Shop healthy at these independent grocers in Calgary
Corner stores used to be dingy holes in the wall where you could get a carton of milk and a pack of smokes. Over the last few years, however, several independent grocery stores have popped up in neighbourhoods all around Calgary, with many offering wholesome and delicious local and organic produce and packaged foods.
Market 17 Inc
102-2505 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 7V3Located in Casel on the corner of 17 Avenue and 24th Street Southwest, Market 17 offers a wide range of local and organic products, including organic meat from Sunworks Farms and fresh bread from Sidewalk Citizen Bakery and Corbeaux Bakehouse. Enjoy a coffee and a pastry from Vie Café while you wander the aisles.
Bridgeland Market
Mn 1104 1 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 0C8The current incarnation of Bridgeland Market was launched in 2011 by Yousef Traya, whose family also owns Tazza, the busy Lebanese restaurant across the street. Yousef has transformed the former corner store into a contemporary yet cozy specialty grocery space – you can sometimes catch the scent of freshly baked banana bread wafting from the market’s “micro-bakery.” Aside from regional and international produce and imported foods, Bridgeland Market boasts an impressive cheese selection as well as prepared sandwiches and Mediterranean dips from Tazza.
Bite Groceteria & Cafe
1023 9 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 3B1What used to be a tiny shop located on Inglewood’s main drag is now a big, bright space in the Atlantic Avenue Art Block. Bite Groceteria carries a mix of local products and European imports. Its butcher counter features fresh meats and cheeses and its bulk spice aisle is tough to beat. If you’d rather have someone else do the cooking, Bite serves up hot meals all day long at its in-house restaurant, or you can grab a quick sandwich or salad to go.
Kalamata Grocery
1421 11 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1G7Nestled in the heart of the Beltline on 11th Street Southwest, sharing the name of a Greek city and popular olive, Kalamata certainly lives up to its name with over 50 types of olives available for purchase. You can also find other Mediterranean foods here such as feta cheese imported from Greece, fresh figs, olive oil and Turkish halva, as well as your usual corner store chips and snacks.
One Way Foods
1740 11 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3C 0N4Located on the ground floor of an apartment building in Sunalta, this “son-and-pop” shop is known for its extended hours (6 am to 11 pm on weekdays), friendly service, and best of all, cheap and fast takeout meals. The breakfast sandwich, loaded with egg, sausage, bacon and cheese, is a steal, and the proprietors have also been known to serve handmade burgers on garlic brioche buns.
Sunnyside Natural Market
10-338 10 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1V8Just a stone’s throw from the Sunnyside C-Train station, Sunnyside Natural Market is a small space that’s big on locally grown organic produce and packaged foods. The market goes out of its way to stock products that are certified organic, biodynamic, local, fair trade and free of pesticides, artificial additives and GMOs. For people with dietary restrictions, this is the place to find gluten-free, dairy-free and meat-free alternatives. Sunnyside Natural Market is also well known for its Sidewalk Citizen Bakery counter, which serves freshly baked sourdough breads, sandwiches, flatbreads and pastries.
Lukes Drug Mart
112 4 St NE, Calgary, AB T2E 3R9Established in 1951, Lukes’s Bridgeland location is much more than your average drugstore. In addition to being a well-stocked pharmacy, Lukes also boasts a vinyl record section and an independent magazine rack and its buzzing coffee bar serves San Francisco’s Four Barrel Coffee. As well, you’ll find a small grocery store in the basement stocked with premium foodstuffs from premium chocolate bars to loose tea, coffee beans and drinking vinegar.
Lina's Italian Market
What might have started as a small neighbourhood grocery store has become the go-to place for anything Italian. Lina’s has everything you need to create an authentic Italian meal in your own home, from an extensive cheese and cured meat selection to imported oils and vinegars and fresh pizza dough as well as cookware and dishware. Take time to wander the aisles, or sit and people-watch in the restaurant area with a hot Panini sandwich, pastry and cappuccino.
My Website
My Twitter
