Yek O Yek

Stopped in here for lunch with my mother. With a name like Yek O Yek how can you not be intrigued? We each ordered a small falafel combo which came with the best tabbouleh salad I’ve tasted — loaded with fresh herbs. The baklava looked tempting so we splurged — it was divine. The portions were good, the price was right and the service was very friendly. Will be back!

Amazing service and amazing food! The owner is a gem of a guy who is always smiling and happy to help. I always go in for the dolmeh and Turkish delight, two words for you … On point! One of my fav mom n pa shops on Main Street.

I was in Vancouver last weekend for a craft show and made a point to visit Yek O Yek. The store is full of aromatic and exotic things — spices, crackers, hot foods, cold salads… My first lunch was a lamb meatball pita wrap with lots of veggies and lots of garlic aioli — it was delicious! The next day I bought some thin flax and sesame crackers and a tub of their homemade hummus and a couple of spinach pies to share. Everything was fresh and super tasty.
I left the store with a giant bag of Zaatar for my business and some dried limes, which the owner told me are good to use in a stew. I will have to look up some recipes!
Really enjoyed this shop and the neighbourhood — Main Street has great coffee, Chinese food, sushi, shopping… and Persian food! Thanks Yek O Yek.

Ick. What happened? This place used to be amazing. Ordered lamb shwarma wrap with everything on it. Everything means more lettuce apparently because that’s all that was in it. The lamb was dry the sauces were flavor less. Go back to the way it was!

Open the door to this shop, and prepare for sensory overload. The very air is delicious. I don’t know whether its the spices, or the baklava, or the many delights in the deli counter, or everything altogether but whatever the origin of that sweet-​savoury smell, I want it wafting around me.
I admit to not having explored Middle Eastern cooking much in my own kitchen, but I am confident that if I did want to put together a North African, Persian, Turkish or Greek meal, I could get all the ingredients here — and guidance on how to best use them. They have all sorts of specialty items including preserved lemons, halloumi cheese, dukkah, za’atar, lavash, and all manner of olives, nuts and dried fruits. And then there’s the takeout: samosas and kebabs and falafels and hummus and more, made fresh on site. Yek O Yek is the flavour.

The people who work here are amazing! You can find just about any food item in this teeny-​tiny store, and they really keep it clean, even during this bug season.
I love their hummus, it has a bit of bite to it, not the smooth kind, and it’s made fresh so even though it’s a tad more expensive, I prefer this to the supermarket ones.
Sometimes I get their Turkish delights, justification being that I climbed uphill (not really) to get to this place. The texture is great and it the rosewater ones smell so good.

Best damn baklava I’ve ever had and cheap, I got a massive square for under $ 4. It is so good!
Also super yum spices and the staff are helpful too! Great place.
Will be returning regularly for the baklava!

I love this place! Owners and staff are knowledgeable and helpful. When I couldn’t find date syrup the owner told me how to make it. Lebneh (thick yoghurt) is delicious and lasts forever in the fridge. I’ve been trying out recipes from Jerusalem (the cookbook) and find everything I need here. Yum!

Every time I visit this store it reminds that I should visit it more often!
On a desperate mission to find sagnak bread without having to go to the North shore, the nice gentleman at Hasty market up the road suggested yek-​o-​yek.
Hooray, item found. As well as 12 other things I wasn’t looking for.
I can’t wait to go back and try some of there ready to go eats!

I highly recommend this store to all my Iranian friends living far from North Vancouver. You can find whatever you want and the store manager and staff are so respectful to their customers.

This place is about the owner. I mean seriously how hard is it for you Vancouver to smile once in a while. This place has all the smiles you can ask for. The owner is wonderful, and the place has everything you need to cook up a feast, middle eastern style. Everything is fresh, the items are well priced, its all organized, and the place smells amazing. Halva, check. Samosas, check. Sumac spice, check. Vine leaves, check. It has everything. Also the best part of it all, its just so fun to pronounce the name. «where are you going?» well, obviously to YEK O YEK.

I was in desperate need of Falafel mix, and I decided to try Yek O Yek, since, other than being an apparently good place to buy cheap cigarettes, according to a friend, it just happens to be a Middle Eastern/​bulk/​deli type store. I was in the area anyway, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed! I got my Falafel mix, and some pita bread for $ 3.98 after tax. Good deal! There’s bulk bins down one aisle which contain assorted grains, beans etc, as well as spices, which I’m going to keep in mind when I need them next. Prices are generally pretty good, and better than going to Buy-​Low or IGA across the street. There is also a little counter at the front where you can buy various items like Hummus, Tzatziki, and things of that nature. I didn’t pause too long there, or I’d have been walking out having spent a helluva lot more than $ 4 bucks. The fellow behind the counter was friendly and had a smile when I came to the counter.
Definitely coming back here again to grab some spices, and some other type of breads, and check out some of the stuff in the deli area. The place isn’t huge or anything, but it’s got some good things in it and the prices are reasonable.

I am surprised that there are no reviews of this place. I walked by ’cause I saw a sign which read Saffron Rose water ice cream… what a perfect thing to share on a hot day. For $ 3 you get a full pre-​made cup. The store smells nice all the time, good aroma of different spices. I find that their grocery price are extremely reasonable.

As I was waiting across the street for an appointment, I decide to go through the usual e-​mails, facebook notifications etc. I start getting hungry and start going through my mental rolodex of eateries in Mt Pleasant… makes me want to move to this area!
K, I usually go to Kwong-​something up the street but I don’t want to wait this time. I zap up my Unilocal App and Yek O whatever pops up. After my appointment, I walk across the street, pass the pizza joint and see that they have a menu board! Cool! AND they sell faresavers for the times I’m not quite able to drive! ;)
I picked up: 2 beef samosas (which I ate on the way home whilst driving) and a beef kabob meal
for $ 12 plus .50 cents for chutney sauce.
The food was 3 stars but their selection of groceries was 4 – 5 stars
I WILL return!

In search of Rose Water, I found Yek O Yek through Unilocalers and I am happy that I did.
I am planning to cook Labanese cuisine and I needed Orange Blossom Water and Rose water. I hadn’t planned on buying ghee but I also found it at Yek O Yek so decided to buy it this time instead of attempting to make it at home.
The store was located conveniently few doors from JJ Beans and my hubby got his caffeine fix from JJ while I went and got the stuff at the store.
I really didn’t get a chance to browse the store thoroughly at this time. Hopefully, I will get to next time.
I am happy that I found this little store and I will be back to pick up more needed ingredients (we will see how the cooking goes).

Yek O Yek is one of my favourite places in the city! This Middle Eastern grocery store has a great selection of interesting, niche foods, from nutritional yeast to mung beans to fresh made dolmas. Their lunch platters are to die for; this is one fantastic deli. Service has always been exceptional and prices are decent too. No complaints.

On a quest for Za’atar, and I found some right next door to where I was eating at Mitra.
This is not the north shore Lonsdale, that’s for sure, but this block has two Mediterranean stores right next to one another.
You can get yummy food to go at both places, eat outside on the small covered patios at both.
Yek-​O has nuts in bulk, sauces and spices, and deserts from the middle east. Halvah made from a «secret recipe» literally hand stretched. (Yeah, my thoughts exactly) –oh look! a dark chocolate bar, I’ll take that instead.
Nice owner, we had a good chat.

I love me some lavash bread I do.
Update: it’s not lavash I love, it’s sangack!
Across the street from the place we were having dinner, we discovered Yek O Yek. Clearly, I don’t get out of the house much.
I bought some awesome lime juice — not that lime juice you get at Safeway man, this is the good stuff. I also got some baklava (I cannot resist the nuts, honey and phyllo pastry), and some lavash.
I was looking at the spices to make kababs, but figured $ 2.79 was too much to spend on a spice rub I could make at home with what I have in my cupboards.
They also do hot foods here too. metze plates and lamb shank and other things I don’t remember on the menu. I’m just happy to know there is an persian store close to home.
Also, the owner is pretty damn charming and funny.

Jumping on the «wow the owner is nice here» bandwagon. If that’s not enough of a reason to visit, then how about the yummy assortment of all things dates, baklava, and assorted spices? Boy will your friends be excited when you brag that you know where to buy both whole or powdered cumin in bulk! They also have a small seated area where you can enjoy a plate of chicken, fragrant rice and salad for $ 7. And let me tell you, that’s a much better deal and tastier than the plate of sarcasm I serve daily for $ 18.

For just a second let’s forget talking about all the little specific details about this store. In fact, for a second let’s forget that the store even exists. I want to talk about the owner of Yek O Yek, a proprietor worth visiting just to say hello.
In the short half year I was living in this hipper than thou neighbourhood I discovered quite a few amazing stores that I frequented often (Happy Bats, Toshi Sushi, Slickety Jim’s, etc.) but none left the impression of Yek O Yek. The moment I stepped in and was greeted by the owner I felt a connection that went beyond customer and proprietor. This was a «welcome to my home, please stay a while» kind of feeling. The owner is a persian man with a smile of gold and gleaming eyes. He loves to talk about his culture and food. He will turn you on to his turkish delights, which I had avoided up until that point because of condescending words like «soapy» and «awful tasting». I don’t know what these people were trying, but it sure wasn’t the delectable rose and lemon flavors I was savoring! No matter if it’s a quick buy or a long sampling affair he always gives a genuine smile that says «I look forward to your next visit», and I return with a smile that says «I will be back sooner than later».
I always buy from the great deli counter selection. Their baba ganouj is the best I have tried in the city with just the right kick of smoky and mint aromas. Their persian olive, walnut, and pomegranate tapenade is such a unique combination of contrasting flavors that work all too well. The tabouleh salad, dolmades, falafels, feta, halvah, etc. There are so many amazing treats to try that this already too long review would become unbearable.
This is the kind of store I had been looking so long for. The kind of store that shouts «this is MY neighbourhood!» because you know you have found a most unique place that does not exist elsewhere in the city. Most importantly though, talk to the owner and you will see his insta-​charm personality is as big as the nan-​e barbari he sells.