B & V Market - Victoria

A hidden gem.

Happy to find an ATM in the neighbourhood.

Excellent selection of papadums and nice owner too.

Had awesome memories with this shop and owner. I was living couple of houses away from the shop during my study time at uvic. The owner was kind hearted.

A friend told me about this Indian grocery. Looks like a convenience store from the outside, but has a very extensive selection of Indian spices, beans, pickles, and packaged products.

I pop in here every time I'm in Victoria. Great corner store. Outstanding selection of East Asian food and spices

I stopped by looking for a Fish Head Curry ingredient that was proving tough to find. Amar was a HUGE help by talking me through what I was looking for. His knowledge and suggestions made the process easy and enjoyable. They have a fantastic selection of Indian spices in various quantities. I like to support local businesses when I can, and will certainly be returning here again in the future!

There are a fair number of ethnic specialty shops in Victoria. Out of them all, B&V Market is by far the least conspicuous, yet the best stocked for all things Indian. You can even get fresh curry leaf, which I don't often find elsewhere. Not a penny wasted on decor, but every product with the price conspicuously labelled. Most spices and pulses are available in smaller packages or "wholesale" sizes with a reasonable price grade. The staff is always friendly and helpful, which is sometimes important, because many products are packaged more prominently in Hindi than English. I got myself into India cuisine in a big way in 2019, because so many people we entertain now have lists of food allergies or dietary/ethical preferences; there's no dietary restriction that isn't easily accommodated in the Indian cuisine, being not especially based in dairy or wheat, and having a huge range of vegetarian/vegan options. The better-informed people I know—mostly Victoria old-timers—all shop at B&V as the occasion demands, yet I myself drove past it a 1000 times before someone finally told me it was the best-stocked Indian grocer in Victoria (you simply can't tell from the outside). There's an Italian deli right across the street, so I often cross two items off my shopping list at the same time. There's always easy parking available in the store's parking area, but it is fairly tight for larger trucks; even my small truck has to plan carefully. Bottom line, this is a great place to patronize if you believe in ethnic diversity at a fair price and your ego does not require those pricey Vitamin G supplements from Whole Foods (G for glamour).