I have figured out what the ancient Sumerisans where carring in their little purses. Big John always knew and finally his kids are letting us in on the secret, "Big John's Herb and Spice Blend" to be found in the bulk spice and herb department. Located on the path to the stairs to the bulk chocolate department and just beyond the cheese, olive and charcuterie cases. Thanks Donna! read more

The selection of foods is amazing, the service is superior, and the ambiance is not intimidating at all. In addition to gourmet foods, the gift items are really special. read more

Fantastic selection of cheeses, dry pasta, wine, chocolate's, licorice, and olives. The cheeses are a delight tho expensive. Wonderful service. I was here just before Easter and they had some fun seasonal items. Love the convenience of the underground parking. read more

Slipped in this gem just before they closed for the night. We have European stores in Portland but nothing this big. Excellent selection of groceries from Europe. Picked up some organic European flour, pastas I'm dying to try, pasta sauce from Brooklyn, gifts and more. Huge wine and cheese selection. If you're craving something from Europe, they likely have it here. Staff was friendly and attentive. Much bigger inside than you'd expect. We will be returning and can't wait to try our haul of Yums. read more

Big John's PFI - Inside - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A neat Italian and European store. We picked up a bunch of pastas and European flour. We want to eat healthier so we felt this place would have the all natural foods with out the additives. Great selection of cheeses and meats. Small and quaint atmosphere. I like this place. Great friendly service. read more

I grew up coming here during the 90's. A gravel parking lot past the immigration office on the outskirts of Chinatown. You descend down into the lot and turn left and grab a cart. PFI wasn't fancy like DeLaurenti. It was your neighborhood importer warehouse where you could find cheeses and olives at a great price. I loved getting things in bulk and the feeling of twisting the plastic bag with a tie and throwing it in the cart was the best. I loved getting my ravioli and reading some random Italian sounding name like Matorolli whom I never heard of. This was before PCC and QFC carried brands lie POMI and barilla. I used to get my results mozzarella by the tub from Wisconsin and the Argentinian Parmesan. All the foodies and restauranteurs came here. It was like a cheffy place to be. I love the new location and I'm glad PFI moved to bd more visible. I'm sorry to hear about the window being broken. I'm sure it's old news by now. If you're in Seattle and want something authentic, come to PFI. I'm not sure if Donna is still around. She's the best. read more

What can I possibly say about this jewel of a store!? I've been coming here since 1999, and even though they have changed a little over the years (they are more stylish and elegant now!!), there's no place like Big John's PFI anywhere else, that I've found. Excellent supply of all kinds of Italian and some Spanish foods and drinks, and very competent service. I wish I still lived in Seattle so I could come by at least once a month! read more

Double check your receipt! We were charged twice for the same piece of cheese, and overcharged $17 for olive oil. Unfortunately, we have to go back in person to correct this. Not so easy from 60 miles away. read more

Treats of all kinds you can't find anywhere else. Perfect for trying that one of a kind recipe you looked up on the Internet.

I love Big John's PFI. Always my first stop if I'm shopping for an event. Unf recently a few things I have purchased have not been fresh. I assume they are struggling due to tariffs but I'm trying to stay supportive. It's disappointing to grab a bunch of premium snacks and have some them be past their prime. read more

I've heard of Big John's PFI for years, but finally visited for the first time recently. The selection of pastas, meats, cheese, and olives is one of the best in Seattle. The variety of spices and tinned fish is also outstanding. Big John's is now our go-to store for specialty products and highly recommend. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

Every time I go here, I'm more and more enamored of the goodies that can be found at Big John's PFI. Reasonably priced castelvetrano olives in bulk - both pitted and whole? Picholine olives? Greek olives? Soooo many choices and well priced too. Fennel salami? yes! Amazing walnut leaf-wrapped pecorino? Delicious! Came here before the holidays to look for panforte for a dear relative who loves this chewy, nutty, fruit and honey Italian dessert - and they had so many possible options. They also had torrone, panettone, pandoro, gianduiotti - all things on my personal holiday shopping list. And I couldn't resist picking up some calissons, some pate de fruits, and cassis syrup for New Year's kir royales. And a bag of Kolsvart Swedish Fish that was elderflower-flavored and pike shaped. I also come here for my favorite Hengstenberg German pickles, French mustard, and a 5 kilo bag of Italian "00" pizza flour. They also have many specialty flours in bulk, a huge variety of malt balls, that divisive (either you love it or you don't) salted black licorice, bulk spices, and so much more. The only con: parking is extremely difficult and some things are seasonal, so, patience and timing is sometimes required. read more

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Been shopping at PFI's for a couple decades. I always find my usual items plus some surprises at every visit. Best cheese selection around.

My go to local shop for chocolates, pastas, and cheeses! This place is walking distance from our apartment, which makes it dangerous considering they have lots of yummy chocolate brands. The staff are nice and you can get authentic and excellent quality products that you won't normally get from your grocery store. One thing I have to say is that since these products are authentic, do expect them to be on the pricier side. I would pay $13-$14 for a high quality vanilla extract and I'm happy to do so. As for their pastas, they have a lot of varieties, even the hard-to-find tagliatelle (tried to find it at my local Safeway and couldn't). If you need to find international products that you couldn't find anywhere else and want to support a small and local business, visit here! read more

My Italian friend has been a fan of PFI for years. She finally sent me there to pick up a few supplies for a party she was catering on my behalf. Unfortunately I wanted to ( and did) buy many more (potentially) unnecessary things while I was there. They really have so many tempting imports from various countries. They carry a puff pastry that is not Pepperidge Farms, and once you use it you may never go back to the regular store bought ones. Service was wonderful, and free parking in their garage. read more

PFI is a unique store for Seattle, as you will find many Italian items that are otherwise hard to find here. For that reason I would give it 5 stars, but this was my first back to PFI in the years since they moved, and I was a little disappointed by the sterility of the new space. It didn't quite feel like adventure of the old space. Nevertheless, this is a must visit place, especially if you grew up Italian American on the east coast where a lot of these items are more common (Hello Lupini beans and La Florentine torrone!) Great selection of meats, cheeses, dried pasta, cakes, candies and other delights. If you are entertaining, this is a smart place to put on your shopping list. Service is helpful if you ask. Parking is available in a garage under the building. read more

Located near the international district/Chinatown in Seattle. This place carries a difficult to find fish roe called Tarama, used to make a Greek dip called Taramasalata. I have not been able to find this fish roe at most international markets and it is very expensive to purchase online. Excellent selection of imported, European cheeses, olive oil, tahini etc. They do not have hard liquor at this time, however, such as Ouzo. There is convenient parking for the store. The service is excellent. The staff even offered my mother a chair, as she waited for me to finish shopping. read more

It is difficukt to give a glowing review when one has been shopping here for 50+ years. Still sell good products. But not nearly the volume I was used to. read more

If you're looking for a specific Italian or European good, this is one of your better chances to find it. Especially if you're looking for fine cheeses. Wine selection is okay, meats are okay, but specialty imported candies and cheeses are where Big John's shines. Not low-quality, low-price items. But, if you're just browsing or looking for something generally, the extremely cramped parking lot, narrow but heavily trafficked store, and high prices (they're specialty importers, so they're reasonable for that category of good) should scare you away. Know what you're looking for before venturing in. read more

I admit, I love to cook and one thing you learn quickly is great ingredients go a long way to making great food. One of those ingredients is Cascioppo Italian Sausage. I make trips here just to load up on it. That is my main draw but my second love of this place is just browsing all the imported items. Anneto broths are absolutely amazing and I have filled up a cart with just those. They are as close as I can get to making it myself and, arguably even better. Maybe they are better because I don't want to spend the time cutting out chicken breasts and vacuum sealing those and then using the rest to make broth. I do it, but I'd rather be sailing :-). The cheese selection will nearly kill anybody with lactose intolerance and thrill the taste buds of everyone else. The bad... Parking is terrible and don't have a full size anything if you want to stop here. I've tried and the last three trips I was not able to park in the garage or find anything nearby. Which, has made my monthly trips into bi-yearly. But, I still go of I am in the area and in a smaller vehicle. read more

I can see how this place has hidden in plain sight all these years. Glad to see it getting some local press. But it is certainly tucked away in a hard to find place. If you go, know that you will need to go around the back to find the entrance and parking. If you go around the south side through the paid parking lot, you will get to the free lot for the store. You will also realize you could have entered from the street on the north side, and you can use that entrance once you realize it's there. This kind of reminded me of a lower rent, slightly smaller version of DeLaurenti Food & Wine. It's more basic and definitely less fancy in its digs, but it's good. They have a good selection of the items they carry. They do not carry as broad a selection as DeLaurenti. In some cases, their depth of selection is deeper than DeLaurenti's, in other cases it is not close. It's an interesting assortment of things. The packaged specialty foods selection here is great, but I need to compare prices with DeLaurenti to see if it's worth the trip or not. The cheese counter is impressive and has more cheeses than just about any other place in Seattle. Maybe Metropolitan Market or Central Market have a bit more, but I doubt it. And the cheeses they carry are stellar. The cheese counter is reason enough to return. Deli meat selection is lacking a bit. Chocolate section is tiny. Overall, this is a great place and worth a return visit (or two, or ten, or a hundred). read more

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My friend took me here for the first time and wow! They have an underground parking lot which is handy since parking can be hard to find sometimes in the downtown/central area. The store was just beyond fabulous! They have specialities from all over the world. As a vegan and a baker, I was able to find so many special things, including my favorite chocolates Valrhona and Callebeaut! I got so much! I can't wait to go back for the holidays and see what type of special holiday stuff they have. I also purchased some cool drink mixes for my neighbors- bitters, etc, and gingerbread mix! read more

Good place for hard to find gourmet ingredients. Has a great olive and cheese counter, though I can't say I peruse it too much. My only quibble is that moving to their current location meant that their merchandise footprint was reduced. There's definitely a few things I used to be able to find at their former location that didn't survive the move. Ah well. Still glad to have somewhere I can get specialty French, Italian, and German ingredients. They still carry Dutch licorice too, so that's something. read more

LOVE Big John's for all the cheese plate needs. They have a great selection of cheeses and charcuterie. Also olives and other perishables. Excellent selection of dried goods and imported items. Wine selection is quirky but fun. Don't miss the back area up the stairs with lots of cooking and baking items. read more

Big John's PFI - All the cheese! - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Today I visited the new location for the first time, what a nice upgrade! Spacious, bright, big windows and clean. There are so many hidden gems at BJ PFI. I usually get Italian pasta, San Marzano tomato cans, Italian rice, cookies, pan di stelle cream, beverages, cheese, flour, panettone/pandoro (Christmas time), and more. New location is great, parking is a bit limited. Go and get inspired! So many delicious things to choose from! read more

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It's so easy to spend way too much money here. It's like Target or Costco: you go in for just one item and come out a full basket and $100+ later... But every time it's a treat! Looking to put together an enviable cheese plate, charcuterie board, or picnic basket? Big John's PFI has exactly what you need to make an impression! Excellent international wine selection that won't break the bank, reasonably priced bulk olives, and incredible cheeses clearly indicating cow/sheep/goat and including taste profile. Plus the staff is always happy to offer samples of cheeses you're deciding between. Their minimum for cheese and olives is 1/4 pound, but I'm honestly fine with that. Others have complained about parking, but I've never really had a problem in their cozy underground garage. Maybe the trick is to go later in the day. Or maybe it's just my parking luck. Anyway, Big John's is my happy place! read more

If you are a cook and love Italian food this is the place you've been looking for! They have all of the important imports for your perfect meal. The employees are so helpful and even give you extra tips for preparing your feast. I definitely will be back again! Thank you so much read more

It is a hidden gem on the outskirts of the international district. Excellent shop to find whatever cheese you want! They even had the elusive mimolette cheese. I love the fact you can also sample most of the cheeses, spices and candies. The only downside is that you have to buy at least 1/2 a pound of whatever cheese you want unless it's already precut. Their wine selection is also impressive and inexpensive. They also have an impressive array of sauces, noodles, soups, mixes and snacks, which brought back memories of my previous travels. read more

Nice Italian Market...decent selection of reasonably priced wines...many types of Italian Cheeses, good Italian Canned Goods, good Olive Oil selection...most of the olives were sold out last time I went but it is what it is...not cheap but this IS Seattle and it's honestly a pleasure to have a market like this at any price... even on a budget there are bargains to be had... or at least things you can splurge on reasonably :-) read more

Having shopped at their old location for many years, I loved the "Old Seattle" charm and character of the old brick building. Inside, it was funky, spacious, and the bulk goods section had quaint hand-written signs. I was sad to learn it had relocated. Once you find it, the new location lacks any of quaintness of the old place. It's slick and sterile, located on the street level of an unimaginative developer's new trendy building. Another stark building that has invaded a once pleasant neighborhood of single-family homes. Pity. Parking for Big John's is underground and I was reminded of visiting a phyisician at a huge medical center. Creepy! From the parking lot, one takes an elevator and then, meanders down lengthy hallways to the backdoor entrance to Big John's. Numeous signs help. If you're temporarily, or permanently, struggling in this economy and you have Food Assistance, forgettabout it. Although it's not even mentioned on their extensive website, once you trek through the maze and finally arrive at the steel back door, there's a sign stating..."NO EBT CARDS ACCEPTED". "Surprise!" I hope you don't travel 20 miles, as I did, and then you are greeted by this disappointing revelation. "Thanks for the warning!" None! Although very bummed by this revolting development, I decided to at least check-it-out. Upon entering, a women with green hair welcomed me. "Oh! Is it St.Patrick's Day?" (Inside Voice) Thank the powers that be...the "mile long" cheese case was somehow translocated to the new boring premises. Yayyyy! Other than that pleasant surprise, it's like any other trendy nouveau shop. 《SNORE!》 I purchased a whole lot of nothing and managed to retrace my steps to my sled. I "relieved myself" in the creepy parking lot and fled the scene. I plan on returning on the12th of Neverary. Arrivaderci, Giovanni il Grande! Buona fortuna! read more

If you're searching for a great selection of meats and cheeses, this is definitely the place to go. Parking is a little challenging, but, the selection of ALL items is worth it - especially for those of us who were only visiting Seattle for a short time. Great customer service, too! read more

Clean and well organized. Excellent cheese counter. Imported foods. Spices, flour, beans, and candy in bulk. People who like to cook or eat should check out this place. read more

Great selection of cheese and charcuterie meats. We love the wine choices, interesting pastas, sweet treats, carefully selected. There's so much more, but you will have to look for yourselves. read more

My friend from Italy was looking for a place where she could buy food products from Italy. The last time I was at Big John's was when John was around and the shop was located off of Dearborn. We went in and I was surprised at the selection of food. We walked around and she found a lot of food that she used to buy back home in Italy. We bought several different cheeses, linguine and some cookies (which are called biscuits in Italy). Amazing flavor from the cheese! The linguine tasted so much better than the US made pasta and held the sauce so much better. If you want authentic Italian products in the Seattle area, Big John's is the place to go. read more

Always great selection of Italian and European products. Love their pasta, cheeses, wines and biscotti. I would say it's a bit difficult to order the cheese at the counter. As far as I can tell you ask for a cheese and they give you about what they think is the right size for you. In other words not much control over weight. read more

Nice selection however the minimum requirement is 1/2-1lb. I won't be going back until I can order the amount of cheese I want.

Been going here since I read a feature written by John Hintenberger many years ago about PFI. Kind of tucked between the International District and SoDo in the shadow of Century Link field. If you like to cook and entertain - EAT - and indulge in high quality ingredients in your culinary creations. visit PFI. It's the temple of tasty goodness. Salumi, cheese, olives, chocolate, candies, cookies, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, jams, jellies, coffee, tea, spices, puff pastry, tart shells, nuts, beans, flours, salts, rice, pasta, sauces, chutneys, butter, crackers, beverages, Essential Bakery artisan breads, et cetera. Great also for picnic inspiration, stocking stuffers or creating gift baskets. Yes, you can pay higher prices at Whole Foods, PCC, Trader Joe's, or Marx Foods for some of their product offerings....but love the wholesale, no frills aspect of their retail location. You can afford to treat yourself and before you know it, your cart or basket is full. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff! read more

The place to go for all things European! Good quality pastas and the cheese look all amazing. Most products are imported. I usually get my canned tuna (imported from Italy) from here which is sooo good! read more

My kind of Hole in the Wall-- featuring Traditional and Unique Mediterranean and European products--think the best of DeLaurfenti and PCC however more organic--Featured on King 5 Evening Magazine as one of the "hidden secrets" of Downtown Seattle--word of mouth advertising, old concrete broken down floors, peeling paint,food and Olives in bulk, all keep the prices somewhat reasonable-- Their claim to fame is a 30 foot long counter with wheels of cheese and meat galore--if someone complained about the old 1 lb minimum order for cheese--owner John Croce, who passed in 2016,(still family run by two daughters and one granddaughter), used to say "Well just have a Party"--new age--now down to 1/2 lb minimum as the cheese wheels are hard to cut down further--the saying now goes "just have a small party"-- You can get stuff like "Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey", Spicy Prosciutto spread, or "Black Forest Schinken" (Ham mported from the Black Forest in Germany) naturally smoked with tree wood, Also exquisite chocolate and caramel treats galore in bulk (think habit forming and you can just pick one--right?)--the Jacobsen Salty Caramels (from Oregon) are simply "THE BEST"of any I've tied--sugar is slowly toasted in rich, heavy cream and butter, then sprinkled with flaky sea salt (PLAIN OR WITH CHOCOLATE COATING) @ $23 per lb So with over 40 pastas imported from Italy, any spice in bulk imaginable, the place who originated imported "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" started in Seattle in 1971, practically before the "Godfather" started his business. And like the song says "you can get anything you want at Big John's Restaurant" excepting-- you gotta cook it yourself--so if you end up drinking too much of their fine wines, while cooking with Alice-- they have of course--imported "All Natural and Tested Hangover Drops"--cheers Al read more

Big John's PFI is like the best of DeLaurenti, PCC, and the Cheese Cellar all wrapped up into one fabulous store. Their bulk goods have everything you'd want to get in bulk - need a pound of dried lentils? got 'em. Need 1/8 oz of truffle sea salt? Voila. A bit of perfect baking chocolate? You get the idea. Cheese-wise, there's no place better. I've described what kind of obnoxiously stinky cheese I liked and how I wanted to incorporate it into a recipe and they found the perfect cheese for me. They also have olives in the jar or in bulk and you can even get the brine if you bring your own container (squeeeee!!!). They have insanely fun stuff too, like a bunch of powdered chocolate milk flavors with fun names (chocolate moooose), a zillion types/flavors of mustard, and many other non-italian ingredients (curries, chutneys, honeys etc). And of course they have a huge selection of olive oils and vinegars. And more San Marzano tomatoes than you'd dreamed of finding. The 2 big surprises for me were their pasta and wine selections. It's hard to adequately describe their pasta shelves, I lived in NYC's Little Italy and never saw anything like PFI's offerings. From small bags of elbow macaroni to 5 lb bags of DeCecco rotini to bags of 18 inch squid ink pasta, they seem to have it all. And the wine selection isn't huge, it's just GOOD and really inexpensive. There are a few things that stop me from giving 5 stars - it's not the cleanest place and some of the employees are really nice while some are pretty rude/dismissive. But I'll keep coming back. read more