Santa Barbara Market

This used to be a highly recommended local grocery store, change in ownership hasn’t worked well so far. Would love to see improvements in stocking, customer service, and general quality of deli.

I Heard good news about this Place. In particolar the quality of the foods displayed. There are some quality brands but in general you miss for example quality cheese and cured meats

I've been coming here for about 10 years. I love the selection at the deli, and the fact they have both meat and cheese ends for when you want to try something new. I love that they allow taster samples as well while browsing. The prices were absolutely amazing, as well as the fact that the deli workers were so attentive to preparing your order as requested (the right thinness of the meat, how you wanted it stacked and wrapped etc.).

Prior to the ownership change, 5 stars. Easily.

Since the ownership change: Most of the practices have remained the same, as far as I can tell. The deli staff haven't been that bad for me (like other reviews mention). They are still patient and will fulfill your order correctly. You can still buy meat and cheese ends, and have samples. The selection has been cut a lot, maybe by half. My prized smoked gorgonzola is no longer there, and nowhere else stocks it (which I have been able to find). I ask them, every time I am there, to bring it back; they say that they make note of the request, but I don't expect anything unfortunately. The prices have gradually gone up, but it doesn't seem that extreme or like the ownership change had much to do with it (more just the general inflation over the years).

I am concerned about them wanting to gradually/eventually turn it into a "Persian deli", as I am not sure how that would further affect the selection negativelty.

It is September 2,2023 it seems they have changed owners. No longer the same vibe, and they got rid of all of their pasta. I would drive 5 km to get my pasta exclusively from that store. Now they only sell two kinds. As I looked around the store it lost its charm. No longer a mom and pop discount store but now over priced. Now it's only deserving of a one star rating

This place was a gem of the neighborhood staff use to be amazing… now the new lady cashier throws change at customers. At first i thought it was a mistake but she did it 3 times in a row on different occasions and gave a weird smirk. I dread going through checkout looks like i’ll find another place to go

Best deli counter! And I always find a deal on the clearance/specials display next to the cashier!

Recently was bought by new owners. Now it has half the selection of meats and cheeses it used to, all the products have been marked up a lot (the 3L jugs of olive oil are almost double in some cases) and all the counter staff are new to me and don't know anything about the products. Used to be the best place to get veg, cheese and deli meats now it's useless. Really unfortunate.

Unfortunately the new owners have ruined the store. The meat selection isn’t half as good as it used to be, the staff barely speaks English and seems soooo depressed. And they don’t know anything about the products they sell. Sad.

I’ve been coming here for 30 years and just love the place. Unfortunately I’m hearing it closed yesterday: (
Will the new owners be renovating and reopening under the same name, or can we expect another bubble tea? Shop

Here you will find “the good ol’days” of serving customers and sending them off with joy and a bag full of goodies from the deli, preserves or fruit and vegetable bins. With a hint of European culture and a being a Commercial Drive cornerstone, there are many more reasons to come here than not.

Place is dury and watch when You pay your bill i took Twitter pasta package and i git charge for 3.

I've been shopping here for years
This place has a good selection of groceries.really!

Okanagan fruits and veggies in season are fresh.

Deli for meats and cheeses.sliced if you want.

Family run, community orientated market.

Went in to the deli to grab some stuff for a charcuterie board but had no idea what I was doing, Rebecca was able to help me through it and I can't wait to eat all the meats and cheeses she reccomended!

I lived in the area for 12 years & frequented santa Barbra deli/store regularly. I used to purchase 2ltr pop (coke a cola) 2x/week. The last time I went there for pop the price went from 5$ for 2 2ltr bottles to $7 for the two. This pop is not kept cold but room temp only. When I asked what!? They just blamed coke a cola on rising prices which was oubiously a huge load of bull. 1$/ 2.5$ raise overnight on a product! Wow.pretty dirty dumpy store too no renos or upgrades just inflated prices in a dirty store front.

Good store for sandwich meat but man there's always a line up which sucks guess gotta come at a different time hopefully when there's not a line up but the staff here are friendly

I used to be big on this place due to their low prices on quality deli products but they now fall into the category of enthusiastic supporters of all of this covid nonsense wherein we find ourselves heavily under the thumbs of medical fascists - Santa Barbara not only demands/enforces the mask (but hey that is universal now) but also demands strict compliance with the silly "physical distancing" - for some reason this place seems to be so very much about control and it just isn't worth it to me to get a severe shakedown in order to buy a little bit of salami - and another thing - their selection seems to have seriously shrunk up.

Great selection of produce.deli and European imports. I also noticed they have a wide variety of beverages, healthy yogurts and more. The isles are a little crowded but packed with goodness.

It’s my favourite place to get cheese and deli, plus all the Italian ingredients you could ever need to cook a feast at home. The groceries are decently priced and friendly service too.

This deli has an impressive assortment of European cheeses and deli meats. Pricing is alright. Sometimes finding parking is a pain but all in all is a very good deli.

Always come here to buy pasta imported from Italy that is really great value, tastes better than the local pasta bought at Superstore

Great selection in delicatessen items such as meats, cheeses and others you would want to put charcuterie board.

Commercial Drive has a fantastic collection of independent grocery stores, but Santa Barbara Market is certainly one of the best. The deli counter is particularly good. They have some of the best prices for fantastic quality cheeses and meats with a nice mix of Canadian and European choices. They move so much product here that everything is always fresh, and the staff know their stuff. Dozens of olive oils to choose from, and a fabulous dry goods selection too, with lots of stuff from Italy, Latin America and Central European specialties. Want 40 pounds of blueberries? Talk to Domingo and he’ll make you a desk and can even tell you which farm of canned from for their BC products.

Folks who work here are the friendliest. The deli section is worth the visit. Never leave empty handed.

Love everything about this place, no complaints, great food, great deli fresh from all over the world, fresh fruit, very friendly and helpful staff.

I wish I could give 3.5 stars. Overall not a bad place. Their deli is good, somewhat decent prices. Some pastas tend to be very good value since they're made with European wheat (yes it's better). Also have Chinotto.

Other than that they have to compensate for raising prices on other known brands. But people in this area don't really budget for that I think. Store was okay in terms of cleanliness. Jarred pesto from Italy was much better price than Costco.wow.

Absolutely LOVE this place, the staff are GREAT, always friendly and helpful. Everything is always fresh, and the ladies in the back running the deli are amazing! Always helpful and patient while offering suggestions.

Santa Barbara Market is the balls. Best deli/market in Vancouver. For selection, quality and prices, they can't be beat. We always make a point of hitting it on our way through. You should too. Massive selection of deli meats and cheeses, fresh artisanal sausages, olive oil, pastas, and so much more. A must. Highly recommended.

One of the best European deli's in the COV. During rush hour and weekends, you will have to wait a long time
10: 30am to 2: 30 on weekdays is perfect.

SO SLOW, 45 minutes to get some sliced ham. But their prices are exceptional, so busy, which also means really fresh. I have never had any meat from them go bad, from Save-On, it is a regular occurrence.

The cheese and meat deli counter has sssoo many delicious options.
Highly recommend.
Also, big selection of olive oils

Sorry guys. I don’t know what has happened but since the last time the store changed ownership the prices have steadily been going up up up.
We have been customers since the mid 90’s and would travel there from the West End and save about 30%. Those days are sadly over. The variety in the deli section is exceptional but the prices are unfortunately no longer competitive.
We drop by occasionally if we’re in the area but it’s not worthwhile to go out of our way anymore. Sorry guys. Sad but true.

Excellent Italian market with good produce at great prices and an awesome deli in the back. No sandwiches though, mostly meat and cheese.

There used to be this lady outside of this market begging for money a few years ago, i dont know if shes still here but my father would always give her a dollar or two.that didnt really have anything to do with my review but.alright.this place has tons of fresh fruits and vegetables.they also have these thin chocolates with animal stickers in them.pretty cool place

Pasta, fruits, vegetables, many things Italian, and a great deli counter. One of my very favorites! Try the duck prosciutto.

One of the best stores the drive as to offer
When you love European cheeses and cold cut, this store is a must to go.
Friendly service and pricing is very reasonable.

Is my favorite deli. Always well stocked with a huge variety of meats, cheeses, and breads at reasonable prices. They also have some of the freshest fruits and vegetables in the city. Friendly staff, clean store, semi wheelchair accessible and staff are more than happy to help gather items that are not accessible. Tyvm SB

Good old SB, have been going here for over 10 years. Great prices on almost everything, especially deli items. Primarily conventional produce at great prices, imported grocery items.

Note there is no “butcher” for raw beef, pork, poultry, etc. They do have sausages in the deli area.

Excellent for us because we just live around the corner so if I need a carrot I just pop out of the house and get it.

The line up can be big and a bit slow at the deli but the selection and the service make it worth the wait

Great neighborhood deli and grocery store. Excellent service, great selections of deli meats and cheeses.