The service behind the fish counter is very poor. The fishmonger IS VERY RUDE! He YELLED VERY LOUD…read moreat me in Chinese and I had no idea what he was saying. I merely asked to keep the eggs in the fish. I would NOT recommend shopping at this establishment until they replace the RUDE man with someone who values loyal customers. My family and I had been shopping here for decades. Never have we ever had such bad experience!

I was getting the full tour of Chinatown on a hot day earlier this month. It was so hot that we…read morepopped into Kowloon Market for some relief from the heat! Kowloon Market is the largest supermarket in Chinatown. It serves to be a one-stop shop for your groceries, barbequed meats, bakery, and more. The bakery looked good. Sadly, someone decided to eat the top of one of the pineapple buns. The dome covering these buns was also wide open, so you need to be aware of the cleanliness, or lack thereof. I did my good deed of the day by closing it. No, I didn't eat the imperfect pineapple bun! It has a good selection of snacks and tea. I learned that you can get do-it-yourself candies. It was eye-opening for me, as I seem to be missing out on these trends. I chatted with a 69-year-old woman in a wheelchair while we were browsing. This supermarket seems to be a social area for some, which is nice. I appreciated dropping by this supermarket to cool off while sipping my bubble tea. If you live in the area and don't have a car to get groceries, this supermarket takes care of your food needs and more. (264)

Looking for exotic snacks? Things you don't see at regular grocery stores, drug stores or…read moreconvenience stores? Exotic Bottega has you covered. They had lots of imported items from places like the UK, Poland, and Japan. They also have some American items that are harder to find in Canada. It's fun to poke around. Prices are a bit on the higher end, but that's the premium for rarer items. The place is bright and clean. Staff are laid back and friendly. Like every other store in the Byward Market, there's no parking, so you have to park on the street or in one of the lots/parkades.

Cool little market that carries hard to find food, snacks and drinks…read more I'm really not sure what to make of it but they carry a lot of interesting and cool snacks. Sweet, savoury and possibly things in between! There's a good selection of chips and candies. There's also a lot of drinks and limited edition cereals. What a blast to be in here. I think my rating is more on the nostalgia as I won't have a chance to try most of the snacks in here. Let me know what you end up trying!

This review has been posted after about 5 visits to Divisoria (2 of them were in one day - one for…read morefood and later in the evening for Halo Halo) So, I have to say..... they may have taken the Yelp review to heart because they have significantly stepped up their game. On the days that I went it was all around noon and they have been able to pile the hot bar up with food. The prices aren't as steep as I expected BUT the purple desert soup thing is a little on the expensive side. A meal with a Turon (plantain fried in a crispy wrapper and drizzled with molasses) would run you about $12 and you will be FULL. They have all the usual Filipino fare but I was quite surprised to see that they never had any adobo pork or chicken on the days that I went. They have the rice and pancit everyday and occasionally put out the palabok. Now for the HaloHalo .....yes yes and YES. It missing the leche flan but is really REALLY good and certainly hits the spot. If you're craving some Filipino and are in the carling area ....give this place a try. Parking is a little scarce but is available at the back.

5 stars for: -…read morewanting to support a family-run small business - the owners are very friendly; they know the importance of being close to the community and how to serve the masses; they often share their space with community-based not-for-profit organizations like Migrante - Ottawa who run workshops on rights and welfare for FREE - don't feel like cooking? YOU can pick up cooked food here (from appetizer to entree to dessert) - need to send money to family outside of Canada? You can remit money here. - newcomer to Ottawa? Stop here to get help with your questions on navigating the city and the Filipino Community in Ottawa - OR just come by to hang out, they are open for that too! - shelves - clean & well stacked; don't forget to check out their freezers - they may just have what you are looking for - the desserts (kakanin) - many are made in store so they get to you fresh!

Very neat little hidden gem here. I stopped by on the recommendation of a friend and was surprised…read moreat how much variety there is here. They have tons of stuff if you are looking to try something a little different, some teas, treats, condiments and some deli meats. The staff are friendly and you will most likely require some assistance reading the labels as most of them are not in English. They have a lovely deli section where you can get traditional Bosnian meats, everything we tried was delicious!! We also purchased some little spanakopitas and baked them at home, these surely did not disappoint. Although I have not visited during the weekdays, they have a little take out sport st the back where you can pick up some freshly baked goods and food to go. All in all, I will definitely be back! If I could make a recommendation, just ask the staff about their products, tell them that a fellow yelper sent you their way and i am sure that they would be happy to help you with anything you need. The owners and their family are so nice and eager to chat and teach about their cultural foods. Enjoy your trip to Bosnia without the need for a passport!

This sandwich is literally the reason I downloaded this app…read more I've just spent the whole winter in Quebec and am now hitchhiking across Canada and decided to stay in Ottawa a few days. I booked 4 nights at the Saintlo jail hostel and when I came downstairs after a rejuvenating nap I saw that they had a list of recommendations sitting amongst a pile of other plastic sheets. Dirienzo's - the best ITALIAN SANDWICH in the city. I'm not really an Italian sandwich sort of person normally, maybe it was contributed by the burgeoning like for cured meats that I was acquiring after eating dried salami as my only source of food for the past week or so -- but who's going to pass up the chance to try the BEST of anything? I got there after taking 2 buses and was starting to become a bit concerned. I had $40 in my account and was hitchhiking across the country -- after all it was labelled the BEST in the city and that would normally come with a hefty price tag. When I first opened the door I instantly got greeted by the guy behind the counter, which made me feel welcomed and at ease. I looked up to view the selection of sandwiches that they had on offer and potentially the cheaper ones. I was surprised to see the sign that said $10 for ANY SANDWICH!! #booyah I was finding it hard to decide on which of the sandwiches to get since they all looked so appetising, but decided on number 16. The sandwich was massive for the price that it was. The bread was a perfect mix between durable so that it wouldn't fall apart in your hands, but soft enough that it was enjoyable, with the amount of bread contemplating he rest of the fillings just the right amount. I was pretty overwhelmed to be honest with how good it was. All of the ingredients including the lettuce (which I've found is usually the first thing places will skimp out on) were extremely fresh. I put in my coworker groupchat: "Anyone coming over across Canada after the season has to make a stop in Ottawa if they aren't already just to try one of these." Accompanied by a photo of my eyes watering with glee. My Nonna is always telling me how I need to learn Italian to be more connected to our culture and I've always just kindof brushed it off since I haven't needed to use it and we don't speak it much at home, but this has made me so proud to be Italian. As I continued to eat the sandwich sitting on a bench looking towards the city and the people playing basketball in the park, I found myself contemplating staying in Canada and raising my kids here in Ottawa so that they get to experience it themselves on a warm summer afternoon after picking them up from school. GO TO DI RIENZO'S 99999/10

Been buying sandwiches here for 20+ years, this place is an institution…read more Get: Number 17 with everything and eggplant, Dijon mustard. Please.

TL;DR: This review is exclusively for their sandwiches. Cute little Italian grocery store with…read morefresh pasta, deli meats and cheeses. They have bread and sandwiches. Got the roast beef sandwich. It was good, but a little skimpy with the fillings in my opinion. I love sandwiches so when I discovered that Home of Fresh Pasta also sold sandwiches, I wanted to give them a try. My husband and I shared a roast beef sandwich ($10.25). You get to choose your toppings and we got lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, spicy eggplant and mustard (the other 2 available toppings we didn't get were hot peppers and mayo). The bread was fresh and warm. In fact, it just came out of the oven. The bread was long, but very skinny, so the sandwich was actually on the small side by my standards. They were not all that generous with the toppings either, in my opinion. So while the ingredients tasted good, it did not feel like a substantial sandwich to me. The person making my sandwich was also not wearing gloves and was the same person handling the cash register. The store sells lots of Italian products, frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable. And of course they sell fresh pasta. They had large round focaccia too for $6 each. Staff were courteous. The store is small, but bright and neatly organized. Street parking only. (141)

This is the best pasta in the city! And there are many other delicious products as well. I am…read morealways finding something new to try and am invariably pleased with the result. I can pick up an entire meal from starters to main course to yummy desert in one stop. The service is impeccable.... I can be in and out in no time. It is a bright charming Italian grocery boutique with pretty much anything you could want....cetainly anything I want!

This is my local Farm Boy. It's relatively new and was the first "urban concept" store in Ottawa…read more Which means it's smaller than regular stores and basically geared towards yuppies, lol. Farm Boy is a grocery store. They have a good prepared foods section, bakery, and produce department. They have a house brand called "Farm Boy" which has a good selection of products. Unlike the house brand of other stores, Farm Boy brand items are not really cheaper than national brands and in many cases, are even more expensive, but their quality is quite good. This particular location would be a bit of a pain in the butt if you have to drive there because the parking lot for customers (free) is tiny and always full. There is a paid parking lot there too, but I don't know of many people who would be agreeable to pay for parking to do their grocery shopping. It's within walking distance from my house, so I don't have to worry about such, but I can see it as a problem for non-locals. I appreciate the opening of a Farm Boy in my neighbourhood because I like choices and variety, but admittedly I don't like this location as much as their larger locations that are more spacious with more selection of products.

I enjoy ordering my lunch at the stir fry hot bar cooked right there in 5 min. My wife's favourite…read moregrocery store.