Has all the good stuff in one store. They even have fresh produce! They have tom ka kai spice…read morepackets!

Friendly and clean. Always find what I need. I make curry dishes and South American dishes that…read moreshare some ingredients. Always have what I need. Try them out.

A delightful "mom n pop" owned Korean foods market that is small but mighty for product selection…read moreand which displays pride of ownership in the best possible way of well stocked shelves and sparkling clean spaces. I hope Diana's will not be lost in the shuffle as Boise adds 'mega-store' sized Asian food markets as has happened in 2018 with more rumored to be on the way. SERVICE: This little market may be the only one specializing in Korean foods but the others sell Korean products too. I hope the pattern of mega-stores upending the little ones like this doesn't happen because the advantage of Diana's is the nice people who own it. They speak more English than I speak Hangul, which is to say I speak none, and so although most of the packaging is in Korean characters for labels and ingredients, they can always help me out. PRODUCTS: There are packaged goods like dried mushrooms (at bargain price), Gochuchang, dried Korean chilis (which really have no substitute), noodles, kimchi and...endless other items. There is a refrigerator and freezer in the back of the store for marinated meat products and although I've never tried them, I understand they are house made. They also have a few selections in serveware and homegoods. WE LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER: On a recent visit my hubby and I were one of only three customers in the store. The other customer was a Korean woman who asked me, in delightfully halting English and with obvious surprise in her voice seeing the items I was buying, "How you know what to buy? You have Korean friend who cooks for you?" I laughed and answered that I didn't and that I was cooking myself since I was reading about Korean dishes and asked if she wanted to be my friend and cook for me. She laughed too as she replied, "I don't cook. But we be friends and go to HIS house. HE cook." HE meaning the owner who was at the register that day. Alas that he didn't take her up on the swell suggestion! But the point is food is a great connector for people across cultures, as this nice woman demonstrated. We all eat and have things to teach and learn from each other across a dining table. ACCESSIBILITY: Located in one of Boise's many woefully maintained strip malls, the parking and path of travel from parking to the sidewalk are not ADA compliant (although that law is 28 years old) and will be difficult for people with mobility disabilities - like me. That is the fault of the strip mall owner and not the owner of Diana's.

Mom and Pop Korean grocery store! I been coming here about once a week since the first time they…read moreopen their door! The owners are nice Korean older couples. They carry all sorts of things made in Korea not only food. If you can't find the thing you need then they can try to order it for you! Like the last time I was looking for flavored soju (Korean rice wine), then the following week they ordered 5 different kinds of flavored soju for me! They also have some fresh produce every Friday morning! I love coming here!

[covidtime - 8/15/2020 visit] Seemed pretty standard,…read morenothing to make it stand out. Average selection, nothing to say "come visit again", especially if you have another place that has the same or better selection. I had been checking out about 3 international grocers this day, trying to find a go-to. This one didn't make the cut; I didn't buy any items at this store. That said, there was nothing at all wrong with the store, which is why I give it 3 stars.

Saturday is the can't-miss day at the Orient Market. That's when they get fresh produce and fresh…read morefish in and the scene seems like a farmer's market, inside a small grocery store. On that day they also carry such treats as Vietnamese egg rolls, buns and yau ja gwai, fried Chinese bread sticks. The store also carries a large number of Asian sauces and seasonings, canned Thai curry bases and the like.

Shankaron Market is has great Beef Sambusas ($2.25) They also have sambusas filled with lentils…read more($2), but they were out when I visited. Sambusas are a fried or baked pastry filled with a savory filling such as spiced potatoes, peas, cheese, meat, or lentils. They are often served with a hot dipping sauce. Sambusas are also known as samosas or samboosa's. They originated in the Middle East and Central Asia, before spreading to Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia and beyond. They are usually served as an appetizer or snack. Add a salad or rice side dish to a couple of these and you have a meal. My first introduction to samosas was when I was 10 years old and living in the Congo, known at that time as Zaire. Those samosas, influenced by the Indian community, were made of beef, onions, chili peppers, cumin and turmeric. They were sold at the market and various shops. They were sometimes served with pili-pili sauce, but they were delicious without. For me, those remain the best samosas I've ever had. Shankaron's sambusas are not as spicy, but they are delicious! By far, these are the best version of this food that I have had locally. I like that they are made to order, not simply reheated. The pastry itself is perfection. Deep fried, but not greasy. Nicely crisped on the outside, but soft as you bite into it. In addition to beef, these have chopped onion and cilantro, maybe some garlic and various spices. These are served with Shidni sauce, a spicy green chili hot sauce made with tamarind and lemon. These would go great with an ice cold beer. Perfect for those Sunday afternoon's watching football, or anytime. In addition to sambusas, Shankaron Market has other menu items, and lots of other great products. Highly recommended!!!!!

[covidtime - 8/15/2020 visit] Very nice specialty grocery and restaurant. The selection isn't…read morelarge, but it fits the African/Somali vibe. I only purchased one item, and it was a lark - canned Baba Ghanouh. I thought it would be terrible, but it was actually not bad for a canned item. The people were friendly, and the restaurant felt like a friendly local bar. The folks that were there were engaged in conversation (in Somali language I guess) and they didn't seem to mind me checking out the menu, although I didn't order that day. Overall, it was a nice experience, even if it was pretty much a "check this place out for the first time" kind of thing.

Very good desserts! You can buy the cakes in individual slices, priced by weight. You can also buy…read morewhole cakes. If you are looking to try a new dessert locally, go here!

In Slavic languages (my sister in law is Russian born Ukranian), smak can refer to a market selling…read moreSlavic foods or to mean flavor and taste. This little store, tucked in Eagle Plaza (near Butler's Dry Cleaning in the space where The Squeeze Inn breakfast - lunch eatery used to be) fills the bill for both meanings. It opened in August "ish" 2025 and my first visit was about that same time. Given how few Slavic heritage people I've met in the Eagle area and how "tucked in" to a strip mall this is, I was concerned this store wouldn't make it but here they still are. Good for them. They bake all the delicious sweet treats in house and also make their own savory dishes for take away. They have a wide selection of Slavic prepared foods in packages on shelves. On the days we visited the nice woman working there (I think she is Moldovan) struggled with understanding or speaking English and we don't speak her language (unless my SIL who speaks Romanian is visiting) and it was helpful for all of us to have a young man working there who speaks both! Give this shop a try. PS - The little cakes decorated to look exactly like peaches are Breskvice or Persiki n Russian and Ukrainian and they are delicious, filled with cookie crumbs, cocoa and walnuts. ACCESSIBILITY: Level in the door from the sidewalk, all on one floor, generous aisle space and ADA marked parking near the shop. HOURS: Note they are closed on Saturdays and if my memory is right they close late afternoon on Friday.

The nice guy who works in this little Middle Eastern grocery and homewares market, and I assume is…read moreowner, may be at a disadvantage because he is just a few blocks away from Ishtar market which is a bigger and better stocked for Middle Eastern grocery items. But Alahmad is different in that it also has a selection of home decor and houseware goods and a back room with clothing, all of which seem focused on serving the preferences of Middle Eastern immigrants here who I'm sure miss these reminders of home or access to traditional clothing. But one can tell from being greeted as they open the door here by a voice door bell which is "Welcome" in English a couple of plaques on the wall outside with similar English greetings that he is eager for everyone to feel welcome and shop here. We are fans of Middle Eastern food and cook it often at home, and we've driven by the Alahmad sign several times but not gone in because the parking lot and building looked so forlorn. The space next to Alahmad, a former day spa, is vacant and the landlord has let the building and lot go into disrepair. But pride of ownership shows in Alahmad for the layout of the store. Good for the owner! For food products he carries what other Middle Eastern markets do, and we also noted a couple of cases of fresh produce items, like 'baby eggplant' , okra and onions in the front of the store too. He carries a type of Middle Eastern sesame cookie that is similar to an Italian Regina cookie but more short and less sweet and of which my hubby is a big fan. I see a lot of cartons of that cookie making it out of his store into our kitchen in months to come. I think I also spied some frozen barberries in the freezer case and if so those are hard to find anywhere. An Arabic language TV station was on in the store broadcasting what seemed like a daytime drama. (Given the market name, I surmise the owner may hail from Kuwait originally.) It was fun to feel immersed in a cultural setting given the clothing and home décor and TV. The owner told us his store has been open for 2 1/2 years. We wish him success. Give it a try. THIS N THAT: 1) PARKING: A handful of spots in a decaying paved lot. There was at one time an accessible parking spot marked here, you can see the remnants of the blue paint, but it no longer is. 2) ACCESSIBILITY: A makeshift curb cut / ramp from the parking lot onto the little sidewalk makes accessibility possible if difficult. Once in the store it is all on one level with ample space in between aisles.

The store sold me a wonderful fragrance holder. I now have the smell of Egyptian musk in my home…read more The owner answered all of my questions. It is a very large variety of middle eastern specialty foods.

Located in west Boise storefront that was once a gas station and then a succulent store, this food…read moreretailer is offshoot of their mothership store located in Northern Idaho (CDA). Two sentences in their marketing mix suggest their story. On their window is this: "No fake food allowed." On their take way bag is this: "Any easier and we'd chew it for you." Ta dum. WHAT IT IS: Being unsure how to describe the business in a Yelp summary, I sat on my fingers for a while. Then I read that they consider themselves a "farm fresh convenience store" and I thought that is perfect. There's the description. WHAT'S IN A NAME: The name is a composite of color and powerful, copow. The owners' philosophy healthy food seems to be, in part, that eating the rainbow is a good thing. That's my lane too. WHY I'M A FAN: Three visits in and it makes me want to sing, apologies to Etta James, "At last, my convenience eats have come along..." This because I am one of "those" who wants to know where the food I'm going to eat comes from and what is in it (you know that comedy bit in Portlandia, "Tell me about the chicken", yep, that's me) so I almost never buy convenience meals. This place is the sweet spot because during my first visit in when I asked about the source for the chicken in one of the first entrees I bought (apricot balsamic glazed chicken with spaghetti squash and oven roasted tomatoes ), the nice woman helping me could tell me about their regenerist practices, pasture raised growers for chicken and beef and answer all of my other ingredients questions. (P.S. If you don't know the Portlandia bit, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErRHJlE4PGI ) WHAT THEY HAVE: Refrigerated entrees and snack items ready to take away to heat, a curated selection of grocery package good items from top end vendors (like outstanding pickled veg from Pacific Pickle Works in Santa Barbara and POPPED brand artisan popcorn out of Tucson), some frozen grocery foods, and also a coffee bar. The take away items are made at their main facility in Northern Idaho and the Boise store's selection is restocked every Friday. ACCESSIBILITY: A usable ramp up to get in the door. One spot of ADA compliant parking across the parking lot. Inside has ample clear floor space between aisles. I didn't check the loo. The coffee counter is not ADA compliant as it is all high seating. ADA is a 36 year old civil rights law and requires that IF you are offering seating for customers then some of it must be at accessible height for equal access. DELIVERY?: I think delivery of the meals is being considered. Since it is a considerable drive from my front door to theirs, if they delivered meals, I would buy more often. THIS N THAT: * On Saturdays there are in-store specials that change every week. For example, $2 off any purchase. *If you're here then you're not far from great local bakery Glutonia and it is so worth stopping there for bread or pastries. In everything being connected to everything else, it was Glutonia as our destination that had us drive by copow to discover it. https://www.yelp.com/biz/glutonia-boise?osq=Glutonia

One of my favorite hyper-local places in the Eagle area. We buy almost all of our honey here now --…read moreespecially the clover and multifloral varieties. The multifloral honey is also great for local allergies, which is a huge bonus around here. If you have kiddos, this place is extra fun because they sometimes have a live hive in the store where you can watch the bees and try to spot the queen. My daughter loved this. I would definitely call ahead first though because the hive setup changes and sometimes hives have to be moved or replaced due to disease or seasonal issues. We also buy their honey sticks in bulk -- literally 100 at a time. They are the perfect car snack, hiking backpack snack, or little treat to keep on hand. Our whole family goes through them constantly. They're at local farmers markets too, but honestly I love driving out to the ranch itself. There's something peaceful about the whole setting -- seeing the open land, horses wandering around looking like they're walking through the clouds, and getting to pet their sweet dog while picking up honey. It just feels very Idaho in the best way.

Our group of two adults and two young children took a "tour" of the Steele bee hives, and it was…read moretotally fun and informative. In 2 hours we learned about where Steele rents its hives; how to open and inspect a hive; and how to recognize the queen bee from the drones and worker bees. We were even challenged to find the queen in two hives. We got to sample a small bit of honey directly from the frame, and it was delicious. Our guide Goose was amazing - very interactive with the youngsters, helpful and patient. We highly recommend this fun experience to anyone interested in learning more about bees, what an apiary does, or just more about Idaho agriculture. Oh, the honey is delicious and you can purchase some to take home at the end of your activity.