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Young Brothers Produce
Category: Food Specialty Food Fruits & Veggies Fruits & Veggies [Edit]
3151 Broadway WVancouver, BC V6K 2H2
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 732-7088
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 7 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
15 reviews for Young Brothers Produce
15 reviews in English
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Review from A P.
Vancouver, BC
3/27/2012
The cheapest place in Kits to buy produce. The veggies are reliable and cheap, but I avoid buying any fruits there. I've had bad experiences with avocados, any exotic fruits, even apples sometimes. I certainly go there once a week and load up on potatoes, onions, lettuce, yams, herbs (!), lemons and limes, tomatoes, etc. Just steer clear of the fruits!! Alright, the apples are sometimes ok...
The cashiers have always been nice to me. Maybe that's because I arrive with my produce in the basket, my own bag ready on the counter, and a $20 bill in my hand. -
Review from Peter S.
4/11/2010
Is Quantity more important than Quality?
I have had some epic produce buys here over the past 6 years, but alas I think I have to move on to greener pastures.
Sure they have the cheapest avocados in the city, but the last three times I've bought a bunch resulted in alien tasting brown and greenish muck.
Great deals on anything grown in China, but ya gotta ask yourself should I really be eating this so far from the source?
Meh!
I never had a problem with the line ups as they move fast but the cash only policy always limited my visits. Is it that hard to install an Interac machine and just charge everyone the extra 25 cents? I don't think their loyal customers would mind a bit and it would only add another 20 seconds to the wait.
There are much better options out there. Locally sourced, sustainable, organic... But for those on a budget this place is truly as good as it gets.Listed in: Fruit and Veg
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Review from Pavel K.
Vancouver, BC
11/2/2011
Went there after a positive comment from a friend living in the area.
Waited in a huge line, only to find out that they don't accept any cards.
Seriously? The shadiest chinese minimarts have been taking interac for more than a decade now.
Are those guys evading taxes or just being ultra cheap? The average cost of a debit transaction is 8 cents, for god's sake.
Was offered to go to a bank across the street (not my bank, btw) to get cash. Proceeded to unload my two baskets at the cashier and then left.
I don't care how good or cheap their produce is, if they can't even put up a sign regarding the cash-only policy - I'll be shopping at other places. -
Review from Adam K.
Vancouver, BC
4/18/2009
I'm a fan of this place, mainly because it is the best in terms of quality relative to everything else on Broadway (between UBC and Granville) and probably the cheapest to boot.
The roma tomatoes are consistently plump and flavorful and I came here once on a day when their Bok Choy was amazingly fresh. Overall, they're consistently cheaper then all your other options. One thing I noticed was that the big mixed green boxes were only $4.99 versus $9 at Safeway.
It would be nice, in general, to see some more local produce in Kitslano year round and possibly a better selection of mushrooms somewhere (any advice?) -
Review from Jeannette G.
Vancouver, BC
8/5/2009
the best produce store in the city..period.
Drowning in a sea of produce stores along west broadway this is the standout.
I've done the commercial drive, main and fraser street hunt and I still drive from Oak /16th once a week or so to load up.
Tons of selection and high quality due to the volumes they move. Don't let the crowds make you shy away. Put your basket in a corner on the floor and load up. You can also pick up free range eggs and Olympic yogurt cheaper than any place else.
Effficient, no frills...and cash only to keep the line moving...YOU GOTTA GO. -
Review from Marion P.
Vancouver, BC
7/15/2009 1 Check-in Here
Great produce! Don't be discouraged by how busy and crowded it is in Young Brothers. High turnover of produce means fresh produce.
The produce is amazing, and the prices are fantastic. No longer do I need to go to Granville Island. Safeway is good for the usual staples, but I make the extra trip to Young Brothers for my produce.
Remember, they take cash only. No credit cards. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
8/27/2009 1 photo
You know, I used to think this was the best place ever. Tightly cramped fruits and veggies, hustle and bustle of people, cheap produce, almost everything imaginable...and it's still great but lately I've noticed that our produce doesn't last as long as the stuff we get from the farmers markets or even as long as the few snipbits I buy from Choices. I would have still gave them a solid 4 star, but on more than one occasion the avocados have been tasteless, bruised, and browning (even before they're ripe enough to eat). Poor little avocados!
I still like it, but it's definitely lost its lustre.
Don't forget -- cashola only!Listed in: Eating In, On the Cheap
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Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
12/4/2008
This is the most popular (in my own surveying) of the Broadway produce stores. And the choice is pretty varied: within a few blocks there's New Apple, Golden Valley, Broadway Produce, Tim's, and Young Brothers.
The focused shoppers who cram into this place could definitely head elsewhere. But no, they pile on into Young Brothers, which is a maze of aisles, and play chicken with the on-coming customer traffic.
Beware of being body-checked.
The store smells very earthy. A good sign if you're buying fresh veggies. All of the displays are quite high, say four feet off the ground. Most grocery stores are closer to 2.5 feet. Really not trying to be funny here, but shorter folk would probably find it a challenge to shop at Young Brothers.
On a recent trip hunting for green tomatoes, Young Brothers was one of only two stores that had my second choice, yellow tomatoes. The prices here are the same as the other produce stores, but the selection of supplemental groceries is worse.
So while I love the freshness and smell of the produce, I prefer my grocery shopping not to qualify as a contact sport. -
Review from Joanne M.
Vancouver, BC
6/8/2010
I have comparison shopped and hands-down this store has the freshest, local produce in Vancouver at the best prices.
There's a reason why this store is always packed, no matter what time of day or the week you go, and this my friend is what ensures you won't find shriveled eggplants or Swiss chard left withering and wilting on these shelves.
While they do carry some organic goods year-round - eggs, yogurt, greens - LOCAL produce is their forte. Today I scored fresh, plump, perfectly ripe Mission figs and fresh garlic scapes. You certainly won't find those at your average supermarket.
And yes, unfortunately I have to agree with other posters on this site that the staff are by and large unpleasant and cranky, but back to their prices, where else can you go on Vancouver's Westside and fill up 3 bags of healthy fresh produce for under $20? Just make sure you remember to bring CASH. NO DEBIT OR CREDIT CARDS accepted here -- no doubt that's one of the ways they keep their costs down. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
11/6/2008
This Korean operated green grocer provides consistently fresh inexpensive product. Great stop to prep a quick salad or meal. They have some other basic groceries like milk, eggs, cheese and yogurt as well as some Asian staples. Their organic selection is quite limited if you lean that way though. The prices are hard to beat anyplace in Vancouver West.
Listed in: Best Vancouver food sources, Vancouver Korean Food
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Review from C J.
Vancouver, BC
2/1/2010
Service = a grumpy cashier trying to process as many customers as possible
Quality = unpredictable
Prices = you don't even get what you pay for...
Cleanliness = the floor hasn't seen a mop in years
We used to shop here but have had several poor experiences in the past year. Their prices are low but so is the quality of food. The first poor experience is when we bought avocados - they were hard as rocks so we had to let them ripen on the counter for a couple of days. Once they softened up, we cut into them to find that they had all been improperly stored and likely frozen - completely brown inside. We brought back an example but were told - no receipt, no exchange or refund. Fair enough, so we avoided the place but were tempted by prices again and thought we would try avocados again.
Same thing - bought them rock hard (thinking they needed ripening) and cracked them open to find them brown and rotten inside. So we took them back with receipt in hand and were told - refunds/exchanges on product bought the previous day only. That was last year.
Last week, I was in the neighbourhood picking up bread from the fantastic Transilvanian Bakery and thought I'd give them one last chance. I bought some Atualfo mangoes and half were brown inside and one was particularly grotty with a still-wriggling worm munching away. Blecchh.
So if you like playing Russian Roulette with your food purchases, feel free to continue shopping here. Us - never, ever again. I recommend going somewhere where you will actually get edible groceries and a willingness to provide the most basic customer service. -
Review from Ido R.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 3/2/2010
hmm... just figured out that as much as I like everything they have, there is just no organic produce there. Bummer!
Listed in: favorites in vancouver
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/3/2010
GREAT produce. The variety makes every buyer a cook, and the prices make you return. Actually,… Read more »
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Review from Brett C.
Toronto, ON
8/27/2009
My first time at Young Brothers I walked in with my aco-friendly tote bags, filled on fruits and vegetables, and went to check out. When I did I was rather coldly told that next time I am to use their baskets while in the store and not my own. Fine, I can deal with that, although I was given no explanation and they could have told me w/o making me feel like an idiot.
The second time I used their baskets and reached checkout to find out they only accept cash. Now there were no visible signs by the register warning me about this fact. I just pulled out my credit card, told they didn't take credit, pulled out my INTERAC, and then was told they only take cash. Flustered, my girlfriend and I tried to fish out enough money through change to buy what little fruits and vegetables we had. We were coming up short about $0.50. All the while the woman at the counter was looking annoyed that we didn't seem to know about something that was not clearly denoted at the register. Having come up short, we said we didn't have enough, and the woman simply took the bag of fruits and vegetables. As we walked out the door we realized they could have easily suggested that we reduce what we were purchasing to what we had cash for, but instead they viewed us as customers that they didn't want to deal with.
Because of the poor service I have received the two times I have gone here I refuse to go back. There are produce stands just one and two blocks east of Young Brothers who do take credit/INTERAC and have much nicer service. -
Review from Kat D.
6/7/2010
Young Brothers, or Los Hermanos Jovenes for my Spanish speaking friends, is suddenly racing backwards at top speed, against all West Coast trends. Did the owners pass all the Choices and farmers market customers going toward local produce, less packaging and plastic, as they started selling more and more items in plastic boxes, pre-wrapped in plastic bags and things grown in China and other parts of Asia? Time was, I would have given this store 5 stars for my 10- plus years of freshness, produce bargains and good selection as well as the character-building aspects of shopping without being able to ask the staff questions and get a discernable answer. But I don't want to buy a kilogram of mushrooms or suspiciously perfect tomatoes in a plastic box or enough Chinese garlic in a plastic mesh bag, to scare away a horde of vampires. Not the Twilight kind with the artfully messy hair- the Old School types in capes. So what happened to Young Brothers? Many of us like to touch our own produce before we buy it and to choose our quantities which is impossible now with many items. I have seen Taiwanese oranges sealed individually in plastic bags by the producers. Could their be a better symbol of packaging excess? What next, bananas in Saran Wrap? Or Young Brothers' once renowned avocados put in Tupperware containers with foam peanuts? Shrink-wrapped watermelons? They must be very unaware of Kitsilano values, notwithstanding the bargains on baby greens in large plastic boxes. If you want those there is no choice but to buy in plastic unless you open one up and dump it all into your un-dyed, suitable- for -vegan -diets, Free Trade certified, hemp shopping bag. You've still got a plastic box on your conscience though, even if it doesn't go home with you.
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Review from shawn t.
Vancouver, BC
5/13/2010
cheap and well stocked. crowded at rush hour, cause everyone in the neighborhood knows how good it is. fruit and veg is at least half price compared to safeway, and always way better quality. cash only.
