by Landon K.

Awesome deli. Great for an inexpensive take-out dinner. They make the pita breads to order.

by Don B.

I lived near this place for 6 years and for some reason, I never made it inside (although I went to the companion liquor store next door PLENTY of times).  Now that I live in BFE (8nd and Division) I finally decided to drop in last week looking for some quick worktime lunch.  JEEZ, I'm a freakin' IDIOT! Why oh why haven't I ever stopped in before?!?This place is great. It's about the size of a smaller local grocery, and carries an eclectic mix of middle-eastern groceries and regular 'ol local groceries. They have a nice sized produce section (something usually lacking in an "ethnic" grocery), and a fairly large food and beverage selection. They have all sorts of interesting drinks like Looza, Vimto, and some with no English on them whatsoever. They carry a wide variety of all things Mediterranean and middle-eastern, including extra cobra heads for your hookah needs. They have a nice selection of hard-to-find items. One of the best things about this place, though, is the deli counter. It looks like a deli counter at, say, Market of Choice or a similar gourmet grocery, but most all the options are Lebanese or similar. They have kibbeh, fatoush, baba ghanouj, hummus, lebanese potato salad, those (can't remember the name) ground-beef-wrapped-in-cabbage-and-cooked-in-tomat o-sauce things, grape leaves, bean dishes, etc, etc, etc. So many options! AHHHH!! What do I eat?!?!? My head is spinning!!! Uh, can I have one of EVERYTHING? Or, maybe just a taste of everything?!!!Their hummus is 10x better than any of those nasty pre-made store-bought types (the ones you find next to the spinach artichoke dip in your regular grocer's cooler) and a similar-sized container was only $2.50!  Everything I tried was fantastic, and I was able to get a whole array of food (way way too much) for the price of a normal, run-of-the-mill lunch anywhere else.  They also do wood-fired-bbq every Thurs/Fri.This place rules. It's close-in enough to be considered close to downtown, but is at the crux of Capital Hwy and Barbur - so it is easily accessed from Tigard, Capitol Hill, LO, and various other places.  This   makes World Foods an oasis (pun intended) in what is otherwise a wasteland of bad suburban corporate food and bad corporate groceries. I am stoked to have found this place (even so late in the game) and will be visiting very very often, even if only for the almost-restaurant-quality hummus!!

by lucia j.

I live a stone's throw away from this place so I am here all the time, but it's definitely not my favorite ethnic food store.  This place gets an official 3.5 stars from me but I'll round up since the owners are nice and without this place I would have to trek to the eastside or far westside on public transport for Belgium chocolate and tvorog.  Some things they are really five-star on and other things, not so much.  Since the owners also own Ya Hala they serve the same food in the deli as they do in the restaurant.  You can also order stuff proper from a menu, and they have some battered tables and chairs outside but it does cost the same as at Ya Hala, minus the restaurant part.What's interesting to me is that, outside of the deli, the food isn't specifically middle eastern but rather a mix of everything.  As a German and Belgium chocolate fan, their chocolate bar and candy bar section is better than all of the other stores I've been in, and they sell Violet Crumble on good days.  The produce section I would skip altogether; it's more expensive than at regular grocers and they don't have any exotic produce.  Don't miss the Jelly Belly jelly-bean-dispensers-turned-bulk-bins though.  There is a hispanic food section, which I kind of wish they would get rid of since there is a much better selection of hispanic food at regular grocery stores and they could use the space for more mid-eastern things.  The breads can be diverse or not, depending on the day.  Usually it is Ararat and Grand Central, and they have what is supposed to be Lavash but definitely doesn't taste as good as the stuff you can get at Anoush.  And, even though I am hesitant to say this because the owners are so friendly, their sliced meats and cheese section is extremely limited and sometimes they smell really bad.  Like someone farted in a wet, dirty sock.  I have no idea what it is and it doesn't always smell, but when it does it's unbearable and I have to throw it out.The only thing that keeps me from giving this place a 4 or 5 star rating is that there is always something I want but they don't have.  My requests are not really outlandish, it's just that they only have a sampling of a ton of different ethnic products and they aren't really focused.  They have a ton of Hungarian feta, but no Hungarian paprika.  Their bean selection is large, but fava beans are nowhere to be found.  They don't have any European or Persian yogurt, it's all Swiss style.  It's a great store to leisurely browse, but if you're looking for something specific call in advance before you go.

by Geoff B.

This place is simply incredible. Any imported european or middle eastern food you want, they probably have it. And the produce section is a thing of wonder. But the real reason to visit is for the deli. Some of the best Lebonese food I have ever had. On the same scale as Nicolas in Southeast, except you take it home for dinner. Many an evening have I gone and ordered fresh pita, hummus, babaganoush, mujadara (oh my god, the mujadara), and some of their cheese pies. Then there's the baklava. So rich, so wonderful. I'm goinng to stop before I salivate all over my keyboard.

by Andrea S.

This is the coolest little market ever.  It's been there for about 1000 years, it's kind of crowded, and a little spendy, but they have a tremendous selection of hard-to-find items and oddities alongside the standard grocery store stuff.  If you have a recipe requiring some sort of exotic ingredient, you might just find it here.  They have a large selection of organics, and a deli section where you can get hot pita from their little brick oven.

by Christine D.

This market has been nearby my house ever since I've lived in the neighborhood.  Strange but I rarely stop by here.  I think it might be the access to the roadways before and after is a little difficult.  I think that's probably why.I stopped in there this past Friday and it was busy everyone buying just a couple of items.  I noticed that they were conducting a wine tasting nearby the the cheese section.  If I had had more time I would have joined in.Nice selection of cheeses and chocolates.  I'll check it out more next time.

by Ajia T.

Simply put, I would be lost without Barbur World Foods.  I am often in the aisles, so do say hi if you see me...the owner is also often walking around and, although I can't recall his name right now, he's very friendly and always asks if I need anything.  Over the years, I've actually mentioned things I couldn't find and found them on my next visit!  And once, when I clumsily dropped a bottle of wine in the parking lot, they actually gave me a replacement.  No charge.  I mean, whoa.  Can't get that level of service, well...anywhere.  If you're looking for Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern foods, this is the place.  I come here mostly for, well...everything.  The deli selection is mouth-watering.  The meat and fish is always fresh and their pre-marinated stuff rocks for grilling.  I have never, ever found fresher produce outside of a farmer's market.  The unique snacks are pretty fun to check out, too.  The wine selection is fantastic.  Most of all, though, I must highly recommend the oft-overlooked, well-stocked and highly diverse beer cooler room in the back of the store.  Those are all good reasons for me to remain local to this grocer, but it's the incredibly friendly staff here who always seem to sense when I need a smile.  :)

by Roman S.

i've become more impressed with this great grocery store.apparently it has the same owners as Ya Hala Lebanese food and i was told that most of the deli items are the same ones they serve at the restaurant.on my most recent trip me and my friends stopped by the deli and we were surprised when the two women working at the deli let us sample most of the things thay offered. the best part was that we didn't even ask - they just started handing out samples. now i'm in love with their hummus (it's lemony).if you still haven't been to this place - go This market is great. It's got a unique selection. The deli makes amazing food definitely worth…

by bobby d.

This time i went back for the deli food (lunch). I ordered one of each of about 6 or 7 different deli items. They were all really good and the cost for some items was about $1.25 each. The service was very good and the counter people were very happy to explain the ingredients etc.I will definitely be going back. There is a larger parking lot on the south side of the building i didn't see before. Parking was no problem at all. This is an international type food store specializing in middle eastern style foods. This store has…

by Kenneth H.

This is a fine neighborhood supermarket.  I really like the deli section as it rocks the bomb middle eastern fare.  Make sure you pick up some fresh pita for 50 cents cause it's warm, fresh, and really goes great with everything.  Although the butchers aren't as talkative as those at New Seasons they have great skewers of meat ready to go for your BBQ.  Most first time visitors miss the pretty awesome walk in cooler FULL of beer.  I purchase produce here, but only because it is walking distance to my house, not because it is very good.  Overall I dig the middle eastern vibe of this place, minus one star for kinda weak produce and minus one star for sometimes steep prices.  Although they do get props for being open pretty late.

by Lana G.

We can only agree with the other reviews. The emphasis is on middle eastern food within a neighborhood supermarket. The deli is outstanding, clearly superior to those at the major chains. The selection of medium-priced wines is substantial and excellent, with a strong emphasis on Oregon wines, especially Oregon Pinots. In addition, this is the place to look for those super bargain wines you sometimes read about in the paper but can never find at the major chains.

by Kathleen B.

Hmm. On the one hand, I am sitting here with a healthy case of Shwerma Hands after my first visit to World Foods. (Shwerma Hands: the smell of shwerma meat and sauce that lingers on the hands, impervious to washing, for 2-24 hours post-shwerma.) I haven't had that in a while (I miss you Mediterranean Wraps!) so that's a good thing. My chicken shwerma sandwich was very tasty, even if they took a long time in making it (what were they doing back there?)On the other hand, I had pretty high expectations for this place. I was expecting a Euro/world foods grocery with a kickin' produce section, ridiculously good prices, spices galore, etc, a la Milkpail Market (I miss you, Milk Pail!). In this sense the store didn't quite deliver. The grocery had a bit of a run-down feel. And while their selection is good and they do offer some ethnic foods not easily found elsewhere (as well as a good cookies/chocolate section), the majority of the stuff they carry is exactly what you can get elsewhere, and the prices aren't anything special. I don't think I'd make a special trip back, unless it was for a shwerma sandwich or one of the marinated meats in their deli-case; those looked like they'd make a good dinner.

by Brandon T.

I have been to this place a couple of times and even talked to the owner once or twice. My opinion is that this is a very well run and very well stocked store, even though they don't carry miso paste and a lot of the stuff is overpriced.On top of the grocery aspect there is a small food counter which serves quite a range of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. Several people have talked of how great the hummus is and I have to concur. In fact one of the reasons I first came here was because I heard how great the hummus was. I have tried a lot of hummus in my few years and this stuff definitely ranked up there as some of the best, though I do think it could use a little garlic.I am a fan of this place and I am sure my view will only improve the more I get acquainted with it.

by kristin e.

I live really close by to this market and it's a good thing that I do because I'm starting to like this place a lot. First of all, for store called "World Foods", it's sells primarily Middle Eastern/European/Mediterranean ingredients though you can easily add Cheetos or Cinnamon Toast Crunch into your shopping basket alongside your huge bottle garam masala and your jar of tahini. The prices on their produce are very reasonable and the owner is really friendly. He'll never hesitate to assist you if you can't seem to find a certain item. I can't say that the prices are reasonable for all other items because I did buy a package of quinoa for $12 while I saw the same package at another store for under $4. So while I know to get quinoa elsewhere or even in bulk, I still enjoy coming here for the other things that this little shop has to offer.

by Eddie W.

For lunch, my friend and I decided to come to Barbur World Foods because she claimed that they serve the best chicken shwarma plate I will ever have. It was certainly a bold statement,  one that I hoped would be true. As we walk up to the deli counter I saw a large array of delicacies inside the glass casing. With such a large assortment I found it quite difficult to pick just a few. As we waited for our shwarma plate, I finally chose a few morsels to accompany our main meal. I cant recall what I ordered but the only one that stood out to me was a triangle shaped pastry filled with potato beef. Everything else was a-ok, I think its a matter of personal cultural taste more so than it being bad or good.As for the shwarma plate, it was both plentiful and delicious. I think my biggest issue was with the hummus. While I do like hummus, I felt that it overpowered the delicate flavors in the chicken. I much prefer my hummus on the side with some pita bread rather than as part of the whole meal. Anyways, thats more of a personal preference than a criticism of their food. Overall, I am glad to say that my friend didnt disappoint me

by Stanley T.

Originally went here looking for fava beans. Boy, did we find fava beans! Fresh ones. Three or four varieties of dried ones. At least a dozen varieties in cans. The primary thrust of the place is Middle Eastern, but they have a pretty good selection of Latin American items and other international items as well. The only produce department where I've found fresh garbanzos. Great wine selection. The deli is to die for. The hummus and tabouli are as good as at my favorite Lebanese restaurant (in fact, I have a sneaking suspicion they may get theirs from BWF!).The only thing that keeps me from awarding 5 stars is QC on some of their fresh items. Once it was apricots that were less than palatable (luckily we tried one [with permission] and didn't buy). Another time there was some good looking red snapper that we rejected on a Ronda sniff test. Don't let this keep you away - it's really one of my favorite places.

by Mike W.

I discovered this treasure last week after passing it over 100 times. It's outside appearance had no attraction to me and this is one place that proves the book is much richer than the cover. The store made sausages looked great, all the meats look as fresh as you can get, and the produce was clean, fresh, and fairly priced. I stopped in today for salami, a gallon of olive oil, some vegetables, milk, and of course a pop up Popsicle for Dylan. The isles are lined with foreign sauces, jellies, mixes, dried seeds, beans, fruits, and a huge amount of spices. There was at least ten different olive oils in the gallon cans and twenty others that look very rare and yummy. If I wanted to impress a beautiful Italian hottie I would have bought the Italian import in the clay bottle wrapped in olive leaves. They have a 50 foot long wall of almost all imported wine. In the back there was two pallets of pita bread at $1.60 a 5 pack, cheap to me. And they have Armenian Handkerchief Flat bread, yummy, I am craving dinner now.

by Rachel S.

Best Family Owned Grocery!  The absolute best hummus in thetown! Great Produce, excellent wine selection, and the coldestfreezer full of specialty beers.  I make a trip once a month from Northeast Portland to do my grocery shopping here.

by Ted H.

The produce at this market is reasonably priced which I absolutely am a returning fan of.  When things are in season, like peaches or citrus or plums you can bet they will taste great besides being of fair price.  I have made many a peach cobbler with their peaches: delicious!This store is like a modern museum of what's for sale world wide. Sure, Trader Joe's is special, however this store has the exotic with a middle eastern twist.  You can find Ju Ju Bees from Saudi Arabia even!!!  The prices aren't cheap; you must go their for the fun of it alone!  I had to go and get my winter groceries for $90.00 (which normally would have cost me $55.00 at Fred Myer) since I only had flimsy cables on my tires and was only able to travel at a speed of 35!  But hey, I was glad to return home with food during a scary new snow season!

by Ted H.Rachel S.Mike W.

The produce at this market is reasonably priced which I absolutely am a returning fan of.  When things are in season, like peaches or citrus or plums you can bet they will taste great besides being of fair price.  I have made many a peach cobbler with their peaches: delicious!This store is like a modern museum of what's for sale world wide. Sure, Trader Joe's is special, however this store has the exotic with a middle eastern twist.  You can find Ju Ju Bees from Saudi Arabia even!!!  The prices aren't cheap; you must go their for the fun of it alone!  I had to go and get my winter groceries for $90.00 (which normally would have cost me $55.00 at Fred Myer) since I only had flimsy cables on my tires and was only able to travel at a speed of 35!  But hey, I was glad to return home with food during a scary new snow season!Best Family Owned Grocery!  The absolute best hummus in thetown! Great Produce, excellent wine selection, and the coldestfreezer full of specialty beers.  I make a trip once a month from Northeast Portland to do my grocery shopping here.I discovered this treasure last week after passing it over 100 times. It's outside appearance had no attraction to me and this is one place that proves the book is much richer than the cover. The store made sausages looked great, all the meats look as fresh as you can get, and the produce was clean, fresh, and fairly priced. I stopped in today for salami, a gallon of olive oil, some vegetables, milk, and of course a pop up Popsicle for Dylan. The isles are lined with foreign sauces, jellies, mixes, dried seeds, beans, fruits, and a huge amount of spices. There was at least ten different olive oils in the gallon cans and twenty others that look very rare and yummy. If I wanted to impress a beautiful Italian hottie I would have bought the Italian import in the clay bottle wrapped in olive leaves. They have a 50 foot long wall of almost all imported wine. In the back there was two pallets of pita bread at $1.60 a 5 pack, cheap to me. And they have Armenian Handkerchief Flat bread, yummy, I am craving dinner now.

by Ted H.Rachel S.Mike W.Stanley T.Eddie W.

The produce at this market is reasonably priced which I absolutely am a returning fan of.  When things are in season, like peaches or citrus or plums you can bet they will taste great besides being of fair price.  I have made many a peach cobbler with their peaches: delicious!This store is like a modern museum of what's for sale world wide. Sure, Trader Joe's is special, however this store has the exotic with a middle eastern twist.  You can find Ju Ju Bees from Saudi Arabia even!!!  The prices aren't cheap; you must go their for the fun of it alone!  I had to go and get my winter groceries for $90.00 (which normally would have cost me $55.00 at Fred Myer) since I only had flimsy cables on my tires and was only able to travel at a speed of 35!  But hey, I was glad to return home with food during a scary new snow season!Best Family Owned Grocery!  The absolute best hummus in thetown! Great Produce, excellent wine selection, and the coldestfreezer full of specialty beers.  I make a trip once a month from Northeast Portland to do my grocery shopping here.I discovered this treasure last week after passing it over 100 times. It's outside appearance had no attraction to me and this is one place that proves the book is much richer than the cover. The store made sausages looked great, all the meats look as fresh as you can get, and the produce was clean, fresh, and fairly priced. I stopped in today for salami, a gallon of olive oil, some vegetables, milk, and of course a pop up Popsicle for Dylan. The isles are lined with foreign sauces, jellies, mixes, dried seeds, beans, fruits, and a huge amount of spices. There was at least ten different olive oils in the gallon cans and twenty others that look very rare and yummy. If I wanted to impress a beautiful Italian hottie I would have bought the Italian import in the clay bottle wrapped in olive leaves. They have a 50 foot long wall of almost all imported wine. In the back there was two pallets of pita bread at $1.60 a 5 pack, cheap to me. And they have Armenian Handkerchief Flat bread, yummy, I am craving dinner now.Originally went here looking for fava beans. Boy, did we find fava beans! Fresh ones. Three or four varieties of dried ones. At least a dozen varieties in cans. The primary thrust of the place is Middle Eastern, but they have a pretty good selection of Latin American items and other international items as well. The only produce department where I've found fresh garbanzos. Great wine selection. The deli is to die for. The hummus and tabouli are as good as at my favorite Lebanese restaurant (in fact, I have a sneaking suspicion they may get theirs from BWF!).The only thing that keeps me from awarding 5 stars is QC on some of their fresh items. Once it was apricots that were less than palatable (luckily we tried one [with permission] and didn't buy). Another time there was some good looking red snapper that we rejected on a Ronda sniff test. Don't let this keep you away - it's really one of my favorite places.For lunch, my friend and I decided to come to Barbur World Foods because she claimed that they serve the best chicken shwarma plate I will ever have. It was certainly a bold statement,  one that I hoped would be true. As we walk up to the deli counter I saw a large array of delicacies inside the glass casing. With such a large assortment I found it quite difficult to pick just a few. As we waited for our shwarma plate, I finally chose a few morsels to accompany our main meal. I cant recall what I ordered but the only one that stood out to me was a triangle shaped pastry filled with potato beef. Everything else was a-ok, I think its a matter of personal cultural taste more so than it being bad or good.As for the shwarma plate, it was both plentiful and delicious. I think my biggest issue was with the hummus. While I do like hummus, I felt that it overpowered the delicate flavors in the chicken. I much prefer my hummus on the side with some pita bread rather than as part of the whole meal. Anyways, thats more of a personal preference than a criticism of their food. Overall, I am glad to say that my friend didnt disappoint me