Groceries

Orange Street Food Farm: where the beer is cheap (Kaimin pick)

Compared to Albertsons or Safeway, Orange Street Food Farm has a large selection of groceries without the guilt of going corporate. Locally owned and operated, it's a bit of a trek from campus to its location on Orange and Fifth, but has some hidden treasures among its traditional grocery fare. It's well known that Orange Street is the place to go for 89-cent beers (a dream come true for college students), but the store also has a large variety of ethnic food imports and some local products, including a Le Petit Outre bakery "outlet." Look to the back of the store for these gems. There's no preferred customer membership for guaranteed low prices; they're always low and affordable. When paying, you're given the option of paper or plastic, but both your options are biodegradable. You can't get more guilt-free than that.

The Good Food Store: where everything that shines is organic

The Good Food Store is a non-profit organization that provides local and organic products to the Missoula area, but that doesn't mean it's cheap. Located a short drive from campus, the store seems to glitter among neighboring buildings, as if to say, "This is where the good stuff is." Everything does, in fact, look pretty: fruits and vegetables show off their color, the aisles are always neat, and we have yet to hear any clean-up messages over the intercom. The gluten-free gummy bears are a shopper's guilty pleasure (the price can cause sticker shock considering it's just candy, but they're worth it). The Good Food Store has traditional grocery store nooks and a swanky deli. Just be willing to pay slightly higher prices in exchange for quality.

Grizzly Grocery: the place to make the beer run

Located near the corner of Beckwith and Higgins, Grizzly Grocery is the definition of convenience store: close to campus, stocked with everything you need to satisfy your cravings and open late. Griz Grocery carries the essentials, from shampoo to beer to pretty much any food with a long shelf life. What it lacks in selection, it makes up for with a wall-length beer cooler and an entire aisle dedicated to wine.

Missoula farmers market: where you meet your farmer

More than 100 vendors congregate in Circle Square at the end of Higgins every Saturday morning (8:30 to noon) to sell fresh produce, baked goods and coffee, which are all locally grown or made. While many farmers markets could be pegged as pricey, broke UM students can easily afford the prices here. Fruits and vegetables are cheaper than any brick-and-mortar grocery store in town and the selection is fantastic. Plus, the market recently cultivated a credit and debit card stand for those who don't carry cash; transactions are made in $5 increments and can be used at any booth. While just about every city seems to have a local market event on the weekends, Missoula's is a community coming-together event and the people there make it a unique experience. Remember to get there sooner than later; farmers market only runs through Oct. 22..

Worden's: the place for fancy Ramen

Worden's is well known in the area as an excellent sandwich shop, but just beyond the store's miniature restaurant is the place to stock up on quirky products. Worden's has become a mainstay downtown and a piece of history — a great place to grab lunch, find food you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else and stock up on beer and wine from all over the world. Compared to traditional grocery stores, Worden's only dedicates a small area to groceries, but uses the rest of its space for things you can't find anywhere else. There's no rhyme or reason to what Worden's stocks, beyond what customers ask for. The most popular import are instant fried noodles, which are combined with a sauce and described simply as "fancy ramen."