Soulard Spice Shop

Get all my spices here. My buddy does as well. Reasonable prices. great selection of spices and coffee and teas. Paradise for cooking and wintery days

Pro: For anyone that needs to stock their pantry with seasonings, the Soulard Spice Shop may be the only stop you need to make! Sure, you can pick up some black peppercorns at practically any grocery store. But if you need a Moroccan spice blend to accent your leg of lamb, this is your place! Also, I found that the Soulard Grill Seasoning mixed with the Natural Butter Seasoning goes well with anything edible. The kitchen ninja in you needs weapons, and this is an awesome armory!
Con: Not open every day, like the rest of the Soulard Farmer’s market. Wed-​Sun is your window of opportunity.
Bottom Line: Life is too short to eat bland food. Stop here and stock up!

Fantastic, knowledgable staff and a huge variety of spices, soup and dip mixes and more. An absolute gem!

This place is something special.
It’s been there for I think 90 years and as it’s name implies, has every spice you have ever heard of as well as some you haven’t.
My fiancée owned a restaurant for six years and I am an avid cook. It is one of the things we do as a couple. Our trip to the spice shop was great!
Prices were surprisingly good too!

I had just a lovely time at the Spice Shop today… Yes I went on a crazy Sat. Morn and it was just full of people but I got my number and waited and when it was my turn I got a lovely young lady that told me that don’t feel stressed or rushed she had all the time in the world to wait on me and offered up samples and taste of various spices. She was awesome and in return I ended up getting all kinds of new things that I wasn’t even considering. I came out of there with Pink Himalayan sea salt, orange pepper, tequila lime seasoning, blackened fish spice, lemon butter dill, just to name a few. I thought their coffee looked amazing… so I got the hubby a treat of something with the word sin in it –flavored with chocolate, vanilla, and various other things… he had some this evening and told me it was really rich and decadent… I am really looking forward to doing some cooking this week and seeing how some of these new spices are going to dance on my taste buds…

Best spice shop I’ve ever been to.
Their house spice mix, the Soulard Grill Mix, is a reason to go in itself. This mix goes great on EVERYTHING — eggs, potatoes, meats, you name it. They’ve also got other great mixes, like their smoke rub, cherry ribs rub… basically anything you’re supposed to rub on something. That’s in addition to their very comprehensive spice catalog which contains pretty much everything you’ll ever need in lots of different sizes.
This place can get pretty busy, but once its your turn to be served the super friendly staff always treat you well. They will let you taste any of the spices, so if you need convincing before you buy you can always ask.
Best of all, this place is completely affordable — way cheaper than the spices you’ll get in a supermarket. If you like to cook at all, you need to check this place out.

This place is a hidden treasure. THe ladies are the best and the spices are divine. The prices are akin to free. How they make a dime is beyond me. And their product is fresh! Most spices sit for months, even years before you buy them. not here. THis is the real deal. Try their roasted garlic… sheer heaven

I love spices! LOVE LOVE spices. I come here several times a year to top off my spice shelves. Tip– buy small quantities so your spices are always fresh AND you will need to go back more often to buy more and to try new items. Yay! Our favorite? Cheri’s rib rub and the bourbon marinade. Try them both sprinkled on your steak as you sear it. Yes, it says rib rub but I am tellling you– it is GREAT on a good steak. Together– they are even better. Another tip– we eat our steaks with a little wasabi on the side. Delish!
Saturdays, especially in the warm months, Soulard market in general and the spice shop specifically, gets crazy crowded. Think– Tokyo subway during rush hour. This is one of those places that my husband doesn’t mind me standing in line and waiting because they have stuff he wants. They used to have his favorite horseradish cheese but they lost their vendor. Now we go to Viviano’s (cheddar horseradish– not the other two horseradish varieties– it has a kick you will not soon forget). But, the best part of the waiting crowds is people boast about their favorite products! «Have you tried_​_​_​_​_​? Oh you have to-​ask them for a a taste.» And the recipe ideas fly. I have had many an enlightening conversation waiting in line. If no one offers up a new recipe idea, then ask the girls behind the counter what is new or how they use a specific spice.
The shop also carries a big selection of other commercial coffees, teas, rice mixes, bread mixes etc– you know the stuff you see at the airport souvenir shop when you are leaving a city.
But, this is a spice shop– go, try, and leave with a little bit of adventure in your pocket. By the way, you can buy small containers if you just want to wet your toe.

I’m actually really kind of surprised they haven’t called security on me whenever I’m in here. Because even my friends pretend they don’t know me when we visit. I’m the one usually sniffing at everything, pressed up against the glass.
Their mainstays are coffee, tea, spices, cheeses, and cured meats. When you enter, you’re pretty much hit with a cacophony of smells, all of them wonderful. I kind of like imagining the confusion that my olfactory system must undergo with the sharpness of all the flavors, none of them mild.
The coffee is a must-​hit. They’re the same brand as one of the coffee and tea shops on Main Street in St. Charles, and makes it much closer for me. The prices are reasonable, about what you would pay at Starbucks for the same amount. Usually you’ll end up spending about $ 12.00 — $ 14.00 for a pound. If price really matters, a) the St. Charles one is slighter cheaper, b) you can name the amount you want, c) it’s freshly ground, and d) they have a lot more variety than Starbucks does. I really enjoy Amaretto Royale, Caramel Crème, Sinfully Sinful, and English Toffee. But I also like smelling the beans from Irish Crème, Crème Brulee, and Snickerdoodle. For some reason though, my coffee from those beans just doesn’t taste as good as I imagine they would. It’s probably because I don’t have a $ 20,000 machine that presses the grounds at the perfect water pressure to extract all that smell into flavor.
While their tea selection is not as extensive, what they do have is pretty solid. My favorites are the peach and the oolong. Prices will run you about $ 12.00 — $ 16.00 a pound, and yes, you can order different amounts. They do not have the frou-​frou, hip, and happening tea character as Teavana, but they are a lot cheaper and just as flavorful. They do not have the same vast selection (like masala chai) as several places on Main Street in St. Charles do, so if you’re a tea lover, it may pay to go over to St. Charles, but they do have the basics.
Their mainstay is their spices though. They have everything under the sun, freshly ground and smelling like it. Like another poster, I like to get whatever I need, and then also get something to experiment with. I’m currently experimenting with tandoori spice, which was super cheap at $ 1.90 for 2 oz. I love how the spices are labeled with either recipes or meals to utilize the spice. The spices are usually cheaper than Penzey’s, a little bit more expensive or on par with ethnic markets (but the selection way outpaces the other markets), but always flavorful. Sometimes I just like to go in and browse all the spices lined up in their neat little rows under the counter; it appeals to my OCD-​ness.
They also have dip mixes and locally-​made jams and other party sides you might need to throw a quick appetizer together. Unfortunately, I really can’t tell you much about them because… sniffing through cardboard is pretty hard, so I’ve never been really tempted to get anything in a box.
Go get high… on spices!

This place is AWESOME. they have every spice you can imagine. If you are looking for a spice for that adventurously exotic meal you are trying out, but can’t find it at your local supermarket… GO HERE! They also sell their spices online.
They have those hard to find (hard to pronounce) spices, regular spices and special blends at great prices. The ladies that work here are awesome! If you have bought a great cut of meat or fish, but can’t decide how you’d like to flavor it… have a chat with these ladies and they will lead you down the path of deliciousness!

If you ever venture over to the Soulard Farmer’s Market, be sure to stop in and visit the Soulard Spice Shop. Located in the indoor area of the market and open all year round, this quaint little shop is wonderful and a must see if you’ve never visited the market before. You won’t be disappointed when you see the vast selection of freshly ground herbs, spices and ready to brew teas and coffees that the shop has to offer. The staff is great and very informative about the selection they provide. They also carry a nice selection of cheeses, gourmet dressings, salsas, condiments and dip mixes. It’s one of my favorite shops in the area, and I always walk out with a purchase every time I visit.
I’ve found several hard to find spices at the shop such as Cardamom and various types of whole peppercorns. The prices are outstanding. Everything I’ve purchased is always $ 1-​$ 2 cheaper than what you’d pay at your local grocery store… and it’s FRESH! They also offer different size options, so if you are a little leery about buying a new spice and are worried about waste, have no fear. Compared to what you would pay at the supermarket, it’s totally worth it. While I may shop at the local store for my weekly grocery needs, I’ll never buy store bought spices again. It’s nothing personal, but if you love to cook and want your meals tasting like you just stepped outside your kitchen door and snipped fresh herbs out of your garden yourself… this is the only way to go. It’s the tastier and budget friendly option. A no-​brainer!
Can’t make it out to the market? Check out their website. They have the entire product list of spices, teas and coffees online, and you can order and have it delivered right to your home.
If you do decide to visit and you hate crowds, avoid the shop on Saturdays. They are extremely busy, and the shop is small and gets packed very quickly! I personally love the hustle and bustle of market shopping on a Saturday, but if that’s not your cup of tea, they are pretty calm during weekdays and have reasonable hours.
So, the next time you run out of garlic powder or are feeling in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary in your next recipe, give the Soulard Spice Shop a try. I promise you’ll love it!
Eating STL, A Chicago Perspective

Absolutely the best! Once i get my staples i always try to get something new to try out. The ladies there are the best! Great place.

Located in Soulard Markets Grand Hall, this family owned spice shop was the first lessee when the Grand hall was erected in 1929.
Don’t let the photos fool this place is teeny and packed with people. They are open W-​Sa, but if you decide to go on Saturday when the market is bustling, plan to take a number and duck out of the shop for a bit, unless you want to get up close and personal with the person standing next to or in front of you.
The Spice Shop stocks a variety of quality spices, soup bases, sauces, condiments, chutneys, salsas, sausages, cheeses, cured meats, etc. If I’m investing in spices for a recipe that matters, I won’t go anywhere else. The quality and freshness of the spices is superb.
I compete in the Mardi Gras Crystal Cajun Cook Off every year and I always buy my smoked sausage and andouille from the Spice Shop. I don’t know where they get it, but it is fantastic.
Another thing I always grab when I am there is bottled chutneys, salsas, and hot sauces. They always have unique choices that are handy to throw over meatballs or cheese when you have a last minute appetizer prepare.
Service is friendly and efficient. I only shop there a few times a year, but they always remember me. If only they served cocktails ;-)