Sunterra Market

If I could give zero stars I would. I needed to order 6 sandwiches to take into my office. Thinking it would be the kind thing to do, I called ahead to order 6 sandwiches. Not 60, not 20, 6. I was very rudely told absolutely not. No sandwiches, no lunches for the day, they were maxed out on deliveries. I patiently reminded the rude person on the phone that I was not looking for delivery, nor a complicated platter, just 6 sandwiches to be picked up almost 3 hours from now. He still vehemently said absolutely not. I then said so you’re telling me that if I come in and order 6 sandwiches you won’t make them? Still a big no. My family has had a deli for many years, and I know for a fact that is a ludicrous statement. 6 sandwiches, all of the same btw, should not be too hard for a DELI to make. I should have just walked in there and purchased the sandwiches instead of trying to be kind and call ahead. Now this place will be forever ruined for me.

I’m a regular here for coffee, cups of fresh fruit, the very diverse salad bar, a chicken breast etc… I had an unpleasant customer service experience here this week when I went with a friend who is a visible minority. In this day and age… I was appalled. However, I emailed my concern and got a call from the general manager the next morning. He was equally concerned and committed to addressing it with his staff. I will go back but I feel it’s fair to include this information in a review because it happened. I will be watching to see if there’s improvement. So, for now is a rating of 3 stars because the jury is out. Food is fresh, well prepared, tons of variety but service and welcoming atmosphere needs improvement. For me it’s not just about the food… it’s about the experience.

Sunterra is the perfect place to grab a quick lunch when you are downtown on a weekday! They have plenty of ready made sandwiches, pizza, soups, a make your own salad bar (that literally has everything you could want on a salad), etc.
The downside is finding a place to sit. There aren’t many seats at the market itself so you are stuck trying to find a seat around Commerce or Manulife Place. You can do it — but if you’re going right at noon then you should plan to spend a few minutes walking around looking for a seat.
Prices aren’t cheap but not overly expensive for the quality of the food either.
Well worth checking out!

Good little place for some grocery type items and salad bar/​coffee/​tea. It can get rather but the service is generally good. I find it occasionally a bit of an intimidating place to shop, but regardless it is a pretty nice place to visit for lunch or a snack/​treat. It’s also a neat place for people watching or for finding some unique foods.

I love how I can get a freshly made meal for lunch. One that I can use actual metal cutlery but not have the wait time as if I went to a place with table service. I can sometimes squeeze in such a meal in a 30 minute window. They have numerous gluten free options. Excellent choice for quick healthy lunch in the Core.

After several unsuccessful attempts at stopping here for lunch I finally was able to stop in here today. I went at about quarter after two as I figured it would be late enough in the afternoon that the office crowd would long be done lunch. This place is NUTS around lunchtime let me tell you! Prior to today on my last attempt I made it about five steps into the store before it was wall to wall people and chaos.
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Sunterra has a vast selection of salads, sandwiches, hot foods, and drinks. I got a flank steak salad for $ 7.99. It was huge and I couldn’t actually finish it before getting full. I also liked that the side of dressing came in a normal human sized portion and not those tiny little Dixie cup portion containers that only hold enough to coat three leaves of lettuce and a cucumber. The only part of my lunch that really bothered me was the fact I found the dressing to be a little strong.
In terms of customer service here I really feel that once the lunch hour ends the fast paced high energy atmosphere ends as well. All the staff I came across were very quiet, not smiling, and nobody greeted me. I didn’t even get a greeting from the lady at the front till who just rang in my drink and salad then quietly mumbled «have a nice day» when our transaction concluded. I don’t know if it was the drop in temperature that got to everybody working here today but whatever it was it was a tad on the depressing side.
The food was good and I would come again if I was craving a salad on a late afternoon but the overall experience didn’t wow me enough to get me to attempt another visit during lunch hour or make me want to try other things off their menu’s.

I usually just make and bring my own lunch for work, but let’s face it, there are days when we can get lazy and just don’t feel like making it. So during those times I will hit up Sunterra, as I am not a big fan of the usual fast food places in the food court. They have healthier options here, plus it’s a nice walk from my office.
They have different specials during the week, as well as a make your own salad bar. Myself, I usually go with one of their pre-​packaged salads (just over $ 8) or their flat pizzas (about $ 7), which is just filling enough.
Should you just want something to snack on, they have a great selection of fresh baked muffins and other baked goods. Price wise I find it better than Star Bucks or Good Earth.
If you are feeling very lazy they also have ready to go dinner meals (changes daily).
Be warned that it gets very busy at lunch since lots of the office workers seem to come here between 12 – 12:30. The nice thing though is there is usually 5 tills opened to get people thru.

The service here has always been attentive, the people are nice, and the prices are reasonable, but the food is rarely enjoyable. You also can’t fully trust the labels as there may be more in their food than is mentioned (nuts & onions for example) and the staff will sometimes give conflicting information.
Today’s quinoa Salad had such a strange and unpleasant flavour that I couldn’t even finish half. Usually the quinoa is okay and they’ve finally cut back on the over powering onions.
The Lemon poppy seed loaf was moist, but again, the flavour was off. Most of the individually wrapped bread slices I’ve purchased have been dry. Their pre-​made and catering sandwiches are also usually very dry.
I often get their cheese scones which 40% of the time are over cooked and dry. I would love their bacon & cheese or ham & cheese scones, if they didn’t have onions in them too.
Most of the soups end up with soggy contents and the broth leaves something to be desired. They are also usually about 30% onions. If you get migraines or have afternoon meetings, you may want to ask about onions before you buy.
I may end up back here on occasion because I work next door. They are not the worst I’ve ever had (though I’ve had better), and there are limited options in the area for lunch. It is not a place I would recommend unless in a pinch, nor would I go out of my way to get here. I’ve yet to be wowed by anything I’ve tried at this particular location.

Really great place to grab lunch downtown, and also to order catering and cakes.
I’ve used their catering services many times for lunches at work, usually sandwiches and salads. Never disappoints. I’ve even ordered breakfast quiches and they were delivered piping hot. There is always enough food for everyone, and plenty left over. The prices are reasonable. Don’t forget to order cookies!!!
Hitting up the market for lunch at Commerce Place is just as satisfying. Two daily soups and two daily big pan selections. All made from scratch. Lots of other entre options like steak, salmon, chicken, and they will heat it up for you. An amazing salad bar, pizzas, sandwiches, wraps, yogurt & fruit cups, and baked goods. Oh, and smoothies. Probably one of my favourite places to pick up lunch downtown.

Used to be a good place but I had the worst cassidea I ever had in my life! Fatty chicken and hardly any of it, no vegetables, nothing but cheese. It was disgusting. Salad bar has chicken that is days old !! If they can’t sell it that is where it ends up as well as in the pizzas. You just lost yourself a customer as there is better food in many places around you!

I came to meet a friend for lunch and we came to beat the rush at noon. It was about 15 minutes before and it was still busy in Sunterra but not crazy where you have people walking in all directions.
She went to the salad bar and I walked around deciding what I wanted for lunch. There’s tables and chairs inside but I could see it getting cramped if there are people trying to look at the hot food area. I went to browse by the cooler were the sandwiches are. Years ago, I would buy salad rolls here for 3/​$ 3.75 and now they are 2/​$ 5.99! They had chicken salad, roast beef, and turkey sandwiches so I chose the turkey one.
It was two sandwiches wrapped on a tray. The sandwich had sliced turkey, lettuce, and cranberry mayo. I couldn’t really taste the cranberry in the sandwich and it was more of a turkey and lettuce sandwich. I had one of the sandwiches and saved the other one. The price was ok at $ 5.49 for 2.
There were 3 lines to pay, and the one closest to the entrance was the quickest. The woman who rang in my purchase was friendly and reminded me to get napkins behind me. The seating outside of Sunterra was full so we snagged a table in Commerce Place.
It gets busy at lunch so good idea to come before noon and if there isn’t any seating, there’s also the food court area.

Boy oh boy am I ever disappointed. I used to love the salad bar! When I was working on the south side, I was very disappointed that the Lendrum location didn’t have a salad bar. And now that I’m back downtown, I couldn’t wait to get back at it!
Finally, today, I made my way over… And as far as I can tell, it has gone downhill over the years. It’s way more crowded that it has ever been. Yes, I was there at 12:15, but there used to at least be room to move around! The tables are so close to the big pan area that I couldn’t even get close enough to look. the pizza/​quesidilla area was disappointing too… They have always had their current offerings listed on the chalkboard, but today it was blank. In the old days, that wouldn’t have stopped me. I would have lined up and taken whatever they were willing to give me. But today my sights were set on Salad.
I was shocked that nothing was labeled. and most things were empty. Again, I know my timing was bad, but they used to be better at refilling (keep in mind… when I refer to «the old days», I’m talking about 2004 — 2007).
Once I got it all filled up, and paid for, I sat down to eat. It was… flavourless. Except for the salt in the ranch dressing I chose (because it was the only thing I could identify). Overall i was just very disappointed.
I do have a strawberry & rhubarb pie shooter sitting on my desk that I’m hoping will make up for the short comings.
Final word — I likely won’t make the walk over from Churchill Square again anytime soon.
Sad Face.
(Edit: The pie was DELICIOUS… but I’m sticking with the 3 stars)

Adds a welcomed choice to the lunch crowd. Needs more evolution and a focus towards healthy meals.

If you’re craving a healthy salad, this place is perfect– you pick and choose, the greens are plentiful and fresh, the price is great (vs actual salad-​oriented joints read: chopped), portion (container size) is filling.
The super cool part is after you make your own fantastic salad– if it’s not fantastic, it’s your unfortunate fault– you take it to the scale and print out the price sticker and off you go to pay! So fast! So awesome!
Great Value. Check.
Hunger Value. Check.
Speediness Value. Check.
It reminds me of Richtree Marche. there are different stations for sandwiches, hot foods, pizzas and I guess you order whatever you like and pay at the tills. But hands down one of the very best salad bars I’ve encountered. Worth noting? There is also a Sunterra wine shop next door :)
Oh, thanks to that other reviewer regarding cilantro dressing. Delicious. Thank you

I come here most days for lunch, from my workplace downtown. The salad bar is my top choice for a healthy lunch due to the large variety of meat, veggies and dressings.
My favourite combo is spring mix with chicken, chickpeas, snap peas, tomatoes and date/​cilantro dressing. A large portion usually comes out to around $ 7 to $ 8 which isn’t too bad compared to most downtown lunch spots.
I also love the selection of desserts, especially the slice of pie in a cup.

The Sunterra market is wonderful! The fresh salad is great and they flatbreads and dishes at the back of the store make a great healthy lunch time alternative. Sunterra also has a wonderful selection of baked goods that serve as a great treat on any day you need a pick me up or are too busy to make a dessert for a dinner party you are going to attend. The food here is really great and it’s mainly DIY so there aren’t a lot of staff roaming around. This place is so busy at lunch because of the vast amount of working professionals in the area. It’s actually not that expensive either… a little more than the average food court but it’s one of the only places I would eat when I forgot my lunch!

Holy Mole do I love the salad bar at Sunterra! It is pretty much the greatest salad bar I’ve come across. It sounds crazy, but I crave building my perfect, full of veggies, chickpeas, cheeses, fruits, nuts and oh I can never decide between chicken, turkey, salmon or the other chicken (usually I throw at least 2 in) salad! So many choices, always fresh, always quality. Then there is the wall of so many types of bevies it makes my love of liquids leap with joy. When I’ve built my salad, chosen the bev of the day, I then take a stroll through the dessert counter… Oh lemon bars, how can I say no to you!
And that my friends is how I like to spend lunch on those few and far between times when I am at Manulife/​Commerce Place!

I really enjoy coming in here, and grabbing a quick bite and heading back to the office. Its very busy in here over the noon hour so be prepared to wait a bit. Everything here is so fresh, and the back of the store is where you can get hot prepared lunches as well as cold sandwiches and wraps. In the middle they have fresh salads and fruits, this section is always really busy. Fresh pizzas and soups.
And of course a full range of decadent desserts showcased in the front. My only problem when I come here is, I’m wondering around, wondering what to eat and deciding, looking at all the well prepared yummies everywhere.

VEGETARIANS: BEWARE!
I attended a cooking workshop at this location. The theme was «Healthy Vegetarian Cooking» and it was taught by the chef of this location. I was extremely excited to be attending the class, since I had enjoyed many of the vegetarian options here before. However, I was dismayed upon getting to the class, looking over the menu, and seeing «chicken stock» in several of the recipes we would be creating. I brought this up to the chef and he laughed it off. I pushed and said, «Chicken broth is NOT vegetarian!» and I asked for vegetable broth for the dishes. He said, «If you don’t wish to use the chicken stock, then you can use salted water!» Seriously. The recipe my group made, a risotto, used the salted water and was extremely bland. But the other groups did not have any vegetarians in them, so they used the chicken broth, which meant that I could not eat the other dishes during our dinner.
However, this is not a review for the cooking class, but for the place itself. That said, I cannot trust that anything served in this establishment is actually vegetarian. If the head chef thinks that chicken broth is appropriate for a vegetarian cooking workshop, then what is he putting in his soups and other «vegetarian» offerings?
The only reason I am giving this place more than the lowest rating is because their corporate headquarters (unlike the management at this location) responded to my complaint immediately and took it seriously. I am told the chef had been «spoken to» and assured that I can trust the veggie options they serve. However, as long as that man works for Sunterra (and last time I checked, he did), I will not be back.

I used to avoid Sunterra because I thought it was more expensive than it really is. I’ve actually been going there quite frequently lately, usually to grab a salad to supplement the too-​small lunch I’ve brought for myself.
First, the negatives. This location is in Commerce Place and gets EXTREMELY busy at lunch time. Or maybe it just looks busy because the layout is bizarre and everyone is sort of cramped in there. I can’t really describe the way it is laid out, but I don’t like it. There is a juice bar, a patisserie, a spot to get personal sized pizzas, a serve yourself salad bar, a counter that has other salads and meats, a soup station, and tables inside and outside. Throw in starving office workers, and that can equal confusion.
The food, on the other hand, is really quite good. Everything is fresh and prepared with care. The things I get most often are the mixed vegetable salad with a vinegary dill dressing, and minestrone soup. 99% of the time I get them to go because it’s too busy in there. The soup station is kind of interesting. They’ll have three or four soups, and then two «big pots». Today they were shepherds pie and red Thai chicken curry. I went with the curry (and the aforementioned salad — the veggies are so fresh and I love the dressing) and was very pleasantly surprised to see the price was only $ 5.99 for a full, meal-​sized bowl. The people who work there are generally nice, and as friendly as someone can be when it’s so busy.
They also offer catering. I was at a training session once that was catered by Sunterra — salads, sandwiches — and it was a step (or two) above some of the other catering I’ve had. I’d really like to try their cooking classes some day as well. Oh! And a really cool thing called Friday Night Feast, where you get two meals for $ 29.98. And they have little recipe cards on the counter that you can take home for free.
I’m really rounding this up from a 3.5. The food is great, fresh and healthy for a pretty decent price, but I really dislike the layout of the store and the staff are way too busy (at peak times) to give quality service.