Phoenicia

  1. Oh dear. Avoid at all costs.
  2. Below expectations.
  3. OK. Met expectations.
  4. I really enjoyed this.
  5. Amazing. Would unreservedly recommend.
  6. rating

186-188 Kentish Town Road, London, NW5 2AE

Delicatessen and cafe in Kentish Town selling a great selection of just about any Mediterranean ingredient you could think of.

Reviews for Phoenicia

Huge selection at excellent value. The baclava is my favourite.

Can't believe I haven't reviewed phoenicia yet. Shame on me.

I'm very happy to say that KT's finest cafe/deli/mini-mart is right on our doorstep and thus takes numerous pounds of my custom. It's simply the RIGHT way to shop. Fresh meats, fruit and veg (shame they stopped the fish though). Loads of interesting and unusual items to purchase, as well as a good supply of standard items. Olives, nuts, sweet treats and more.

The USP however, has to be the unbelievably good value wraps. £2 for a tasty, healthy, filling meal? It's true! Take note McD's. This is real food. They also do some great fresh juices for under two quid. Recommend lebanese wrap with spicy potato, humous and tabouleh, washed down with and orange and carrot juice. That'll set you back £4.

It's just the best. Say no more.

Most of the joints around this area are low-grade to say the least and the produce they sell is pretty sloppy. Not the Phoenicia. They have a wide variety of tasty satisfying gear. This is one of the best shops in the area, part deli, part supermarket, with a meat section and cafe with laid-back, fun staff. I can recommend the spinach bread they sell by the till. The freshly made Tabouleh is spicy & zangy, the artichokes from the deli counter are also mighty fine. Overall - excellent - better/fresher than Waitrose or Sainsburys deli counter.

I never knew cooking could be so much fun until I started shopping at Phoenicia. Everytime I go there I feel truly inspired to try something new. They have a great selection of just about any Mediterranean ingredient you could think of. Fresh fruit, veg and herbs, cheeses, pulses, olives, nuts, meat. It really is a delight for me to shop there and transforms the sometimes tedious feeling of cooking after a long day at work into an exciting taste bud adventure. I am especially fond of the quality of fresh halal meat there. Unlike most dodgey looking, bloody and unhygienic places in the area, this store keeps everything covered and well presented and protected (I'm a Food Hygiene expert! Take my word for it). The man behind the counter is always very helpful when I visit, making suggestions or recommending some ready marinated meats which they sometimes have on offer.

They almost have everything I am looking for and I agree with Sokratis that it is much more pleasant and interesting to go there rather than any of the other supermarkets in the area. The shop assistants remember you and are helpful and interested in your food choices.

The store was recently renovated and enlarged. A welcomed move in my view! They have a few fair trade and organic products which is always good.

When I am cooking I buy the teboula ready made from their delicatessen which is pretty good, I sometimes have the home made stuffed vine leaves too. I like their olive selection and their fresh herbs. But I go time and time again for the clean meat - hard to find these days. Try some of their large lamb chops grilled in the oven with cubed potatoes and chopped onions with lots and lots of lemon, some garlic, a little salt, pepper and alspice, served over a bed of basmati rice with toasted vermilli.

Definately my favourite place to shop in London. I'd come down from Surrey to shop here again. It's more than just isle browsing with a trolley down your local supermarket. It's an educational food experience and a friendly place to shop.

Whenever I go out to mini-supermarkets I like to be inspired by the products they stock, check that they are reasonably priced, and served by friendly and ideally knowledgeable staff.

Phoenicia is exactly that in so many ways. First of all it's not your typical grocery store. It has a grocery store section, a butcher section, and a cafe section. The grocery store is full of great products mainly of Mediterranean origin. You have organic products, dried nuts, a huge selection of olive oil, and all of that at extremely reasonable prices. For example the Basmati rice is cheaper than the same one at Sainsbury!

The butcher section stores quality meat and some of my favourite North African sausages (Merguez) are also stored there.

The cafe section has a small section where you can sit down and have mint tea, coffee, and some baklava. The baklava they have is quite nice, it's fresh and not too sweet. On the other side of the cafe you can order some sandwiches to either eat in or take away. Now the sandwiches are simply great. You can have a panini, Lebanese wrap, or a thick tasty Moroccan wrap. For £2.00 you can have the Lebanese wrap with pretty much anything you want from a wide selection of choise: roasted chicken, chick peas, taboule, merguez, houmous..etc..etc.

To top it all the staff is very friendly. Overal a well deserved 5 star, I just hope they would stock more Palestinian Oil which would make it the cherry on the cake for me ;-)

I love Phoenicia. Best way to describe it is an eastern Mediterranean delikatessen, mini market shop with products mainly from Greece, Turkey and Lebanon. It is so much better shopping there for groceries than the Tesco opposite. Not only you can do your shopping, but they have the best value roach chicken and wraps you can find.
The also have a in-store butchers and lately fishmongers. You know that the whole chicken you're getting is fresh and grown in a normal environment (you can tell both by the flavour and the size) - at £3 it's a bargain. Don't fancy a whole chicken? then have a lebanese or moroccan wrap, with humous and/or a selection of salads, like chickpeas and aubergine, for £2. I really can't understand why people would go across the street to somerfield or tesco to buy some crap in a plastic box and some more crap in a plastic bag (crisps) to have for lunch. It makes no sense.
You also get some very nice fresh produce and a selection of olive oil, pickles, cured meats etc.
Can't recommend this enough.

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