East Ivanhoe Foodworks — Local services in Melbourne

I LOVE East Ivanhoe Grocers - can't recommend the place more highly.

Debbie and Paul, the owners, work hard alongside their employees, seemingly always there, and it is an approach that appears to have worked well for them - the shop is always busy and given the choice, I would always favour a shop at East Ivanhoe Grocers over the big boys.

The produce on offer is always super fresh and top quality. The range of goods on offer is astonishing given the size of the place. And Debbie and Paul are always willing to try new lines or bring in new products to meet the demands of their customers. Have a favourite stinky cheese they don't stock? Just mention it and Debbie will have it in to try often the next day. Like a local boutique winery that won't stock the big boys? Mention the name to Paul and he'll make sure he can sell it to you before your next dinner party.

My favourite part of the whole store is "Debbie's Deli". It is just to die for. Debbie has worked tirelessly over the years to transform what was a really tired, old and daggy suburban deli that sold cabana and not much else into an impressive upmarket urban and chic delicatessen stocked full of all the deli essentials, together with some true artisan product hard to find anywhere else, along with loads of house-made produce (some of which has been made by Debbie herself!) that will make your mouth water.

Lastly, the staff at East Ivanhoe Grocers are great - you can tell they love working there, always quick with smiles, and they take the time to get to know their customers (who are mostly locals able to meander to the shop from home). A visit to this wonderful shop often ends up feeling like you've enjoyed an outing to a village general store in England!

I can't speak more highly...

I don't live locally but my mother does so I often stop by before seeing her, I now avoid going to this supermarket when I can. The staff here are friendly, often helpful but I have my concerns regarding the treatment of the younger staff by managers/employees in higher positions. While being served at the deli a woman with short red hair (presumably a manager) was awful to a couple of the girls who were trying to assist her while the customers started to increase (it was around 6:30pm). Undoubtedly it can get stressful while trying to manage a delicatessen, but aggressiveness is inappropriate in the workplace and should be taken very seriously. I thought to say something but there were many other people waiting and it would have made matters worse, she handled the costumers well but I could feel the tension and somewhat awkwardness experienced by fellow onlookers. I hope that this doesn't happen often although the few times I have been there, this particular employees abruptness and mania has been extremely apparent. I understand that everyone has their days but this seems to be ongoing and I hope that some strategies are implemented so that people don't behave in this way, particularly at this Foodworks. I am surprised to see that this particular member is still employed here and has not been reported, I can only imagine how she behaves when costumers aren't present. I don't write reviews but I think this is very deserving from what I have witnessed, hopefully this particular scenario wont have to play out again for poor costumers to have to stand there...

Always a good shopping experience here. Nice selection of fresh fruit and veg, cheeses and more upmarket cuts of selected meats. The deli is always offering some nicely prepared cooked meals as well as all the regular items you'd expect. In the liquor department, a wide selection of great wines with some real "manager's choice" bargains amongst them. Also a pretty good variety of craft beers kept in the fridges. Best of all they support a lot of the local community & sports groups as a small percentage of all sales, which is much appreciated. A terrific local community supermarket,...