Pestacio

What a great store. Great quality, very fresh products from around the world. Top notch please. Very friendly store owner, too. Will definitely be back.

This shop doesn’t look like much (I thought it just looked like a fancy bulk barn), but my friend swears by it and insisted we pop by recently. The selection is incredible! So much variety in such a small space. AND they let you sample stuff before you buy. I ended up with the dark chocolate covered blueberries (should’ve got more because I finished them at home within a few days — sooo yummy!!) and dried chickpeas. Really great for healthy-​ish snacks and gift baskets. I will definitely back when I am in this neighbourhood!

You know when you walk in somewhere and it gets you excited about food and inspired to cook a feast? This store does that.
I highly recommend this for buying host gifts or nibbles for parties.
FOOD QUALITY
Top notch. I’m tired of getting nuts that taste old or like Bulk Barn smells. All of their nuts are always fresh. They have plain or dressed-​up nuts. Oh yeah, they have Pistachios just like their name suggests. Saffron and lemon pistachios are fabulous.
They have lots of organic products. I like the variety of dried fruits because they also have some interesting middle eastern fruits that are harder to find in the area. I recall they had some unsulphured dried fruit.
They sell premium olive oils that aren’t a few years old like other stores in the area.
I am hooked on their caramels that taste like REAL caramel instead of those blah corn syrupy things that were put in your Halloween bag as a kid.
They have great chocolate covered espresso beans that are a mix of white, milk and dark chocolates. They have a large section of dark chocolate (I believe all 70%) covered treats: pecans (love!), sour cherries (love!), coconut chunks (not for everyone). They tend to be more health-​focused, so I don’t recall much milk chocolate but rather the dark chocolate.
I don’t care for their plain roasted chickpeas, but I love their HONEY-​roasted chickpeas that seem like guilt-​free beer nuts.
They have gift trays so you can load up your own nuts and dried fruit platters for gifts. I think this is my new go-​to place for hostess gifts.
SERVICE
Amazing customer service. They are professionals who know their field and not some high school kid who doesn’t care.
PARKING
Closest Green P parking is on Glenforest behind Super Pet and Amaya. Some metered parking on Yonge St and first part of St Germain Ave and across Yonge St on Snowdon. Non-​rush hour metered parking on Yonge St right in front of the store. 1 hour free street parking further back on side streets. Don’t park at Mastermind on St. Germain Ave because employees police it and you might get towed.
ACCESSIBILITY
The store and dining area is one level and has enough space for a walker, but maybe not a wheelchair. Think of the displays as salad bars; so, these probably aren’t great for little people. HOWEVER, the staff are super helpful/​knowledgeable and I’m sure would gladly give a person samples or assistance selecting. The refrigerated case is little person friendly.

I absolutely adore this store! When I go home my friends always ask for me to bring the dried pineapple and dates from here. They are the best in the city at reasonable prices to boot. Their selection is broad and they encourage tasting so you can discover new things to enjoy. My personal favorites are their figs, Mr power dates, and dried (not sugared) pineapple. I’ve driven through rush hour from the beaches to get dried goodies from them for dinner parties. Definitely worth a stop in!

I’ve been walking past this new neighbourhood store for a month now and finally popped in today. It’s exactly the kind of venue Lawrence Park needs! The products are fresh, healthy, delicious, and unique. We purchased raisins from South Africa today that you’d only be able to find in specialty stores like this one. Don’t let the upscale beautiful aesthetic deter you into thinking the prices are too high. We found the prices for products like almonds, olives, and dried fruit more affordable than Whole Foods and much MUCH better quality. The Pestacio owners specially select everything from local and smaller companies. For instance, they sell the most delicious honey that is brought in from a place just north of Toronto. The friendly brother and sister duo, Annie and Ali, are really knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their products. They offer samples to try, which means that the products sell themselves. We couldn’t believe how delicious the dried ginger, smoked almonds, honey, and raisins were!

Large selection of freshly roasted nuts and dried fruits. Prices are great and service friendly. We sampled quite a few varieties and everything was high quality — although some of the exotic dried fruits were a bit challenging.

All I can say about this place is WOW! I wish my neighbourhood had a shop like this.
Wandering around the Yonge and Lawrence area this past weekend I stumbled upon Pestacio. Pestacio is a dried fruit and nut shop that is slightly more upscale than what I am used to. Walking in we were greeted by the owner who from the get go seemed very passionate about his new retail operation (they have been open for less than two weeks, have yet to have their grand opening). We were told to take a look around and sample anything we wanted. After sampling their pistachios, which were among the freshest I have ever tasted, I knew this place was the real deal. After a few samples I ended up buying some pistachios, organic walnuts, and dried baby figs (owner gave me a pro-​tip, soak the baby figs in water over night to re-​hydrate them and they make an excellent addition to any healthy breakfast!). Among the other things I sampled were Iranian dates which were out of this world, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, almonds etc. All the products were supremely fresh.
A short chat with the owner revealed that they roast their own products in St. Catherine’s and get a fresh shipment of stuff twice a week, guaranteeing that you will always get a fresh and healthy snack. In addition to dried fruit and nuts they also have a small selection of caviar and Iranian saffron, they will be adding other delicacies in the near future. I absolutely loved my time here and may have to come out of my way from now on to load up on some healthy snacks because after my experience here I’m not sure the product at bulk barn will cut it.
* They do have a good selection of organic stuff as well.