Uzel Olive and Olive Oil Store

can’t compare to that many other olive specific places. but I do know that these olives here are way yummier than those you can get at metro/​loblaws!
they also have yummy pastries with different stuffing (amazing spinach/​feta pie!) and olive bread that I found to be a bit too expensive ($ 5 for a loaf) but considering buying it…
got olives with fall herbs dressing. delicious!

I will give this place props for aiming high (one should always aim for the peak so even if you are half way you are way above most of the other people) as far as the names is concerned. I mean if you want to be the best why limit yourself to city, province or a country!
I am not an olive connoisseur by any means but I can tell a good one from a bad one. This place was intriguing as it is right next to my go to place Turkish groceries (including olives). Turkey a name synonymous with good olives I was expecting a good variety here and they didn’t disappoint. They even had the one’s that are marinated in citrus/​lemon, a delicacy that I tried at a friend’s house.
I wanted to try a variety of stuff but unfortunately they don’t sell something less than 100 grams (or at least that’s what I was told). They had a medley of sorts in a lightly spiced oil (some pepper flakes) so I decided to get those. Quite decent IMO some were stuffed, some just pitted and then there was an unexpected one or two that was just a whole olive with the pit and all.
The place is clean and seems well maintained and I would like to explore it a bit more. I think I will come here with a friend who is a olive connoisseur and can perhaps guide me in selecting a few varieties to take home.

The sign outside says that this place has ‘The Best Olives in the World” but I don’t even think they have the best olives on the street. I bought some black olives from there last week and I’ve had better from many places along the Danforth and also from places on Donlands Road. 1 km in any direction will bring you to better olives.
Also, they like to give you olives in a bag which just seems weird to me. I had to plead with them for a container rather than a bag of olives.
In fairness, I bought some olives from this store about a year ago and they were fabulous. So I don’t know whether their standards have changed, my taste buds have changed or perhaps I was just drunk enough at the time to not notice that the olives a friend and I polished off while drinking next door at the Only Café were not really that great.

I hate olives. But I had a taste at Taste of the Danforth this year from Uzel’s and nearly died I thought I was in heaven. (I’ve been calling the place Uzel’s Olives)
I got a bag of the plain green, turkish gemlik olives the week after and I guess I liked them because were so different from what I’ve tasted on pizza, nachos or in cans at the grocery store.
Every bite is so rich and salty and sour and flavourful that I can only eat a few at a time before I’m overwhelmed. In a good way.
Do yourself a favour and go try their olives. The store is not entirely an upscale pristine gourmet looking place but the food and packaging really makes up for it all.

This place is a treat. We always leave with more olives than we should and gorge ourselves for days. Green olives, Red olives, Black olives, Mixed olives, Herbed Olives, Citrus marinaded olives. Also imported olive oils and carefully crafted pepper toppings.
The fleshy green olives are my favorite. Best I’ve had. Best in Toronto? Best in the world? I encourage you to go try for yourself. Like ice cream you can taste a few before you decide what to buy.