At first glance Bivano and Sons appears to be a high quality and well stocked fruit and vegetable…read moreshop. But anyone who has had the pleasure of visiting this well known grocer knows better! Yes B & S has the best looking and diverse range of fruit and veg I have seen, but it doesn't stop there. There is a beautiful range of flowers to choose from as well as a deli section I could very well live in. Any shop that has a fridge of Ben and Jerry Ice-Cream has my vote. And yes, they do stock a range of sauces and deliciousness from Gourmet Simon Johnson. This grocer is not only filled with beautiful products but friendly staff and a conjoining butcher for all your carnivourous needs. This place is a pleasure to visit and its produce joyous to consume. Yes, it is that good. All other greengrocers take note please.

I have refused to purchase fruit and veggies from the supermarket for a long time now, for reasons…read moreI don't need to get into here. Fitzroy's finest is a great alternative. Situated on a busy corner on Smith St, they have huge competition with a mega mart right next door. They are obviously doing something right, because they continue to be there after years of competition. Thankfully banana prices are coming back down - I picked up a bunch today for 5.99 a kilo. There is always a few great specials out the front on the street and there is a decent varying selection inside. Besides fresh fruit n veg, they also stock spices, eggs and have a daily box of ciabatta rolls. They also do free delivery - perfecto!

I'm aaaaaall for Woolie's selection, and sometimes good clearance prices. I mean, come on, I'm a…read morebroke student. But this place beats them bigtime in the fruit and vege departments. HUGE avocados, like big as a melon. Super fresh capsicum. As many mushrooms as out on the farm, and sometimes the only place I can find shallots (perfect and necessary for cooking almost any sauce dish). Seriously, skip the fruit and vege at Woolies, head right next door and get it all there, but bring cash because they're not huge fans of using EFTPOS for a $9 bill.

The Vegetable Connection definitely has a very good reputation of doing amazing looking window…read moredisplays. If you have ever walked up this end of Brunswick Street I am sure you have seen the beautiful gourmet-looking displays of food peeking out at you from their shop front window. This is after all is what The Vegetable Connection is all about. Selling you the dream of gourmet food. And they do have a good selection of gourmet foods. Chanterelle mushrooms , black truffles, organic small goods and any other kind of gourmet delight you can think of. As you would expect, The Vegetable Connection is certainly not a 'cheap value for money' kind of shop. But then again - if you are in the market for black truffles then value isn't what you are after. My main criticism of this place is the fact that they sell a small range of organic fruit and vegetables right alongside non-organic fruit and vegetables. I have know many people that have mistakenly thought that all of their fresh produce is organic - which is in fact not the case. So just make sure you look at their signage clearly. Definitely worth a look-in - you never know they may have that ingredient you just haven't been able to source anywhere else.

Buying fruit and veggies is a delight at this small store on Brunswick Street. On each of my visits…read morethe staff have been very friendly, making jokes with me and asking about what I'm cooking for dinner. It's obvious that they enjoy working here and it makes such a difference when I hand over my hard earned cash. The produce is beautiful, with plenty of great value on abundant and seasonal produce. (Ie. 3 avos for $5 and a whole cabbage for $2 on my most recent visit). They have a great selection of high-quality and mostly organic meat, dairy and pantry items too so you can essentially buy everything you need for a meal in the one transaction. I much prefer a visit here to support smaller producers than the nearby supermarket.

I have to be honest with you fellow Yelpers, I have never been inside Sonsa Foods. By the sounds of…read moreit I really should as it seems like another grocery store that just offers stuff you can't anywhere else. What I have sampled here and do on a fairly regular basis are their freshly made juices in a hole in the wall right in front of the store. You can pretty much take your pick from all the veggies and fruits they have on offer. They are made right in front of you and are really tasty too. They are that bit cheaper than the chains such as Boost etc. If passing, it's hard to miss and hard not to be tempted!

I came for the juice but I stayed for the rest…read more Since moving to Oz I haven't bought a new juicer so this place has replaced me juicing for the moment. This is one of the only things I have found in Oz that is cheaper than the states. Fresh cheap juice! Tara who usually juices on the weekends when I come in is always smiling and is friendly. Come in to get good hummus for cheap and a large selection of nuts. Also when Woolys across the street is selling $4 avocados come here for $1 avocados.

With so many second hand markets around these days, it's really a hit and miss as to whether you…read morewill luck upon scoring a good find for a decent price. Fitzroy market is a small market at the Fitzroy Primary School that has a well edited selection of clothes, books, shoes, bits and bobs. There is definitely an element of 'Fitzroy cool' at the market, with a younger range of sellers. Note, when I say younger, I'm talking 20-30s (which is the age bracket I fall in). This is one of my favorite markets around at the moment.

Great little local market held in the grounds of Fitzroy Primary School on the third Saturday of…read moreevery month in 2012 (it's previously been the first Saturday of the month). Mostly secondhand clothes, records, toys and bric-a-brac - almost always at very reasonable prices. Not many food and drink options: a sausage sizzle and a very good coffee stall, but there's plenty of other cafes and bakeries nearby on Smith or Brunswick Streets if that doesn't take your fancy. Entry by gold coin donation.

Hawker 88 is one of the night markets at Queen Victoria market. It runs for 7-8 weeks on…read moreWednesday's only and celebrates the diverse flavors of Asia. There are 20-ish food stalls representing many cultures, along with a few craft suppliers. Each week a different culture is highlighted - last night it was Malaysia and specifically durian! The durian stand had whole fruits, plates and even durian ice cream. The line was by far the longest so I didn't get to try this legendary item but I definitely smelt it! Lines were long in general but I was impressed at how well places kept the crowds moving. We tried Filipino lechon pork, spiral stick potatoes and curry roti. The last one was my favorite though it all looked and smelled delicious. I really enjoyed this market - it gave me the chance to experience a lot of culture and food that I'd never get at home.

This isn't the closest fruit and veg shop to my house so I don't come here unless I happen to be on…read moreSydney Road and it happens to be a convenient time to do some vegetable shopping. The first few times I came here I thought they were rather pricey compared to my local fresh produce shop, but a recent visit has led me to change my mind. La Manna had lots of good deals going, and I managed to find tarragon there, which I hadn't found in other stores in the neighbourhood. I don't know if I just never get the nice, smiley staff member at the cash register, or if none of them smile or make an attempt to be friendly, but that's just how it goes in La Manna. It would be nice if they were nicer to me, but if it were that easy for everyone to be nicer to each other, there would probably be less fighting in the world. How on earth did I go from fruit and veg to more peace and love in the world please? I think it's time for afternoon tea break.

Last Sunday my partner and I did something we've never done before... we awoke before 9am. But more…read moreimportantly, we got our butts out of the house and decided to stock up our fridge for the week (and stock it healthy.) La Manna is just a short walk away and is an absolutely gem of a local grocer. Piles of fresh fruits, veggies, flowers and all that other healthy stuff that you look at in the supermarket but always walk right past. You know the ones - quinoa, freekah, sunflower seeds and anything green... We stocked our basket sky high with enough veggies to feed a small family and smugly strutted out on to Sydney Road - proud smile on our face for all that we had achieved before 10am on a Sunday - and all for just a few clams! A highly recommended destination when you want the best and freshest veggies without the hefty price that can often come along with them.

Farmers Markets are my favourite way to spend a Saturday morning. Wake up, throw on some clothes,…read moregrab a coffee and a pastry to be consumed in the car, and head off to the farmers market. Perfection. It certainly helped to have some beautiful winter sunshine on our backs as we gingerly stepped our way through the muddy grounds of the farmers market this weekend. It's a perfect venue - a little country oasis in the middle of the bustling city. It makes me so happy. The air is clean, there are hens and dogs wandering around everywhere, and there are usually some happy-looking goats and ponies to pet on your way to the food. The food is usually great quality, and usually good value as well. But honestly, I'm willing to pay a little more when I know where the food has come from, and am able to meet the people that grew it. I can't recommend this highly enough. Check it out!

Collingwood Children's Farm is a great place for young children to visit. Children can get up close…read moreto a number of different farm animals including a variety of hens, pigs, goat and horses. Pleasant places to walk along winding pathways leading to secret nooks and crannies. Interesting walking in the fruit and flower gardens and it is necessary to observe the no pick sign for fruit and flowers. The community garden is of great interest with its neatly laid out vegetable plots. We lunched at the cafe but unfortunately missed seeing the sign for a barbecue that day. Each day there is a timetable of events but be warned to be early as there are always crowds of children and adults wanting to do the same thing as you.

What a great way to start the morning. I Decided to go for a stroll and ended up at the market and…read morespent a good chunk of time then walked out with a bag of groceries. Reasonably priced and a great selection of products. If you ever want to prepare a meal, there's great selection.. Market city coffee was fantastic, bought some cheeses, and picked up a borek pastry. Market is separated into different buildings. Seafood, deli and meats, and I didn't get to walk to the produce section. I stopped in at nine, but according to Google, it opens at six. In a shopper. Owner told me they close at three on the weekdays and four on the weekends. Open every day!

I saw an IG clip that featured some the eateries at Queen Vic Market. I said I gotta go when I am…read morein Melbourne. We shared a Turkish borek, porchetta panini fr Rubens, and a char siu meat pie fr Amelies. They have a ton of prepared food options like baked goods, sausages, fried chicken, ethnic food, charcuterie and raw seafood. First of all, the borek was a nice starter. It had a lot of fillings, and made me want to go to Turkey. On the other hand, the pie was a bit disappointing. It was bland and the crust wasn't flaky. Lastly, the porchetta was fantastic. The pork was really tender and nicely seasoned. The crackling on top was genius. Regarding the ambiance, the grounds are massive. The food hall has prepared food on both ends, and fresh meat & seafood in the middle. A lot of people come w/ carts. All of the vendors were super nice. We even bought some bread, charcuterie and marinated octopus for later. I highly recommend QVM if you visit Melbourne. They have something for everybody.

It may seem a bit weird to review a supermarket as we all know you might think they are all just…read morethe same. But nevertheless the size and range of produce does vary quite a lot. The Coles on Johnston Street in the heart of Fitzroy is a fairly small shop and is pretty much the only decent sized supermarket for a good 1km radius. It certainly caters to more of a Fitzroy crowd with quite a large selection of obscure fruits and veg and more than usual organic offerings. Where I do feel let down is the seafood and meat sections that don't offer the same about of range. If you go late in the day you can usually get tons of things 40% (sometimes 66%) off, so if you live locally you can take advantage and eat your treats the next day. They also have pretty good baked goods. As for the staff, they are really friendly and quite often up for a chat.

The worst Coles I've been to... sadly, it's the only supermarket in Fitzroy…read more It's small, which is to be expected given the real estate prices here. So selection is an issue if you're into fresh produce and meat, but that's not all that surprising. (Although it does get frustrating when I have the chance to go to the huge Woolworth's in nearby-but-just-slightly-too-far-for-grocery-shopping Collingwood.) What is surprising is the terrible inventory management. Things they are routinely out of stock in: coriander. basil. parmesan cheese. BEEF MINCE. What kind of supermarket runs out of these things?? There are also often no shopping baskets as you walk in and you have to go to the checkouts to get them. They have plenty of self-checkout, but I find these a pain when buying fresh produce, and they frequently only have two manned checkouts that always have queues. The only upside is that they do pretty good discounting in snack foods, and I've found some decent meat specials during weekdays. The stock staff are helpful when you can find them. If there was any other decent option in walking distance, I'd go there, but sadly the only other option where I live is a tiny IGA.