International Foods and Spices

4 (albeit small) frozen masala dosas for $ 1.99…wha? There are so many things here I can’t find elsewhere like a huge variety of Indian breads, frozen meals, samosas, spices, lentils, chutnies… I looked for weeks for fava beans and finally found them here. A must go for any adventurous shopper.

Another nearby Indian grocery store. Quick one stop shop for grocery but the restaurant doesn’t look at all. Only by looking at the food I can say it’s a big NO!!!

I find it surprising that Philadelphia doesn’t have more options for Indian groceries, but within those I’ve found International Foods and Spices offers the best selection.
The prices have increased recently, but food prices have increased across the board; and I have found some outdated items, but I can only assume that’s because there’s not enough turnover, and I’d rather have the option to buy outdated than to not be able to buy it at all. My only other complaint is that the pricing for the produce is hard to figure out, and quite a few items in the regular section are not tagged at all.
On the up side, it’s fairly well kept, the selection is very good, and the staff is more than willing to help you find what you need. And let’s not forget those home-​made samosas!!!

Very cheap prices. Wide variety and authentic. They have everything from spices to shisha. Shisha is on the pricer side, other than that, pretty reasonable. The woman at the counter is quiet but helpful if you need her. This is a specialty store so remember that when coming in, don’t expect to knock out your entire grocery list. They have a large Indian focus with items you can’t get at your typical whole foods or shoprite. I didn’t get any sweets but they looked good and people were buying them. Lebneh was only $ 2.00. It is located right next to the ⁷⁄₁₁ and there is parking out front.

Went there for the Indian groceries. Did not have time to try the food, but definitely going back for that later. Grocery prices are reasonable with a good selection. The Indian spices for cooking are good value.
The store looks like it’s family owned and operated. Other than the young indian man behind the counter, I don’t think the rest of the people working at the store spoke much english and do not engage in small talk. This is probably why other reviewers felt that the staff was unfriendly. I did have to wait a minute at checkout counter until someone showed up to ring me up. But once he was there, he was friendly and helpful. But this is a family owned grocery store first, so I wouldn’t expect resturant levels of service.

This is a review of one aspect of this international food store concentrating on the foods of the Indian subcontinent. It is the hot summertime now in Philadelphia and International Foods and Spices has Kulfi! Kulfi is the Indian/​Pakistani version of ice cream. It is made by evaporating sweetened milk as opposed to whipping the milk in traditional ice cream so it is much denser. It def takes longer to melt! The Malai flavor (kinda like vanilla) is the most famous but pistachio and mango are also popular. When you buy a Kulfi, you first rub the thicker end of the plastic container between your hands to warm it up and then you can pull down to open it and eat it. Kulfi is def tasty on a hot summer day!

By far the best store in neighborhood.
Very clean, excellent product selection and courteous service.

This is the place to get Indian groceries in Philadelphia. They’ve got such a tremendous selection of legumes, condiments, chaat mixes, nuts and fruits, I find things here that I can find nowhere else in the city. Plus their freezer has some bangin Indian appetizers at a fraction of the price you’d pay anywhere else, and you can get hot samosas for 75¢. But be careful: They are closed on Tuesdays! Plan your week around that my friend.

While the food selections are pretty good and one has a lot of choice, it’s a little annoying that they say they accept cards, yet everytime I’ve been there they always ask if I’ve a debit card when I try to pay with a credit card. And everytime I say no, who ever is behind the counter, their demeanor changes from pleasant to a little upset. But until this time, they have always accepted the credit card when I’ve said I don’t carry a debit card
Once they even lied, I think, that my card was declined. I knew I had enough credit, because it got accepted at another store I went to. I would be fine posting Ruth a debit card if they clearly said they only accept debit card or cash

Like everyone said, your typical Indian grocery store. A lot of stuff was not priced.
The samosas and the vegetable fritters were both delicious! And cheap!!! 75 – 85 cents!
Also got a pack of the Gulab Jamun to take home. They were very yummy!
Will visit again next time in Philly.

Came here with a friend who was looking to buy shisha and realized that this Indian grocery store had the best selection and service in the University City area. The man who owns the grocery store is honest and helpful in picking out shisha and coals.
For the most part, they only stock Al Fakher, Starbuzz and a little bit of Nakhla. The AF is extremely cheap at around 10 dollars for 250g, while the Starbuzz is about 15 – 16. They don’t have a great selection of Nakhla, but it’s at a really good price. Something like 7 dollars for 250g.
For coals, they rotate between brands like Starlight, SmoQuest, Three Kings, and once in a blue moon, Coco-Nara’s.
If you’re a hookah enthusiast in University City who’s not interested in ordering shisha/​coals online, then this is the place for you.

The samosas to go are worth the trip alone. But you can also find any indian spices and ingredients that are difficult to find elsewhere and the prices are very reasonable. The parking is not great in their lot but you can usually find street parking pretty easily. I have to also note that I like spicy food and their buffet profferings do not disappoint– however if you are sensitive to spicy this may not be for you. I have not yet tried any of the frozen offerings but I will definitely be back to do so as it is quite expansive and looks promising. I highly recommend this spot to any indian food lovers.

Gah I wish Unilocal had .5 starring! (more like a 2.5)
This is literally like your normal Indian grocery store: mismatched labels, non-​existent expiry dates, random pricing (sometimes), barely fresh veggies, and a limited selection of certain items. It is definitely a good go to spot for spices, BUT they don’t carry famous brands like Maya, and for Swad, I feel like they only carry a portion of the spices offered. There is a lack of indian vegetables and fruits (NO MANGO?! BABY BANANAS!!! Where are the string beans and sour snake gourd?!). But if you need garam masala in a jiffy like me (and can’t find it at Fresh Grocer), swing by here.
The jaggery though (hard molasses) is sort of light in color, and not very sweet.
The lady at the register is super nice. Unusual thing tho: they actually itemize the receipt! (never have I seen that before at the smaller, non-​chain indian groceries!!)

I’m always searching for stores to buy food and unique ingredients so I’m happy to have found International Foods and Spices. Came in here originally searching for some Tahini and found huge selection of mostly Indian foods, dried beans and rice, spices, Indian flavored snacks, frozen meals and samosas, oils, grains and candy. Small section of milk, eggs, and interesting cheese. Very small selection of produce. A modest selection of hot foods however I question their freshness and holding temperature. I do always get a few hot prepared vegetarian samosas, and at 85 cents a piece these are cheaper than their frozen counterpart.
A great place to browse and find something interesting you never knew existed.
Staff seems a bit unfriendly, but that is probably a cultural thing.

Awesome flavor potato chips, but the bags were dusty and there was no expiration/​manufacture date. There was also an open bag hanging on the chips wrack and that too, was dusty. Given that brief experience, I want to assume this shop is not well maintained and I would go back with extreme hesitation, if at all.

Parking is a negotiation here, but don’t let that stop you. This store is so fun to shop in, it is worth being uneasy about whether or not you’ll have to move your vehicle so someone else can get out.
There’s an excellent selection of (largely but not exclusively) Indian groceries here, long aisles of goodies more extensive than most such stores. Spices out the wazoo… and if you adore Ethiopian injeeras, you can get a nice sack of them to keep you full for days. Good prices on just about everything, including those Indian instant meal in a bag things.

This is a pretty cool spot. Though, I am not sure how International it is. It seems much more Indian than anything else. But they have a huge selection. I went here for a spice I could not find at the local supermarket. I had a recipe for Chicken Vindaloo, an Indian dish. They had it and it was priced well. I can see myself returning to this joint. But to be honest, if I was not sure of what I wanted, I might get lost browsing. I don’t think I know what half the stuff in this place is.

I haven’t tried the samosas that everyone’s raving about, but I like to get yogurt here (the Desi Dahi brand is just like my mom’s homemade yogurt), as well as chapatis, and basic things like onions, tomatoes, frozen grated coconut, green chili peppers, and various spices needed for Indian cooking. For someone who’s new to Indian cooking (or just short on time and energy), the spice mix for chicken curry that comes in a little box with instructions makes it really easy to whip up a delicious chicken curry! There are also spice mixes for biryani and other curries. The one for eggplant curry was just okay — not great.
I also love the selection of Indian pickles — the lime pickle is delicious with rice and ghee (which you can also buy here) or an omelet. Reminds me of home!
I am SO tempted to buy a huge sack of Basmati rice, but I have no way of transporting it without a car :(
Oh, and I think there is a $ 10.00 minimum for credit or debit cards.

As an Indian grocery store, International Foods and Spices is NOTHING to write home about. However, as a place that has Samosa’s to go — and to order in large quantities, I would have given them 5 stars.
The grocery store carries all the regular Indian items — spices, prepared foods, frozen foods, and rice and such. Alll of those are normally priced, nothing special about the stock, etc. They do have an unusually large number of prepared foods — but I’d chalk that up to them being near so many universities where kids would want that sorta thang.
The samosa’s however, are amazing. I love them. Maybe I’m not as good at judging samosa’s anymore — or maybe I just REALLY crave that Indian taste whenever I go there, so I love them. However, I REALLY think that they are good. Be warned though, they are QUITE the spicy. I mean really spicy. I usually go home and eat them with tamarind sauce and yogurt.

On my way to Makkah Market I saw this market place and it instantly piqued my curiosity. And walking in made me realize how perfect it is for fancying up any kitchen. After all one market gives you the chance to load up on delicacies like rose syrup, Indian mustard oil, and Ghee butter. and for the most part all of the prices were fairly reasonable.
They also had a mini food market that I didn’t utilize since I had a Falafel and baklava that I was ready to consume. But it definitely looked like it had some good offerings. But the coolest thing about this marketplace was that they had an assortment of hookahs and Bollywood DVD’s! Curiosity fulfilled!