Al Jazeerah Food and Meat Market

I’ve never shopped for anything here other than their $ 2 cheese pies, but I can at least attest to the tastiness of those pies. They’re massive, warm and freshly made.
Regarding the slow service others have commented on, I haven’t really found this to be the case, but maybe it’s just because the cheese pies I get are right at the cash. So all I do is stand there and make eye contact with one of the guys in the back with the meat and the owner (?) comes over to help me out. He’s super nice and can be quite the little jokester, I’ve found.

I have passed by this grocery store so many times but never went in. My brother loves this place for their Halloumi cheese. He says it’s the least expensive in the city (and it’s tasty, not poor quality to boot).
They are a Middle Eastern and Indian Grocery Store. You can get Halal meat there.
I was walking by recently and saw a sign outside announcing that they sell meat pies. I love meat pies, so I had to go in. The grocery store looks a little old and run down. Sadly I have been finding that this is the case for a lot of ethnic grocery stores in Ottawa :(
The meat pies are on the counter at the front of the store near the cash register. Not behind glass or anything, just sitting in an aluminum tray on the counter pre-​wrapped in wax paper. I do not believe that they have a wood oven, so if you want it warmed up I think they microwave it.
I got a meat and cheese pie and a beef samosa and it came to $ 4 tax included. The man working there said the pies are still slightly warm, so I didn’t ask him to warm it up further. The pie here has a thicker and doughier crust than most places, but I have to admit it was good. The meat was nicely spiced and there was a good amount of cheese. It’s not as good as places that specialize in meat pies, but it was better than say the meat pies at George’s Meat Shop (which is also a grocery store that happens to sell meat pies).
The samosa was filled with beef and onions. It was way too oily and greasy for my liking.
I should mention that I stood at the cash register for a long time before anyone came to help me. I have no idea where the store workers were. When the man got to the front of the store he did apologize though. He said that he was watching the TV cameras for customers but he did not see me standing there. I am small so I guess that’s forgivable. And he did apologize profusely.
If you live in the area you may want to check this place out, they have things not easily found elsewhere, but I personally would not make a special trip here, well, unless I was looking for cheap Halloumi cheese.

Went in the store this morning after reading the Unilocal review today. There seemed to be good variety and I did find some of the things that I was looking for. There was one other customer in the store and 3 staff. The staff totally ignored me and never asked me a question or offered help as you would think in a small grocery. Once I picked up what I wanted I proceeded to the cash and stood there for approx 4 min while no one is the store paid any attention to me. Finally I left my stuff at the cash register and walked out. If I am going to spend my money I will find a store with some customer service.

This is a good place to grocery shop if you are looking to make something different for dinner.
The olives were what impressed me first (I admit that I am an olive addict). They are sold in big packages and cheaper than in normal grocery stores. The selection of oils is also vast.
I eat a lot of rice and I’ve started buying my rice here, I haven’t found anywhere cheaper. There is also a huge selection of legumes here (beans, lentils, etc). I like to use dried legumes and pressure cook them to make «potaje» like I did when I was living in the Caribbean, so here and the Bulk Barn seem to be the best places to buy legumes.
This is also one of the few places around that sells coals for Shisha (I have an Indian friend who enjoys her evening Shisha), but they do not carry hookahs or the tobacco.
Service was pleasant, but make sure you know about extra closures due to religious holidays.