Catch up lunch with an old work buddy. We wanted to try somewhere new near us which is becoming a…read morehard thing to find these days. Originally, we planned on trying Afra Afro-Can Grill but they don't open till 3:30pm on Friday. Erm, what? I know there's a thing called African time but I've never heard of a restaurant not being open for lunch if they're open the rest of the week for it. No worries though because kitty corner to them is Friendship Restaurant & Convenience. We decided to give them a shot. You can't miss it with it's rainbow coloured awning and bright blue exterior. The inside is not what I was expecting at all. They weren't kidding when they said it's also a convenience store. Need some clothes, shoes, caps, flour or memory sticks? Chances are you'll find it here. The amount of crap, er, stuff that they have here was flabbergasting. There's even more stuff in the basement area that you can walk further down into. When you first enter the restaurant/store, the kitchen is right there with the menus on display. You have to walk further in to get to the seating area. I'm not sure what it was, likely incense, but that being burned was not the most pleasant thing to sit down to. Menu is a mixture of Habasha and Canadian cuisine. I'll never figure out why restaurants do that. Believe in yourself! - Doro wot ($15.00) - Ethiopian's national dish of spicy chicken stew. It came with a side of salad, cheese and extra injera. The doro wot itself was pretty tasty but I didn't find it overly spicy and the sauce/stew itself was a bit too sweet for my tastes. It would have been nice to have a small bowl of rice to go with this instead of the extra injera as the stew would have been perfect over rice. I thoroughly enjoyed the salad which was refreshing and was a nice mixture of cucumber, coloured peppers, red onion, tomatoes and lettuce. The citrusy dressing was great. I'm not sure what the cheese was for but I tried a bit in both the stew and salad. The injera oddly didn't taste like much. Normally, it has a bit of sourness to it when you eat it own it's own but that wasn't the case here. The injera I've had at Abyssinia was much more satisfying. - Goat and rice ($15.00) - the goat and rice came with a side salad and soup. My buddy L really enjoyed the soup - he was surprised a bit by how good it was. I had a couple pieces of the goat and it was nicely tender, fall off the bone. Unfortunately, the rice was just your run of the mill. Disappointing when you can't get a good bowl of rice, especially given how much they give you! My buddy didn't even finish all of it and normally he eats his plate clean. Decent spot for Ethiopian food. Curious how busy they get as they're in a bit of an odd spot.

I would give no stars if I could. I came in to get some…read morethings and after waiting 10 minutes for someone to come to the till the help me; I was informed by the woman in the kitchen it would be another FIFTEEN minutes until anyone would be back to help me. The store owner had stepped out and left a brand new employee who had no idea how to work the register alone for over 30 minutes. This is not the first ridiculous encounter like this I've experienced at this store. Would not recommend it to anyone.

Wonderfu people. !!!! Good produce,and good prices…read more They carry most all name brand stock. Exallent location. Great for Seniors as well

The name drew me to this store. The only thing in common with The Simpsons is the fact that they do…read moreserve slushes (though not today, too cold!) and it's a convenience store. Located on the "Avenue of Nations" it features Somali/Ethiopian imported food and they bring in baked goods from a local bakery. This store offers lottery tickets and bus passes.

Amazing employees, amazing prices. 10/10, I shop there weekly. The layout of the store is…read moreimpressive and easy to navigate with a large variety of products.

I've been going to this store for 2 years... the owner is a good man always willing to help his…read morecustomers out. But lately I've noticed when his kids are behind the counter they are rude and ignorant... i would recommend turning around and going to the other 2 stores just across the street if the kids are working....

Popped into Grosvenor Reddi Mart yesterday for the first time. Located a block from Sir George…read moreSimpson Jr. High & Robert Rundle Elementary, this place gets hopping at lunch time on school days. The lady behind the counter was the perfect combination of friendly and attentive. They've got most of your standard strip mall convenience store goodies here from slushes to chips to candy to a small selection of household goods.

The family that own this store are great members of the community. They are kind, accommodating and…read morehave a well stocked store and have even ordered 'extra' of some things when I've asked and/or set something aside for a few hours for me. Their prices are very on-par with all other corner stores and their hours are great. In addition, I have to comment on the fact that I am disabled and they are very helpful even carrying things out to my car for me when I have something big or heavy to carry. All around, they are just lovely, good people. They are the kind of people you want as neighbours and running the neighbourhood store. The store gets very busy at lunch hour with the kids from the Jr. High and elementary school going there to grab snacks. Without making the kids wait, they do a great job about getting the adults thru the line in a timely manner. I can go on and on here, but will end it here with an honest "thank you" to them for their commitment to the neighbourhood and its people. Heather C

This Mac's is my favourite place, not only because it is conveniently located on campus across from…read morethe U of A Hospital but has all the basics a student would need and the best slushies during any season in the city. The place is stocked with snacks, milk, hot food, ice cream, the usual things you'll find at any convenience store. Mac's also has a limited selection of baking and cooking supplies. There is some seating inside and out which to me seems unusual but great if you want to take a break and enjoy a cold drink during the summer. The stuff here tends to be more expensive (and overpriced) than the nearby Sobeys but since it's open 24/7, there's no need to worry when you crave for a chocolate bar at 2 am in the morning.

Ghani's warm reception of customers and amazing generosity as manager at this Mac's makes this a…read moreparticularly wonderful place to shop at. Visits before to Mac's always yielded helpful convenient satisfaction with the good selection so close by. But this one visit and Ghani's generous leadership made Mac's an amazing place!

I'm quite surprised UPS care so little about their professional reputation and quality control of…read moretheir brand that they closed down their clean, tidy, professional UPS Store on Jasper Ave that always gave great customer service, and moved their pickup location here of all places. Went to pick up a parcel, wasn't sure I was even in the right place because this is a divey, sketchy, independently-owned convenience store that looks like some sort of crime front that is deliberately set up to look as unattractive to public as possible to keep them out. The woman behind the counter was on her cell phone from the moment I entered the store until the moment I left, carrying on a conversation, never apologizing to me or telling the person on the other end that they had a customer. I gave her the UPS slip and she asked for my ID to verify name and address, then she wiped her nose on her hand while holding my ID! The parcels were in a stack against a wall that was completely accessible by any random customer (or shoplifter) browsing, and names were written in large black marker on the sides of the parcels for all to see. Bonus points: my name was badly misspelled, but at least the woman didn't contest releasing it to me on this basis. The only positive thing I can say about the experience was that the woman took a one second break from her phone conversation to wish me a good day on my way out, but still, I'm rather disappointed that UPS is apparently has zero standards as to who they are willing to outsource pickup locations to.

Having not been to all convenience stores in the world (or even Edmonton), I cannot speak to this…read morebeing the sketchiest of all. But I can speak to it being one of the sketchiest I've ever been to. The only reason I went in was to pick up a parcel that UPS had decided to deliver there. First off, it was inconvenient to get to. It was on the wrong side of 109 St for me to ever drive on, and in an area I'm not super thrilled to go to after dark but also one that gets super busy traffic/parking wise before dark. Anyways. Oh. My. Gosh. The. Smell. It hit me like a brick wall upon entering the store. For the entire 5 minute exchange I tried to hold my breathe. The store itself was a typical convenience store... candy, chips.... hooka's, bongs, sari's and other clothes... (in other words, a very weird assortment). The packages to be picked up were just stacked on a bookshelf in the open (anybody could literally grab one and go). The cashier helped me find my parcel quickly (I ended up needing to point it out to him) but he was very abrupt in his mannerisms and mumbled a lot when he talked so I was constantly asking him to speak again... which I'm sure he thought was rude but I don't think it was his accent - just the mumbling. The building itself seemed to house 2 *massage parlours*, as well. All in all, I would say that UPS can please never deliver another package for me again because I swear to God I'm never going back to this convenience store (I still have a headache from the smell hours later).

The owner Rita is a really nice lady. Great service and solid work as a seamstress…read more Worked in the tower above for four plus years. Glad to see she is still doing well.

Great place. Friendly staff…read more Daria B. knows nothing, go back to Calgary you flames fan!