Galloway’s Fine Food Specialties

Always happy with the service at this store! Huge selections of herbs, spices and any type of flour all for very good prices

There were many Galloways, now there is only one. Why is that? Let’s see. For starters most of their in-​house products don’t have an expiration date or a country of origin. It’s like they buy the product in bulk from who knows who and then in the back sort the product into bags for resale. Quality, contamination, and freshness is all suspect. Considering how much they charge (a lot) they should offer an unconditional no question asked money back guarantee. Unfortunately, they do not. They give you a hard time if you return something despite it not being fresh.
As far as this location goes, it’s really bizarre. Just look at their hours of operation: 5:15,3:45, 8:45. Talk about bizarre business hours.
Regardless of their price, we learned the hard way not to shop here. You truly have no idea what you’re getting. If you like to take chances with your health, shop here.

I bought a 5-​lb bag of sorghum flour (Galloway’s label). When I got home and opened it, I noticed a very distinct smell that can only be described as the minty odour of mouthwash or antiseptic, a kind of medicinal odour. With the help of Google I discovered this type of odour in flour is always a bad sign and is caused by either 1) fungi or micro-​organisms in rancid flour, or 2) crushed flour mites. Either way, completely gross. I called the store to let them know and they suggested I come by when the owner would be there. It was a pain having to drive there again (one-​hour round trip). But the worst of it is the owner did not seem to care in the least. When I told him the flour was rancid, instead of acknowledging me as a customer and addressing the issue, his response was to take the bag without a word and hand it to an employee behind the counter, telling her to «return her $ 6 when you have a minute» and then walk off. No hello or goodbye, no apology, explanation, or interest in even smelling the stuff for himself. I asked the lady at the counter, «why didn’t he even take a whiff of the flour?» She said, «Well, you said it was rancid…» She finally opened the bag herself and agreed the smell was off. She offered the opinion that the flour was probably sitting in the warehouse and exposed to moisture for too long. Surely whoever packed it into plastic bags would have noticed it was spoiled. I had starting making trips out to this store after the one in Richmond closed, but today Galloway’s lost me as a customer.

Good prices, great selection of spices and dried fruit. Best place to stock your spice cupboard or find exotic ingredients,

Galloway’s is a hidden gem in New West. They have a ton of bulk spices, organic grains, specialty and European items, and great service. Sadly I keep forgetting it’s here and keep buying over priced pre-​packaged items from Save On across the street. Worth checking out!

When I was growing up in New West this was a the place where we would buy all our spices. It has a characteristic smell that evokes a strong sense of nostalgia for me, and though times have changed, in a lot of ways Galloways hasn’t. The selection may be slightly different but overall it’s exactly the same as I remember.
Any time someone mentions to me that they’re having trouble finding something Galloways is the place I recommend, and lots of times people aren’t disappointed when they make the trip. Hard to find baking item or cooking ingredient? Special dietary need? Frustrated by the prices for spices at big-​box stores? Try Galloways. They might have what you’re looking for.
I visit fairly regularly to pick up spices, beans and bulk tea, and find that overall their prices and selection are good compared to other places. Since becoming mostly-​vegetarian this has been an important place for me to stock up on staples.
Though my parents no longer live in New West, my mom still makes an annual pilgrimage in the late summer to buy candied fruit for Christmas baking.

Can’t say enough good things about this store. From the outside it looks so tiny and it’s hard to imagine that it has much selection. Then you go through the doors…
What they lack in aisle space they make up for by stocking EVERYTHING. I’ve never once been looking for a specialty ingredient and not found it there. I suppose the one ‘down side’ is I’ll often go looking for 2 or 3 things and end up walking out with 4 bags full and a lighter wallet.
Almost everything they sell is all-​natural, and at very reasonable prices; in fact almost cheaper than anywhere else. Whether you need spices, tea, nuts, interesting new snacks, desserts, grains. ah I could go on for a long time. Point is, you’ll find it there!

The staff is very informative. I buy my vitamins here and other food items. They have a great selection.

This is THE place to get the raw goods. Dried grains of every variety and bulk spices sold bulk style ensuring freshness. I just wish they carried grits… Why are grits so tough to find up north? Galloway’s is one of a select few reasons I venture to uptown New West. 2 thumbs up !

Galloway’s, oh Galloway’s. The second I walked in the door I knew you were special. I knew it so much so that I had to call a friend and share with her my find and get from her a ‘wish list’ as she has some special dietary needs. Just briefly glancing at the shelves made me think that this would be the ideal place for her to shop for her hard to find items.
Aisle after aisle of product. Bin after bin of bulk items. If they don’t have what you are looking for there may be a chance that you imagined it and that it doesn’t actually exist at all.
Such a variety of spice, flours, preserves, tinned goods, sugars, dried goods, nuts, baking supplies, grains. And variety within the items. I think I saw at least 20 different types of flours.
All manner of products that would suit everyone, even those with dietary restrictions. Friendly and helpful staff. Ask them for anything you don’t see!
Only problem is I bought 3 pounds of dates to make some baked goods and within a week they disappeared off of my counter. Presto Gismo Gone! A return visit is definitely required, and soon, and next time I will have to keep them under lock and key or use them right away before they get gobbled up.

This is as good as it gets. They have organic everything. They had barley flakes when I went to five other stores and couldn’t find them. And the prices are very reasonable. There is also a baker and butcher next door. One stop shopping.

If you ever need a spice, dried fruit and nuts, this would be the place to go. I also am in LOVE with their tea selection. The prices are great and reasonable for the little specialty items that you won’t be able to find in a Safeway. I did a price check and you are even going to find that although Galloways is a specialty shop, the prices will be lower 90% of the time.
If you are an Indian food fanatic, this would be the place to check out for all the indregients you are looking for.

Galloway’s Specialty Foods is another humble gem in New West. It is not shiny and flashy like the other high-​end specialty food stores. In fact, it is quite small and crammed. However, no matter what time you go, you are guaranteed to find the narrow aisles packed with customers, and you’ve to squeeze pass a few people who are waiting to pay at the counter. Why? Because Galloway’s Specialty Foods it the way to go!
Its products are by no means comprehensive; however, it is sufficient to supply your everyday «specialty food» needs such as various kinds of beans, grains, cereal, tea, coffee… a wall full of herbs in little plastic packages arranged in alphabetical order. All sorts of jam and sauces on the shelves. Different kinds of sweets and bonbon in the glass counter. Oh, they sell health food (like bottles of vitamins and herbal supplements) too.
I go there for tea. They usually have a good variety of tea (in individual bags; not loose leaf) at very reasonable price. E.g. a box of 20 rooibos tea imported from Africa costs less than 5 bucks.
I also go there for herbs. I once compared the prices at Safeway (which is across the street). The bottled stuff is so much more expensive than those sold at Galloway’s. (Sorry, I forgot what I bought that time. But yeah, the decision was made then that I would buy herbs from Galloway’s and not Safeway.)
If you’re in the neighborhood, go in Galloway’s and browse. You might end up buying a thing or two.

Galloways in New Westminster is about as good as it gets. There is practically every spice in the whole world-​even Saffron and Vanilla Beans, which the big box retailers don’t carry, at reasonable prices. The service is exemplary, the staff are polite and knowlegable. It is easy to find what you are looking for, and the staff goes out of the way to help you.

Galloway’s stocks a wide selection of spices, grains, coffee, and other items not found in normal grocery stores, such as black mustard seeds and nigella. Their spices are so aromatic that you actually smell them in the air when you walk into this long, narrow shop. For some people, it’s overwhelming; I find the scent exciting. It’s a food shop that smells like food — imagine that.
I find it an excellent source of ingredients for Indian cooking. The packages of spices are sensibly small, and much, much cheaper in price than what you’d pay for comparable amounts at a grocery store.