Nations Fresh Foods

Great shopping experience experience with lots of ethnic foods, fresh vegetables, seafood counter, bakery, and take-home prepared foods. Meats are not always grade A, but priced accordingly. We shop here weekly, including many of the flyer promotion items. Prices are competitive to other ethnic store, however we still frequent most of them for the best deals.
The store is clean and most staff are friendly even with some language barriers.

Good varieties of all countries of foods. The vegetables are always in cheaper prices at here. But the disadvantage is the narrow aisles. The waiting lines usually take 10 - 20 minutes to pass.

They don’t take Credit Cards! No obvious sign at the front so a bit of a surprise when you go to pay.

Very big store, a little difficult to navigate. They have a very large selection of produce and international foods. There is a little area to sit down at with hot prepsred foods as well as salad bar, and much more.

Usually very busy! Good option for cheap produce and meats! Also imports a lot of things your regular grocery store would almost never carry!

I was asked via Indeed to come in for an interview at a certain time. I answered that I had a doctors appointment at.that time and if we could schedule later that day. I did not.get a reply. I waited.and waited to see but nothing. Then later that day it said on Indeed not selected. I was irate as I did message them and they did not monitor their emails. This is not the kind of company I want to work for. Usually.companirs.will say, does this time work for you. They didn't even bother to ask. Disgusting hownthey treat you before you even get the job.

This market is special for everyone. People and cultures that are in Canada my good prices and availability of many products from our countries.visit it

I bought three bowls of chinese food carry out it was outrages it cost $72 dollars last time I go there

Good selection, prices are reasonable. Communicating with staff can sometimes be difficult.

They’ve got a wide variety of stuff, you’d likely exceed your budget! Only con is, they only take DEBIT CARDS.

Worst place. Costomer service will hang up the phone if you dont speak chinese. Racist place and super disrespectful.
Store smells terrible

The store has very bad management. I had an incident today where I was on the line waiting to check out with my three young children. A lady behind me tried to push her cart passing my kids, without excusing herself. When I tried to ask her to wait as my grocery were not done being checked out. Her husband started yelling and swearing while the person overlooking the lines (supervisor) stayed silent and started speaking in Mandarin to them. Instead of apologizing for their action, he seemed supportive of them for some reason. I don't recommend this place. They have poor customer service.

My husband and I always shop here on a weekly basis. We're Asians so this store is what we needed. They have EVERYTHING that we need and looking for. Prices are not bad either, fresh produce are great as well. We're only giving them 4 stars because the grocery baskets/carts are just the nastiest! You just know that they haven't been washed in ages! The management needs to do something about it, we're STILL in pandemic.

This place has more vegetables and Fruits option than average supermarket. Convenient location. Only thing lacking is that staff does not know where things are since there is huge selection of foods.

Fact: Canadians waste enough food every year to feed every single person on earth. Therefore, it is okay to steal food every so often and lighters.

Fact: According to the National Zero Waste Council's research on household food waste in Canada, almost 2.2 million tonnes of edible food is wasted each year, costing Canadians in excess of $17 billion.

Fact: Some of the security guys here are birds.

A wide selection of foods from various nations. I have been shopping here for years until recently I stopped going there because the food sometimes is not that fresh. I found moulded chestnuts I bought the same day, which means the full batch is not fresh at all and have been sitting for some time. Also the taros I got which I peeled the same day was already bad.

Nations needs to improve the quality and freshness of the food.

My mom was assaulted by 2 male security guards on jully 30th 2021
Please don't go here I will have this place shut down soon. People impermanent managers here so please get the full name and I'mformation Michelle is a fake manager and has hung up 22 times very unprofessional

Literally has every ethnic food item you're looking for. Very pleasantly surprised. One of the best international stores out there!

Staff is so rude anytime I’ve ever asked where something is I have either been ignored completely or spoken to very dismissively. But the food selection is unbelievable. Way more produce variety than any grocery store I’ve ever been too

Prefer to go here compared to the other Asian grocery stores in hamilton as it is clean and there's no pungunt odour from rotting fish. Great place to get specific Asian ingredients for cooking not found at your typical grocery store such as nofrills. Free parking for purchases over $30.

I don't like quality of fruits and vegetables. It gets bad after one day, store always smell so bad that's two stars down and another for me - no baby food. Otherwise you can find anything.

A large variety of food from all over the world, but prices are very high, and close to the expiration date. There is always a problem when you need to return something. Managers are very rude and aggressive, they need to learn Social Skills.

Nations got lot of option and it is wonderful store, but the only disadvantage is the people working there they very unfriendly. I was shopping and asked a person where do I get Cheetos the way replied me was rude. Remember customer services is important your stores is running because of it's customers

Super impressed with the variety of products that are available here. Aisles are generally clean and well stocked. Great quality produce at affordable prices.

I love nations because there are a variety of options and brands there compared to other stores. I love the fish and meat market.the food is always fresh and healthy.

Things are very fresh, with a good selection of items, also the price is not as expensive when compared to many other Asian grocery stores in the area. Love it!

I hardly shop at nations food store it is difficult to fine good help some stuff are
good and other's that will not help out this is my experience in the store.

Hit and Miss.
Great produce.
Meat and fish are iffy. Purchased chicken Tuesday to grill same day and when I opened the package the stink was outrageous! Same with fish counters, have seen obviously rotting fish next to fresh. Items in aisles are pricey. Only decent selection of Japanese ingredients downtown but sooo expensive!

ANYONE KNOW IF THEY CARRY GREEN ALMONDS IN SEASON? !? !? !? !? !

I really enjoy nations! Neat to see what other culture eat! Bagged salads I got once tastes like Chemicals and the food bar is usually luke warm. Other than that great selection and atmosphere! I'd rather bus down to Jackson to go to nations and the farmers market then go to a regular grocery store.

This place needs to be SHUTDOWN! It's Nasty and filthy! Spoiled vegetables sitting under bright light to look appealing to customers. Staff are very rude and speak little to no English. This place is like poison to your soul.

Extremely rude cashiers and when you call to complain is like they don't care give. Thank you for a terrible experience

A great store with wide variety of choices. They have fresh fish, many to choose from and they will even clean and pre-cut them for you. They have a ton of fresh vegetables and fruits. The quality of the produce is very high. They also have prepared foods, including Dim Sum and sushi. Very high quality and delicious. I've had many of these prepared foods and they all very excellent.
The checkout process is very slow because there are a lot of people at the register.

In a market, you find everything you need, and I always find vegetables and fruits that are natural and clean, and I also find everything I need in a wonderful place.

Gives free handsanitizersnowadays.good place for sopping groceriesand stuffs, India people, you will find almost everyting.

Pros:
- Nations has a big inventory of international food that cannot be found in other major supermarkets
- has lots of take-out food like sushi, dim sum, buffet
- convenient location in downtown Hamilton and fill up the final corner of Jackson Square (that corner used to be closed and prevent walking around the building completely)
- give Vietnamese newspaper and sometime calendars if requested or purchase a certain minimum amount

Cons:
- the minimum purchase for free parking went from 20$ to 30$
- buffet prices went up (it used to have an after hour discount that has a set price no matter how filled or how much the container weight)
- buffet selection used to have lots of food in small pieces to sample one of each, then they become mostly big food which fill the box and make it difficult to get a bit of everything
- merchandise are quite expensive (No Frills, Fresh Co, and Food Basics are more affordable)
- no credit card option (only cash and debit card)
- they changed the express lane in the back (entrance near food court) so customers had to make a U turn than move straight to the exit (pre-pandemic)
- some products are sold out and never available again
- bubble tea stand running out of tapioca in the middle of the day
- always need to be vigilant with cashiers because they sometime get the price wrong and will not refund you back the excess amount, and they force you to line up to customer service for refund.

Love love love this place, it's massive! So much selection, I could be in here for hours! I mostly come here for produces, which is great, but have yet to try other things. During my last visit I had some sushi that was freshly made that day and it was amazing!

I am exempt from wearing a mask, this store had a sign that said that because I am exempt from the mask mandate I am permitted entry and I was stopped by someone at the front door claiming that sign did not apply to me and that I must leave. I have been discriminated against because of my medical condition and this store has violated section 1 of the Ontario humans rights code which says a store cannot discriminate against people with medical issues. Not only was I refused entry, but there were no accomodations set in place to serve a customer like me who is unable to wear a mask due to exemption/medical reason. In addition to that they refused to change their gloves when asked by my mother and claimed that sanitizing them is all they need to do when my mother works in healthcare and was taught to always change gloves and to never reuse them. To add insult to injury the owner himself said he can do whatever he wants because it's his store which is in a way correct but you must adhere to the Ontario human rights code and customers when they ask you to change your dirty gloves you been touching everyone's cash and groceries with.

This place has an amazing selection of stuff from all over the world. And really good "fast food" to eat right there.a wide variety to choose from. Only thing is sometimes the check out lines at the cashiers are long so it can take a bit if time to get out. But it's worth it. Be patient and you will be rewarded. They should somehow change the set-up so you can pay for your fast food right at the counter instead of having to line up with all the grocery shoppers.

Pros: Amazing selection on even the most obscure Asian speciality food and delicious hot foods.

Cons: Darkly lit, and is a little over priced on American and Canadian foods on normal days.

Very bad Chinese staff humiliating customers. They hire people who could not speak/ understand English well, give wrong info, and wouldn't take responsibility of it. // I brought my credit card to shop there and found this supermarket only receives debit or cash after 30 min's shopping. One cashier (Karriehi) told me there's no ATM nearby when it's about to be closed. So I had to asked her to return all my stuff. However, when I stepped out for a couple of meters, I've found at least 10 ATMs of all types of banks. When I got the money and came back they wouldn't let me purchase. And nobody would say "sorry" for the wrong info. And one person (a Chinese woman) even start to call my names. I'd say they are the worst stuff members I've ever seen in Canada. Also the 1st one I saw that humiliates customers. Impressed.

At the end of the day, the large variety of discounted packaged food from both the Asian & the Western hot food buffets as they close is delicious food at great value.

I'm glad there's a place in Hamilton where I can buy a variety of affordable Asian ingredients, but that's about Nations' the only redeeming quality. It's almost as though no one actually works there, cause everytime I ask for help finding something, in both Chinese and English, no one seems to know nor care. Half of the staff are also extremely rude, so unless you need something that they sell specifically, I don't recommend shopping here.

I actually visit this place almost every day. I've talked to a few that have had bad experiences butbi myself have NEVER had a bad experience.
So many options for multicultural food.

Great place for great snack or meals and always has much variety. Love the awesome deli, cheese and salad bars. The store lay out is odd often fruit and vegetables area often have foreign speaking staff only, have had them at times even while shopping try to help, yet can't help people find what they need. Only improvement needed, otherwise great place for all your food services.

CRUEL, WASTEFUL and Expensive. LIVE LOBSTERS STACKED 6-7 rows in the tank! Not even an inch of water to move in - so very cruel. I can only imagine what happens to the buffet food behind closed doors. I HATE THIS PLACE. I am done, They waste A Lot of produce. Only discount things that are rotten already and individually wrap almost all produce. SO So Very wasteful! Minus 20 star rating: (

Convenient location in the heart of Hamilton with a multicultural selection of foods of the world. Good selection of bakery items and hot grab and go food options. The only downside is long lines and not a lot of cashiers on the weekends and at lunch times during the week. Parking is free underground which is helpful.

Normally I would rate this a five star, food is amazing and plenty of options and chances to learn about other cultures food, but I was stopped and searched right after paying for my food because they thought I stole from them. All because their cashier never put the paid sticker on my purchases. I shouldn't have to make sure they do that
Absolutely humiliating experience

Very interesting place. There is tons of variety of products. I used to go for the hot buffet for lunch when I worked in the mall which was nice. I now live on the other end of the city and still make the trip every couple months to stock up on bones for my bone broth. They have a very reasonably priced sushi bar with much more variety than your average grocery store bento box place. They have a fish market on site which is where I often purchase blue crabs or dungunes crab when it is on sale. They have a fresh juice bar, a west coast hot buffet, an east coast hot buffet, a salad bar, a pizza and sandwich shop and so much more. They first time I went I spent 3 hours just looking around. Its definitely worth checking out.

The guys behind the butchers counters are nobs. Hard to get help from staff when needed. Cashiers are slow. Good food but expensive. Kind of smells bad too!

Fresh and various choices of asian and western food with dedicated prices and clean environment! The Cantonese style BBQ section, sushi section and dairy section are my most favorites! Sometimes there are season limited special food or snacks from Asia. Sometimes the stuffs are not professional, not being helpful when you are wondering or bad attitude especially for the cashiers, but some of them still very nice and working hard even though hey barely smile (￣ー￣). Still one of my favorite place to shop especially when there is Chinese festival! I will always be back for the clean shopping environment and responsible stuffs!

I do most of my grocery shopping here. There is everything here from fresh produce, to meats, to ready to eat meals. There are produce and products from all around the world, with an abundance from Asia.probably the most authentic it gets when it comes to oriental cuisine and cooking ingredients. Also in the heart of downtown. If you spend over $35 you can park for free up to one hour in their underground parking. Take your receipt and ticket stub to the security desk outside nations exit after you shop. Weekdays during lunch time, the parking lot is often full. So go early morning or late afternoon and evening. The next closest and comparable place would be T&T supermarket in Mississauga.

Huge selection always busy has improved in customer service great to run in and shop on the way home inbetween buses. Takeout selection is good wide variety.

Nations has tons of good food whether it's sandwiches, fish and chips, or Japanese curry and BBQ pork rice! Food is very economical and tasty! Groceries are also great here! There are lots of options and have a variety of ethnic foods that you cannot find anywhere else in the city. 10/10 would recommend for food and groceries. There's really bad signal inside the supermarket though.

Very over priced and the quality of food does not reflect. Plus if you are charging those prices, I expect an immaculate store which it is not. Brands itself as an international grocery store but lacks many essentials. Its more of a chinese supermarket with a bit of western food.

Wow what a supermarket! The highlight of the store is the buffet. So many delicious items, it's like a food lovers dream come true. The meats and prepared food is to die for. Has its seperate dining area where you can buy prepared food and eat it there as well.

The lines are fast (every time I've been) and there is a wide variety of foods. Also had their soup (ate there at the mini restaurant section) and it was good. My family enjoys the Korean Seawood you can get there as well as some other specialty items

Nice selections of quality produce that is hard to find elsewhere. I just wish everything wasn’t wrapped in excessive packaging. Lots of vegetables that are sold loose elsewhere are in styrofoam and then wrapped in plastic. It’s more than a little ridiculous and unnecessary.

I've been at McMaster for 5 years and nation's has never let me down when it comes to food quality and price. They have Japanese curry, Chinese dim sum, Korean noodles, and many more Asian options when it comes to food.

Like a really big Asian grocery store. Has a lot of variety and fresh vegetables and fruits. I was sad the bakery was closed and so I didn't get a chance to try the goods. But the siopao I bought was really good!

Grocery section is good. I don’t recommend the Pho restaurant. I ordered spicy beef noodle soup. It doesn’t taste good. There is no beef but all pork with a whole lot of fat and fat.

Great place if you want weird Chinese candy or E Coli.

This place is gross. Moldy bread on shelves. Meat coolers are WARM. Crowded with customers amd way understaffed.