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Stark R. said: "I just moved here from the east side of Vancouver, where I was quite attached to the local Donald's Market. I love this store. Great selection of organic and natural products, good bakery selection - breads from Uprising Bakery! my…" read more »
14 reviews for Kea Foods
14 reviews in English
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Review from Ellie V.
Vancouver, BC
8/26/2011
For starters, the place is a tiiiiinyyy bit dingy...
They have a pretty good selection of bulk items (yay!), and a good selection of natural and ethnic products. I think you're better off buying bulk or canned items here, as the produce didn't look so hot.
The cashier was a little "too-cool-for-school", but I was on hipster avenue. -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
3/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Kea. Let's see... what can I say? This place has awful, awful aesthetics. It does not feel nice to be in there. It's also cold and even though the new staff are less "I couldn't care less if you shop here, also go fuck yourself" than the previous staff, the service is still pretty lacking. Prices are slightly (but noticeably) higher than Dollar on Commercial, but otherwise this place feels kind of similar. Just colder.
Avoid the produce unless you absolutely cannot.
Great selection of bulk, spices, and some specialty items. You can probably find what you need at Kea, no matter what it is. The kaffir lime leaves are darn cheap - if you don't use them in your homemade curries yet, you probably should.
I try not to shop here, because every single time I go I leave frustrated, but every once in a while I just have to hit Kea. It could be worse.Listed in: Grocery Shop
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Review from Andriy M.
Vancouver, BC
5/17/2012
They tried short changing me not once, but twice in the same visit. It didn't really seem like an honest mistake either. Double check your receipts before you leave the store!
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Review from Bandeets L.
Vancouver, BC
2/12/2012
RATS RATS RATS!! DO NOT SHOP HERE! I know there's an ongoing pest problem with this place for a long time (since 2009) and it appears that the problem still has not been taken care of. I find it disturbing that the owners here are very aware of the rat infestation here and rather than spending the $ to take care of the problem properly, they continue to sell contaminated products and try to hide the problem by taping up the windows so patrons can't see the inside 'RAT FIESTA' happening at night when the store is closed. We have called Van Coastal Health Authority a few times and they informed us that they are aware of the problem and are dealing with it, but yet, night after night when I go walk my dog, the Rat-A-Palooza is happening in there!
I also had a bad experience with the cashier lady on News Year Day when there was a sign there in the fridge that the mini coconut waters were $1.29 each but 3 for $3.00. When I brought 3 to the checkout, she tried charging me $1.29 each but I showed her the sign which clearly states 3 for $3.00 for the exact same coconut water but she refused to admit she was wrong and didn't even apologize I ended up only getting one bc my near-death hangover friend was in dire need of electrolytes and had no choice as she was faltering on the sidewalk. The overall feeling I get from this place is that they don't give a Rat's ass (no pun intended) about their customers and just in it for the short-haul to make a few cents. -
Review from Roanna Z.
Updated - 3/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I still think of Kea when I need to replenish my spice rack and tea inventory. The prices are reasonable and the staff are friendly. This is not glamorous shopping by any exaggerated terms, but as so many of the small grocers in Vancouver do, they offer an alternative to the big 'box' stores and they're conveniently located.
What I like is that you can purchase small amounts of things at a time, which keeps things fresher for me. Dry goods in bulk is what this store is best for.
*Oh, and they did indeed clean up that nasty awning, now if only they could freshen up the interior... but it's okay, the business is based on it's reputation.Listed in: Gluten Free/ Dairy free eats., More bag for your grocery…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/6/2008 First to Review
Another reason to move to this neighbourhood!
This is an excellent food store, with good variety of… Read more »
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Review from Richard W.
Vancouver, BC
4/26/2011
I don't think the people who run this place know that the food in the fridge is a bit dated. The cold area has so many dated juice cartons I was surprised no one has gone through them and dispose of properly. Tip#1 make sure you check the dates on the box. Most of the products expire within three days. Not really enough time to drink it all so fast. I think it should be at least a week so that is plenty of time to consume it.
I picked up some kiwis but two was squished and the rest were fine to eat. You can get bananas that are no longer green. So, if you need some get them here since they seem good enough to buy. I think I will stick with IGA marketplace for most of my food purchases since they have a better turn around compared with this place. If it was a little cleaner and the expired food tossed out it would be a better shopping experience. -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
2/1/2009
Disclaimer: I get a little weak in the knees over bulk food. And Kea Foods has one of the best selections I've encounter recently in Vancouver.
It's a bit of a surprise considering the dingy exterior and shabby-looking produce. But inside, the non-fresh foods are really outstanding.
I found some make-at-home marmalade here. Sure, I only need 4lbs. of sugar. But at 70 cents the can seemed like a steal. Then I discovered the multitude of bulk bins with scoops. I counted about five varieties of brown rice just for starters.
Last on my list of fabulous Kea finds was miso paste. I'd been hunting for it (admittedly not for long), but of the last five stores I'd visited Kea was the only one to deliver.
Don't underestimate this burly little market. It's got some weight behind its punch. -
Review from Chere Michelle C.
Vancouver, BC
10/3/2010
I came here for the 1st time last week, on recommendation of My Guy. I was really impressed with selection of hard-to-find items and the prices were super-reasonable! One of our favorite organic salad dressing lines were more than $1.50 cheaper than Buy Low or Superstore! Great selection of NATURAL soda pops...
I thought the bulk stuff was in good shape; I never saw ANY moths like I did at the bulk store up the road near 15th...I'm just sayin'. I spotted a few fluttering in the bins at THAT store. Not at Kea. I didn't buy any produce because we really try to get all our fruit and veg at Kins because the quality is amazing...but for organic items, bulk and ethnic products, check out Kea. -
Review from Daniel S.
Vancouver, BC
11/4/2009
These guys make the best organic peanut butter in the world. I literally do not eat any other kind. They also have some hard to find sauces and spices (for Mexican and Asian food) which are well-priced. You can get some great deals in dried fruit (I especially like the dried apple rings) and bulk foods of this kind.
The fruit and dairy products, however, leave much to be desired. Usually they're more than lacking in freshness, and the prices are not very competitive (especially considering you have Buy-Low Foods a block away).
Its worth your while to browse the shop for a few minutes if you live in the area. -
Review from Vanessa G.
4/21/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This is a good standby for organic produce and other items. It's a classic east van corner shop packed full of stuff you have to really sometimes search to find what you are looking for but it all seems to be there. I really like their aged chedder as well. Spice selection is pretty awesome as well.
Listed in: Groceries!
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Review from Stephanie B.
Vancouver, BC
11/14/2010
I was out with a friend yesterday and stumbled upon Kea for the first time. I've been looking for a decent bulk foods place for a while now and this one definitely fits the bill! The prices are good and they have pretty much everything I'd want.
The only thing really missing is a bulk liquids bar. I lived in Ontario for two years and fell in love with Bulk Barn. It would be nice to see jam, honey, peanut butter, etc, in bulk like the Bulk Barn has, but so far I haven't found any bulk stores that have those.
So, the only reason I'm giving this place 4 stars instead of 5 is because they don't have liquids. Otherwise, it's a great place to stop by for any of your bulk needs! (And if you take reusable bags, you don't have to use the wasteful plastic ones there.) Anyone who gave it a low rating should go again; new owners and the place is cleaned up. -
Review from Emily H.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 6/4/2010
W-whoa! New and improved. Under new management apparently. More FRESH organic produce, more inventory overall... lookin good KEA! This area is definitely ready for such awesome neighborhood grocer. Why should the Drive have so many more than the Mount Pleasant area? I would encourage the one-star review-ers to give it a second chance now.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/24/2010
Basically what everyone else said. Their selection of dry goods is really astonishing. Just browsing… Read more »
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Review from beki L.
Vancouver, BC
5/22/2010
so i stopped coming here after reading a review about a customer seeing a rodent infestation going on after hours... i now see that that review has been flagged and taken off...hmm. dont know what to believe-?
but i was just there to pick up some organic fruits. i must say, you totally get what you pay for.
yah, the prices are 'cheap'..but the quality is exactly that as well, cheap. i was able to find 3 gala apples that weren't bruised on all sides-but after bring them home, one of them had mold growing at the bottom. boo.
i also picked up some bulk nuts. they're selection is great...amazing really. but they're quality is very questionable. i wonder how long some of those items have been sitting in those bins? did you know that nuts & seeds get rancid VERY quickly when left out in the open? it wouldn't matter so much if they had a HIGH turnover in the items...but judging by the traffic, i doubt they have to refill their bins every week.
i, VERY hesitantly, got a few bags of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hazlenuts, and pecans. i was able to find a decent organic avocado and a container of alfa alfa sprouts (although, i think i would have to eat this one in a matter of days cuz the liquid inside is starting to look brownish already).
i think i would only come here if i am desperate...and extremely broke. when it comes to my health and what foods i put into my body, i will go the extra mile and the extra couple dollars to avoid digesting toxic or rancid food items.!Listed in: My MAIN finds, House stuff
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Review from Amber J.
Toronto, ON
2/14/2010
I joined just to write this review for all the unsuspecting folks out there. I had shopped at this place fairly regular, considering the it is very dingy on the outside and inside. Then one night as I was walking home I noticed a few people standing in front of the widows and pointing in, they were also trying to take pictures. I went in for a closer look and asked the nearest person what was up. "Look inside" he said, which of course I did. And to my shock and disgust I peered in at numerous very large rats scampering all over the shelves! Whats even worse is they were all over the food that was uncovered! Gross! I was horrified. Apparently I found out from the folks at the local coffee shop that this is a regular occurrence, and there have reports been made to the city about them. Well obviously some type of report was made again, because no more that a week later there was cardboard boxes covering the windows at night. Take a second thought before you get food from here, there is a reason it is never busy in a neighborhood like mount pleasant.
