THE GREEN LINE
ORIGINAL STORY
Where to get Indian and Caribbean groceries in Toronto
If you're in search of flavourful and authentic Indian or Caribbean ingredients, look no further. We're reposting stories from "The Checkout" series to walk you through two locally-owned stores in the city: Royal Kerala Foods and Amerex Caribbean Grocers.
Shazim Amir stands in the middle of Amerex Caribbean Grocers.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
Alex Varoutas
Scarborough mans and former chef. Big advocate of pantry diversification. Using wasabi-flavoured peanuts to heal the world.
Aia Jaber
Philosophy lover, Mississauga native and current Toronto Metropolitan University Master of Journalism student. Can be found at one of the new Arabic coffee shops opening in the GTA.
Sept. 10, 2025
"The Checkout" series was first released in 2022 as a social media exclusive on The Green Line's accounts. For our September 2025 Action Journey on meal prep, we're adapting it to share the stories behind two grocery stores that you can visit to shop for ingredients that'll come in handy for Indian or Caribbean recipes.
Ever stepped into an ethnic grocery store and felt transported to another country?
Toronto has hundreds of specialized grocery stores that carry authentic and flavourful offerings that reflect the city’s ethnic diversity.
After all, Toronto is the most diverse city in the world. It’s home to 1.54 million racialized people, which is 55.7 per cent of Torontonians, according to the Statistics Canada census report from 2021.
Across Canada and in our city, immigrants play a major role in the food industry. Sixty per cent of business owners in Ontario's food sector are immigrants. Toronto-based research suggests that ethnic food businesses provide opportunities for immigrants and refugees to connect with their homelands and with each other. What’s more, these businesses allow newcomers to integrate better and give back to their new community. Flavour and food have the ability to connect vastly different cultures, teach tolerance and create shared interest, researcher Nicole Smith argues.
Each dish and ingredient tells a story that reminds people of their upbringing, culture and family — and ethnic markets make finding remnants of home in the form of a delicious dish more accessible.
If you want to dive into Toronto’s rich collection of ethnic cuisines, check out this Map of Ethnic Grocery Stores by the Scarborough Environmental Association. You can explore stores across the city based on the countries of origin.
For a more focused deep dive, join The Green Line on a trip or two to see what Royal Kerala Foods and Amerex Caribbean Grocers have to offer.
Each product is carefully curated and tells a story that's dear to the store owner.
Saji Mangalathu standing in front of Royal Kerala Foods.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
Royal Kerala Foods
Located at 1840 Ellesmere Rd. in Scarborough, the store offers ingredients that are central to many Indian dishes.
Owner Saji Mangalathu, 60, is originally from Muvattupuzha in Kerala, India. In 1996, he opened Royal Kerala Foods to serve Toronto’s large Indo-Canadian community.
Saji Mangalathu standing in the middle of Royal Kerala Foods.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
Mangalathu has a background in food service, which is why he opened his own grocery store. "I like to eat safe, clean food, and I like to share my knowledge with the customers coming to my store," he says. When Mangalathu arrived in Canada, he chose to live in Scarborough because of the growing community of Keralites already living there.
Curious about what's on the shelf? Let's follow him around his store to see all he offers.
COCONUTS
"Kerala" means "land of coconuts" in the state's Malayalam language. Since it's in a coastal area, Kerala cuisine often features coconuts. "Fresh coconut, grated coconut, coconut oil," Mangalathu explains. "Anything in Kerala cooking comes with coconut." That's why he stocks a variety of coconut products, from fresh and frozen to whole and grated.
Saji Mangalathu shows some coconut products available at Royal Kerala Foods.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
SAMBAR
Sambar is a vegetarian curry. Mangalathu carries liquid and powder versions. He also offers a ready-to-go option for people who don't know how to make curry. Sambar curry usually consists of a variety of vegetables and lentils, and is served with rice.
MATTA RICE
Although the most common rice associated with Indian cuisine is basmati rice, in the south — where Kerala is located — brown rice is king. Royal Kerala Foods' house brand matta rice is parboiled to cut back on cooking time without sacrificing the nutrients and fibre in the bran.
Saji Mangalathu shows a bag of matta rice from his shop.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
JACKFRUIT BIRYANI
Mangalathu shared this "unique, hidden item" in his freezer because "jackfruit became a hot item" recently. For vegetarians, jackfruit biryani is a filling alternative to meat-based curries, he adds.
Saji Mangalathu shows a box of jackfruit biryani.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
COWPEAS
INSTANT GINGER COFFEE
In the winter season, a common drink in Kerala is chukku kaapi, which is dried ginger brewed with coffee powder. The drink is locally touted as a cold remedy, according to Mangalathu. Common additions include holy basil, black pepper and jaggery.
Saji Mangalathu shows a jar of dry ginger coffee.
: The Green Line.
Grocery store owner Shazim Amir stands in front of Amerex Caribbean Grocers.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
AMEREX CARIBBEAN GROCERS
Located at 707 Kennedy Rd. in Scarborough, the store offers ingredients beloved by Caribbean communities.
Owner Shazim Amir, 50, is originally from South C in Nairobi, Kenya.
He founded his original grocery business in a flea market under the name Caribbean Islands Fruit Corner in 2001. It was located in Merchant’s Flea Market at Warden Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East. Amir says customers return because they can rely on him to provide a warm, personalized and curated shopping experience.
In 2020, Amir moved to his new location at Kennedy Road and Eglinton Avenue. He started his business to promote healthy eating because “food is medicine.” That's why Amir still has customers "from back in the flea-market days" who ask him over WhatsApp about the produce he gets in store each week. Amir's personal touches, like cutting off only as much yam as a customer needs, means he provides a uniquely old-school shopping experience.
From staple ingredients to delicious drinks, let's see what Shazim Amir has in his grocery store.
CHENET
Chenet is almost like lychee, but smaller and a little more tart. Since he has customers who are originally from all over the Caribbean, Amir needs to know all the different names an individual piece of produce can have. He says this fruit can be called: chenet (Trinidad), guinep (Jamaica), skin-up (Grenada), ackee (Barbados) and kenep (Haiti), just to name a few.
Shazim Amir holds up a stem of chenet.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
"EASY-COOK" OXTAIL
Amir explains that “easy-cook” refers to oxtail that comes from a younger animal, which means it cooks faster and stays tender. He says many grocery stores don’t always specify the kind of oxtail they're selling, instead opting to sell cuts from older animals at the same price.
Shazim Amir shows a scoop of "easy-cook" oxtail.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
BREADFRUIT
SOLO SOFT DRINKS
The story of this iconic drink from Trinidad and Tobago has an unlikely tie to Canada. The founder, struggling to find affordable bottles for his growing soda business, discovered a Montreal drink company that was closing down and was selling their bottles for cheap. The catch? They all had the word "solo" and a little pilot printed on them already.
Shelves of various drinks and flavours, including Solo soft drinks, are available at Amerex Caribbean Grocers.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
BIG FOOT
Big Foot is similar to Cheetos, but with a different, spicier seasoning. Another classic snack food from Trinidad and Tobago, Amir says many of his customers grew up eating Big Foot, and become really nostalgic when they see the bags in his store.
Big Foot is one of many snacks available at the store.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
MANGOES
JAMAICAN GINGER
Amir says his customers would never forgive him if he didn’t shout out Jamaican ginger. Ginger is a staple ingredient throughout the Caribbean. The tight little nubs of the Jamaican variety are spicier and more nuanced than the bigger, cheaper kind that Amir says can taste watery and muted.
A hand scoops a few ginger plants for the camera.
: Alex Varoutas/The Green Line.
Fact-Check Yourself
Sources and
further reading
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check our sources for yourself.
Bielefeld University Research
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