South End Food Emporium

The South End Food Emporium is one of my favorite things about living in this neighborhood. Its presence allows us to feel like we’re living in a small town, right in the middle of the bustling city. Al Desta (the owner) has been here longer than most and loves to chat about the history of the neighborhood and tell stories about other long-​time residents. Grabbing a coffee on a cold morning and chatting about our families and this area that we love so much is a hallmark of a good day; every mom (and frequently dad!) at my daughter’s bus stop makes the daily trek there for the same great coffee and good cheer. My kids and I are in there at least twice a day during the school year and the whole staff knows us well. When not stopping in but walking by the store my kids and I throw up a hearty wave and receive five back in return.
I’ve been very pleased to also see the Emporium transform over the past year+ into a shop with more specialty items and health foods that we seek out. More and more every day we get our daily items there, like organic milk, cage free eggs, whole grain breads and pastas, specialty cheeses, Ethiopian coffee for the hubby, and more. (It’s also the only place that had freshly-​cut watermelon all winter long last year, and that’s a staple in our house.) We’ve also been able to order items from the Emporium that they do not normally carry and that I have not been able to get anywhere else, like precut Dubliner cheese made by Kerrygold.
Last, it’s important to note that Al contributes a great deal to the neighborhood. Over the years I have been responsible for organizing a number of community events through Titus Sparrow Park and Al never ceases to offer to donate goods from his store and haul away trash at the end of the events. He and his wife, and other staff members, are also very involved with USES, a vital and vibrant non-​profit community center in this neighborhood that serves multiple privileged and disadvantaged groups year round. In short, I like that my business at the Emporium is going to such a great group of people.
It is these many reasons that keep us coming to the Emporium. But in the end, it’s mostly because we are known there, and in a big city that counts for a lot.

Nice little corner market, with excellent coffee (also among the cheapest in the neighborhood).

I must say in this grocery I didn’t find what I was looking for, they have lots of fruits, vegetables and cooked food, but not so fresh in my opinion.
Staff is not the most friendly one, but it’s ok. I think I’m not going to come back here as it didn’t meet my expectations.

The bald guy who makes the sandwiches has very poor customer service skills. He stands 15 ft away while taking your order, doesn’t look at you, and replies in a pissed-​off tone when you ask for a condiment they don’t have. If you order 2 sandwiches, he asks for the toppings for both all at once, and doesn’t repeat the order. It’s no surprise that he messed up my order. Terrible service.

I have come here twice to get berbere. The first time, they were out. The second time, they had it ($ 10 /​half pound). When I finally got around to tasting it and cooking with it, I was quite disappointed with its quality. It tastes more or less like ground chiles and salt, lacking the warm, distinctive aroma of the Frontier brand which can be bought at Harvest (when it’s in stock…) or online. Plus, it is cheapened with salt. Save yourself some money and just buy the Frontier brand elsewhere.

Way too expensive. I get its convenience of location but for a short walk you can hit Trader Joes and still have healthy options. We were staying at a local apartment place on a trip so we wanted to grab some staples from a grocery store. I highly suggest STAR Market just a short walk. More options and more reasonable cost then any of the other choices.

Great local business, convenience at its best in the South End. They have great fresh produce, fresh bread, and a good assortment of everything you need. The staff has always been helpful and kind. They are always open on holidays, and their extended hours are great. They’ve recently expanded into a bigger space, so it can only get better.

The main reason I come here is to buy green coffee beans. They have Ethiopian Yirgacheffe green coffee beans ($ 5.99/lb), which are easily roasted in a Popcorn air popper like the Popcorn Pumper. Check out my youtube video about that if you’re interested:
Anyway, they also have fresh produce and Ethiopian spices. I once bought a bag of the injera bread but couldn’t finish it all. It was good but just too much for one person to eat in a week. BTW, they also have roasted coffee beans in case you don’t really want to roast your own beans. :) I don’t know how much they charge for those though.
The staff here are very friendly. I ride a scooter and one of the guys told me that I could park it in front of the store. Good to know.

A great little food shop tucked away with a daycare and a drycleaner! They have a small fresh produce section which is so convenient when you don’t want to handle the hustle and bustle of the Copley Shaw’s. The cut and packaged fruit is an excellent value, plus it’s so convenient for fruits like cantaloupe and watermelon. They also feature a deli counter, and make very reasonably priced subs. For those who are interested, they also carry a selection of Ethiopian foods.
A huge step above a convenience store but not quite a little market, this place fills nearly every need I have except for a bottle of wine!

Was here again, got some fresh injera: delicious! I made some Ethiopian food with spices I got from this store before: was a great meal.

Five stars for having both Injera bread and Berbere!!!
South End Food Emporium (SEFE) is a convenience store/​small grocery store so its good for both small Ethiopian goods and light shopping. They also carry fresh produce and their prices are pretty reasonable. Keep in mind however, that Ethnic foods are a little more expensive.

I want to give a big thanks to the South End Food Emporium for their routinely just-​one-​bottle-​left, hidden-​away-​in-​the-​back so, so delicious guava purée. And for being so nice to me while I’ve been randomly shopping here for odds and ends throughout the past three years.
They’ve got fruit, incredible breads, and basically anything to satisfy an impromptu craving (ice cream, candy, frozen dinners, canned soup). Staff is always kind. Have been very grateful (and lucky, really) to have them around the corner.

This place gets 5 stars because it’s the only place I’ve ever been able to find Ethiopian spices (I’ve been looking for months). They are on a stand-​alone shelf that’s easily missed on the left side of the store. They also sell a very large bag of injera bread (at the front counter) that is $ 5 and is perfectly sour!
I bought the berbere spice mix and teff. I made doro wat and my boyfriend rated it as the best meal I’ve made yet. :)

Their sandwiches will suprise you. They make delicious, huge, sandwiches. Hot pepper relish is excellent and they hand chop the pickles before they throw them in there. You wouldn’t expect this to be a great sandwich shop but try it. 5 Stars for the sandwiches, as far as conveinence store goes, they seem pretty standard for the city so, 4 overall.

This place ROCKS! Where else can you get fresh Injera EVERY DAY? YUM! If you are thinking about trying to cook ethiopian food on a whim, because you CRAVE it — then this is one stop shopping. We bought up some key ingredients: berberia, korerima, wot kimem, mitmita… MMMmmmmMMMMmmmmm goooood.
We also got some good cooking advice from them at the store.
We made dura wot, shiro wot and an ethiopian cabbage dish that night and ate it up with the Injera from the store — ZEN — pure ZEN.
I’ve been eating leftovers every day since because I love love love it so much!
Thank you South End Food Emporium!

Only good for the Ethiopian foods they carry, such as injera bread and beriberi powder. Otherwise a waste of space.

Alright, but not a great selection. Good for last minute items. Walk a little farther and you can have everything from Shaw’s Prudential.

It does what it does.
Need to find some last minute grocery items, pet food, snacks, thirst quenchers, cancer sticks, etc? They got it.
Too lazy to walk over to the Shaws at the Pru or lacking the bills for the cash-​only shops in the South End? Don’t worry about it.
They probably have what you need. And they take plastic for purchases over $ 6.
So don’t sweat it. You’ll be fine. Just make your way here for last minute essentials or when cash ain’t yo game. Theygotchooboo.

This isn’t the most convenient neighborhood stop for me, but it’s one I’m certain-​freaking-​ly going to make more often now that I discovered they sell Berbere spice and injera. I mean, seriously.
For your regular foodstuffs, it’s kind of pricey, as small markets tend to be. That’s what you get for convenience, after all. But it doesn’t really matter, ‘cos they got the spices and wonderful bread that I crave. Tonight: Yemsir Wot, me-​style. And I can’t wait.

As with most other convenient stores, they open early and close late. They have a variety of last minute items and that is what makes this store like any other convenient store.
I’m not sure about giving a general convenient store an excellent rating for what it should be as a standard. Thus the average 3 star rating.