Psarakos

Psarakos is kinda hidden. It’s actually on Clarendon street. Why the original designers of this space and allotment did not have the shop frontage on high street remains a curiosity. Regardless of fact, and kinda being a little non-​descript from the outside, Psarakos is actually quite extensive in terms of it’s range for fresh fruit, vegetables and produce. Its on par with some of the bigger markets’ prices.
There’s also a little delicatessen attached on site, with pretty much everything you need and probably more. It’s definitely not short on choice. You’ll find a few other bits and pieces around the place– meat and seafoods. Not to mention that there’s also an excellent liquor section in the Fruit and vegetables area which has an impressive selection of spirits and wines for it’s size. I’ve actually found a lot of my go to favourites on the shelves. There’s a lot to find here, including Mexican drinking chocolate and Simon coll xolates.

As a regular early Saturday morning Psarakos shopper, I can confirm the great range of fruit and veg, and the quality meats in the arcade. But I was never that much of a fan of the little supermarket off to one side…
… until last Saturday — wow, what a change!
I decided to chance it and go see if the place had any buffalo mozarella, and I walked into a completely transformed and renovated supermarket, only just opened in its new bright white shiny clean amazing form.
And when I say ‘bright white’ make sure you are wearing sunnies when you first walk in, there must be 400 fluro’s fitted to the new gloss white ceiling.
There is a great range of dry goods, and what is now one of the best deli’s in the Northcote/​Thornbury area.
And a large fridge of cheese — including buffalo mozarella, buffalo feta, and other bufallo cheeses.

Have been buying our green groceries here for some years now. Easily accessible, a wide range and, by and large, good quality produce at very good prices. Occasionally the quality slips a little but only, I suspect, because they are trying to negotiate the fine line between quality and price, and want to keep their prices down. Certainly much better value than you will find in a supermarket.

Tucked away behind the corner of High and Clarendon st in Thornbury is the Psarakos fresh produce market. It’s not the local organic carbon neutral touchy feely farmers market but just a reliable supplier of reasonably priced fruit and veg.
There is a good selection of Asian vegetables, exotic fruit and a few random bits you wont find in Woolies. It is definitely cheaper to shop here than a chain supermarket, the produce feels fresher and the vibe is more wholesome. Just outside the fruit/​veg section are specialty stores including individual red meat, chicken and seafood butchers and a whole store devoted to nuts.
The staff knows their product and always offers friendly service. With a free car park across the road I find it entirely preferable to supermarket shopping.

It doesn’t look much from outside, but Psarakos Brothers Vege Barn is a little bastion of all things fruit and vegetable in the inner north. Stretching over a couple of football fields’ worth of real estate, the place is chocked full with produce ranging from your run of the mill ‘Australian’-style spuds and onions, to a wide range of Asian varieties and further regional obscurities.
The stuff here is pretty much non-​organic, but is usually in pretty good shape at least for a week after purchase. The big difference here are the price-​points. Psarakos provide their veges in bulk, so it pays to sift through the bins, but the prices match and even often better those seen at Preston or Victoria markets. Plus there is very little hassle-​factor in shopping here, with ample parking and a very relaxed overall vibe about the place. A downside is the opening hours which are limited and Saturdays can be a little hectic. But if you hate the market rush and chow through a couple of bags of greens a week, you can walk out of here with two bags full of groceries for under forty bucks.