Ontario's 'best' grocery stores were revealed and these national chains have competition

The "best" Ontario grocery stores have been revealed in a new ranking.

Some of Canada's most well-known national chains have competition from a few only-in-Ontario retailers!

Narcity recently posted on Facebook and asked, "What do you think the best grocery stores in Ontario are?"

Shoppers in the province shared more than a dozen retailers that are the top places to get groceries.

Walmart and No Frills are tied for first as the "best" grocery store in Ontario.

Then, Farm Boy is in second place in this ranking, according to shoppers in the province.

Farm Boy is a grocery retailer that only has stores in Ontario.

It beat well-known national chains like Costco and Loblaws, and retailers that have locations in a few provinces, like FreshCo.

One shopper told Narcity that Farm Boy is the best grocery store in Ontario for "quality" produce.

Someone else said the retailer is a top choice because of "allergy-friendly food."

Then, Costco and FreshCo are tied for third, according to Ontarians.

"Where I live in Ontario, if you shop in bulk, then I'd say Costco," someone commented.

Another shopper said their favourite grocery store is FreshCo because it has "good prices, unlike Longo's and Metro, and better selection than No Frills or Food Basics."

"I used to shop at No Frills, but now I find that prices are better at FreshCo," one person told Narcity.

According to Ontarians, Food Basics and Fortinos are tied for fourth, and Loblaws and Longo's are tied for fifth as the best grocery stores in the province.

Fortinos and Longo's aren't national chains and only operate stores in Ontario, just like Farm Boy.

"Food Basics is a lot better than it used to be," someone said

After those top grocery stores, Your Independent Grocer, Highland Farms, Real Canadian Superstore, Giant Tiger, Ample and Rabba only got one mention each as being the best in Ontario.

Someone commented that Highland Farms has "great produce" and is a "cheaper" option compared to Metro.

Recently, an analysis of the Canadian grocery market revealed that a lot of Loblaw-owned retailers are the favourite grocery stores of shoppers in Ontario.

That includes Zehrs, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Loblaws, Fortinos and Your Independent Grocer.

All of those grocery stores, except for Zehrs, also made this list of Ontario's "best" grocery stores, according to shoppers.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.