Fiesta Farms

we were so stoked to come here after reading all the reviews and hearing awesome stories from our friends about the prices. but for most of the stuff we buy, we didn’t notice a big difference between loblaws and fiesta farms prices. free-​range eggs, breads, cheese, spices, and deli meats cost about the same, most organic fruit and vegetables cost around the same, seafood prices are similar, the only big difference was cost of meat. we got some beautiful cuts of veal, lamb, and steak for less than half the price that we usually pay. i’ve also previously bought plants, flowers, herbs, soil, and pots from their garden centre and prices are comparable to sheridan.
for us, it simply isn’t worthwhile to drive across town just to get a better price on meat. so we will probably stick to loblaws. regardless, it wasn’t a waste of time as i like checking out new grocery stores — because i’m a total normal.

So. I am giving this place a lower rate because of the people who work here. Not the selection or produce/​products. In fact I ADORE this store, they have such a large selection or natural, gluten free, vegetarian, organic items. I haven’t been to a better organic grocery store in the city. (Namely the Big Carrot).
I literally go to this store twice a week. There a few tricks that you can learn about this location too that could save you some money. Specifically they have a discount rack in between the ice cream section and soda section. Usually there are a few good finds. For example there was maybe 15 boxes of kids gluten free cereal.
The downside is definitely the staff. I have had experiences with a good number of them that have left a bad taste. The checkers can be impatient and judgmental. Take for example if your card doesn’t work the first time, they are not understanding but annoyed that you are wasting their time. I’ve had this happen with two separate cashiers. (Sarah was one of them). Also the older staff/​cashiers seem to greet people with anger and annoyance rather than cheer.
The other distasteful experience was I heard one of the (I assume «senior») staff members getting angry at/​belittling an employee in the middle of the store (for shelving things incorrectly? ?) But again it was the same attitude of judgment. He told didn’t just correct the employee, he said «why don’t you take the afternoon off» as discipline? First of all, if a suspension is issued this should not be done in front of customers. Then the «senior employee» continued to ask questions designed to confuse the employee. The whole thing seemed in poor manner.
So go for the items not the staff!

Though a bit pricy, this is a store with quality goods. There are some things found here that I haven’t seen elsewhere.
Like for example $ 9 cola syrup made with cane sugar. I bought it, and it was terrible. But when my wife brought it back, explaining how it tasted off, instead of a refund or even a store credit, we were simply told it seemed fine.
I’m cheering for independent businesses. But here’s the thing: I can buy something disgusting at Costco or Loblaws or even Walmart, and return it without a receipt or even a question. You, as an independent store owner, need to take the $ 9 hit and make me feel good about buying the next weird thing in your shelf, and the next, and the next… Otherwise, I leave with a bad taste in my mouth.

I recently moved into the area and was pleased to find this great place close to me as opposed to a Metro. They have great grocery items, many of which aren’t your commercial household brands but more smaller and locally produced. I wasn’t crazy about the produce that I saw last time I was there. I was looking for rucola and it didn’t look super fresh so I skipped out on the fresh vegetables and opted to go somewhere else. Maybe that was just an off day but I’d like to think they always have fresh produce considering what they call themselves! Still, I do like having this nearby!

What’s this? An independent grocery store in Toronto that isn’t tiny or focused exclusively on specialty foods? Well needless to say upon learning about this I couldn’t help but head out and see what was in store (pun intended).
I will say that this place is great for fruit and vegetables, baked goods, meat, and basically anything fresh that expires. We got some great cuts of meat, cheeses, and vegetables at average to good prices.
Take note that for all the standard boxed/​canned goods or household supplies you’ll probably be further ahead going to a standard grocery store unless you are willing to spend more. But the fact that they do offer familiar brands as well as organic alternatives and unique products you won’t find in your average Loblaws/​No Frills/​etc, I deem this place 4 star worthy!

About 15 years ago, this place was the local Portugese grocery store, with the odd shelf of Jello thrown in. Nowadays, it really caters to it’s changing clientele. Gorgeous produce (not cheap though), an entire refrigerated section devoted to mushrooms alone (must read up on what’s what in the world of fungi.), excellent game selection, inexpensive sliced meats (cheaper than Metro, Loblaws or any other grocery store — including No Frills) and inexpensive meat section. You can find things like goat’s milk here, Organic cereals etc. A good place if you only want one stop shopping (and can afford it).

Fiesta Farms …
1. manages to be independent in a world that is being conquered by Loblaws and Wal Mart
2. Has a surprisingly great selection of cheese, produce, and ethnic specialty foods.
3. Has decent prices that are often better that major chains.
4. Is an old store, but is well-​maintained and clean.
5. Has a private parking lot located adjacent to its garden centre.

A true fiesta of produce, organics and lovely local snacks. And this isn’t some tiny health food store, it’s a full-​on, grab your cart and get lost grocery store.
I’ve always been aware of Fiesta Farms, but I’m a lady without a vehicle, and my bike wagon can only fit so much. So I even though Fiesta Farms is just a couple of blocks away, I lean towards Sobey’s for big shops because it’s a wee bit closer.
But this summer I found my Fiesta Farms niche: flowers (have you seeeeen their garden centre? Hold onto your floppy hat!), and chow pick-​up en route to picnics: organic somosas, pasta salads, pre-​made sandwiches and of course pounds of precious produce.
PEPPER’S PISSED: It is, however, pricier than Sobey’s for similar healthy treats.

I wasn’t blown away by this place. Maybe I should try it again. The reviews below saw something I didn’t. I will try it again next time I’m in the neighbourhood.

I hands down think this could be the best grocery store in Toronto! Being a vegan I’m always looking for new places to buy organic/​vegan food and this place is it!
I was amazed to see certain brands that I didn’t think they carried anywhere in Toronto so I will definitely be coming here over whole foods from now on.

Grocery stores are one of my favourite places on earth. When I travel, I make a point of roaming local grocery stores to get an idea of the local fresh produce and how things vary from country to country. If it’s true that you are what you eat, I get closer to the truth of any culture than any other tourist out there. Needless to say, I know a good grocery store when I see one.
Fiesta Farms is an excellent grocery store.
Not only is their produce wonderful, well priced and varied, but I was flabberghasted to see hen of the Wood mushrooms and black trumpets in March and a whole locked display case of all things truffle.
Great selection of game meat. They had portioned rabbit saddle separate from the legs, duck breast, chicken livers, rabbit livers… if I hadn’t been shopping for a Mexican dinner, I would have been buying offal galore!
The fish is fresh and the selection is good– everything from pre
made salmon and cod cakes, to nice fresh tuna and salmon.
In additional to many national brands, Fiesta Farms carries many smaller label foodstuffs in almost every aisle.
Now, normally the people at any given grocery store are the worst part and it’s difficult to find anyone working there that gives a rat’s ass about anything, let alone the customers. One of the produce guys noticed that my purse was open and he came over and reminded me, citing a story of some incidents in Barrie in which women were having things stolen from their purses.
I’m careful to make sure I don’t leave my cart in places where people are browsing or staff are restocking. One guy, who was stocking veggies thanked me for this.
Ladies at the checkout were friendly– like small town friendly! Now, I come from a small town and I appreciate people who just want to shoot she shit and chat about vegetables or whatever.
The people here are excellent, as well.
And almost all my veggies and incidentals for my Mexican dinner, plus three bundles of beautiful tulips came to just over $ 40! I reckon that all that stuff would have set me back double that price at Loblaws.
All this, and I haven’t even visited the nursery! I might just burst when I come here in the spring!

Great produce and great prices. What more can you want from Toronto’s largest independently owned grocery store? This place has everything you need on your shopping list! The deli is outstanding and the produce is the freshest in the city. In the summer, their garden area (Fiesta Gardens) has the best selection for your garden.

Finally, what I’ve been looking for. It’s a real grocery store, not just a hole in the wall health food store. A lot of the stuff is organic/​local/​not-​available-​at-​No-​Frills. The meat selection is fantastic. I got organic chicken backs for the stock pot ($ 2) and a package of grass-​fed ground beef (~$ 5). The Macedonian feta that other people rave about was on sale. Worth every damn penny. So creamy. So salty. It came to just over $ 3 for one of those deli case hunks. The prices, overall are better than the carrot or that place on avenue road but be warned the prices on conventional stuff are pretty jacked up. The thing that really sealed the deal for me was the truffle cabinet. As I was browsing I looked everywhere for truffle oil or truffle salt and I couldn’t find it. I was annoyed as the place was close to perfect. Then I turned a corner and discovered a whole case of truffle goodness. Truffle oil, truffle salt, dried truffles, truffle paste, summer truffles stuck in a jar. I already know I’m going to spend too much money here from now on.

Oh how I miss this place!
I used to live near Ossington, long before it became hipster central, and this was my store of choice. They have a great produce and cheese selection, products you won’t see in many other places and the city’s best mushrooms. I think they sell fungus that can’t even be found in St. Lawrence or Kensington Market.
Prices are a little higher for the sundry items, especially after they made the store fancy and nice. (I suspect a small, independent such as them simply can’t compete in volume buying).
Recommended if you live nearby!

After reading reviews on Unilocal,I went to Fiesta Farms for organic produce, and I must admit, I was really impressed!
There were items here that Whole Foods did not have — like organic celery.
Evidently Monday is a busy day, so the parking lot was full, which was a hassle, so next time I will go on another day of the week, but I was told by the cashier, never on the weekend, its supposed to be a zoo on the weekend!
Like Arnold said in The Terminator, «I’ll be back…»

Vast selection of local and organic produce, some meat, and plenty of specialty products that you generally only find in smaller health food stores. Prices are UNBEATABLE for the quality and selection. They also have a large nursery in the parking lot.
Conveniently located with parking for bicycles and they have regular grocery store hours. Support the small guys!

3.5 stars on average. Compared to the veggies found at markets, the ones found here aren’t bad. I find FF to be a reliable store to go to for weekly goods. Prices are usually the going rate. Sometimes much? more, sometimes much? less. Substantial enough Organic produce section.
Buy what you’re sure about, since returns are a pain. Twice I’ve come to return something, twice I had to answer multiple questions about the item. If the item is sealed, not perishable, purchased recently, and I have the receipt, then why do I have to answer so many questions to make an honest return? As I typed, I figured that at say Loblaws, the managers there wouldn’t have a vested interest in finding out why the customer wants to make a return. Ff being family owned… I can see hy they’d want to stay competitive.
Staff members have all consistently been kind. They’ve done a really good job of hiring friendly workers.
Good overall. Minus one and a half for not having a different system in place for the many cyclists coming their way, and for making returns difficult to do.

Fiesta Farms rocks my world.
I wasn’t going to review it, because — hey, it’s a grocery store. Grocery stores just aren’t that exciting.
Unless you’re like me and you LOVE grocery shopping.
Fiesta Farms is a foodie paradise. They have such a great selection of organics and imported food items. I can always find lots of new ingredients here. I also love that it’s locally owned and operated.
The meat section is well stocked with lots of local Ontario meat and plenty of organic/​hormone free options if that is your thing.
The produce section is also a haven of organic options at reasonable prices.
The bakery section is huge and I often go early on Saturday/​Sunday and bring bread home for breakfast that’s still warm from the oven.
My favourite part is that the queues always move so fast, I rarely have to wait to pay. (Not like @$%^@%^% Metro or Loblaws).
Across the road is a huge Garden Center, also owned by Fiesta Farms. I’ve been 5 – 6 times in the past 3 weeks as I’ve been busy planting my veggie garden. The garden center is beautiful — huge variety of flowers, plants, herbs and vegetables and all sorts of garden supplies.
So glad this place is close to my house.

Fiesta Farms is my local grocery store and, as a result, I always look forward to my weekly grocery shopping. The first couple times I visited Fiesta I was frustrated that they don’t carry some products (e.g. crumpets) that the chain stores carry and that the layout is not very intuitive. However, I’m now used to these things and I actually like that Fiesta’s layout is nonstandard — it reminds me that I’m not shopping at a chain.
I would say that Fiesta has a well curated selection of products. They don’t have the ridiculous variety of brands that a place like Loblaws has. Rather, they pick the best brands and also carry some interesting things that you won’t find in Loblaws. Their international section is quite good and, as Val G has noted, they have a focus on organic and alternative foods.
You won’t find 100 types of granola bars at Fiesta like you could at Loblaws but you just might find 100 types of olive oil.
As a vegetarian that likes cooking from scratch I spend the majority of my time in the produce section. Fiesta has great fruits and vegetables and they have a sincere focus on local sourcing.
On top of all these tangible characteristics that I love about Fiesta there’s also a certain less tangible quality that keeps me coming back. There’s something about supporting a local business and seeing the same customers and staff each week that I like. It’s sort of a community feeling.
Pro Tips:
1. Fiesta has a lot of interesting products and I try to impulse buy something I’ve never tried before each week. Some things I’ve discovered this way are: Sunflower Kitchen hummus, Macedonian feta from the deli counter, and Abuelita Mexican hot chocolate.
2. Talk to the manager of the produce department, especially during the growing season. He’s extremely knowledgeable about what fruits and vegetables are best that week. I’ve never gone wrong by listening to his recommendation.

Italian, family-​owned and operated grocery store that stayed in business after Loblaws moved into the neighbourhood in large part due to a move towards local, organic and alternative foods. It’s known for the huge garden centre that occupies the parking lot off Essex St in the summer.
The selection at FF is better than the chain grocery stores in the area but expect to pay for it. I get my Wildwood Probotic Soy drink here and it costs me dearly for wanting soy-​gurt that doesn’t contain milk-​derived cultures. The breads and bagels are from local bakeries and are delicious but you have to get there earlier in the day or the baskets will be empty. There’s been a selection of yummy but expensive vegan cookies from a bakery in London, ON.
My backyard harvest was weak this summer so I started buying romano pole beans at FF until I realized they were something crazy like $ 16/​lb.
The building is a terribly unassuming windowless box. It looks like an old Food Basics complete with a sign where they spell out the specials of the week. They have those ugly metal bars jutting out of the sidewalk that keep you from rolling out of there with one of their shopping carts. The result is a sea of shopping carts clogging the entrance way and cars lined up for short cart to car loading distance. People also lock their bikes here which adds to the obstacle course.
A Toronto Star article a couple years ago claimed that this is where local celebrity chefs do all their shopping. If you are a foodie or like trying out recipes that call for rare spices and salts beyond the range of ‘sea’ and ‘table’, this place is for you.
The produce looks amazing on first glance but choose wisely as the turn over is not as high as at other stores so it tends to go bad quickly. You can expect that bag of organic kiwis that was on sale to be rotten within a few days. Check expiry dates before you purchase, sometimes they sell items that are not marked down and past due.
Keep an eye out for ‘Deals of the Week’ in bins like bags of organic sugar 2/​$ 5.
Moral: This is no Trader Joe’s for atmosphere and turn-​over. Load up on mainstays at a chain store and save FF for hard to find produce, specialty and artisanal foods.