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    Afia International

    3.1 (14 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    Lekan O.

    I discovered this african store last year and so far it's been great. They make their (Agege) bread home made, comes out very fresh. Best thing is to pick it up while it's fresh out of the oven. The owners are always very nice also.

    Ghanaian shitto.

    Afia International is situated really conveniently in an area with a lot of grocery stores and restaurants. I love the convenience of Trader Joe's, ALDI, and Royal Farms being very close by, but I always hesitate to purchase from this market because the sanitation and hygiene practices are lacking. This is especially concerning during the current pandemic. I often worry about how long the products have been on the shelves, and there isn't always expiration date on the products to indicate shelf life. I've also noticed that the prices aren't consistently displayed throughout the store. I continue to return to this store, because I usually only purchase two items- kenkey and shitto, and both are individually packaged by an outside local seller, but still I worry about food safety practices (i.e. temperatures, refrigeration, and expiration dates). This morning I ran in to grab the above-mentioned items and the cashier was eating food. He proceeded to scan my items for me with food particles on his unwashed hands. He then handed me my change and I noticed that some of the food particles from his hands were on the dollar bills and coins. I hate to leave a review like this because I am Ghanaian and I know things are tough right now for small businesses, but it would go a really long way if they could step up their food safety and hygiene practices.

    Here is another comment from a dissatisfied customer. The guy is rude; he can't survive in a corporate American own business.

    Afia International Market's painful customer experience from the store guy. Today's best decision was to end my purchase at the Afia International Market in Elkridge, MD, and I will never go to that store again. I went there this evening to buy snacks, and I already knew that the minimum purchase to use a card is $10 because I have been buying things I don't need in that store to support "so-called black own business" and making the minimum purchase of $10 for Nine years. Anyway, I took some plantain chips and chin chin to exceed the threshold of $10. I was looking for a bottle of water inside his refrigerator to add to my purchase, but I couldn't find a bottle of water but Goya and other non-alcoholic drinks. I looked on the floor, and I saw a case of water that was already broken. I took one bottle of water, and I was at first joking with him that I hoped you are not going to charge me for this water because it was not cold, it was on the floor, and it also looked like something you were drinking yourself. I hadn't even finished my sentence before the store guy started angrily shouting. Here are his words "Why should I give you the water for free? Can I go to your place of work to ask for free stuff, or can I take money out of your paycheck? How dear you are asking me for that. Can you go to giant and ask them for a free water bottle?" At this point, I felt so embarrassed, and I told him, bro don't worry about it. I'm going to pay for the bottle of water. No one is asking you for free stuff; besides, you know me that I have been coming to your store for nine years to support your business, and I have never asked you for free stuff, but the way you are talking to me right now is terrible, and this is poor customer service. I walked away from his store, and he followed me outside and yelled, "don't ever come back to this store again. I usually don't write reviews, whether bad or good. But I want people that go to Afia International market to pay attention to the store guy. He's insulting and arrogant. He acts as if he's doing you a favor by spending your hard-earned money at his store. I understand we don't have that many African stores in Howard county, but guess what, I will drive 20 minutes to PG COUNTY where I don't have to deal with an arrogant village man. He said he's a business man, but this is not how successful businessmen treat their customers.

    Danny C.

    2-2.5 ish.... I thought the service was great, but I think the guy there screwed me over when he saw that I wasn't African. I don't know if this is accurate and I'm really hoping I just came by a bad day, but I had the feeling the guy assumed I didn't like African food or was just trying it out for the first time, so he ripped me off by giving me a bunch of plain white rice with a teeny bit of sauce and meat over it for 30 dollars because of the assumption that I'll never come back. I understand, I get it that not many people who aren't African may not like your cuisine due to its distinct flavors and aromas. But not me. I love different foods from Africa including Nigerian, Ethiopian and Egyptian. If you look at the pictures I put up, you can clearly see the pile of rice that's covered with a little bit of sauce and a couple pieces of goat meat. And honestly? I absolutely loved it. If only they gave me more sauce to help accompany the 3 pounds of rice. I didn't even mind the meat because the sauce was what made the dish in my opinion. I don't even know what the dish is called but it also came with a fried tilapia. The tilapia was slightly dry but had some good flavor. I also got the Egusi with goat and fufu. But what I got was Egusi with a plethora of pointy fish bones and 2 pieces of goat that came from a different dish because it clearly had a different colored sauce which also has a different flavor. The bottom piece of goat was really tender, flavorful and went great with the fufu. However, the top, bigger piece was straight up leather. It was the skin and I couldn't eat it due to its really, really tough texture. The Egusi was worse. It smelled rank and every bite I took had at least 5 pieces of fish bones in it and it didn't have ANY fish in the stew. NONE. Why would it have so many freaking bones??? The flavor was not the same or even similar flavors I had when going to Ethiopian restaurants. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm almost certain that other countries have their own versions of Egusi, but that was clearly not fresh. I also ordered 2 meat pies in which the guy never gave me but I don't know if he also charged me for them, but I do know that paying almost 30 dollars for the above mentioned dishes were not worth it. I'll come back here soon and try out their other dishes and hope, and I really mean hope that my experience there would be better than last time. African food in Howard County sounds fantastic.

    a brick building with a neon sign

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    8 months ago

    family friendly. warm and welcoming every time you walk in. Also fully stock. the best plantains.

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    1 year ago

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    8 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

    The staff is rude. The customer service is abysmal. Their sanitary practices are unsatisfactory. I will not be patronizing this shop.

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    11 years ago

    They have pretty much everything I'm looking for and they're aren't really any other African Grocery stores in the area

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    LA Mart

    LA Mart

    2.4(23 reviews)
    3.2 mi

    Over: 3 stars at Best, Mixed reviews. Fish department: 1…read morestar. Inventory not fresh. Fishy smell everywhere. Meat department:: 1 star. Inventory not fresh. Darken meat past due date found on self. Dry goods: 5 stars. Plenty of inventory at a good price. Vegetables and fruits: 5 stars. Plenty, fresh, and well presented. Parking: 5 stars. Plenty of spaces right in front of the store. Carts: 2 stars. Oversized carts-making it difficult to get around inside the store.

    Do not shop here, I got food poisoning after eating a semi melted fudge pop which I didn't even…read moreknow was possible. I was impressed at first given the variety of international foods and the low prices of the produce, but the quality is very hit and miss and if you miss you can get seriously ill. I saw a beet completely rotting sitting in the produce aisle, shrimp being sold that was semi defrosted with no cover on the coolers, and popsicles that were melted, when I got my mangoes home one was already rotted and the others rotted in a few days. All of these are opportunities to spread bacteria, mold and other contaminants that will send you right to the doctor. Please be safe, it's serious f**ked up they are selling these items to immigrant communities, the prices aren't rock bottom, and some shopping here may not easily be able to access medical care if needed (I'm sure many can, but statistically immigrant communities struggle to gain equitable access to healthcare on par with other Americans).

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    Afia International - intlgrocery - Updated May 2026

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