Sabor Latino St-Laurent

Great restaurant and grocery store. It has a huge selection of hot sauces, chilies, beans, tortillas and other Central and South American staples. If there’s a specific ingredient for a Latin American recipe you can’t find at a regular grocery store you’ll likely find it here. On the restaurant side they have good empanadas, very good pupusas and I love their soups. All very reasonably priced. Nice causal spot for a quick and comforting lunch.

This is not a review on their food because the food is amazing. This is more a review on their hiring practices which, as a Latina myself, kind of surprised me.

I'm a post-secondary graduate, I come from a Hispanic family on both sides, and this place had a sign, looking for dishwashers (Lavaplatos). While I was born and raised in Canada (I speak English and French) -My family insisted I learn the languages of Canada, and so my Spanish isn't very fluent. I only ever spoke it with mi abuelita. (Grandmother)

I applied for a job here as a dishwasher during covid, looking for any work, and after the manager asked me suspicious questions, "Are you Hispanic? Do you speak Spanish? , etc" to which I answered yes to the first, but 'kinda' to the second-immediately she said, "I have someone who filled that position".

No problem.

Two weeks later, the sign is still in the window. I ask an employee in the shop if they are still looking, they reply "Yes! ".

I submitted a resume via Canada post. No response.

A month after, I asked again if they were still looking. Yes they were. I still had no response.

This made me extremely uncomfortable wondering if their hiring practices are catered to "certain" people, and discrimination, especially in this day and age and pandemic should be avoided.

I was ready and willing to work, but-for whatever reasons, they would not hire me.

Hope their hiring methods have changed to allow a more diverse group of people to work there. Not just Latinos who speak Spanish "con fluido".

Great Latino grocer, comptoir service and a quick lunch with indoor seating and air conditioning. We got the Venezuelan tamal and carne asada enchiladas with rudimentary jarrito. There was a lot of quick and ready choices, including by the item buffet selections, pupusas, tamals, arepa, and plantanos.

Waited for 15 minutes just to buy 2 pieces of Flan. (The restaurant was empty).
Reason: A Lady had a problem with her card.
This place has many workers who could have charge me the desserts in another cash but they didn’t.
Bad experience and wast of my time.

Who would argue with efficient, professional, trilingual servers offering plates of wholesome carnitas, plantains, quesadillas, empanadas, y otros cosas?
Sabor Latino is a delight; the market on St Hubert is newer, cleaner, and brighter but both markets offer a Latin flavour.

Many things you'll find there, from different Latin countries, really huge selection of products, cooked food and even a butcherie