Everyone needs that little convenience store on the corner to run to in the mornings when there's…read moreno milk or bread in the house. The only difference with the St Lucia Supermarket is that it's not little and I run to it when I run out of fruit, vegetables, meat and spices. You could easily do a week's worth of grocery shopping here, however the small shopping baskets sort of prevent that from happening (unless you are the Incredible Hulk/can survive off lettuce for every meal). This place houses everything from heavy duty household cleaning products, to cat food, personal hygiene goods, juices, baking goodies and a variety of frozen Asian food products. They often have specials on particular products (there's often cheap pumpkins advertised out the front) and have an assortment of banana bread, muffins and slices at the counter, which sometimes act as a necessary source of comfort food. So if you're in the area and are running low on literally anything/everything in your house; you can be sure to replenish your depleted stocks here.

I never really even paid attention to the name of St Lucia Supermarket until I had to write this…read morereview. Up until now, I always referred to it as the little Asian Supermarket on Fred Schonell. I have a warm spot in my heart for this grocery store. It was my local one for so long and I felt as if I visited it on almost a daily basis to pick up my milk and bread. It was flooded out earlier in the year but luckily has made a full comeback. This is not your average supermarket. They sell slices of homemade banana bread or cakes on the front counter, and you always see the same staff who are kind and friendly. They have a great fresh food section. While it does not have a huge selection of vegetables you will find whatever they do stock is often of great quality and in season. They also stock a lot of Asian vegetables and packaged foods here that aren't easily available elsewhere. If you wonder down the very tight aisles to the back you will find a tower of two minute noodles, bread, bags of rice and a wall full of spices. They have freezers full of pork buns and dim sums. They also stock all your other basic foods and needs like toilet paper, pencils, batteries etc. While not good for a big shop (you couldn't fit a trolley down those aisles if you tried), it is the perfect spot to pick up those few missing ingredients for your next meal.

Stone's Corner is a bit of a hole, but it does have some great ethnic food stores. I don't that I'd…read morecall Brusnica Coffee Deli all that great, but it is always exciting stumbling upon new food stores. Brusnica Coffee and Deli is run by a Serbian woman and stocks all things Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian. There's a range of imported tinned food, some massive jars of various pickled vegetables, a large selection of dried and cured meats and sausages and only a small selection of prepared food, including Burek filled with meat, cheese or cheese/spinach. It's more of a deli than it is a cafe, and whilst I've never tried their coffee, they seem to serve it in the standard "Australian" style of flat whites and cappuccinos, etc. There's a couple of tables out the front, but the Stones Corner street-scape isn't much to look at. I'd go here for their Burek, which are tasty and filling, and perhaps for the cured meat, but otherwise there isn't much else in here that I find outstandingly different.

While the selection may seem bamboozling to the average Aussie, Cafe Brusnica is your go-to place…read morefor all things Serbian/Croatian/Macedonian/Slovenian. They carry a generous array of cured meats and sausages as well as fresh meat and cheese products. They also have a variety of condiments including both hot and sweet ajvar in addition to various pickled vegetables from feferoni to capsicum. They also stock sweets such as chocolate and wafers and other confectionary as well as soup stock powders, dried beans and herbal and medinical teas. Their freshly made burek with buttermilk is recommended.

As far as grocery shopping at Sunnybank, Formosa Asian Market is usually my last resort. Although…read morethis Taiwanese-owned chain has been a regular institution of Brisbane for the past twenty years, I find their range a little limiting for the advance Asian cook. Sure they'll have your range of dashi for Japanese cooking or bean vermicelli for Chinese cooking, but I've had difficulties sourcing unusual products. However, they do have a nice range of steamboat ingredients and decent fresh Asian vegetables so probably worth a try if you're after basic Asian staples.

I love Sunnybank, it's one of the few places in Brisbane besides the valley and Darra I can get my…read moreasian groceries. If you're like me, and like your Miso Paste, Chu Ching Yi Ding instant noodies, your pork and beef balls and your vietnamese pork rolls, this is one of the places to get them. Whilst a little cramped inside, don't bring your babies by the way, they manage to stock a lot of stuff in the lots of shelves they have put in this space. There isn't much space to move on a busy weekend day, but it's fun I've got to admit. Navigating my way around the fully packed aisles looking for that special ingredient for my pho noodle soup or my pork adobo... I can usually find it. They also have cheap fruit and chinese vegies in the front by the cashier counters as well. The staff are always very friendly and although you can't get everything here, it's a great place to start your asian culinary adventure.

Good selection and prices. The staff is very family oriented and are always ready to help. I only…read morespeak English but they will always help to find what I need.

From the owner: Selling Indian Groceries like Rice, Flour, Lentils, Spices, Sweets, Cosmetics, Snacks etc.read more

As far as Russian/Eastern European Delis go, Tepemok is pretty good. They run a neat and tidy…read morelittle store with good ranges of biscuits, sweets, conserves, pickles, frozen goods such as dumplings (pelmeni) and salami. My favourite thing to buy from there are these chewy, but fluffy, almost cake-like biscuits, the name of which I can't remember. They come in flavours such as caramel, mint, chocolate and cherry. Not a huge fan of the mint, but the caramel are delicious. As well as stocking all the exciting foreign foods, they also sell basic things like milk, so if you live nearby and don't feel like making the trip into Coles, Tepemok can be used like a corner store. You will want to sneak some of those biscuits into your basket, though!

The smell of India hits your nose when you enter this hidden gem. Located in the McWhirter's…read morebuilding in Fortitude Valley Greeta Enterprises Indian Grocer has everything you need to whip up an authentic curry. I buy my spices here - the bags are huge and range from $3 to $5 everything from ground coriander to cumin, dried chillies and garam masala. The quantities are about five times that of what you can get in a regular supermarket and so much cheaper. I keep them fresh in sealed bags in the freezer. They also stock dried beans and pulses, rice in bulk, soap, henna powder, Bollywood films, incense, pickles, chillies, budja mix - everything and anything Middle Eastern and all very affordable. The staff are always really friendly and can help out if you are unsure of any of the weird and wonderful items they sell.

When I was a worthless, piece of garbage uni-student, I found this place to be incredibly helpful…read morein keeping me nourished and alive. This place is the very source of Indian food. It's got the most extensive range you'll need for Indian. If you're -not- an Indian restaurant chef, then you have no need to go beyond this place. They've got everything you need, including a giant bottle of Korma paste. The stuff inside these huge jars is incredible. Be aware, the paste is authentic, direct from India, powerful gear. Keep some cream available for that next dish you make. They also have a range of Indian, Bollywood movies (which pretty much means their a variety of musical). If you want to get baked, eat some butter chicken and watch a movie about a cricket player who becomes a secret agent prince-king, then you've found the right place. Big bags of Jasmine rice can be found for a SUPER cheap price, as with most things in this store. It's a little cramped but you'll love it.

I took my parents to Sunlit Asian Supermarket (Aspley Hypermarket) for lunch today…read more I'd never been here before but there were so many Asian people queuing we figured it must be good. My Dad is a brittle diabetic and so we were interested in a protein rich low carb offerings. I asked for a serving of crispy roast pork and a plate of boneless roast duck. Both were delicious and very filling.