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Fresh & Wild
Categories: Food Grocery Food Specialty Food Fruits & Veggies Grocery, Fruits & Veggies [Edit]
69 Spadina AveToronto, ON M5R 2T1
Neighbourhoods: Entertainment District, Downtown Core
(416) 979-8155
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
23 reviews for Fresh & Wild
23 reviews in English
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Review from Cynthia G.
Toronto, ON
I used to come here when they first opened all the time.
The mix of being able to pick up lunch to eat either here or take out is great as well as a little market to pick up things for home - mind you the food is more expensive, but it is convenient after all.
Their fresh fruit and veggie are OK - pricey !
The fish & meat is wonderful and the pastries are fantastic.
The reason why I came in this morning is for coffee. The staff great and they make a good espresso !
In the summer, they have a great patio as well. -
Review from Kelly O.
11/8/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I only ever really come here when I need a gourmet cheese, or a Christmas tree.
The Bad:
Fresh and Wild is generally overpriced - by a LOT. Especially when you could go to Shoppers a block away and get the same bread and boxed products
They often have expired canned and boxed goods
I have seen rotten fruit at this location on many occasions
The Good:
Pre-packaged wraps and sandwiches are decent
Good selection of local and gourmet cheese
Fresh bread from Ace Bakery
Organic frozen goods
I would much rather go to a Loblaws, but this store works in a pinch. -
Review from Lindsay G.
Harbourfront, Toronto, ON
1/25/2012
Overpriced... Only good thing is a decent selection of good gluten free items, but those are overpriced too.
-
Review from Lauren M.
5/11/2011 2 Check-ins Here
FRESH attitudes and WILD pricing.
I head to Fresh & Wild every time I feel like being verbally abused by a douchey cashier whilst paying $6 for a green pepper.
Seriously.
Fine....rip people off by charging exorbitant prices for mediocre grocery products. But at least do it with a smile on your face.
Clearly location is everything. -
Review from Fabio N.
Toronto, ON
4/19/2011 14 Check-ins Here
Fresh and Wild it's sort of a disaster as a grocery store - unless you're a millionaire.
On the other hand, if you want to grab a quick, healthy lunch, you really can't go wrong here. Aside from prepackaged wraps, salads and meals, there's always a freshly made special of the day (and also soup during the colder months). There's also a pretty good build-your-own-salad stand.
The prices are fair and the service is efficient, although not always super friendly. I'll let it slide; it's more of a takeout place anyway.
All things considered, It's a good option if you're in a hurry and don't want to have fatty fast food for lunch - although they DO sell yummy desserts (try the mini butter tart!). -
Review from Elle G.
12/3/2010
I shop at Fresh and Wild on a pretty regular basis.
I agree with other Yelpers that it is a bit pricey, but the selection of different foods is pretty great.
You can get protein bars of every variety, gluten free food, and also some of their prepared items are pretty good and different. For example, Salmon Spaghetti -- it's pretty tasty and a nice change from the other more traditional offerings. Not smothered in cheese and sauces.
They also carry a wide offering of yogurts and drinks, including organic, probiotic - finally a place that has a wide selection in this area and fresh juices!
So if you are at Spadina and King --- check it out!
BTW -- I noticed yesterday that they have the cutest little Christmas trees --- real ones -- perfect for smaller homes and condos! -
Review from geraldine g.
Toronto, ON
11/14/2010
The reason this place gets 2 stars is it carries gluten free products both fresh and frozen. Not a ton but it's a start. Other than that, if you see this place run a different direction if you can. Like my other Yelpers, I completely agree on this place being overpriced.
I shop because it's so convenient. Totally feeds into my laziness because it's right where my bus stop home is. So when I forget I absolutely need one thing or another it really makes me upset to buy from Fresh and Wild.
All I will say, my friends, I have never paid as much as I did for a red onion in my life!!! -
Review from Jenn W.
6/30/2011
Horribly overpriced, mediocre selection.
The word "gourmet" stenciled on the door instilled hope that at least they'd have an extensive cheese selection.
All I really wanted was a few simple ingredients for a salad - I did find most of what I was looking for, but at 3-4 times normal prices. Walked away empty handed. -
Review from Elana P.
Toronto, ON
10/22/2011
My issue with this location is the layout. I'm getting accustomed to where to find everything, so I can speed through more quickly now, but the aisles are too narrow for 2 people, and it's a bit of a frustrating experience if you're in a hurry, which I generally am if I'm shopping here. Gourmet boutique food stores should be a pleasant experience, one of sights and smells and experiences that urge you to take home things that you otherwise wouldn't. This feels more like an upscale, larger Rabba, with its twists and turns and corners, as you work to avoid the people coming at you from the other direction.
They do, however, have an amazing selection of everything - including gluten free, new product lines, fresh foods, bakery (which I primarily stare at, but don't buy), spices, dairy - everything you would expect from a boutique grocery store and more. It's a perfect place to grab last-minute recipe ingredients for that night's menu.
The staff are okay - I have never found them rude at all.
The prices are high, but I would expect them to be at a specialty-type store like this. For me, it's perfectly situated in a convenient location on the way home from work. So, having said all of that, I still shop here - workaholic urbanites are generally willing to pay for convenience. -
Review from jocelyn l.
6/30/2011
convenient to my office for a quick snack pick up but Extremely overpriced. the same bag of chips is exactly twice the price from what i can get from Sobey's.
ridic -
Review from Marie B.
Toronto, ON
6/28/2009
If you like to pay high prices and get bad service, this is the place for you! Definitely not in the same league as REAL boutique food shops - Pusateri, Dean & Deluca, Cheese Boutique, etc. Nothing differentiates this from Rabba, other than the high prices and snotty attitude.
The cafe area is nothing to write home about either. The baristas would be fired if they worked at Starbucks or Tim Hortons. They are slow (takes up to 5min to make one latte) and not that bright (often forget what you ordered). The pastries are also overpriced - some people may like the fact they feature pastries from different bakeries - Clafouti, Harbord Bakery, etc. But paying $3.95 for a croissant that is day old is not for me. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
5/14/2010
The concept of this place is good (fresh and organic produce and goods) however the prices at this place are outrageous.
Having stepped foot inside a number of times, I always leave empty-handed. Who can afford to shop here???
I find this place quite pretentious. Sure I care about what I'm putting into my body, but there are plenty of other (and better) places in town where I can get chemical-free/gluten-free/sugar-free etc etc. goods without having to break the bank.
I'm done with this place. We've officially broken up. -
Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
6/22/2009
Hello overpriced, but not that well stocked grocery store. Yes you have a nice patio, but really, you have so little to offer me. Your coffee counter is slow and unproductive.
The food? Mediocre.
I'll pass. but thanks for trying.
I know you'll do well with the yuppies who won't go a block out of their ways for better selection and cheaper prices. And really, don't get me wrong, I love boutique grocery stores more than anything. But you? You are just a cheap ass Dean and Delucca wannabe.
sorry, you don't pass. -
Review from Kat T.
5/20/2010
I suppose since I get most groceries via the internet (GG), I don't need to buy too much at Fresh and Wild. However, for last minute recipes ingredients and prepared foods, I have been here several times.
It's easy, has a good selection of dips, breads, and things you might serve if you need to host an impromptu cocktail party. So, stick to that, pick up some cutesy cocktail napkins on your way out. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
12/14/2008
Short and sweet: this is a convenience store for the young urban property owners and pseudo-gourmands in the Entertainment District.
There's a lot to offer here -- an army of rice crackers, a delicately stocked deli meat section, and endless jars of fancy sauces that include words like "caramelized" and "infused" on the labels. With all this, especially since it's located right downtown, prices are ridiculously high. Sad, because you can get most of this stuff elsewhere for much, much cheaper.
As an example, most of the cheese (guh, I lurve cheese) ranges around the $10+ mark. May as well go without and head to Kensington for a better selection the next day.
I do admit I've purchased a few things here in a last-minute effort to add oomph to dinner plans; then again, I was in the area and had no other option. (Convenience. Check.) -
Review from angela k.
Toronto, ON
1/17/2010
The major benefit of Fresh and Wild is that they are convenient and almost always have what I'm looking for (although once they were out of curry powder, which just seemed plain wrong to me).
The major downfall is that it is ridiculously expensive.
The pre-made food is tasty enough but not worth the price. Their coffee is mediocre. Their desserts are pretty tasty but again, somewhat expensive. Some of the staff are wildly helpful while others almost always sneer at me.
If you have any other option, I suggest exercising it. That said, when you're in a bind this place will fill the gap and maybe you'll get one of the few helpful staff people to tell you where to find things in their confusingly organized store. -
Review from Vanessa G.
Toronto, ON
9/29/2008 1 photo
Firstly, let me just say Fresh and Wild is wildly expensive. They make their money off people who are in a rush and don't care about forking over their hard earned cash if they get their food quickly and conveniently.
Now I've been that person many times, but it's the last part that bothers me. The food here isn't even the good. I got some breakfast sandwich one day and it was so flavourless and dry I couldn't even eat it. The coffee was, in my mind, pretty weak and nothing I couldn't make 10 times better if I wasn't so lazy. This isn't no frills or even dominion - this place is expensive and you'll pay through the nose for average things like produce, dairy, and anything prepared.
If you're willing to walk, there are a ton of great restaurants just up Spadina where you can spend less and get better quality and great tasting food. If you're in a rut and you need some last minute groceries, go to Fresh and WIld, but otherwise I would avoid it like the plague. -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
10/24/2008 1 photo
I actually went into Fresh and Wild planning not to like it. From the
outside it looked too nice, too put together to offer real food. I was
however very surprised with the quality of food that was housed inside.
The store had all the produce I have come to expect from a fine foods
store (quality meats and cheeses) and they passed my Honey Crisp test (
I often judge a produce department on whether or not they have Honey
Crisp apples, thought to be the best in the world). The store is tiny
but uses the space quite creatively with many isles and ramps where you
would not expect them. The downside of this is that you
couldn't possibly shop at Fresh and Wild with another person and walk
side by side. I would definitely recommend this store to anyone looking
for a higher quality of food in the downtown core.
Like the review? Check out the link to my blog on my profile. -
Review from Catherine M.
ON
12/14/2008
I'm not a condoland dweller so I haven't much felt the lull of this store forcing me to buy buy buy instead of shlepping somewhere a bit cheaper. But I can empathize as it seems like half the downtown core suffers from dwellings nowhere close to a grocery store. That's why we are defined by our grocery substitutes - for me, it's Shoppers. For people in Condoland, it's Fresh and Wild.
Yes, if you're looking for a specialty ingredient you are sure to find it here. But my taste in sleek and glossy fancy marts tends to run more towards your Sobeys Express or Whole Foods. Fresh and Wild would also bankrupt me within four or five visits.
That said, everything in there does look luscious. And when you pick up a package in the more warren-like "perishable" grocery aisles, it seems like every product is an imported brand you've only heard rumors of or something you just saw reviewed on some foodie website. Touche, F&W, touche. -
Review from yyz a.
Toronto, ON
10/19/2010
This place is insanely expensive but does provide a lovely shopping experience and has everything you need at your doorstep without a whole adventure to the grocery store.
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Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
11/6/2008
The Fresh & wild on Spadina at King is relatively new to the area and desperately needed. There are so many condos by this joint, and yet, no real grocery store to speak of. Yeah, there's Kensington Market up the road, but what about if you just want to grab some lunch stuff, a vitamin water and a decent coffee? They have a little café in the front, a small fresh fruit and veggie section and plenty of rare products like foreign imports and high end sauces and chips. Plus they have a little patio if you want to eat outside before jumping back to the office. It's quite pleasant in a concrete neighborhood and a fantastic addition for anyone who lives down there.
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Review from Jimi S.
ON
12/7/2008
let us take one item for sale to be representative of this grocery store: avocado oil.
thats the flavour of this place. they have everything that you need, and then a whole bunch of stuff thats unusual and might fall under the title of "treats" for most folks. the range in many products will be from the simple to the ornate lets say so you do have a range from which to choose in each kind of food.
at the front entrance they have a dessert display with the types of premade (likely not there) cakes youd get for your birthday or if you were getting married or at a luxurious restaurant. small and beautiful.
the meats look incredibly carnivorous. its as delectable as the cakes. the more an item looks like it can disappear into the guise of being exotic or beyond compare the more wild the price.
as a foodie there are lots of things that id love to pick up, some that would be harder to find elsewhere and some that with a little initiative you could find somewhere else for much less. as an example for both, i would re-introduce the avocado oil and cite the drop the packet in a pot of boiling water pre-made indian food that you can get for half the price in little india or an ethnic supermarket.
if you are all about convenience and could care less about price and want some of the best then go wild. -
Review from Dionne W.
Toronto, ON
4/1/2011
I have shopped regularly at Fresh & Wild in the past, but the high prices and service I have received have made me go elsewhere. The products are just way too overpriced, and as you walk through the aisles you invariably have to dodge an employee with some kind of cart trying to restock shelves at the busiest times of day. But I still occasionally stop in for lunch, as it is close to the office. After my visit today, I will never go back. When I popped into the cafe portion of the store, where the lunch counter is, I had to wait in line for nearly 10 minutes as one woman at the front of the line was buying a week's worth of groceries--at the lunch counter!!!! Couldn't the employees have kindly pointed out to her that the main cash register is at the front of the store? Despite having to wait for way too long, I was looking forward to finally eating my sandwich, which I had requested to be put on the grill so it's warm and toasty. But when I brought it back to the office, it was ice cold, falling apart and frankly, quite gross. I paid $8 for a measly lunch when I could have gone to Tim Hortons, spent half that and been way more satisfied. This is one customer Fresh & Wild has lost due to their consistent lack of good service and I will be happy shopping elsewhere.
