Best Shops to Buy Yam in Liverpool (2026)
You can buy yam, the large starchy tuber used for boiling, frying and pounded yam, at most of Liverpool's African and Caribbean food shops. The best rated are Granby Supermarkets in Toxteth, Ameta Essentials and Harvestfield around County Road, Temmy and Mj Unique on Breck Road, and Matta's on Bold Street in the city centre.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
You can buy yam, the large starchy tuber used for boiling, frying and pounded yam, at most of Liverpool's African and Caribbean food shops. The best rated are Granby Supermarkets in Toxteth, Ameta Essentials and Harvestfield around County Road, Temmy and Mj Unique on Breck Road, and Matta's on Bold Street in the city centre. Remember this is the true African and Caribbean yam, not the orange sweet potato sold as "yam" elsewhere. You can find African food stores near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Yam is a staple in Liverpool's African and Caribbean food shops, so it is easy to find once you know where to look.
- The best rated shops for it sit around Granby Street in Toxteth, County Road in Walton, Breck Road across Everton and Anfield, Kensington, and Bold Street in the city centre.
- The white or puna yam is the one you will usually see, a true tuber with rough brown skin and firm white flesh, not the orange sweet potato sold as "yam" in some shops.
- To find a shop near you across the city, African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops wherever you are.
Few foods say home like a yam. The weight of it in the bag, the firm white flesh under the knife, the pounded yam coming together smooth in the pot, it carries the whole table with it. For many West African and Caribbean families in Liverpool, finding a shop that keeps good, heavy tubers is one of the small comforts of settling in. What we liked across the city is how many of these grocers are run by people who cook the same food themselves and will happily tell you which yam is best this week. That is worth more than any label.
1. Granby Supermarkets An afro-caribbean community store on Granby Street in Toxteth, rated 4.5, and the one shoppers mention yam in by name when they leave a review. That is exactly the sign you want, a shop where the tubers move and the regulars know they can rely on them. It sits in the heart of the old Granby community, so you can pick up your yam alongside the greens, seasonings and everything else the pot needs. You will find it at 83 Granby St, Liverpool L8 2XA.
2. Ameta Essentials African and Caribbean Superstore One of the highest rated shops in the city at 4.8, an afro-caribbean superstore on County Road with the range you would hope for from the name. Shoppers praise it for fresh stock and a proper spread of African and Caribbean staples, which makes it a natural stop for a good, heavy yam and the trimmings to go with it. You will find it at 261 County Rd, Liverpool L4 5PQ.
3. Harvestfield Store A County Road favourite and one of the highest rated African shops in the city at 4.8, run with a clear Nigerian and West African focus, which is just what you want for yam and the swallow that goes with it. Reviewers rate it for fresh stock and hard to find staples, the sort of shop where the tubers are firm and the soup ingredients sit on the same shelf. You will find it at 165-169 County Rd, Liverpool L4 5PB.
4. Minara Farm A busy general African meat and fish market on Prescot Road in Old Swan with a strong 4.7, handy if you are buying the goat, tripe or fish for the pot at the same time as your yam. Reviewers rate it for freshness and value, so it is an easy one stop for the whole meal. You will find it at 4-10 Stanley Building, Prescot Rd, Old Swan, Liverpool L13 3AS.
5. Temmy African Store A well loved Nigerian shop on Breck Road at 4.7, the kind of neighbourhood grocer where regulars come for their yam, dried fish and the rest of the Nigerian pantry. Shoppers mention friendly service and a good, reliable range of staples. You will find it at 292 Breck Rd, Liverpool L5 6QB.
6. Mj Unique Ventures A West African shop just along Breck Road in Anfield, rated 4.7, small but well stocked and rated highly by the people who use it. A good local call for yam and the greens and seasonings that go with it. You will find it at 82 Breck Rd, Anfield, Liverpool L4 2RD.
7. Matta's International Food The Liverpool institution, on Bold Street for around forty years and rated 4.6 across more than a thousand reviews. Its range runs well beyond African food, but the African and Caribbean pantry is proper, and yam sits among it. If you are in the city centre, this is the easy one. You will find it at 51 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4EU.
8. Kensington Superstore A large African and Caribbean grocer on Kensington rated 4.5 across nearly three hundred reviews, with a wide grocery range and the footfall to keep stock turning over. A dependable Kensington choice for yam and the rest of the meal. You will find it at 287 Kensington, Fairfield, Liverpool L7 2RG.
How we picked this list We hold data on the African and Caribbean food shops across the city and ranked them by the rating real shoppers give them on Google, reading the reviews so the strengths we mention are the ones people actually value. We led with the shops whose reviews name yam directly, which is why Granby Supermarkets sits at the top, and we included the well rated African and Caribbean grocers that carry it too. One shop worth a mention outside the top eight is African Caribbean Food store on Townsend Lane in Anfield, whose shoppers name yam and other staples directly in their reviews. Grocers gather fewer reviews than restaurants, so we set a sensible review floor to keep the list fair. Worth saying plainly, the yam in these shops is the true African and Caribbean yam, a large starchy tuber with rough brown skin and firm white flesh, not the orange American sweet potato that is sometimes labelled "yam". Small shops change their hours and stock, so it is worth a quick call before a big trip, and when you buy, pick a tuber that feels heavy and firm for its size.
Where to buy yam in Liverpool The main clusters are Granby Street in Toxteth, County Road in Walton, Breck Road across Everton and Anfield, and Kensington, with Matta's as the city centre landmark. Wherever you are in the city one is rarely far. And if you want the nearest shop to home, African Stores helps you find African food stores near you and Caribbean food stores near you, so you can pick up your yam, dried fish and greens close by.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy yam in Liverpool?
Yam is stocked by most of Liverpool's African and Caribbean food shops. The best rated include Granby Supermarkets in Toxteth, Ameta Essentials and Harvestfield around County Road, Temmy and Mj Unique on Breck Road, and Matta's on Bold Street. African Stores lists African food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks yam.
What is yam, and is it the same as sweet potato?
Yam is a large starchy tuber with rough brown skin and firm white flesh, most often the white or puna variety in the shops here. It is not the same as the orange American "yam", which is really a sweet potato. True yam is boiled, fried as dundun, roasted, made into asaro porridge, or boiled and pounded into pounded yam.
How do I choose a good yam?
Pick a tuber that feels heavy and firm for its size, with unbroken skin and no soft or damp spots. A heavy yam holds more good flesh and keeps better, and the staff in these shops will often help you choose the right one for what you are cooking.
Can I buy pounded yam flour too?
Yes. Alongside the fresh tubers, most of these shops sell instant pounded yam flour, often labelled poundo or yam flour, which you mix with hot water for a quick swallow. If you cannot see it on the shelf, ask in the shop.
How do I find an African food shop near me?
African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks yam and the rest of your ingredients, wherever you are.
