Lina’s Italian Market

Best place to pick up pizza dough and focaccia. Some of the products are a little pricey, but they’re all top notch ingredients.

I summarize my review in a few words: Best Sicilian canoli and capuccino in town. The biscotti are excellent and always fresh (I highly recommend the paradise biscotti)
There are also great specialty products from Italy, which makes this place a true taste of Italy in Calgary. Worth the trip up Centre street!

The cappuccino and gelato are to die for! The take home pastas are yummy. Otherwise they have a nice selection of eat in food and a good Italian market that is pleasant to shop in. I have been a fan for many years.

I’ve always loved this market. They have a huge selection of specialty food items like oils and vinegars. They also have a great bistro style restaurant. This is the only place in Calgary I know that sells squid ink for making pasta al nero di seppia.

Great selection of everything from cheese, pasta, deli meats and pastries. I will definitely be back!

Lina’s is everything I’ve ever learned about about Italian Food crammed (very neatly, might I add) into one enjoyable market trip.
For crafting your own culinary creations, Lina’s has anything and everything Italian. From rows of imported olive oils and sun-​dried tomatoes, to a fantastic Italian Deli section filled with cheese and meat all the way to fresh produce selection with varieties of Italian tomatoes, onions and herbs — everything you could possibly need to take your Italian meal from start to finish. They’ve even got you covered if you are missing some of the cookware to get you there. There’s a homeware and cooking gadget section that beats out any of the big-​box grocers going.
If you want to skip all that prep-​work and proceed to the «stuff-​your-​face» part of the meal, Lina’s has plenty of piping-​hot, home-​made meals, complete with fresh Italian espresso to cap (–achino) it off.
Gift baskets galore! And you know what? Packed full of all kind of incredible imports — I think people would actually want these gift baskets!

I stopped by Lina’s for a quick lunch at noon on a Friday. The line to order food was long, but moved quickly as all of the ladies behind the counter know exactly what they’re doing. I ordered a mushroom pizza, which was pretty good.
I want to highlight that the four guys ahead of me ordered Italian sausages, potato wedges and mixed bell peppers — and it looked delicious! There were also paninis, Italian subs, soup, salads and desserts, so, really something for everyone.
And this isn’t just a place to order food to eat in or take out, it’s also an amazing Italian store with a deli — lots of cheese and meats, a huge olive bar (behind glass, as an olive bars should be), dry goods, dairy, chocolate, bakery… and also a selection of kitchen supplies and bakeware.
I purchased a long baking pan for making mini Madeleines. I have a regular pan, but had never come across a mini one. I also took home a fresh focaccia with feta and olives — yum!

I had a great time during my first visit to Lina’s — I felt like I was back in Italy! They sell authentic Italian ingredients — both perishable and non-​perishable. I was able to find a small package of Double Zero flour. My boyfriend and I had a great time practicing the homemade ravioli recipe we learned at cooking school in Florence!

Lina’s is a Calgary institution offering authentic Italian housewares & foods and also includes a restaurant serving excellent Italian dishes prepared on the premises. The staff are wonderful especially the ladies working in the restaurant. They are truly special. Lina’s is now under new ownership & hopefully the new owners will keep the Market as it is including the staff

I have a couple of friends who live nearby so when I drop by their place, I like to also check out Lina’s Market. They have a lot of healthy-​looking stuff, exotic Italian packaging and a nice gelato stand in-​store :)
Also they offer some neat free gifts with purchase — the nylon bag she gave me, made a great beach bag for our trip to Punta Cana: D

This place is a combo Italian Market and cafeteria style restaurant. I buy my eggs here — $ 6.50 approx (can’t remember to the exact cent but close enough) for a flat of farm eggs that are very good. It is a bit pricey for some other items but the quality is very good. The restaurant portion has a desserts section as well as a main course section including pita pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, and assorted menu items that seem to rotate, ie pork ribs, sausages, veggies dishes, soups, salads etc. Everything I have eaten there has been delicious! Well made and flavorful. Service isn’t always the greatest, sometimes they are a bit short with you or ignore you, but it’s a very busy place and overall they’re usually pretty nice.
Their desserts are to die for, especially their cheesecakes and these little chocolate truffle brownie bite things.
You can also buy pre made sauces ie beschamel, rose, tomato, etc. in a cold case by the deli meats so it makes it look like you cooked a home made meal ;)
I go here about 2−4x/month, as it is a fool-​proof, always solid place to get food.

Reminds me of visits to my Nana’s. I usually head over to Lina’s for some fillicette and other Italian meats and cheese. But the best part of my visit? The cafeteria afterwards. The sauce in the cannelloni is the closest ANYONE has come to making a sauce similar to my Nana’s.
Authentic Italian all around. Right down to the staff serving behind the counters. Laughing and talking in Italian as they cook. I feel right at home :)

Went here for the first time last week with Terry L. for what I was told was the best tiramisu in the city.
With a promise like that, said tiramisu had a lot to live up to — but it rose to the challenge!
Fluffy, creamy, chocolatey, and delicious. Best of all, there wasn’t an overpowering taste of either alcohol or coffee, which made my tastebuds extremely happy. Seriously, it was so good I completely forgot I’d promised to give some to Chuck B. until after the last bite.
We were only here to ‘grab, pay, go’, but I saw some bread I couldn’t resist buying and also noticed a lot of intriguing household items while waiting to pay.
The bread I brought was a focaccia loaf with feta, herbs and black olives and it was absolutely terrific. As a person who usually doesn’t enjoy olives, they were just the right addition with the feta to make this bread slightly salty, deliciously decadent and completely filling. The bread itself had just the right ratio of flour to olive oil for a nice flavour and texture without being oily.
Best of all, my entire bill was only $ 6. I’m used to grudgingly paying that for my very favourite gourmet bread, so I was delighted to find Lina’s so affordable.
This is one place I’m thrilled to have tried (thanks Terry!) and that I’ll certainly be back to!

Go to Lina’s for groceries and grab a quick bite along the way. The food is good and the cappuccino is killer. Make sure you try the margherita pizza, a very authentic Italian restaurant style pizza experience.
Seating is limited and is often busy during lunch hours. I would advise taking food to go if you do plan on going.

Parking can be a bit of a challenge, especially if there are big SUVs and trucks. I love to browse in their kitchenware and gadgets section. They also sell a few cookbooks. Their grocery section has a wide variety of dry pastas, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, sun-​dried tomatoes, deli meats, cheese and baked goods. Gelato, desserts and espresso are excellent.

Love love love.
We frequently shop here and just adore the place. Parking is crazy, this place is busy but people are always coming and going so you might get lucky and snag a spot. The store consists of a market, a deli and even has an area with kitchen supplies. Cookbooks? They have that. Lina’s has it all.
Great selection of fresh produce, we love their herbs. They also usually have good choices for greens, if they have arugula we always get it. We have tried a variety of their meats in the deli — the prosciutto is so lovely. Feta is a must on most of our visits and we usually come away with a few other choices — buffalo mozza or maybe some asiago. They have some other prepared items available in this area, I have tried the spanakopita and it was delish.
There is also a wide selection of prepared items and olives — we have tried a few kinds of olives, the sun dried tomatoes are heavenly, roasted red peppers … so many choices. I have also witnessed many people buying the tomato, basil and boconccini salad, I can only imagine it’s good based off the amazing ingredients in store.
This is a great place to pick up olive oil, there is usually one brand or another on sale, so you can get a quality olive oil on the cheap. Loads of balsamic choices as well. They also have a small bulk section, which is great for grabbing some pine nuts.
As for the kitchen supply area, this little section is great too. We have purchased a few different things from here over the past year, when we needed new wooden spoons, we came to Lina’s. Rolling Pin? Lina’s. Pan in which to make lasagna? Lina’s.
You should go.

I feel as if you could spend an hour in Lina’s and still barely scratch the service of what they have here! An amazing selection of fresh cheeses and meats, along with anything you might need for eating cheese — they have an entire shelf of just various fruit spreads to accompany cheese. (Cheese is a big thing for me. CHEESE).
We picked up some amaretti and gelato and they were delicious! The bakery section had even more tempting morsels but we abstained for the time being. They have great bread, a whole aisle that looked like just olive oil, another aisle for packaged Italian goods (cookies etc) and of course an aisle that’s exclusively dry pasta. I even found the tiny little tubettini pasta that my Mom is always on the lookout for.
Everyone who helped us was really friendly. I’ll be heading back to see what delicious things they have to offer soon!

We usually go to Lina’s for the gelato and desserts, but it has so much more to offer, as others have pointed out, so there’s not much more I can add except to encourage you to visit! I bought a case of San Pellegrino; the discount was too big to resist.

Review #1 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012
What would I change about Lina’s? Nothing… that’s why I give it 5 stars!
There is an amazing, mouth-​watering cheese and deli meat selection. I could spend hours staring at all the varieties of fresh cheeses and meats! I really enjoy their Sambal cheddar (it’s the spicy Chili garlic sauce coated on cheese!)
Then the desserts. I don’t even like sugar but they have a wide variety of fresh pastries and pies and anything you can think of. They have a seating area for those who want to dine in or sample the food, so I’d recommend shopping hungry!
They have a lot of other interesting items for sale, including household wares, fresh vegetables, and specialty Italian goods. Parking can be a little chaotic so I try to go during low traffic times, early in the morning is the best!

Admittedly I have been haunting Lina’s for years. I try to drop in a minimum of 6 times a year sometimes more even though I do not live close by. Time is always the challenge but even the quick coffee at Lina’s makes you happy.
This time was very planned as one of my Italian Besties (BFF) was coming to visit for a couple days and I knew I wanted to impress her.
My boy and I picked her up at the airport late morning and our first stop was Lina’s for an espresso & lunch. It was a glorious outing as we went right in for lunch to try and beat the rush and ensure we got a table. My boy ordered pizza (surprise surprise), my gf and I shared a panini and a salad. Then she surprised us by bringing back a plate full of pastries (including cannelloni — drool) for a treat to go with our espresso.
Next was casually wandering the store… or as casual as you can be with a 4 year old who is full of energy. We decided we would pick up some antipasti and have a feast that afternoon before our planned later dinner of chimichurri grilled steak! So we picked some unique cheese to try, deli meats/salami’s, stuffed peppers, olives, artichokes, fresh ciabatta… oh la la it was going to be fabulous!
And an antipasti feast it was… following a delicious lunch… mmmmmm.
There is something for everyone at Lina’s. Definitely. Visit. Lina’s.