Union Market

This beloved Strathcona neighbourhood market with assorted corner grocery store goods but I come here for these things the most. The shrimp cake, the cod cakes, and the Portuguese custard tarts. Those tarts are arguable the best in Vancouver, while the cod cakes are also excellent. I love shrimp so shrimp cakes are tasty for me too. You can grab a coffee and pickup some grocery items you need including bakery items, milk, some vegetables, etc. The people here are great too. We love coming to this place weekly.

Hidden gem in Strathcona for Portuguese pastries. Will be coming back to try some other treats before the owner retires.

Just visiting and stopped by for breakfast. Got the chicken sausage and spinach strudel. Absolutely amazing food!! Wish I was staying longer so I could come back and try some more of the food items here.

Great coffee, breakfast food and other baked goods. All the staff members are also very nice. Perfect example of a small neighborhood market

Union Food Market was one of the places that's been on my "to try" list for a few years, as finding Portuguese products in Vancouver is bizarrely difficult and I love that it's owned and operated by a Portuguese family. I was in the neighbourhood last week and actually remembered to stop by and check this place out. It's a café and small market front that's a favourite amongst local residents and those passing through. It's quaint, it's charming, and if you don't find what you're looking for you're probably still going to way away with at least a coffee and a pastéis de Belém (the infamous Portuguese custard tarts) for your troubles. I wasn't looking for anything in particular as it wasn't a planned visit, but more to satisfy a curiosity. They have a nice (albeit small) selection of homemade treats for sale (pastéis de bacalhau (salt cod fritters), rissóis (shrimp cakes), coxinha (actually Brazilian, but it's a chicken croquette), pastéis de Belém, malassadas (a fried donut shaped like an elephant's ear with a mild orange taste and covered with cinnamon and sugar), and a mix of regular coffee shop treats (carrot cake, etc) along with their coffee bar. In terms of Portuguese ingredients, they didn't have as much selection as I had hoped - they had piri piri in various forms (dried, pastes, marinade), tinned sardines, olives, olive oil, and then several frozen items which include frozen whole sardines, small portions of bacalhau, linguiça/choriço, and the aforementioned homemade treats that have been packaged and frozen. I recognize that we're still in the throes of COVID-19, which has disrupted everyone's supply chain (amongst other things), so the selection may be better during normal times. For the homemade goods, the prices I think are quite reasonable, but I was quite shocked at the price of other items, such as the bacalhau. A very small package (about the size of my hand, a women's size small) was over $20. I kept thinking I was misreading this as you would need to buy about 2-3 (or more...) packages to make one recipe of bacalhau. Cod is the very essence of Portugal, particularly salt cod (bacalhau), but the price here is extremely cost-prohibitive and not feasible for those who enjoy it on a regular basis. The frozen whole sardines, on the other hand, seemed to be a reasonable price - about 3 large sardines were around $8. We left with 2 pastéis de Belém and a malassada to enjoy later that day. The pastéis was delicious, and should be enjoyed warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon. The malassada we found to be quite thin and dry - I imagine if you're stopping by in the morning when they're freshly fried they would be excellent. All in all, it's a cozy neighbourhood favourite that I would recommend if you're in the area with time for a coffee, a treat, and a chat while people watching. In terms of specialty goods, I would say it's certainly worth having a browse while you're there though I wouldn't say it's "the" spot I'd recommend to folks looking for Portuguese fare.