In the jail cell Snow White is thrown into, there are Mickey Mouse silhouette cutouts on the top corners.
The book that Mary Margaret is reading when David comes into the coffee shop is "The Mysterious Island" by Jules Verne. This book is also featured in Tiny (2013) when Ruby gives a copy to Belle.
According to the signage inside the grocery store where Mary Margaret is shopping, the store is named Dark Star Pharmacy. This is a reference to the song Dark Star by Grateful Dead. Once Upon a Time co-creator Edward Kitsis is a noted fan of the rock band.
When talking about his job at the animal shelter, David jokingly remarks that the apes haven't taken over, and Mary Margaret adds, "yet", a shout-out to the 2011 movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which takes place partially in a primate shelter. The movie was released three months before the show premiered.
Several different birds doubled as the injured dove that Mary Margaret rescues. The bird used to film the scene where Mary Margaret finds the injured dove is called Chester. Another bird is called Buster. The birds were real homing pigeons, and when they were released they flew to their home several hours away. The rest of the flock were CGI.