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Bulk Barn
Categories: Food Grocery Shopping Wholesale Stores Grocery, Wholesale Stores [Edit]
17 Leslie StToronto, ON M4M 3H9
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
(416) 466-4512
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 9 am - 9 pm
Thu-Fri 9 am - 9:30 pm
Sat 8:30 am - 8 pm
Sun 9 am - 7 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for Bulk Barn
7 reviews in English
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Review from Jenny T.
6/11/2011
As a baker, I love this place! The vast array of selection for different types of flour, sugar, candies, chocolates, nuts, dried fruits, tea, etc. makes me salivate! I love the concept of buying items by weight, especially when I am saving more and wasting less by doing so! It's the perfect place to try different things, since you can buy just a little for sampling.
That being said, there are a few things that I'd stay away from at Bulk Barn, and they are:
1. chocolates - because they smell like they're covered in flour and taste like it too
2. cat food - even the non-pickiest cats won't touch this stuff
The list is short. Everything else, go for it! I like t his location because it always seems to be filled with cool leslievillers and I've never seen anyone snack from the bins or any kids opening and touching everything. -
Review from Kat F.
I heard a sad, sad thing the other day: there is no Bulk Barn (or equivalent) in the U.S. So where do Americans shop for over 4000 products by weight? I'm sure you could plop a 5000 square foot store into any town and it'd instantly have a lineup out the door. Bulk Barn is proudly Canadian and has stores all across the country except for BC (why not?).
What's wild about Bulk Barn is that the cashiers have every product memorized and I have NO IDEA how they do this. I show up at the cash with about 250mg of a white substance and they know whether it's quinoa flour, arrowroot powder or cream of tartar. It's a fun game to play!
Top 5 Things To Buy At Bulk Barn:
- dried pears (I try not to buy too many of these cause they make you poop weird)
- exotic types of flour, like spelt, quinoa, amaranth, chickpea, soy, etc.
- gluten-free stuff (this section is colossal)
- baking and decorating supplies
- candy, including Chews, Swedish Berries, Swedish Fish and peanut butter M&Ms. Oh, and something weird and perplexing called "WASS-UB? EE" (see pic)
There is high product turnover at this location so things are relatively fresh and well stocked. Every time I go there is a manager milling around, tidying up or stocking bins. There is pride in the organization of the store.
As far as I can see, this is the only relatively accessible (by public transit) Bulk Barn location in Toronto. You can take the Queen streetcar to Leslie and walk down, or the 31B bus from Greenwood station (on the Danforth line). Or take the Leslie exit from Lakeshore if you're driving.
The only thing I don't love about this Bulk Barn is that its hours are not consistent with the adjoined Loblaws - it closes earlier than the grocery store (11pm).
And remember: SNACKING HURTS US ALL!Listed in: Specialty Grocery Stores in…
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Review from Jennifer M.
Toronto, ON
9/2/2010
Just got back from Bulk Barn. Luckily, where I grew up there WAS a Bulk Barn, so I have BB fully integrated into my psyche. Thank Goodness. This one is moments from my place and perfect to grab random things. It is SOMETIMES cheaper. Being able to scoop yourself can definitely lead to over purchasing. There are hanging scales to use, but I just scoop and go.
Case Study.
Bran Muffin mix $.55 cents per 100g? (whatever on their sign)
Bran Muffin mix (smallish bag) purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart a few nights ago when blueberries in fridge were on their brink, $4.99.
Those ridiculously fabulous Honey Mustard Pretzel bites are about $4.00 a bag at the grocery store. Unfortunately two gigantic scoop fulls (which looks like less than a bag) was $8.00.
My organic bar soaps are $1.39 here, or .20 cents less than Tutti Fruitti or Essence of Life. But Almond Milk comes in at a ridiculous $2.79.
Small bag of organic rainforest blend coffee beans $10 in bulk, Costco gives a massive bag of Organic FairTrade coffee beans for $12.
It pays to pay attention in this case.
They also don't have any really unique spices, but they DO have a large variety of sugars, teas, pet food, protein powers etc. Pinatas are fun too, in the $10 range, and you can fill it with $15 worth of candy and be the favorite auntie and uncle at any birthday party. Totally worth the trip. -
Review from susan c.
4/25/2010
The UYE to shop at Bulk Barn[1] marked my first visit to the largest bulk food retailer of The Great White North. Like everyone else at the UYE, your head probably just exploded and you're asking, "You've never been to a Bulk Barn??" Well, I grew up in the States where they don't exist, and I currently don't live near one. Now here's some suture glue so you can put your head back together.
With no basis for comparison to other Bulk Barns, I'll say I'm a fan of this place! They have the standard hippy-dippy stuff like nuts, dried fruit, spices, granola ingredients, nut butters, and spelt.
The sections for snacks and candy are huge, including notables such as:
- Finnish Fish which are the darker, brooding knockoff of Swedish Fish® - A Friend You Can Eat™
- "Fake Teeth"--freaky gummy candy that look like dentures for babies
- Yogurt-covered pretzels ($5.99/lb + taxes); my fave![2]
The store is a boon for bakers. They have dozens of varieties of specialty flours, sugars, sprinkles, decorating supplies, birthday candles that look like mini cans of beer, and novelty cake pans for rent (in case you wanted to bake that special someone a cake in the shape of bowling pins or Spider-Man; $2/day + deposit).
Then they have things you never imagined you could by in bulk:
- Individually-wrapped fortune cookies
- Orange "cheez" powder for making mac 'n' cheese when you need to feed an army or you lost the packet that comes in your box of KD[3]
- Powders for making chicken soup, gravy, and other instant foods they are probably serving to school kids or old people in senior citizens' homes
- Fruit-flavored drink crystals similar to Kool-Aid
- Corn syrup from a soft-serve type dispenser
- Pie fillings
- Pet food and treats
- Piñatas for your next fiesta
The cashier I had was new and couldn't identify my organic palm sugar or jasmine rice but she got the six other items correct. I kind of bought too much and totally bulked up at Bulk Barn!
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[1] http://www.yelp.ca/eve...
[2] Kat F. and sarah l. say that everyone from NYC loves yogurt-covered stuff. Do you agree? I've never noticed.
[3] U.S. translation of KD (Kraft Dinner) = Kraft Macaroni & Cheese; here's why http://en.wikipedia.or...Listed in: O Canada, No America, The Incredible Bulk
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Review from Grainne M.
Toronto, ON
9/12/2010
I was trying to think of a reason to have this less than 5 stars...but couldn't! I'm not sure my memories are actually that clear though-once I walked in the door and saw bins full of bulk goods as far as the eye could see I entered a kind of fugue state and just started shovelling things into little plastic bags.
They really do have everything. I was feeling a bit naughty the day I went so didn't pay too much attention to anything vaguely healthy but they seemed to have every type of flour, powder, seed and nut. I couldn't decide what I wanted either-every type of chocolate chip and disc, chunks, sprinkles, malt balls.... I think my serum glucose levels shot up just looking at the array of multicoloured jellies, sweets and sherbets.
There's also a great selection of UK chocolate bars for when anybody (e.g. me) is craving UK/Irish treats.
The more I think about this place, the more I think I need to go back to stock up! -
Review from Original E.
Toronto, ON
3/15/2011
Rule number one, keep your filthy hands out of the bulk bins!
At one point I was a pain in the ass for the Bulk Barn, always snagging hand fulls of bulk goods, and stuffing them down my throat like a glutton.
Today I showed some civilized conduct, and shopped around with my red basket and carefully assembled my take in the nice plastic bags hanging from the side.
It's so unbelievable in there, everything from yogurt clusters to dog treats.
I picked up some sesame trail mix, a bag of chunky granola with dried bananas, and some wedges of Belgium dark chocolate... all three bags were full, and I spent less than $10.
If you've ever read the book, The Physiology of Taste, you'll know that Brillat-Savarin exposes an amazing recipe for hot chocolate. With the shards of Belgium dark I bought, along with a shake of cinnamon, and only water, just simmer for about 10min for an amazing beverage.
Enjoy the Barn! -
Review from Angie M.
Toronto, ON
4/29/2011
They constantly mix cheap chocolate chips into the more expensive chocolate bin. Once or twice - sure, an accident. But it's been happening for years. My suspicion is they do it to increase their profits - there's a BIG price gap between the cheap and expensive chocolate.
