A & L Market

Sitting in a coffee shop, therefore, taking the time to clear out some of the drafts that have been sitting in my inbox for 4 months of local reviews in attempt to reduce my list one at a time (I have over 60 drafts).
This grocery store has saved me many times in the past, especially after the gym from making big fast food mistakes. Cheap decent produce, good customer service. Store is not as organized for the size, however fresh produce by the Canada Line beside the 99-​B line is good fast food for me.

Great location and right next to the Canada Line.
I come here for fruits but normally not for vegetables. Sometimes their prices are higher than save-​on-​foods *be careful* Smaller portions but some of them were not as fresh as save-​on.
Good selection on Asian groceries. I was looking for sliced fatty beef where you have for hotpot but they didn’t carry that.
They didn’t take my credit (cash or debit). Not sure there was a minimum. My bill was ~$ 10.

I grew up in an area where there were 3 cheap Asian-​owned produce markets within walking distance of our house. When I moved out, I could never get used to paying regular supermarket prices for fruits & vegetables! The price difference is significant, and the quality isn’t always better — so I was happy to discover this little market along my commute home from work. It can get pretty busy in there after work and on weekends, but don’t worry, the cashiers are extremely efficient and whip through the line in no time. One of the other things I like is that they give you a random fruit «gift» if you spend more than $ 10 (you get 2 if you spend $ 20, etc). It’s different all the time — one day it might be a plum, the next day maybe a kiwi or an orange. Sometimes, I don’t even want the fruit, but am nevertheless greatly amused by this regular on-​going customer incentive. I’m laughing a little just writing this review.
Aside from fresh produce, I also come here for fresh tortillas and spices. They carry a range of Dan-​D Pack products, too, which I like.
Bonus tip: If you’re making stock or soup, they also sell cheap bags of chicken & pork bones. It was perfect when we made our deep-​fried turkey last Thanksgiving and had no drippings for gravy!

Don’t let the outside of this store deceive you. Once inside, it’s HUGE! Not only does it have a cheap selection of fruits and veggies but there’s tons of other supermarket items up for grabs including a vast selection of sauces and condiments. I also love the large frozen section with meats for doing hot pot.
This place might not look like much, but I love that it’s an unassuming and inexpensive alternative to Save on Foods and Whole Foods in the ‘hood.

I have been meaning to review this place for a couple of months now, but it looks like everyone else has already said everything I’d hoped to! I’m glad A&L has such positive reviews, and I concur with everyone. Here’s a simple cheat sheet:
Pros:
— great prices (like super great, I’ve left with 2 huge bags of groceries for $ 30)
— lots of produce, always well stocked
— good selection of Asian products
— inexpensive meat
— shirataki noodles! every skinny girl’s fave
— friendly staff
— right by the Canada Line City Centre station
Cons:
— you will not be finding local, organic, blah blah blah produce here
— and sometimes it’s a little «meh» looking (although just fine for the price)
— gets a little crowded at rush hour
Five stars for being the best little on-​the-​way-​home market I’ve ever been to. It’s not my favourite grocery store of all time, but I can get everything I need for basic day-​to-​day cooking here at a great price.

Great spot for quick grocery shopping and picking up Asian sauces and goods when I don’t have time to make a trip to T&T. They have a great selection of sauces and dried goods that are all very well priced. I love that they also have a large selection of dan-​d-​pak items! I am sometimes a bit weary about the fruits an veg as I picked up some ill tasting apples one time and sometimes their fresh produce just looks bad. However I rate it 4 stars based on the fact that it’s so well priced and I can usually find deals on rice, coconut milk, spices and snacks. They also have fruit freebies once in awhile on a spend $ 10 get 1 free basis.

This looked like just vegetable store when I saw it from the street. But, no! It has Dan-​D-​Pak type dry goods, chippy stuff, and even a meat counter!
This wouldn’t be my main grocery stop, but would be great when I need a few ingredients on my way home on the Canada Line. It’s literally next door to the Broadway/​City Hall Station.

Cheap, high quality produce, good selection of dried fruit and nuts, household staples and more.

For people who need to watch their money, this is a great place to shop for Veggies and Fruit because you get excellent value for your dollar. The people who work at the market are pleasant and helpful — and the place is packed pretty much all through the day — but not so packed that you can’t get your shopping done without bumping into other customers, it’s just never empty. There is some organic produce, like bananas and some apples. They also have dried fruits, nuts, soy products like tofu or soy milk, and a huge variety of Asian product (great price on rice and beans and tea and spices and sauces and oil) — and you can get rare things like Ovomaltine or Horlick’s…so it is a true treasure of goods at excellent prices — veggies and fruit are fresh and of fine quality — and when you spend over $ 10 you already get a little bonus, like 3 mandarins or 2 kiwis.
Nice place! Try it.

As good as it gets. Right next to the skytrain station. Cheaper prices than anything in the area and they give free stuff! Good selection of goods as well?

Cute little place. Has aloe drink!, which alone is enough to keep me coming back. (I’m a dirty addict, it’s disgusting.)
The store has a lot of nonspecifically Asian stuff but not a lot of depth. In particular, outside of instant ramen they have basically no Japanese cooking staples. I went in looking for mirin and freeze-​dried dashi-​no-​moto and left disappointed. They did have a Kikkoman-​brand mirin-​flavored cooking product, but no actual honmirin. Whole Foods around the corner had my back, though (and umeboshi!).
They have way better prices on rice than Save-​On down the road, but not a very deep selection. They favor Thai varieties over Japanese-​style rice (which has a different texture and is a little bit less sweet).
One thing to look for: they have some pretty good deals on Italian stuff — pasta sauces, olive oil, pastas. I wouldn’t have expected it, but there it was.
In general, it’s hit or miss, but if it’s a lucky day, this is your lucky spot.

What a great little grocery store! It looks almost out of place… dropped down in the middle of the extremely busy and constantly ‘reconstructed’ cambie & w. broadway corner.
You will always find super sweet deals on the produce… 3 avocadoes for $ 1.00 (whoa!)…bananas @ $ 0.69/lb…organic apples for $ 0.79/lb…local veggies for way less than the supermarket prices! For a little corner market store, you would be surprised with the variety of fruits and vegetables… if you are really into the asian foods, you will find all the lychee, longon, perisimmons, taro root, bok choy, gai lan, sprouts, udon noodles, chow mein noodles, tofu, soy milk, thai spices, curreys, halo halo fruit and every single type of RICE you need! whoa, that was a mouth full… and i didnt even get all of it!
they have a small section with fresh meat too… and from the little peak i took, the prices are very reasonable as well.
now normally, i dont expect a lot of friendliness or helpfulness at grocery stores nowadays… but the girls that work here have always been super nice! one time, a lady offered to get me another aloe drink bottle cuz i only had one and when i buy two i get it cheaper… she thought i didnt realize the sale, i politely declined the offer though. another time, i was short by less than $ 1.00 in cash so i had to use the debit machine (for a purchase that was like $ 2.32) but the min. purchase had to be $ 5 or else they charged a fee… she just waived the fee and said that it was ok!
=) always smiley girls too i find! i love that!
last thing, they ALWAYS have daily specials where you purchase a certain amount and they will give you free groceries! so far i have gotten: 2 free avocadoes, 3 free kiwis, 2 free oranges and a whole bag of frozen shrimp! woohoo! free food always taste yummier!

This market is going to be prime real estate when the SkyTrain station goes in next door. Maybe they’ll start to keep fresh produce then …
I stop in here for cheap rice and coconut milk and Asian seasonings. They have a fair selection of frozen dim sum items. The produce isn’t usually very good looking, but it would do in a pinch. They often give away free fruit with purchase, so it’s hard to complain about a ripe pair of kiwis to add to your bag.
There’s a minimum you have to spend to pay by credit card, or they’ll charge you a fee. So it’s a good place to go with cash.

A & L is located on Broadway right near all the Cambie Street chaos. Fortunately, they have managed to stay in business, and it’s no wonder: this store has lots of high quality and well-​priced groceries. They carry lots of fresh produce, a great selection of Asian foods, and plenty of the usual grocery items that you’d hope to find. I bought a bag of frozen edamame here, and I think it was the cheapest bag of soy beans I’ve ever bought!