I've walked by this store countless times in Kensington Market and this is first time I went in and looked at all the colourful products and packaging from Latin America! So many friendly people working there too. I was approached by 3 people and asked if I needed any help. I loved this kind, friendly service! Great vibes here! read more

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Was in the area and popped in for locally made corn tortillas... They were still warm!

The impression I get is that they intentionally don't put price stickers on the items so they can charge whatever they want when you get to the cash register. A 70oz bag of corn tortillas cost $13. Way too overpriced. You'd think that by going to an authentic Mexican grocery store in the heart of Kensington you'd be getting a decent deal, but no. I'll stick to No Frills for the "Mazteca" corn tortillas from now on, which is pathetic, but they taste the same and are like 1/4 the price. read more

I went here today was excited and got home cooked and was disappointed and very upset with myself I should have checked the expiration date so I bought 4 items and two of them are expired.... Well note to myself NOT TO GO THERE EVER AGAIN read more

Perolas Supermarket - I bought this today from here I was excited but I see that's it's expired and so was another item I bought Very disappointed!!!!!!!! - International Grocery Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Five big, glowing and bright stars for this place - Hector Lopez is a welcoming proprietor! The best Mexican queso (cheeses) imported from Mexico. Fresh tomatillos (from Mexico), for salsa or pollo verde for your Mexican fiesta. Tons and tons of stuff, filled to the rafters with the best Mexican food and comestibles available in Toronto! Polite hardworking staff. Store very well organized and stocked. Will be back. read more

A friend of mine told me "there's a Mexican store that serves authentic Mexican food in the back". He didn't have the name but I figured I'd venture to Kensington to find this place anyway. For authentic Mexican food - why not? It can't be any worse than Taco Bell. Truth be told - it was goooood. I had the chicken taco. There's something about being able to watch your food being cooked in front of you that just makes it so much better. The condiments are laid out for you to freely add whatever you want - 3 different types of sauce (mild, medium hot), onions, cliantro, lime etc. It was delicious. I need to go back to try the pupusas. They have a few stools but no tables so it's a bit awkward especially with people grocery shopping. This is not a downer by any means - take it for what it is - a grocery store with great, fresh home made food in the back. read more

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I came in looking for dough to make empanadas for the first time. As soon as I walked in I was greeted warmly by the shop owners. They could tell I was outside of my element and helped me find everything I needed, including some tasty salsa :) Will definitely go back! read more

Shopping List for Perola Supermarket: Salsa Verde Tortillas corn, NOT flour (but they do have whole wheat tortillas, too!) Poblano peppers Tomatillos Mexican bathtub cheese (ha ha) Tortilla chips Dulce de Leche a Variety of canned Adobo foods. This is THE place for all your latin goods. I can't get corn tortillas like this in California even. And the back serves some of the best prepared foods on the weekends. read more

Great resource for Mexican food, including but not limited to: salsas, chipotles, tortillas. If you can't find it, just ask: the people who work there are very helpful and friendly. Like everyone has already said, the fresh tacos at the back counter are super tasty too. read more

Although you can find all the dry chiles and authentic products, it's way too expensive for me. I think they take advantage of the homesickness we mexicans can have. Yesterday, my husband paid $9 for two Mexican sausages; the product didn't have the price sticker on it, and we got even more upset when we realized that you can find a more amount of product in "Fiesta Farms" for $6... read more

This is a pretty big slide down the rungs of Latin specialty stores for Perola. I was saddened by how awful this store seemed compared to the wonderful place that I used to buy all my ingredients for Mexican night! The front, which normally houses lots of dried and fresh chilies, tortillas and produce was severely lacking. There were maybe 5 different types of dried chilies, a cooler that was a quarter full of old looking tortillas and dirt everywhere. Now I get that it's been a long cold winter and I get that it's Kensington. But when I walked inside, that's where the biggest disappointment came: The jalapenos were soft, floppy and wrinkled. I wouldn't even want to guess what they would look like on the inside. Poblanos were much the same. All the produce, looked old. I reasoned that if the fresh jalapanos weren't up to snuff, that the canned ones might suffice. Every single can of everything was covered in a layer of dust and rust. I would wager that some of these cans have been here for at least 5 years. While it's true that canned things last almost forever, I don't want to have to scrape all this shit off the can before I even open it. Especially since there are so many other places to buy canned mexican goods these days. Basically, the whole store was a dump. I wanted to put back the dried Pasilla chilies that I had bagged outside, but I felt bad and bought them anyway. I spent a total of $1.53 in this once fabulous store and won't be coming back any time soon. read more

I have no idea how good the grocery store is, but MAN, the little grill in the back. SO GOOD. get a cactus taco (cactus, cheese, and beans) and change your life. opened friday, saturday and sunday afternoons, go there in the summer and take a couple'a tacos to go as you browse the rest that kensington has to offer. read more

Seriously in the running for best customer service. If you're looking for something in particular, ask right away. They'll help you find it, suggest other options and do it all with a huge smile on their face. Giant selection of niche Latin foods and hot sauces. Can't say enough good things about this shop. read more

Great place to find all kinds of latin ingredients and snacks. But I won't be going there anymore. Over two times we got home to find out that what we bought was expired for over a year! At first I thought it could have been a mistake but after it happened multiple times I can't really believe it. What a terrible experience and dangerous of a business to sell expired food! There are other places in the city where you can buy those products so look for those instead. read more

Perola has changed hands -- prices have increased, and sometimes they're out of stock on items you want.

Fantastic market for authentic Mexican ingredients. Super helpful staff and friendly service. This store is part of what makes Kensington Market culturally rich. Wonderful ingredients including a wide variety of hot sauces! read more

Previous reviewers nailed this place. Smal but very authentic mexican grocery store with a small grill in the back that serves fresh tacos. (Had 2 pork tacos) Absolutely delicious!! Fresh onions/coriander and salsas for toppings and a squeeze of lime.....perfect. The seating area consist of 3 stools, and your table is a stand up freezer. It is what it is...and I have no problems with that. Will definetely be going back! read more

I've been to this Supermarket 3 times...two times by myself for taco's and once with my family and had Burrito's. VERY fresh and delicious, if you are only going there to buy produce and Salsa's you are missing out on some excellent food. read more

This is a comment for Jenny N. who wrote: "This is a pretty big slide down the rungs of Latin specialty stores for Perola. I was saddened by how awful this store seemed compared to the wonderful place that I used to buy all my ingredients for Mexican night!" Jenny, you are absolutely correct! My ex-husband, Sid Freitas and his father owned that store for almost 40 years. Five years ago, Sid passed away very suddenly, and his father three months after. Perola Supermarket was their life, and their customers, their heart and soul. It was a sad day for the Kensington market when we lost Sid, and the store got sold shortly after. Thank you, for noticing, Jenny, it has brought me to tears, but it's good to know that people felt this way about the store when it was in their hands. read more

Beware of expired food, found at least three types of food on the shelves with multiple items that had expired, as far back as in February 2018 ! The staff was not concerned at all, you could tell all they wanted was for us to leave so they can put the items back in the shelves. read more

As an L.A. native, I grew up with Mexican food. Hot sauce and salsa are pantry staples to most Angelenos. People warned me that moving far north of "THE" border would mean few tacquerias and expensive Mexican food ingredients. They were mostly right. During my 1st visit to Loblaw's, the "Mexican Food" section consisted of Old El Paso ingredients (including HARD, crispy taco shells)...ay, caramba! 10 tortillas cost nearly $4!!?!?!? I needed to find a better option. After searching on the internet, I found Perola and went to Kensington the next day. Paradiso! Pepitas, poblanos, frijoles, tortillas, etc.! Gracias El Senor! read more

For me this food is not Salvadoran. One year ago I have been coming to this store and always Mexican ladies are making the cooking. Maybe the other Latinos working there but the Mexicans are the cookers. I am Mexican and not Salvadoran so I do not know what they eat, maybe is the same, but the foods you can find are same kind of small snacks as we eat in Mexico. When I miss home I go to Kensington and always I am stopping in Perola for something or the other thing. Before finding this market I had no tomates (I am not sure of English word, like tomatos but green and you make it into a salsa) for 6 months! Very happy this store is here. read more

This over-staffed store need a makeover asap. Some of the shelves look like they're about to collapse. The selection is good but BE CAREFUL: this place is notorious for selling canned things that are WAY past their due date. Just last week, I accidentally bought a can of tomatillos with a May 2016 best before date! read more

Good selection of canned goods and bottled sauces from lots of countries. The produce usually looks terrible, but the bins of different chiles out front are worth the trip. There's a fridge inside with queso fresco and some Mexican sour cream that I'm addicted to. It has a red and green text on the top (better than the one with blue text if you're interested.) Also the only place I've found that stocks huge burrito-size flour tortillas, and they're made with lard so they don't crack and spill. read more

Home away from home. Just the place I needed to find to make a great dinner for our hosts.