Unicorn Grocery

Fab place for delicious, fresh, organic veg and a few other tasty treats along the way. Own-grown & locally sourced where possible, a brilliant place to shop. (Vegan shop so don’t go asking for meat or dairy etc)

One of my favorite Manchester shops, love the healthy, organic, close to home food (much of it labled up - what farm its come from and how many miles away), and unusual foodstuffs on every shelf. There is a tangible feel good atmosphere here of well being and health vibes! Here and the equally wonderful Barbican across the road, make for a very lovely Saturday morning shop!

Honest to God last night I was eating my burger and you'll never guess what I tasted, thats right fucking horse meat. I spewed up on the spot and I marched like a bloody soldier straight back to this disgrace that is known as a 'Grocery store' and the bloody fat cow on the till didn't even refund me for my burger. Christ almighty I was in tears. Our David couldn't believe it when I told him I'll tell you. Never in my life will I be revisiting this load of shite. Pardon my French.

The ultimate place to shop! you can buy anything they stock knowing you're helping support a more sustainable world and happier people.

Amazing prices, amazing food and an eye opener if you've only ever been to asda...

very big

I dont like organic food, it is tasteless.

A place selling organic food. Great we have one.

This place is great. Mr Scruff brand tea, that'll do nicely!!!

Everything under one roof.Even though it's bit pricey,it saves our time.Thank You

Thank goodness there’s a direct Metrolink service to Chorlton from North Manchester. Please Unicorn let’s have a branch up North!! This has to be one of the best grocery shops in the North West, up to date with bar code scanning and accepts plastic too. Just keep up the good work.

amazing gold mine of a place- prices i think are fair based on quality and ethical organic ethos.
staff pleasant
little play area and free apples for kids ,there even encouraged to the put the apple for compost/recycle when theyve ate it.
great selection of booze.
good location
co op atm outside
only minor thing if i was forced to find something is theres some very funny (ie weird) people go in there ,never blink ,hessian clothes-bobble hats-peruvian curly shoes and a disturbingly ruddy complexion with often buck toothed bespectacled spouse in tow. but hey were all different and they prob laugh at me as an urchin. happy shopping

Love this place, though prices are higher than non-organic versions in supermarkets, they more than compete with any supermarket for the organic produce, and it’s all so fresh and local.
Yum Yum.

Unicorn is fantastic, great shopping experience, ethical sourcing, quality food and my kids enjoy playing in the play area.

Ah.

The Unicorn.

Rightly derided by absolutely everyone who doesn't live in Chorlton.

Yep, this place is the go-to insult if you want to pick on people who live in Manchester's most fashionable borough.

It is the class goody-two-shoes. It's so ethical that even Bono would avert his pink little eyes. It's fair-trade, eco-friendly, organic and the staff are probably recycled from previous staff who have died thin, disease-free and 800 years old. Or something.

It is consistently held up as being a truly great independent shop which flies in the face of those big nasty mondo-marts that want to cash in on the profitable area of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Not that Morrison's has ruined the place, but whose counting?

It's so bloody virtuous that it's incredibly difficult to not constantly berate the place. I mean, a friend of mine was found thrilling about some beans he bought there because they had cinnamon in them. That's an open-goal for a braying idiot like me.

Not to mention the time I went and there was a sign on the door saying 'HUMMUS - SOLD OUT'.

With peace of mind comes an unbearable smugness with many of the shoppers here, all walking, talking doll versions of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall in tiny hemp trousers.

Which leads me to conclude that, of course, this place is brilliant and naturally, we need places like this in our lives... but should we stop poking fun at them?

Absolutely not. It's more fun that eating one of those cider-soaked groat pies that they sell.

Whenever you tell someone you live in Chorlton, the first thing that comes out of their mouth is 'do you shop at The Unicorn?' I've even seen rental advertisements which advertise their locality to it as a virtue. It really is one of those places which is at the cornerstone of local Chorlton life, and in doing so, reinforces a few of the stereotypes about the kind of people who live in this little corner of South Manchester.

The Unicorn is the absolute antithesis of supermarkets - and is as far as you can get from the rather grotty looking Morrisons situated at the other end of Albany Road with its rows upon rows of pre packaged, rather grey looking meat. All of the produce sold here is free trade, organically sourced, and - most importantly - vegan. Do be sure not to ask the person stocking the shelves where the eggs, sugar or milk are kept, as you'll be met with a rather confused - if polite - look.

Back when I lived in Chorlton, I loved the Unicorn for two important reasons. Firstly, it has the best range of spices, pulses and grains I've ever seen in one place and secondly, they took cheques - which was great for a poor freelancer like me as it meant I could buy food from there before my most recent pay cheque got swallowed up by my overdraft. Even the sandwiches, pies, soups and pasties from their deli counter were virtuous - and usually, if they were dipped in enough hoummus, delicious to boot.

The Unicorn also stocks an extensive selection of booze - most of it rather interesting looking artisan brewed ales, ciders and organic spirits and wines. However, I did once buy a bottle of Hemp Lager here because it was on sale for 10p. I wouldn't repeat that experience again in a hurry - mainly because it was absolutely bloody rank.

Prices here do tend to be a little on the high side, but then again, you do get what you pay for - in this case, the peace of mind that the stuff you're shovelling down your gullett was made by happy producers being paid a decent wage. However, if you're feeling distinctly light of pocket, if you go in there at the end of the day, you're sure to pick up a discounted bargain or two.

Whilst some may deride The Unicorn for being the home of yoghurt knitting hippies, it is a real one of a kind supermarket. It won 'Supermarket of the Year' in the Observer Food Awards recently, and it's not difficult to see why. It really is one of the best things about living in Chorlton. Oh - and it has its own farm on its roof. You don't find that with Tesco's!

Quite expensive but definitely worth it. This is probably the best supermarket I've ever been in and I'm not even a vegetarian. Really good range and everything is superb quality.

Wonderful if everyway and the prices are very competitive too.

Everything in Unicorn looks good and yummy (the food of course). Price-wise, this is avordable. Environmental friendly, organic, vegetarian (and vegan!), friendly staff. The message board outside is useful. And don't worry if you forgot to bring your recycled bag or bag for life, because they always have cardboard boxes, used plastic bags.

Being veggie and keen to make as little negative impact on both the planet and my own body as possible, Unicorn has now become my primary supermarket, despite the sometimes guilt inducing prices…

For bulk buys of dried fruit, grains, cereals, spices and most vegetables, Unicorn is usually a very good deal.

On the other hand, although admittedly expensive, other, more specialised or pre-made produce is hard to find anywhere else and is primarily fair trade and ethically sourced.

The staff are pleasant (though beware, they’ll snap your head off if you make the mistake of asking for [non-vegan] honey!) and the atmosphere is a welcome change from the glaring lights and looming aisles of Tesco and friends.

Expect a hefty bill but take solace in the fact that you have made the tasty, healthy and ethical choice…

Yay for the Unicorn! When thinking about going to a fair-trade, organic, farm-shop type place near to a city centre, you might imagine that it would be fairly sparsely stocked and terribly over-priced, populated by horribly liberal people who only eat vegan yoghurt and seeds for every meal. But you would be so so wrong. This is a great shop - full of all sorts of locally produced fruit and veg, with a board outside telling you exactly what’s in season (and therefore what should be most tasty and cheap), and it also has a great selection of tinned and dried goods too. It is not terribly expensive either - I’ve spent more in the supermarket - and has a great selection of salads.
Only problem is that you have to drive through Chorlton to get there (which can be a bit of a nightmare, trafficwise), although while you’re there, pop across the road to Pi for your tea and make the trip worth it!