Austin's Best Specialty Food Stores
If you're like me, you may have often wondered, "Where can I get the things I need to make that kind of food," or, "Where can I go to get great organic products?" With that in mind, we put together a list of some great places in the Austin area where you can go to get what you need.
By no means is this meant to be an exhaustive list of specialty food stores in Austin. These are just some of our favorites. The fact is that there are a number of other places that we just didn't have the time to mention. The next time you're feeling adventurous or are inspired to try something new, go to your favorite specialty store, or pull up this list and give it a go!
Store: Apna Bazaar
Type of store: International — primarily Indian and Pakistani goods. They have an excellent array of whole spices and premixed masalas. You will also get very friendly, personalized service which is generally lacking in most supermarkets. In addition to a very large selection of products, they used to serve the best samosas and chaat in Austin.
Location: 8650 Spicewood Springs Road
Store: KP Indian Grocery
Type of Store: International — primarily Indian and Pakistani. Like Apna Bazaar, they have an excellent selection of whole spices and masalas. In addition they also have a great selection of produce, and utensils needed for some types of Indian food. They also have the type of the great customer service you'd expect from a family run store.
Location: 1212 West Parmer Lane, Unit # F
Store: Central Market
Type of store: Specialty, organic, and international products. Central Market is a bit of a landmark in Austin. It is a very large supermarket owned by the HEB chain of grocery stores. They are known for their very extensive produce section, which includes a large number of organic and gourmet items. They have a very large meat and seafood section. They also have an excellent selection of wine and beer, a fantastic cafe and bakery, and one of the best selections of cheeses in Austin. Seriously, I could spend entire monthly grocery budget on their cheese and still not sample everything they have. Maybe I should do that...
On most Thursday evenings they also have live music on the patio, and offer various culinary classes throughout the week. In addition they also do what they can to represent state and local producers and farmers. They are one of only two places in town to offer Sticky Toffee Pudding Co. products. Sticky Toffee is owned by Tracy Claros, a native of England, who has brought her culinary expertise in baking to the Austin area (her freezer-friendly ones are great for last-minute desserts). It's too hard to explain the flavor, but suffice it to say it was like a culinary awakening for me. I didn't think pre-packaged baked goods could be that delicious. I highly recommend the orange ginger pudding.
Location: There are two locations in town, so check for the nearest one.
Store: Wheatsville Co-op
Type of store: Organic, local, and health food. Wheatsville is a medium sized supermarket that carries just about everything you'd expect. The produce is fresh, much of it organic, and they also offer a wide selection of items sourced from local and Texas producers. They also have a nice selection of bulk items such as tea, spices, nuts and treats.
Location: 3101 Guadalupe Street
Store: Sun Harvest
Type of store: A medium-sized organic and health food store. They have an extensive bulk section including nuts, cereals, grains, and more.
Location: Two locations in town, so check online for the nearest location.
Store: Fiesta Mart
Type of store: Fiesta is a large supermarket located right off IH 35. They have a very nice international section, although they do specialize in Mexican products. You can get fresh made tortillas at Fiesta, and if you are feeling adventurous they even sell huitlacoche (pronounced weet-la-coachay), a type of fungus that grows on corn. It's sometimes referred to as Mexican Truffles. It goes quite nicely in quesadillas.
Location: There are two locations in town, so check for the nearest one.
Store: Antonelli's Cheese Shop
Type of store: Cheese. If I could afford to, I'd happily spend a month's salary at this store. They offer a wide selection of cheeses, salamis and even some wine. Of course the real star here is their cheese. Their selection of cheeses is excellent. They source from small producers all over the world, and their inventory varies in size and selection based on what they've been able to procure. Antonelli's also offers classes in tasting and pairing. In addition, you get kind of personalized and expert service that can only happen at a small, privately owned shop.
Location: 4220 Duval Street
Store: Water 2 Wine
Type of store: A fully functioning wine-making store. In addition to selling wine bottled in house (I sampled a Merlot, very nice), they also offer you the opportunity to be your very own vintner. Seem strange? This is how it works- you come in and tell them you want to make some wine. They then help you select the type of wine to make and the grapes that will best suit your needs. Then they help you through the rest of the process of pressing the grapes, fermenting the wine (45 days), bottling and then printing your own custom labels. They also offer classes on wine tasting and food pairings. The entire staff is very friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about their craft. If you like great wine, or if you are interested in trying your hand at wine making then this is a great place to visit.
Location: There are two locations in town, so check for the nearest one.
Store: MT Supermarket
Type of store: MT Supermarket is a very large Asian supermarket in an excellent Asian shopping center. They sell a large array of products spanning several Asian cultures. They also sell some unique produce, the kind of things not usually found in an American supermarket. Things like durian. Durian is a large and rather dangerous looking fruit known for its rather, ummm, unique odor. I've never smelled it, but I am curious.
Location: 10901 North Lamar Blvd # G
Store: Lee's Meats
Type of store: Butcher shop. Lee's is one of several butcher shops in town. It offers a very nice selection of meats and prepared dishes and sides. They will also custom marinate, cut, and cook your meat.
Location: 1601 West 38th Street
Store: Whip In
Type of store: Beverage and cafe. The Whip In is known around town for its huge selection of beer. They offer all kinds of beers from all over the world. The number that I've heard most often is 400. I'm not sure if it's quite that large, but it is rather extensive. In addition to beer and other beverages they also have a fully functioning kitchen and serve up some homemade Indian and Texas cuisine. I spoke with one of the employees and he told me that the owner's wife comes in and cooks many of the items herself. They are on our list of reviews. If you fancy a drink stronger than beer, they have you covered on that as well. Attached to the Whip In is their sister store: Beverage World. Beverage World has a very nice selection of hard liquor and wines.
Location: 950 South I-35
Store: Austin Homebrew Supply
Type of store: Austin Homebrew caters primarily to home brew enthusiast. They offer everything you'll need to get started making your very own beers and ciders. They have a wide selection of grains, yeast, bottles, kegs and just about everything else you will need. They also have supplies for wine making, soda making and cheese making. Believe me just walking into the place gave me several more ideas for stories, maybe a start to finish guide for making your own home brew? Or maybe cheese making? You'll just have to wait and see!
Location: 9129 Metric Blvd, Austin, TX 78758
The Austin Food Junkies are Alex Artibee, Matt Braley, and Dave Braley, "Two guys who love food, and one chef, trained at the Texas Culinary Institute." Check out their reviews of other Austin area restaurants on their blog, Austin Food Junkies.