Loading...
- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Bosa Foods
Categories: Food Grocery Food Specialty Food Ethnic Food Grocery, Ethnic Food [Edit]
1465 Kootenay StVancouver, BC V5K 4Y3
Neighbourhood: Hastings-Sunrise
(604) 253-5578
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
28 reviews for Bosa Foods
Review Highlights
28 reviews in English
-
Review from Odette C.
Vancouver, BC
4/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
Honestly, I'm at this place practically every Saturday. Sometimes just to enjoy a cup of coffee and others to stack up on Italian groceries.
Pasta, pasta and more pasta. They have every single kind (that I know of). A whole rack of olive oil & balsamic. Cheap buffalo mozzeralla.
1 word of advice, when you walk into the store and you see tons of people, head directly to the cured meat section and grab a number, then grab a coffee & sandwich or browse the isles, when you come back it'll be close to your turn.
See you at Bosa soon. -
Review from Melissa K.
Vancouver, BC
4/11/2012
Bosa is a playground for my Italian loving eyes.
You can find everything you find in speciality shops and everything you don't find in Bosa. Their selection is massive and better value than anywhere else.
This is the best and almost only place you should go to shop for meat and cheese. The selection of cured meats is insane - I have dreams about living in places like this surrounded by and endless supply delicious Italian fare.
I even see products here I only saw it Italy. Not only do they have the usual things you'd find in a grocery store, they have fresh made pasta, pastries, and sandwiches. I've heard from a few people that their favorite sandwich place is Bosa. I had my first one today for only $5 and it was good.
Beware the traffic jam that leads you into this place. There's always a jam on Boundary. -
Review from Amy T.
4/8/2012
Bosa Foods is a little hard to find if you didn't have their address. It's beside the highway and behind a police station, but once you get there, you will be glad you did.
A whole aisle dedicated to pasta. Over 1/3 of the deli is just of different types of olives. The best truffle oil prices in town. This is a keeper!
However, Bosa needs to work on their customer service. Nobody greets you and when I asked where a particular item was located, they just pointed to the direction without saying one word. Not even a smile. And what's with the cash or debit only? Such a fancy looking grocery store and you don't take credit card? -
Review from Sarah O.
5/2/2012
Bosa is a gem. It is packed with lots of Italian goods and European snacks. This is the place to go for pasta (fresh/dry), cured meat, cheese, olive oils.. I love coming here to get my picnic ingredients! I was delighted to find a variety of polenta flavours and cute little Italian active yeast for different types of bread. Bosa is a keeper!
-
Review from Kristen M.
Vancouver, BC
3/28/2012
Many moons ago I bought my bf the greatest Francis Francis espresso machine, it was shiny, and retro looking, and made a killer espresso. BUT it only took pods...not the newfangled pods either that Nespresso and such take, but little discs of pre-measured hard pressed espresso grounds. So nice and easy to use, but so hard to find the pods. In comes Bosa foods, they not only carried the illy pods we loved (at half the cost of the few downtown places we found them!), but also numerous other brands. We have been visiting them ever since. Often we'd just go as far as their Victoria Ave location (although we can no longer find pods at that one) Once this fabulous big new location was opened we make sure to go once a month. Mostly for our pods, but I can't help but also stock up on cheap pasta & sauces, as well as peruse the amazing cheese section.
Italian Costco is my best description. -
Review from Louise G.
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
So near and yet so far!!! Close to Highway 1 @ First Avenue, and close to Boundary Road. Yet seems like it is in its own remote little corner of Kootenay St, tucked in behind the new Vancouver Police station, car dealerships, and primarily industrial space. A lovely and very large newer building; it is bright and sparkling and well stocked.
Some say their sandwiches are the best thing since sliced bread.
Some say they carry meats and cheeses and other grocery items that you will find no where else in Vancouver, or certainly not this caliber!!!
I think it is a great place to go on adventure, or find some special ingredients from time to time. Bring cash or debit. They accept no credit.Listed in: 365-Day Challenge - Review A…, Healthier Choices, Italiano
-
Review from Allen W.
1/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great selection of Italian products, especially the amazing aisle of pasta. Every shape and size you can imagine. I loaded up on pasta, a large wedge of parmesan (amazing flavour), and soft amaretti cookies.
The store gets busy though - it was cramped the weekend morning that we visited. Next time, I plan to hit the meat counter which had such long lines last time. -
Review from Joyce D.
Burnaby, BC
11/27/2011 ROTD 3/28/2012
Great true Italian deli/shop where this is as authentic as your gonna get. Top of the line products and I highly recommend the frozen stuffed/breaded chicken breasts with your choice of apple and brie or broccoli and cheese or ham & swiss. Great little compact quick dinners to throw in your freezer for $3.25 each. On to the meats and cheeses.....thought I died and went to heaven for a moment. I recommend the cured salamis and sausages. They were sampling a blue cheese that is right up there amongst the best I have ever tried. Their pizza breads and flat breads are divine and if you are looking to fill your pantry with everything Italian you have come to the right place...every imaginable shape and size of pasta possible.
Cute store but packed to the rafters which made shopping super uncomfortable to get around.
My only criticism is the lack of customer service from the younger staff as one previous yelper commented on. It is so true and very apparent. You are neglected and ignored as they chat away to each other. God forbid you forget to take a number because they certainly won't tell you. It was the same at the cash as the both the cashier and bagger were so engrossed in conversation they never said hello or goodbye and only came up for air to tell you your total at the end.
This is a real blemish on the place and leaves you with a terrible taste in your mouth so hopefully the owners come across this review and have a staff meeting to correct it otherwise luv this place. -
Review from Herman E.
1/4/2012
One of my fave haunts for Italian groceries. Lots and lots of choices for olive oils, cheese, and of course, pasta! But they don't carry the brand that I really enjoy, PAGANI pasta, :( Only Tosi in Chinatown carries Pagani in Vancouver.
Only problem for me is that this is a drive across town, so I don't make it out here that often.
They also sell Italian cookware and place setting should you feel the need to acquire some. And.....there is also a small cafe for sandwiches and coffee! -
Review from Melissa E.
Vancouver, BC
10/24/2011
I hated my old job. With a deep seeded passion. BUT it was close to Bosa which meant lunch-time excursions for yummy amazing groceries.
Now, i love my job. But i am nowhere near Bosa. And I haven't been in ages. And I really miss just wandering down the aisles and picking up random ingredients like anchovies, amazing pasta, frozen meatballs, grilled veegtables....mmmmm. Kinda felt like how shopping should be...where you actually kinda want to buy everything as opposed to trying to find someone of decent quality that isn't going to break the bank.
So wish there was one downtown...although then i'd probably need a second job to support the Bosa habit.Listed in: Yelp's 30 day Challenge
-
Review from May P.
Vancouver, BC
7/27/2011
Veal the magic at Bosa foods, Italian grocery shopping at its best.
Get there early if you want a Panini for lunch, those little beauties sell out quickly. -
Review from Cathy S.
5/15/2011
Shopping at Bosa Foods is like grocery shopping in Italy without the need for a flight or a passport. All of the Italian being spoken throughout the store only reinforces the fabulous atmosphere. The store contains an excellent selection of pastas, oils, balsamic vinegar, breads, canned goods, olives, cheeses, cold cuts, frozen foods and meats. They also have a pretty amazing deli where you can get a panini or some prepared foods. You can even pick up a bocce set while you are here too!
On the downside, their produce selection is miniscule so it is really difficult to do one-stop shopping. They also do not take Visa. -
Review from Richard H.
New Westminster, BC
3/3/2011
Bosa Foods!
Your fresh foods - divine.
Your incredible selection of imported groceries? Stellar.
I really want to give you 5 stars. I really do.
Your sandwich counter - the sandwiches are great... but I'm not sure what's up with your panini presses - without exception, every time I order a Spicy Bosa Club it's never fully heated through... I'll chalk it up to being so busy and trying to keep the line moving. -
Review from Miranda L.
Vancouver, BC
8/1/2010
I felt like I had finally discovered a true Vancouver culinary secret when I stepped foot in this place. My very favourite stop when I'm out shopping!
Bosa is so very much worth the trip - just check a map before you go as it can be confusing to get to the first time.
In addition to the standard and not so standard pasta options (filling multiple aisles) I always head straight to the deli counter.
The meats and cheeses available here are of the caliber served up at many of the city's finest tasting rooms - the hardest part is figuring out what to order! Grab a number to hold your spot in line (if you're like me and too busy looking around at all the great stuff, you might miss that part at first!) and get ready with your order. The staff is also good about giving suggestions if you're new.
In particular - the prosciutto di parma is not to be missed. Grab that and a couple other varieties along with some cheese, olives, and similar treats and serve up a tasting selection of your own at home for guests.
Grab some biscotti or other carb heavy dessert options and you're set.
The freezers on the back wall are also out of sight, but the stuffed chicken breasts are the perfect thing to keep on hand for a quick meal. The brie & apple ones are my personal favourite! -
Review from Rachel W.
Vancouver, BC
5/24/2009 ROTD 5/27/2009
If you're cooking any italian dish, find all your goods at Bosa Foods
Bosa Foods has been around forever and not that long ago opened another newer larger location off highway 1 and slightly confusing to get to the first time (at least I wouldn't have found it)
Fantastic selections on every kind of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried pasta, canned tomatoes, sauces,, etc. you can think of. Their deli is good too and if you're an olive fan it's olive heaven. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
3/21/2009
They offer a nice selection of Italian groceries. One and a half rows just of dried pasta. Half a row of different olive oils. They have a nice selection of fresh cheeses and Italian deli as well. You get the drift.
Best part? Lots of free samples to try out throughout the store - go hungry!
Prices are a bit higher than someplace like Parthenon (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...), but the selection is a bit broader as well.
Did I mention the free samples?Listed in: Best Vancouver food sources
-
Review from Suzanne D.
New Westminster, BC
2/2/2012
Love this place. The best best thing is the hard goat cheese you can buy here. Big blocks of it for $20. It is also a wonderful place for gift baskets either premade OR you can make them yourself. this year I made one with a beautiful cutting board as the base and then tons of cooking gear, olive oil, balsamic in beautiful little jugs as well as some olives, capers and the like. My friends loved it and because I threw in some gift certificates they will be going back for more. Look for Herb's Garlic which they are now carrying. It is the best prepared garlic out there. In the fridge right near the buggies.
-
Review from Heather E.
Vancouver, BC
11/8/2009
Holy lupini beans, this place is amazing!
First of all, it's big. Really big. I thought I was seeing things when I first pulled into the parking lot. It's supermarket sized.
The building itself is super new and very upscale. I had high hopes. I was glad not to be disappointed.
PASTA, pasta galore, pasta everywhere, I've never seen so many varieties of pasta in my entire life. Little fat noodles, long skinny ones, every shape and size and color and flavor. Tubes, strands, shells, ears, buttons, trumpets. Fresh pasta, dried pasta, frozen pasta. Egg pasta, wheat pasta, spinach pasta! Pasta filled with cheese, spinach, meat. Pasta waiting to be filled, pasta that can do your homework for you and clean your living room. You get the point.
I didn't think it could get any better, but, wait for it...CHEESE. Cheeses in every shape and size. Salty cheese, fresh cheese, tangy and sharp cheese, mild cheese, stinky cheese, mozzarella until the end of the earth, parmesan for every day of the year, feta, provolone, cacciocavalo, havarti, romano, oka, cambozola.
I honestly could have just pitched a tent next to all of those glorious cheeses and died indulging myself, but then I saw the...
OLIVES! Olive heaven. Green, black, purple, red. Little, big, stuffed, or unstuffed. Rows and rows of glimmering and glorious olive delights.
Other highlights include a truly huge selection of anchovies and other tinned fish, tons of *fresh* meat (all types), lovely columns of pepperoni and salami and prosciutto and other cured meats, fresh sausages, fresh bread and buns and baguettes, many varieties of Italian sweets and cookies and candies and sugared delights, rice and more rice, dry and tinned beans, artichoke hearts, antipasti, frozen prepared dishes, frozen pies, dried fish, Italian baking essences like amaretto, tinned Italian tomatoes and tomato pastes and sauces, herbs and spices, italian sodas of all types, rows and rows of coffee and tea, oils and vinegars...I could just go on and on.
And Bosa also carries something a bit unexpected - kitchen tools! All sorts of tools and plates and kitchen towels and espresso cups and coffee makers. However, many of the items in this section are better for gifting than for the serious cook. They also carry a selection of Italian soaps and toiletries.
I really enjoyed my experience at this Bosa Foods location. I still love the original because it's small and charming and authentic. But when you're looking for something a bit more roomy, this is the place to go.
A couple of hints: Go on a weekday. I went on a Saturday and I was slightly irritated by the crowd and the chock-full parking lot. They clearly do good business for themselves. Also, THEY DON'T TAKE VISA. Surprising, I know. Take cash or a debit card. -
Review from Robert T.
12/25/2010
I love Bosa Foods. Although we do other things in Vancover when we go up, this is the stop that highlights the trip for me. I stock up on a ton of stuff that I either cannot find in Seattle or that is just way overpriced at home. I am sad every time I leave though that I cannot take back so much from the cheese and meat cases both due to the travel as well as the non-understanding customs officer.
The only problem, and it is totally mine, is that we usually go up right before Christmas and this store is PACKED with people. Hard to get around, especially because the aisles are stocked plum full of the regular stock plus all of the Christmas items. Panettone this cheap should be illegal. I think it is in the US!
So I will say it again, I LOVE BOSA FOODS!!! -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
9/3/2008 2 photos
Every time I've bought an overpriced hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano for my pasta, I have known in the back of my mind that it's much cheaper at Bosa. This Italian grocery store sits next to Highway 1 near the First Avenue exit, always beckoning to me as I fly by. I can tell you that it's completely worth the effort to seek it out; the prices and selection are great, and it's a rather pretty store, too.
Their cheese and deli sections are amazing, of course. Proscuitto, pancetta, fennel sausage, fruiliano, padano... Plus there's olive oil, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar, breadsticks (hello, Mr. Sample Basket), cookies with hazelnut chocolate drizzle, Italian sodas, all sorts of tomato products, and pasta. I'll be cooking well tonight.Listed in: Shopping for food
-
Review from Vanessa G.
5/19/2011
I felt like i was almost walking into a little bit of europe here. We went here for a vegetarian panini sandwich ($5) but i was seduced by so much more. This is a great place to get your Italian fix. Cheese, pasta, sauces, olives, grilled vegetables, and other goodies leave you salivating down the isles. I was sold on the sandwich, and so much more (italian nutella!).
Listed in: Groceries!
-
Review from Michael C.
Vancouver, BC
1/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
I like coming here and seeing all of the vast selection of stuff that other places just don't carry. I like the feeling of this place makes me feel like I'm in Europe. Tried their fresh pasta and loved the butternut squash ravioli.
-
Review from Q B.
Vancouver, BC
8/12/2010
The best place to do your Italian grocery shopping. I don't go anywhere but here. They have everything you could want and more. The store is also beautiful and built n the style of an Italian Villa. The floors are acid etched concrete and also beautiful.
Huge selection of deli meats, cheeses, olives, olive oil.
Oh.. and did I mention they have *delicious* pananis. -
Review from Eva B.
5/2/2010
One thing that was missed in the reviews that are currently listed is mention of the panini bar. Yes the groceries are pretty cheap (the sales items are always worth checking out) and the selection of Italian goods outstrips any other grocery store or deli I've been to in Vancouver or anywhere else for that matter. However, credit must be given to the staff squishing and grilling fresh bread, cheese, meat and veggies to perfection for the long line of happy lunchtime customers. The combination of ingredients are simple yet delicious.
The extra incentive is I can run around and pick up a few quick treats for the staff back at work or for dinner over the lunch hour. -
Review from Roanna Z.
3/30/2010
This big beautiful Bosa store has isles and isles of pastas, sauces and European specialty foods as well as baked goods, deserts and kitchen accouterments.
It's neat and well organized and there's even a small cafe inside where you can eat a fresh pannini and enjoy a cup of coffee and there's even a couple of chairs and tables out front.
This is a real Italian grocery store with a parking lot out front. -
Review from Westygrrl G.
Vancouver, BC
5/10/2010
First of all, I like many things about Bosa Foods. The prices, the product selection & quality of pasta, meat, and cheese, the panini bar. I travel a long way to stock up on my Italian food supplies.
However, I have one BIG complaint. The staff & its customer service, or lack thereof. While some of the older staff are seasoned and know how to wait on a customer and provide good service, it's the younger staff who are rude, clueless and give the place a bad rep in my view. If three young women see me standing there alone, at the meat counter, waiting for service and don't say or do anything, what are they being paid to do? After two minutes of being ignored, I have to ask for assistance, only to be told that the lady down at the other end of the deli (20 m away) can help me. Okay... and what are they doing? And I'm supposed to have figured this out how, since they completely ignored me until I spoke up? Telepathy?
Unacceptable. Not the way to run a retail establishment. Off to Cioffi's up the street - who want and deserve my business. -
Review from psylocke r.
Langley, BC
6/1/2011
Right next to the #1 hwy on the Burnaby/Vancouver border is this specialty store that carries Mediterranean food products. It is a very cool store with many unique items. I'm not one to frequent european specialty stores, but I think its safe to say that Bosa Foods has one of the best selections in Vancouver. Italian food is not known for being gluten free in these parts, but in actuality, celiac disease awareness and gluten free eating is very common in Italy. I've heard that the length of time to diagnosis is much shorter there, and that all school children are tested for celiac. In this particular store, there wasn't too much in the way of gluten free, but I am excited by what I found. They have corn pasta "senza glutine" imported from Italy, in many different shapes. The price was comparable to the North American produced corn pasta found in your local grocery store, being under 4 dollars. We tried it at home, along with some pasta sauce I had found there, and it was very good. Also exciting for me was that Bosa has soft nougat! On my trip to Europe several years ago, I discovered nougat. I bought some to bring home as gifts, but I liked it so much, well, I ate it all before I arrived home:) I have searched high and low to find the stuff, and had all but given up. Bosa has the largest selection of both hard and soft nougat I have found this side of the pond. Along with a deli counter, specialty kitchen items, cookbooks and a patio, Bosa is a cool place to hang out. Check them out!
-
Review from Laura B.
North Vancouver, BC
9/17/2009
Bosa has a fabulous selection of Italian and specialty foods - with particular emphasis on cheeses, cured meats and other antipasti type foods.
My only complaint is the hours... 5:30pm is too early for week nights!
