Nestled amid some of Corktown's extraordinary furniture shops and the Little Trinity Anglican…read moreChurch historic redevelopment project is this small, unassuming convenience store. You know, the type that offers your coffee in the morning. A sandwich. Newspapers and magazines. A small number of grocery items. Gum. Pop. Milk. So why does this place turn me on? Because, behind their stacks of pop cases and unkempt shelves, I sense a subtle vibe here that tells me that these people are doing The Best They Can With The Tools They Have in such a way where subtle, elegant grace helps supercede the limitations of their space. They could have served coffee from a single, scarred, greasy pot, like so many other convenience stores. But no, they've taken the extra step to offer five varieties of really good joe. They're not a Starbucks either, but that doesn't stop them from keeping some store-brand cinnamon next to the coffee. Pour and stir and enjoy the classical or light jazz they've tuned the sound system to. They have virtually no space to speak of, but that doesn't stop them from fitting two dining tables inside the place. (Although, if I were them, I'd use the rustic ambience of the historic building next door to make an outside patio enclosure.) They could offer pre-packaged sandwiches at high mark-up. But, again, no. They offer full deli services with everything from BLTs to breakfasty sandwiches to bulgogi wraps to a variety of salads. For the weight-conscious and quick-protein-seeking, they even offer simple, plain hardboiled eggs. Run by a very friendly Asian family, they even go an extra mile and offer bi bim bop (Wednesdays), miso soup, and dumplings. You run a business? They cater breakfast and lunch. Ok, it's cramped and not terribly aesthetic. But sometimes you have to just appreciate it when you can easily see that someone is trying very hard to be the best with what they have, and that's reason enough to offer your patronage.

My workplace's local corner store. We call it "Circle C". Run by a lovely group of Korean ladies…read more They are all very nice. There is a good selection of drinks and pre-packaged food (like chips and chocolate bars) and every once in a while I'll find something I've never seen/tried before. What separates Circle C from most other corner stores is that they have a kitchen in the back. There are always two or three woman who can be seen working away in the back, getting food ready. And the food is pretty good. There is a selection of breakfast and lunch options, in addition to some Korean dishes like Bim-bop. They do something with a BLT that I can't quite put my finger on. Ancient Korean secret, I suppose. The meat-to-bread ratio on some of their pre-made sandwiches is off-putting sometimes and their pizza burrito never quite cooks all the way through, but everything else is quite nice. And the prices are right. The thing I love the most? The lady behind the counter bows as she presents (not hands) the food to you. It's very nice.

I have dropped by this Circle K twice. It's an Esso station with a Circle K…read more This convenience store is near ZeeV's Nutrition Studio, which I frequent often. Both visits were after dropping by ZeeV's. I needed to redeem some digital coupons. I had a difficult time finding parking during my first visit. All spots in front of the store were taken. I couldn't park on either side of the building because there were cars already parked. I couldn't park closest to the road, as cars were also there. Ugh! I wanted to give up. I left the gas station and came back a minute later. I saw a free spot open up in front of the main doors. I nabbed it and went in. My goal was to get a Kinder egg. It was free with a coupon. The place had lots of Kinder eggs. I had my coupon scanned. The Kinder egg was mine. Yay! It was hot in my car and it got a few dents from melting a bit in my purse. It tasted great and the toy bird inside was fun. The man at the checkout was friendly and nice. My second visit was fairly recent. I went to redeem coupons for a free bag of chips, and a BOGO one for sunflower seeds. The redemption process was not smooth. My chips coupon was not accepted. It was definitely redeemed on my end, but it looked as if I needed to pay for it. I had a similar experience with the sunflower seeds. I said that perhaps his point-of-sale machine needed resetting. He did. The coupon worked for the sunflower seeds, but I still couldn't get my chips coupon to work. This man was nice. He let me take my chips. I paid for my bag of sunflower seeds with my debit card. I also scanned my PC Optimum card. Done! I was so relieved. There were five men behind me, waiting to pay. I was happy to leave! I like the products. It's the parking that I'm not crazy about. (277)

This fuel station is located on north west corner of Victoria Park Ave and McNicoll Ave. It is one…read moreof many Esso gas stations that have been officially re-branded Circle K. Unleaded regular, mid-grade and premium fuels are available but no diesel. If you need a car wash, vacuum, or air tire inflation, these services are found here as well. There are 12 pumping stations which are activated quickly and counter service is friendly and efficient. Inside the convenience store, you'll find among other things a Tim Hortons with a drive-thru, ATM, Lotto station, snacks, ice, Propane Exchange and a selection of beverages. Don't forget to claim your Esso Reward points or PC Optimum rewards program points.

I grew up with a Hasty Market a couple of blocks away from where I lived in the Beaches. This Hasty…read moreMarket is next door to Wok of Asia, an eatery that I frequent often to get chilli chicken with rice. The last two times that I have dropped by Wok of Asia, I got a prime parking spot in front of the eatery, a few steps away from Hasty Market. After I had dinner at the former last night, I made a trip over to the latter to check it out. There's a lot going on at this convenience store. You can get Bitcoin through a kiosk. It's also a vape store. If you need your passport photo taken, this place handles it. Need a document printed, scanned, or even faxed? This store offers these services. Heck, I learned that I can get a key cut here. Crazy! I walked in. It felt like a convenience store. There were cases and bottles of pop, with candy behind the drinks. I liked that this store had Pepsi cream soda in both regular and zero sugar varieties. There was also a deal getting two bottles, so I took advantage of it. The beverage section is amazing. It was my first time seeing Fuze zero sugar. I felt like I had seen a unicorn. There's a fridge strictly for bags of ice. The dairy section is decent if you need eggs, milk, and butter. I saw caps on the wall representing your favourite soccer team. I also saw jewellery next to a bunch of scratch lottery tickets. I don't know whether it'll tarnish as you wear it. I waited a bit before a nice woman greeted me. I saw an Aero bar going for $1. I got one. I paid with a credit card. I tapped and all was great. She put my goodies in a plastic bag, which was nice. I thanked her and left. I have consumed the Aero bar. It was yummy. It was a good $1 purchase. I have tried one of the bottles of Pepsi cream soda that has zero sugar. It's good. The cream soda is subtle, but I dig it. I'm so glad that I dropped by. It's a cool store and a hidden gem. (92)

Excellent selection of products. Best tobacco products. Very welcoming atmosphere. They also have a…read moregreat selection of Powerade flavours

Great prices and selection! The aisles can be a little narrow in some of the refrigerated sections…read morecould use a cleaning/upgrade but honestly for what it is, as an independent grocer, that supplies, a lot of essential, and Asian grocery, I will continue to happily support them!!

I've passed by this Asian grocery store many time and have only looked at the fruits on the outside…read moreof the store. These are arranged along a slightly sloping ramp (useful for wheelchairs). But this time I went in. It is a medium-sized grocery store but large for an Asian one. The store is clean. The many shelves are fully and neatly stocked. They have all the typical Chinese products plus a few western products. They also have Japanese and Korean products. Prices are ok, some lower, some higher. It took me a while before I noticed there is a refrigerated room with seafood and meats, at the back of the store. Some seafood is available fresh/live while others (like shrimp) are stocked on ice with shells on them. The various meats are cut/sliced. There are some frozen products there too. If you are buying less than $30, you have to pay by cash. If you are buying more than $30, you can use a credit card.

This is a very interesting Asian convenience store. It is called Super Eater because it goes beyond…read morethe typical convenience store products like snacks, drinks, gum, tissue paper, toilet paper, ziploc bags, etc. They just soft-opened on 2025-01-29, a good way to start a Lunar New Year! As for the snacks and drinks, there are many imported from different Asian countries like Korea, China, and Taiwan. There is also a frozen foods section. Beyond your typical beef jerky, they have the Asian equivalent of squid strips, satay strips, and bean rolls. There are also freshly baked pastries; during the soft-opening period, they are buy 2 get 1 free. In addition to food, they have 3D building puzzles, plushies, and 200+ varieties of press-on nails (from three self-serve vending machines), which should be available early Feb 2025. Also, starting early Feb 2025, they will sell bubble tea at the back of the store. I can't wait to try out their Golden Logan Milk with Red Dates ($7). There is a self-order kiosk. There store is wheelchair accessible (their door automatically slides open). There is paid neighbourhood street parking. Review 2025-021

Staff is always kind and friendly here…read more Hot drinks can be found as well as cold ones. Regular varieties as all CircleK s. It is a bit hard to spot this location since there are several stores around it. It isnot a huge one but you can find everything here.

I've had Circle K hot chocolate at 2 other locations multiple times and loved them (though some…read morepeople think they are too sweet). So I thought I would give this location a try. I saw they had 6 different flavours, and two of them I've never tried before, so I was excited! However, the first flavour was practically 90% hot water and 10% hot chocolate. I thought maybe they ran out of that flavour powder so I tried the second flavour same thing! So I went to a favourite flavour of mine; 75% hot water and 25% hot chocolate.  And they think they can get away with this?! Review 2023-019

This is a mid-sized convenience store. It is located at the east end of Atrium on Bay on the lower…read morefloor near the Dundas Subway entrance. I have mostly been there for lottery tickets. Service has always been courteous. On 2023-03-31, I happened to meet the owner. This store was opened 2019-08-20. He told me he also owns the INS Market at College Park. I've been there too! There is no free WiFi. The store is wheelchair accessible. There are no customer washrooms. There is limited paid street parking, but there is a parking garage at Atrium on Bay. Review 2023-065

Korean grocery store with a butcher counter and tons of prepared banchan (side dishes)…read moreI bought marinade short rides as th

Are you wanting to cook some odd ethnic food and need a strange cut of beef that no mainstream…read moregrocery carries? You've found the place to cater to your needs. I come here to grab my beef kneecaps, ox tail, leg bones, etc. Of course prices for these animal parts are low, since they are relatively low-demand parts. It's run by a Korean, so if you're looking for "bulgogi" or "galbi" you'll get all the proper cuts too. Yum yum yum. Off to boil leg bones for 10 hours.