City Bandit’s Back to School Survival Guide

By MANDY POON

Planning a dinner-for-one  (or for a couple of girlfriends) and don’t know where to pick up the goods? Try these cheapie grocery destinations around downtown Montreal.

Marché Lobo
Tucked away in the McGill ghetto, this little marché is infamous among students for having great quality fruits and veggies at incredibly low costs. They also have a huge array of organic and international products. Only tip – Lobo’s a tiny place where you have to squeeze to get by, so we’d leave that clunky backpack or purse at home.
Where: 3509 avenue du Parc

Segal’s Market
Segal’s an ideal place to pick up groceries, especially for Plateau-dwellers.  Not only do they have cheap produce, but they also have highly discounted organic, international, and vegetarian items. And since it’s a big place, you can also find some of your other necessities (cereal, toilet paper, bread) here for cheap.
Where: 4001 boulevard St-Laurent

Super C
You need it cheap, you need it big, and you need it in bulk?  Super C is your one stop on the island of Montreal. While the food at Super C may not be ultra-pretty or of the highest quality (that’s reserved for its Atwater Market neighbour), it is the perfect place to go to get that huge bag of flour for your baking needs, or those ginormous bags of chips for a party.
Where: 147 avenue Atwater

Chinatown
You’ll find what you need in Chinatown and more. There’s tons of cheap produce, and hopefully the produce that you don’t recognize will inspire you. Maybe you’ll end up nixing the oranges and trying the dragonfruit instead. You’ll also find a lot of great ingredients that can be used regularly (soy sauce, rice vinegar) for much less than at the supermarket. And if you’re looking for snacks or breakfast for the next day, the buns at the Chinese bakeries are deliciously sinful at only 80 cents a pop.

And if you need to furnish a new kitchen, or just replace burnt pots and pans thanks to your old roommate, check out Maison Warshaw for cheapie house and kitchenware.

Go ahead, cook up a storm – you can afford it!

Photo Credit: Mandy Poon

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