The Best Bulk Food Stores in Toronto
The best bulk food store in Toronto is not the Bulk Barn. Let me just put that out there. Sure, the Bulk Barn might have the most locations, a familiar sign and a massive inventory of bulk products. But when it comes to friendly neighbourhood service, hunting down hard to find imported products and an overall fun shopping experience it's in tough to beat many of the places on this list.
From a specialty rice purveyor in St. Lawrence Market to fresh figs and pistachios on Lawrence Avenue east, the smaller, focused bulk food stores in Toronto are worth stocking up at.
Here are the 12 best bulk food stores in Toronto.
Casa Acoreana
The search for bulk products in this city begins - and almost ends - in Kensington Market. There are many options here, but it's hard not to start your search at the corner of Baldwin and Augusta. Case Acoreana win points for their massive selection of spices, coffee, chocolate and candy but the real fun here is just being in the store and watching others discover a new favourite ingredient. More...
House of Spices
From bags of garam masala to bins of roasted coffee beans from Tanzania, this Kensington Market staple, just a stones throw from Casa Acoreana, lives up to its name as one of Toronto's best deals for bulk nuts, dried fruit, coffee and rice. Almost everything is packed, sealed and priced in various size pouches so there's no need to go through the trouble (or sticker shock) of weighing your bounty. More...
Tutti Frutti
Tutti Frutti, also in Kensington, is part general health food store, part bulk food store. Go here for hard to find spices (especially Chinese herbs) and cheap prices on spelt, rice flour and organic cereals. More...
Domino's Foods
Found in the bowels of St. Lawrence Market, Domino's Foods has an excellent selection of nuts, dried fruit, candies and chocolate. But not to be missed is their bulk selection of olive oil. Don't miss filling a tin before you leave. More...
Rube's Rice
Down the hall from Domino's Foods, Rube's has the best selection of rice in the city. Offerings are endless here from familiar varieties like brown basmati, sushi rice and arborio, to much rarer (and pricier) finds like jade pearl with bamboo extract. They also have a separate, non ricey location across the hall that stocks potato, soya, spelt and other kinds of flour and grains. More...
Strictly Bulk
With three locations in Toronto, Strictly Bulk is a serviceable neighbourhood spot to fill up on a standard selection of bulk food items like nuts, spices, chocolate and cookies. They also have plenty of eco-friendly cleaning products, chips, teas and organic milk. More...
Kenpik Bulk Shop
Kenpik, just off of Mt. Pleasant, has a smaller selection than most bulk food stores in Toronto. But their clean, non-cluttered layout makes shopping here a breeze, even if you can't find everything you're looking for. More...
Qi Natural Foods
Qi is part health food store, part bulk food store and has three locations in the city including Roncesvalles, Koreatown and Eglinton West. They specialize in organic, natural and healthy bulk grains, cereals, soy products and prepared foods. More...
Essence of Life
Also mainly a health food store, Essence of Life has a small but excellent bulk food selection including fresh, bulk tofu, a variety of organic and non-organic peanut and almond butter, honey, maple syrup and organic flours and rice. More...
Ladan Pastry and Nuts
Ladan Pastry and Nuts distinguishes itself from the also-ran pistachio purveyors on Lawrence Avenue East. This tiny shop reminds me of my travels through Morocco. A wide variety of roasted nuts, dried fruit and, yes, pistachios are artfully presented here - almost like the markets in North Africa. There's also a great selection of hard-to-find Persian food products, fresh baked pastries and other mouth-watering snacks. More...
Indian Grocerries and Spices
Look past the misspelling in the name (apparently done on purpose to bring the business good luck) and head to this Lawrence East bulk food store for a wide selection of Indian groceries and spices. If you're looking for 5LB bags of tumeric or fennel seeds, massive tubs of ghee, fresh okra or fresh-pressed yogurt, this is the place to go. More...
Better Bulk
Better Bulk on Danforth East is a newish entrant to the Toronto bulk food scene. They have a clean, nice layout with sections and products marked that are organic, wheat and gluten free. They also stock I Deal Coffee beans. Their motto is "better price, better food, better bulk" and it shows. More...
Comments (30)
Essence of Life map is wrong; it's in Kensington on Kensington Av, not near Yonge & Finch on Kensington Av.
What's wrong with Bulk Barn?
Place is fantastic and you can go around eating everything, who's going to tell you to stop, a 16 year old girl?
I see some of those places in Kensington and their wares are sitting outside in the sun all day, GROSS.
OH YEAH CAN I HAVE A GIANT BAG OF THOSE DISGUSTING GROSS DATES THAT HAVE BEEN SITTING OUTSIDE IN THE SUN ALL DAY.
MAKE IT TWO BAGS ACTUALLY.
I've been to several of these locations, and for selection, the bulk barn can't be beat for regular stuff. Plus, like a previous person said, it isn't sitting in the sun all day.
I do prefer some of the other ones, especially tutti frutti for health food related stuff.
None of the places on this list have food sitting in the sun. Sure, there are stores like that in Kensington and elsewhere in Toronto; but don't paint all indie bulk food stores with the same brush.
f bulk barn.
i remember going into the bulk barn in sq one and saw a kid with a couple of teenagers...the kid took a cookie out of the bin, licked all the sugar off of it, and put it back into the bin.
i haven't been back to a bulk barn since.
Better Bulk is awesome. the owner is super friendly, the prices are much lower than other bulk stores and the selection is tailored to the neighborhood. it's been a great addition to the danforth midway.
Well I suppose one could say that you shouldn't paint all non-indie bulk food stores with the same brush. I like to support local business, but saying that the bulk barn shouldn't be considered because its a chain is lame and disregards the fact that it probably has the most bulk items due to its size.
Great idea for a list. I have been to most of these and was happy. We used to live near Bathurst and Eglinton, there is a lovely bulk store at Marlee and Glencairn that I miss going to. I think it is called Not Just Nuts. Great stuff, plus a cheese counter.
Okay, perhaps favouring smaller, neighbourhood bulk food stores over Bulk Barn is commendable, but for Bulk Barn to not even make the list?! Come on, people!! Vote with your heads, not your hearts!! (okay, maybe with your hearts a little bit...)
I love shopping in Kensington and live near the market, but I gotta say I stay away from the bulk food stores. Too many rats and mice.
I buy all my health food stuff at Essence of Life, but bought bulk granola there once only to find MOUSE SH!T in it. Seriously horrible. I have never bought anything in bulk in Kensington since. It is not the shopkeepers' fault; it would I am sure be virtually impossible to keep rodents out of bins of nuts and grains. But you can make a choice to buy somewhere more sanitary.
Indian Grocerries and Spices store, doesn't belong on this list. It is possibly the worst Indian store I have been to in all my 25 years of living here. The shop is very messy, and disorganized. It for sure doesn't belong on this list!!http://www.blogto.com/images/button-addcomment.jpg
I love Qi Natural Foods. They seem to have the lowest prices when it comes to health food and a pretty decent selection, if you're willing to trek it to the Bathurst & Eglinton W location. Just wanted to point out one thing though, you guys mention they have three locations but the one on Ronces isn't related to the other two http://www.qinaturalfood.com/contact.html They only seem to have the location close to Eglinton W station and one close to Christie Pitts.
Strictly Bulk at Pape & Danforth is awesome. Been shopping at Strictly Bulk almost 20 years. I've been to all three of their locations and the Danforth one is the best stocked. That being said the bulk shops in Kensington have the best prices (Qi's Natural Foods prices are great too) although I have seen packaged food (chips, tortillas,pita breads) sitting outside all day in the heat/sun/rain at the Kensington bulk shops...thanks for the mention of the newby "Better Bulk"...it's in my neighbourhood and I will check it out soon!
I have no problem with Bulk Barn, it gets the baking job done for me :)
But I am super happy to see that Better Bulk which only opened over a month ago made the list! Super friendly owners, great prices and selection (they have these honey roasted pecans that are to die for!)
Great addition to the neighbourhood!
you know what? bulk barn is a chain store that actually does a fine frickin' job. whenever i walk into one i ALWAYS see one of the staff people cleaning a bin and another topping the bins up. so no worries about bulk food that's been sitting in the same unwashed bin since 2002.
the thing i notice about most other bulk food places is that if they aren't very busy places and well maintained, they are dingy. no offense kensington but i like my food as clean as it can be.
Live close to the Market and Domino's is fantastic for almost everything. Their selection is mind boggling. The best pistachios for sure.
Perhaps Bulk Barn didn't make the list as they are so hard to come by in downtown toronto.... I think there might be one out in the east end, but really... when was the last time you walked by a Bulk Barn downtown - it's a big box suburban entity. This site focuses mainly on the old city of Toronto - so listing bulk barn is a bit irrelevant - it's like listing Ikea as the best furniture store in Toronto.
I work near Kensington, and live in Scarborough. Essence of Life, tutti frutti, Bulk Barn and the neighbourhood shops of kensington are all my friends. They all serve a purpose and are great for getting healthy foods at a reasonable price. The stuff that sits outside by the way is mainly for display purposes. They don't really expect you to buy it. That's why they have the exact same thing indoors. In addition you can get packaged bulk at the Spice Barn in Kensington is you are skeptical of the loose stuff. Let's face it, it's a d/t market. You will meet a rodent or two hear or there. Nothing to worry about, boost the old immune system. Happy eating.
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