you think about downtown Victoria and grocery shopping, you likely think of either Market on Yates or Save-On-Foods. Those are the two stores that I do most of my grocery shopping at, but we actually have a much richer variety of grocery stores downtown than you might normally consider.
In fact there are many grocery stores all over downtown. Even though you are unlikely to start doing all your shopping at one of these grocers, you might want to consider buying a particular item at them when you can, I can guarantee when you walk out of any one of them, you will have more than the one item you went in for. So here is a list of some of those groceries that you may or may not be familiar with. Keep in mind that these are just those that are downtown. If I missed one, let me know!
ABR Grocery Store
ABR might be the most under-the-radar grocery store, even though it has been here on Blanshard for ten years. This tiny Filipino store has a lot of merchandise in a very small package. They even have fresh exotic vegetables and fruit. The owner is very kind and helpful if you have any questions about any of the products. Next time you are in the area, pop in and see what they have to offer.
Address
1121 Blanshard Street
Hours
Mon & Wed Fri 11am to 5:30pm
Sat & Sun 10:30am to 6pm
Tues Closed
A-Mart Korean Grocery
Another small grocery store that you may not have noticed before. This one is focused on food from South Korea. They have an active Facebook page here. If you want some Korean red pepper paste or kimchi this is a perfect place to check out. The store has some well organised and stocked shelves so you are sure to find something interesting and yummy.
Address
652 Yates Street
Hours
Mon-Sat 12pm-6pm
Sun Closed
Cook & Pan Polish Deli and Cafe
Half cafe and half deli, the Cook and Pan has been a North Park staple for decades. The name originates from its old location in the little mini-mall at Cook St and Pandora Avenue, where Standard Pizza is today. While the Cook and Pan is a great place to get lunch, it is also a great place to buy any Polish food you might be in need of. This is where I get my sauerkraut and pickled veggies and if you want something for the freezer, a couple of bags of perogies for when you want something fast and delicious to eat is a great idea. The current location is on Amelia Street behind the Ministry of Health building.
Address
1527 Amelia Street
Hours
Mon - Fri 9am - 3pm
Sun - 10am - 3pm
Filipino Mart
The second Filipino grocery store on the list. This one is just north of Discovery Street on Douglas. This is a little smaller than ABR but has a tonne of stuff on its shelves and they are so well organised. Such a gem of a grocery store. They also have some fresh veggies here too. The hours are more limited here, so make sure to take that into consideration if you want to visit.
Address
2012 Douglas Street
Hours
Tues - Sat 11am - 4pm
Sun & Mon Closed
Fisgard Market
I am fairly certain that Fisgard Market is the largest and perhaps the oldest grocery store on this list and is perhaps the only that you could likely do a full grocery shop at if you wanted to. I could likely stand in front of Fisgard all day and just watch people choose their vegetables on the street and the line-up of delivery trucks that seem to always be unloading more stuff to sell. Squint your eyes a little and you could easily be in the Lower East Side of Manhattan right there. Perhaps my favourite thing about the store is their great selection of instant noodles. If Fisgard isn’t your scene in Chinatown for whatever reason, there are at least two other decent sized grocery stores within a block, one just across the street and one across Government.
Address
550 Fisgard Street
Hours
Everyday 9am - 6pm
Italian Food Imports
I am going to guess that this will be the most familiar name on the list though maybe not for the groceries. Italian Food Imports or the Italian Deli as it is more commonly called, is a go-to place for great lunches. As you are standing waiting for your sandwiches you may have noticed the great selection of Italian food products from pasta to pesto. The store has been open since 1985 and is definitely a great place to get some items if you are planning on cooking a fancy pasta dinner. If you haven’t been, stop in for a sandwich but while you are there see if there is anything else that you need for your pantry.
Address
1114 Blanshard Street
Hours
Tues - Sat 10am - 4pm
Sun & Mon Closed
Limey
Definitely the newest store on this list having just opened in November of 2021. Despite being new, Limey has made a splash. I am going to assume that the attention that they have received is because as much as we want to move past the “British” aspect of Victoria, there is still a large population of expats in the city (almost 2000 people in the City of Victoria alone were born in the UK). As you may have guessed Limey focuses on food from the United Kingdom. Whether you want to pick up some Hobnobs or a can of Irn-Bru, Limey is the place for you. If you don’t see your favourite item from the Isles here, just talk with Lee and Jules, the owners, and they will put your request up on their request board on the back wall of the store. This is a great looking store down near Capital Iron. Next time you are in the area, make sure you have time to go in and check them out.
Address
515 Chatham (but really on Store Street)
Hours
Mon - Fri 10am - 530pm
Sat 10am - 5pm
Sun 11am - 4pm
Mexican House of Spice
The Mexican House of Spice is another one that has been around for a long time. This store actually used to sit in the spot now held by the Filipino Mart mentioned previously. That when I first used to go and visit it. The location now is on Douglas Street by the Rialto Hotel. When you walk in the door you get a wonderful smell of mexican food. They also make some of their own frozen items that you can take home and cook. If you are lucky enough to be there on the right day, make sure to get some of their chicken tamales, they are absolutely amazing. The store has a great selection of Mexican candy, spices and other items like cactus that can be hard to get at other stores. They also of course have an excellent selection of hot sauces.
Address
1412A Douglas Street
Hours
Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm
Sun 12pm - 5pm
Sakura Japanese Grocery
Sakura is a downtown legend. It is not the biggest Japanese Grocery in Victoria, that honour goes to Fujiya on Shelbourne. It certainly is the largest (and only?) one downtown. They have a decent selection of Japanese ingredients for home cooking. Lots of different noodles and pickles that you are not going to find anywhere else downtown. As a bonus, just like Italian Food Imports, this is a great lunch spot for sushi and quite a few other items too. It is also located right next to Market on Yates, so you can easily do a two-for-one shopping combo.
Address
1213 Quadra Street
Hours
Mon - Sat 11am - 7pm
Sun Closed
Zero Waste Emporium
The last place on the list is not going to be for everyone but it is an alternative grocery store downtown for those that want to lighten their impact on environment as they shop. The Zero Waste Emporium has a pretty large selection of items for a fairly small store and it is all waste free. If you are wanting to have a little less packaging in your life, even if it is just for a few products, you have to check out this store. Be sure to bring your own containers if you visit though as there are no plastic bags for your produce here (unless you are reusing them from elsewhere I suppose).
Address
1728 Douglas Street
Hours
Mon - Fri 10am - 630pm
Sat & Sun 1030am - 530pm
I know that there are a tonne of other small grocery options around Greater Victoria, even just outside of downtown like the Local General Store in Oaklands or the Island Afrikan Supermarket in Quadra Village but I needed to cut the list off somewhere. If you have a favourite that is not on the list, make sure to put it in the comments. And if you are going shopping downtown, why not try and pick something up at one of these stores, even if you are going to finish your shop at Save On.