Kalamata — Local services in Calgary

Where can I start with little golden secret for authentic European foods? Well, Kalamata Grocery is a tiny corner store with a HUGE selection! They offer spices that are ground, whole, natural, organic and any are from Greece. If you like olives then look no further as Kalamata Grocery have more then you can possibly name including small to jumbo jars or olives by the gram. Follow this up with amazing dried meats, sausages, cheeses and other charcuterie and you have an amazing antipasto spread. They also feature handmade Ethiopian ‘pancake’ flatbread, pitas and tortillas. There are other breads that I have not seen before so check these out too. Kalamata Grocery also offers a small variety of chilled food, fruits and veggies. For vegans, there is a large variety of European pastas, beans, canned and jarred foods that are often labelled organic, no preservatives and non-gmo. If you like fish, then check out there freezer selection and ask about fresh-something I forgot to do. For FETA FANS, you can get a literal bucketful of Greek Feta here! If you have a sweet tooth them check out Kalamata Grocery Turkish Delight, Greek & German Chocolates as well as many other countries treats. The owner told me that if I didn’t like anything I bought to bring it back. THAT IS A+ CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! He even gave me some chocolate to sample. Kalamata Grocery is certainly my new go to 1-stop shop for all thing authentically European!!! UPDATE: They also have fresh nuts, dried fruit and a humungous baking/pastry section. I guess they have about 2x the variety of large specialty European grocery stores at 1/2 ‘HALF’ the price!!!

My last review was 2 years ago and time for an update. Things have gotten better at Kalamata during COVID. Their continued service to the community is stellar. You have GOT to try their fresh FETA come in weekly from Greece!!! Still 5 stars. Thanks Gus...

The lady there was rude and she was ignoring customers while scanning the items with the bar code. Seemed she hated her job. BTW Giving orders loudly to other employees in the store In front of your customers doesn’t make customers respect you. The store lanes are very narrow so that only one person fits in. I saw some customers were not applying social distancing. It smells like deli and dairy products when you enter it. Some stains on the floor and thrown away products by the sides in the lanes. It’s very confusing were to stand at the fridges area where people line up for requesting olives and cheese and you have to excuse them to open the fridge’s door. The store only accepts either cash or debit cards and there are no ATM machines within the area, Although she mentioned there was one at the back without explanation or even giving directions. Yes the store have variety of products but no roomy, Ricotta or Areesh or double cream cheese. I totally wasted my time and effort to shop there and finally got disappointed without getting my items at the end. There was another grocery store that was 2 mins walking from Kalamata and had the same items I wanted without any complications with payment and the staff was very friendly and offered me some Egyptian...

Awesome...like a hidden diamond in the rough, unexpected visit was the best part of the evening as it has a great deli counter but more importantly it has a vast array of candy and sweets you would not find anywhere else with a variety coming from all corners of the globe...and that's just the candy. The small but very busy store is comfortable, friendly and welcoming where the owners (I'm guessing it was the owner) was very helpful. I did feel a bit uncomfortable with the feeling I was being watched more closely than others as I made my way up and down all the aisles, taking in and thinking of all the upcoming recipes I can explore because of the large selection of imported goods - from Italy's pasta sauces to Turkish cake mixes and fresh Italian Cheeses with amazing prices not found anywhere else. As for the uncomfortable watchful feeling, like I said, a diamond in the rough located just off 17th Avenue SW with a lot of outside foot traffic, some of which would require a watchful eye if they came in any store.

Overall, I welcomed the fact it was an accidental stop and have been back three times since just to try different snacks from other counties, I highly recommend visiting this gem of a local community market. 👍👍 I'd even add a 👍 if I...