World Spice Merchants

I’ve shopped around for spices for a few years now, and if I want the freshest, most pungent and flavorful spices I can reasonably get, this is my spot. It’s not the cheapest; but it’s also not bad, with the prices being on par with the organic spices you find in glass jars at grocery stores. Much tastier though.
The counter service can take a little time, so it’s rarely a quick trip. You can also order all their spices online if you don’t mind paying the reasonable shipping cost.

Best spice store in the country. Super fresh. Best quality.
I always stock up here when I’m in town (and look forward to a random pack of challenging ingredients from me sis during Christmas;). The sweet smoked paprika is amazing.
I never buy spice mixes but my wife saw they had a version of svan salt! (From svaneti, Georgia). It was proper. Then I started checking out their other blends and they’re pretty good.
Powdered worstershire!!!
Real wusabi. Wow

I have to highlight the incredible customer service at World Spice. We were having a summer theme party for about 55 people and «Jamaican» was the theme. Of course «jerk» and «spicy hot» are the immediate go-​tos but overly hot food isn’t usually the first choice of guests. I contacted World Spice about a custom blend and they were very accommodating — minimum one pound, several days for «manufacture». I delayed a decision. When I called them on the Weds before the Saturday party Holley made some calls, had some ideas, and they suggested that they make up jerk and Carribean with only 10% of the normal habanero component. Agreed. Then when I picked up the spices — not only did they have the extra habanero in small bags, but they had separated them for each mixture so I would be able to add any extra (which we did) with some idea of the actual ratio for each blend. Amazing service in addition to a great product selection and really fresh spice inventory. WAYTAGO!!!

I came in close to closing, but didn’t realize it. There were still a lot of people inside and the staff saw me walk in. Looked like they had a lot of good stuff, however, I was very rudely informed that they were closing upon trying to write down my order. The man working was completely rude about it, after I had already been inside for a good 5 – 10 minutes right in front of them. I was then informed that I could make a purchase if it was only one item and the lady asked me «what do you want?» Overall I felt very embarrassed and disrespected and I ended up telling them to forget it and walking out. I will never go back strictly based on how I was treated.

This store is amazing and the staff is very friendly and helpful. The spice selection is the best that I’ve ever found. They carry a broad spectrum of individual herbs and spices from around the world as well a quite a few of their own blends.
I never knew paprika could taste so amazing. Their chili powder is fantastic as well. My home-​made taco seasoning just kicked up about 3 notches using spices from here.
This will be our new source when we want the best spices and herbs. :)

This secret treasure trove of spices and tea awaits you underneath Pike Place Market on Western Ave. The place is chock full of jars of spices for you to smell, and this is how it works: You grab a tiny clipboard and write down all the spices you want (and quantities) and hand it to someone behind the counter once you know what you want. They measure everything else and a few minutes later call you back over to pay. In the meantime, peruse their selection of very interesting cookbooks and try — JUST TRY — to leave without buying one of those. Their own cookbook and spice sampler is a great gift, or just a nice way to try more spices that you might not be familiar with. The sampler contains all the spices used in the different cookbook recipes, so you won’t have to run out and buy and weird, esoteric spices just to whip up dinner once you crack that baby open.

I like coming here and getting ideas for meals. The selection is great and there are blends of spices that really show the potential for «bomb» food. Might not be for everyone but if you like cooking food from around the world check it out.

This shop is the truth! Despite being such a specialized boutique, we encountered absolutely 0 level of pretension as you might be initially worried about. The employees here are very professional and easily considered subject matter experts. We never felt rushed, they were happy to give suggestions, offer advice, and help us figure out what we were looking for and other possibilities we hadn’t thought of. Ended up buying few jars and filling them with: Smoked Spicy Paprika, Lavender Flowers, and Truffle Salt. I can’t say I’ve been to that many dedicated spice shops in my time, but I’m confident this one is among the best. They can make you custom blends, it’s very organized and easy to browse their vast selection, and the staff is very helpful. No, it’s not cheap by any means, but also not overly pricey either when compared to even regular grocery stores like Whole Foods & PCC.

I don’t like that this place has minimum purchase amounts on all their spices. I bought an ounce (the minimum amount) of a spice that isn’t very heavy and it more than filled a pint sized mason jar. Their pricing is also on the high side but my guess is they are marked up for tourists.
A friend of mine told me not to shop here and to instead go to the spice place in Pike Place, which I will try next time. But if you are local, I recommend going to PCC (or even Whole Foods or Fred Meyer) and buying the exact amount of spices you need in their bulk section. They have no minimums so if you need just a teaspoon of cumin, you can buy a teaspoon of cumin for pennies.

My «go to» for spices. iheart this place! The staff are very knowledgeable. It beats buying spices from the grocery store, which cost a ton for a small bottle & have probably been on the shelf for who knows how long!

Wanted to post an update to my review from just over two years ago. This was one of my absolute favorite places in downtown Seattle. When we moved to Orlando last summer, I was so sad to say goodbye.
Now it is time to replace spices in my cabinet and because of an absolute lack of good spice shops in central Florida, I decided to place an online order with World Spice. Placed the order on Wednesday and received my spices in today’s mail. How awesome is that!!! Three days to get fresh spices ordered and delivered 3000 miles away. I will be your customer forever, no matter where I live!!!

As soon as you step in the door at World Spice Merchants, the amazing smell overtakes you. It is incredible. I just stood in the doorway sniffing for a while. Once I snapped out of it, I started checking out the impressive number of spices, herbs, blends, and teas they had to offer.
They have samples of each spice out, which is great because you can see what each of them look like and smell them too! I smelled everything from lavender to curry to fennel and was in complete heaven. They even had some samples of some different sea salts — yum.
I found the only downside to be that the prices are a little high. In fact, my boyfriend commented that they have actually gone up since the last time he went (which was, I believe, last summer). This is a fact you can see on the prices for the tea — they have hand written new prices over the old ones. Some of the prices had gone up by more than double! Seems a bit overkill to me. But as it was my first time, I wasn’t too concerned about this. I was just happy to see such a wide variety of spices and teas all in the same place!
Overall, I did like the place and I will likely be back.

This store is so much fun to shop. They have so many spices and I like how some of them are separated by region. The prices here are a little more expensive than QFC obviously but you come here to find the unusual stuff… not just everyday stuff!
I asked them about a Korean powder they didn’t have but they were quick to suggest alternatives. They also answered all my questions about Himalayan pink salts with lots of knowledge.
Theres a great tea selection downstairs with lots of chaos and teas from all over including Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The only con to this place (besides the location) is that they put your spices in this bag that doesn’t seal. Ziplock bags would be better. I’m transferring mine to a ziplock because right now my spice drawers smells like Harissa even with my seal clip on it!

I love coming here. I shove my nose in all the jars and huff every damn spice and blend they have out. I always leave with my nose tickling and recipe ideas swimming through my head.
The jars themselves are «display only» — you make a note of what you want and the lovely/​friendly staff here will get you your set amount all fresh and lovely like. Samples shown are all 1 oz offerings, so you have a good idea how far your $ will take you. Prices are pretty ridiculously reasonable here. I only drop tons of cash here cuz I always leave with more than I really need.
Books, pestles, and teas are also here. But it really comes down to their awesome spice selection. They have just about anything you could want and then some, all great quality. Why bother with those crappy dried spices at the supermarket when you can come here for less and better? Really?

When I travel now, I love to bring back spices from the places I’ve gone. I buy herbs, sea salts, various peppers and chilies and I stock up on loose teas. I bring home my goods and make meals for days with my fabulous finds.
I was super impressed with the collection of spices at World Spice and used the opportunity to stock up on a collection of things I have never tried or used before. I’ve made some great meals using the spices I bought here and I am happy I bookmarked it and went.
If you love to cook, need rare ingredients or want to try something new, I highly suggest coming here and taking your time to smell each spice. You never know what you may find.

Everything a little european boy (or girl) could want!

I wish I could live here — it always smells so good!
Prices are great, selection is INCREDIBLE! I always come here for my salts and herbs. (esp the alderwood smoked salt, chipotle peppers and smoked paprika — yum! As well as things like lime leaves, vanilla beans and cinammon sticks)
Much better than the other spice place in the market (this one is below on Western).
My boyfriend REALLY liked all their rubs that he has tried but we’ve been going there long enough where we can experiment and make our own rubs with their selection of spices.
Also, great tea. If you can get waited on (really if there isn’t a mondo line) someone will make you a cup of tea and you can enjoy it there or you can buy as much as you want and take it home to enjoy.
PROS: selection, prices, online ordering

What a fun spot to shop for spices! Much has already been said about the vast selection at World Spice and I am also impressed. I think you could find any spice you could possibly want here.
To demonstrate their span of products they have at least 10 different blends of curry powder! They also have many in-​house blends such as Herbs de Provence, Habanero Garlic, and Seattle Salmon spice to name a few.
Prices seem pretty reasonable. The only downside is the line can get backed up and the wait time can be at least 15+ minutes even if you’re just purchasing a couple spices. However, the employees are friendly and efficient with working through the orders. It’s a good thing they’re so busy!

Need to Spice up your life?
World Spice Merchants is a well stocked spice market. They also offer many proprietary spice blends for many types of dishes from cinnamon toast to fish rubs and stews. They sport all sorts of cool salts as well! Who knew there was so many kinds of salt! Alder wood smoked, pink himalayan salt, the list goes on and on! They have a nice system where they give you a pencil and pad to write down your own order. You than give the your slip and they fill your order for you. They also have a tea area in the lower level. It appeared like they may have tea tasting from time to time but this place focuses on the spices. No one was manning the tea area so I no tea was tasted on this visit. Bulk prices here are better than going to major chains stores. Folks here also seemed very friendly with good tips.

I fancy this shop because I can get just about every spice I use on a regular basis and I can get it ground if need be. I always end up purchasing a new-​to-​me spice and today I ended up with six new-​to-​me spices and salts. Cory, the fine gentleman who patiently and humorously helped me, is responsible for this.
My culinary and cultural world expands when I’m here. I can close my eyes and sniff jars and imagine that I’m visiting far, far lands. Spice trails. Ah, so fine.
Adventure tip: Ask for a taste of the Black Salt. It’s likely one of the most horrendous things that’s ever insulted your tongue and nose.