ATTENTION: Greek House Market on the Danforth will close for good in a month (around May 1st 2012). The lease is up, the family is not renewing and a new owner will not buy the business. Another gelato shop will open in its place. To my Greek friends in and around Toronto: support Greek businesses whenever you can and buy Greek. Greek olive oil, Greek cheeses, Greek herbs and spices. Our cuisine is part of our culture and we should do our best to preserve it.
In the comments section of each post, through an email or in person, I often get asked where I go shopping. Of particular interest is where I buy my Greek ingredients.
Once again, in an effort to showcase more of Toronto and it’s food scene, today we’re hitting Toronto’s Greektown, locally known as “The Danforth”. It gets it’s name as most of the Greek shops on this avenue lie between Chester and Pape subway stations. There are Greeks and businesses throughout Toronto but The Danforth is equated with Greektown.
One shop that serves the community is Greek House Food Market. There’s no stretch of the imagination needed to guess what this store offers you but allow me to tell you that Greek House has been in business for almost 30 years and currently the Doudoumis family owns and operates this one-stop shop for all your Greek food needs.
Greek House is located 565 Danforth Avenue, just west of Pape on the south side of the street. Let’s not waste any time…come with me and I’ll give you a brief tour of the shop.
One will surely be able to purchase some Greek olives.
Did you think there would be just one type of olive?
From olives, come olive oil…extra-virgin – all Greek! 
A variety of Greek pasta goods line Greek House’s shelves. 
An array of barley rusks are on display…try these with ripe, grated tomato & Feta cheese. 
A store like this has a high turnover of phyllo dough…that means fresh phyllo! 
We’re in the midst of Lent, lots of Tahini is sold around this time of year.
Grape vine leaves are used to make Dolmades.
Did I mention Greek House sells olives? 
I also love briny caper berries in salads and with fish and seafood. 
Fish roe to make Taramasalata is another ingredient that flies out the door during Lent. 
What would a Greek House be without Greek cheese? Here’s some Dodoni Feta. 
Some more Greek Feta. 
Dodoni produces many types of cheeses, their dry Mizithra gets grated on top of pasta. 
Kasseri cheese, a slightly tangy but not too salty of a sheep’s milk cheese. 
Kefalograviera goes up a notch on the saltyness scale of cheese…good for a cheese saganaki. 
Kefalotyri is a salty cheese, often compared to Pecoribo Romano but better…all things are better when they are Greek. 
I only use Greek sea salt in my cooking. 
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at https://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
Why not put the name of a good travel agent at the bottom of the post!!! I need to travel…to Greece of course!!!
I do really wish we had a greek store like this where i live, but then we are not lucky as you.
Geia sou Peter, like the happy cook i also wish that i had a shop like this where i live, and this is Sydney Oz , we do have delis but they dont import the variety that you get over there and the volume as well,It looks like Canadians eat better the Australians.
I wish we had such supermarkets here! Great!
Cheers,
Rosa
I also only use greek salt in my cooking! It’s the best! I love this post! Here in Philly, I cannot find a good Greek market anywhere! It drives me nuts!
P.
I am loving the kadotas in your header today on your blog……also that big container of feta is calling my name!
Love the shot of old Toronto
i noticed you can get only the best cretan rusks from hania – ‘to manna’ rusks are also our favorite!
This Greek market looks wonderful – I wish we had one like that around here.
We often visit Greek House to fill our pantry of greek stuff. Danforth is welcoming,we make a day of it.We also order Greek stuff from the Greek Olive Warehouse.Lovely read Peter.
I am making a list of all of the places we are going to go when I come up there again! This is on the top!
Nice! But one thing I didn’t see was olives. Are you sure they have Greek olives there? LOL
What a great market. These kinds of stores are the best. I’m so happy I finally found a similar one much closer to my home!
I could almost smell the scent of all those delicious foods~ Thanks for taking me on a tour!
I would be in heaven in a store like that!! We dont have anything like that anywhere near! :(
I love when you do those visits Peter. I wish we had a Greek grocery store around here.
Any ethnic market is a dangerous stop for us because all we want to do is buy, buy, buy. You walk in wanting 1 or 2 items, and you leave with 3 bags. But that’s fun too!
Great shop, thanks for bringing me along. I just discovered a new International Market close to my house- no Greek items unfortunately, but still very fun all the same. I love discovering new to me things. Love all that cheese in there, what fun.
You know what I am craving for? Those “xeropsimena koulourakia” behind the shop manager!
Oh my! You are so lucky to have all the Greek cooking ingredients accessible in your area. I have no luck in Switzerland!
I feel very lucky living in Greece. Sometimes we take some things as for granted…Excellent post Peter! Thank you.
So Peter, Greek people in Toronto can find everything!!
Lucky them:))
Nice. I’ve got a bit of jealousy writhing around in here now, Peter. But, I’m going to suppress it. Just for you :)
Looks like an amazing place to shop, I wish I could get fresh phyllo!
I’m hugely jealous.
Peter, your market is an embarrassment of riches. I rarely envy, but I envy you having all this in one spot.
You are lucky you can find everything in that supermarket. What impressed me is taramas in those little jars. I’ve never seen them in jars in Greece but always “hyma” sold by weight.
Now that’s what I call a market! Wow, the variety is terrific. I would need to spend a couple hours there just looking at all the inventory! Those olives alone are a terrific find! YUM!
What a beautiful photographic tour f this wonderful market Peter….thanks for sharing!
This market is fantastic! I could spend days and days in a place like this!
Great photos! The clarity is piercing. You know my daughter (who is not yet 5) can almost eat a WHOLE jar of Kalamata olives! I love ’em too.
I love these posts your doing Peter, where you show us around! I would spend all day in that shop!
Great ! You don’t miss anything !
Im so hungry now eading this.
that’s like Greek heaven right there! I can’t believe how much I’ve missed lately, but I’m back now :)
ps. I might be visiting Toronto this summer!
hi from chios greece
for your information
mastic liquor is not only “skinos” which is about 2 years old there are many kinds of mastic liquers that are best selling and have a history of over 75 years.
mr minakis must tell us how much money he got for promoting “skinos”
misleading or not telling the truth is a fraud
see to it
steve stavrou
free lance journalist
if anyone is interested I can tell them who has the best mastic liquor with no perservatives, chemicals etc.,
P.S. I get no money from any distillery company in chios but telling the truth us a must nowadys.
Mr. Stavrou, thank you for your note.
I have never received any samples of Skinos liqueur, I am aware that there are other brands but I chose to feature this brand of liqueur. Currently here in Ontario, only this brand (Skinos) is available in Ontario and I chose to talk about this product based solely on my experiences.
If I was to taste/experience an other brand, I would certainly also offer my review and opinion on the liqueur/product.
In the past, I have received products, samples of books, ingredients, food items for review and as such, I mention such gifts in any article I write (positive or negative).
Regarding Skinos, I have offered my opinion and I stand by it. I went to a LCBO liquor store here in Ontario, paid $37.80 for a bottle of Skinos to enjoy and share my experiences with my readers.
YOU, Mr. Stavrou are far from being any type of journalist, making a baseless accusation of calling someone a fraud or not telling the truth, without offering any proof.
As a journalist, you should check your sources, check your spelling and in your particular case, go back to reading your Asterix comics under the shade of a Mastic tree.
I like the photos. This market is fantastic!
Thank you so much for this post. I have just moved to Canada and I miss so much trahana soup in the winter..
So sad they’re gone. Was a regular stop for our family.
Yiassou! Can anyone please provide the name of a store/stores in Toronto that sell Greek Mountain tea? Efharisto poli! :)
Tragic that this is closed! I don’t make it back to Toronto very often, but whenever I do, I would always go and get some of the best feta & olives I’ve ever had to take home with me. So sad.
Does anyone know of a different place selling the Greek feta?
Mark, on the Danforth and nearby you can buy Greek Feta at IGA, Mr. Greek Meats, Serrano Bakery on Pape.
I love Greek food..is so tasty. My favorites are: Greek salad, greek yoghurt, tzatziki, moussaka and baklava (is the best desert in the world).
Could anyone advise where I can buy Skinos Mastiha Liquer on the danforth?
Tonia, have you tried the Danforth/Broadview store or call the distributor, Kolonaki Group.