An Absolute Gem for Foodies & Flavor Lovers! If you…read moreappreciate high-quality, beautifully curated culinary experiences, Oaktown Spice Shop is an absolute must-visit. Walking into their Grand Avenue location feels like stepping into a beautifully archived world of flavor--row upon row of fresh, aromatic, hand-mixed small-batch spices in clean, classic glass jars. The rustic yet organized vibe makes you want to overhaul your entire kitchen pantry immediately. They have everything from everyday essentials to obscure herbs, but their specialty collaborations are where they truly shine. If you try only one thing, make it the Hat Trick spice mix (their incredible collaboration with the Oakland Roots and Boichik Bagels). It is an absolute game-changer. It brings a bright, savory, and zesty kick with Aleppo chile flakes, citrus salt, sesame seeds, and nori. It has the perfect warm, delicious heat that elevates everything it touches--especially an open-faced bagel with lox and avocado, or a crusted salmon filet. Between the incredible customer service, the gorgeous shop aesthetic, and brilliant blends like Hat Trick, it's easy to see why they were named one of the best spice shops in the world. I'll be a customer for life!

Oaktown Spice Shop is a must if you are in the Oakland. Oaktown Spice Shop is well organized,…read morewelcoming, and the staff is very friendly and willing to help if you have any questions! The spice shop has a wide variety of goods which are reasonable priced. Once you walk into the store the most amazing smells which you have smelled will fill your nostrils. The smell are not overpowering but welcoming and guide you around the store to explore what the store has to offer. If you are in the area or just want to stop by, please do and you will be pleased with your experienced. If you don't want to stop by, please check out their online store!!

Nice selection of good smelling handmade soaps - I enjoy just looking around here as well as…read moreshopping. They organize their herbs and teas by intention and I find that logical and accessible. Friendly service and tasty tea, recommend coming in if you're looking for a healthy looseleaf tea blend.

Groovy shop with helpful wonderful people and magical potions. They have the far out items I need…read moreand of quality source.

Easy to sleep on a place like this. However, you really shouldn't. Their bulk section is amazing…read more You can get dang near anything in bulk here. Their peanut butter is amazing. Great quality products and always affordable.

What a disappointment. This used to be my "go to" for food and health supplements, but no more. The…read morecustomer service has really gone downhill (rude and unhelpful and suspicious staff) and they're selling food that is NOT FRESH. Let me start with those sunflower and date cookies that are supposed to be "freshly baked." Not so. Stale as can be! And the store refused to take them back or offer a refund or store credit. The "organic" white and yellow popcorn. STALE! I tried 3 different methods of popping with stale results all 3 times. Staff's reaction? Defensiveness and no offer of a reasonable solution...had to "match" the price to another item of the same value. Ridiculous. Honestly, I thought I was in Farmer Joe's for a minute! Finally, that bulk "large flake" yeast can be sketchy looking. Strange dark blotches of who-knows-what mixed in. This I did not take back...I just threw it out. Never shopping there again...I detest rude and unfriendly staff at a business where I'm spending my sparse, fixed income money!

Wonderfully knowledgeable proprietor. I visited based on a recommendation, and left feeling…read moreconfident in the solution. Wonderful herbal mastery solutions to meet the needs of everyone..

I trust Henry Lau more than 100. He has helped me on several occasions where western medicine did…read morenot. He also has an incredible memory of his patients and their ailments.

Was in the area with limited time for a lunch and pizza from a WFM sounded better than some of the…read moreother fast food options that popped up on my phone. I was in and out quickly and picked up some sundries for home as well. Their pizza is very under appreciated IMHO.

This Whole Foods is one of the largest in the Oakland area. It has the largest hot bar by a far,…read moreand the most prepared foods. Having said that it does have some disadvantages. First and foremost, the parking lot is insane. It is the most crowded tight and chaotic parking lot around. On the lower level, the spaces are so small that my car routinely gets dinged. The vibe here is busy. There are lots of Instacart shoppers running around amongst all of the downtown Oakland workers stopping here for their groceries. generally, I have found that the worst day is Sunday.

February 2026 On the second day of Lunar New Year, I…read morevisited your wholesale location in a festive and sincere spirit. I had prepared red envelopes to express appreciation for your hardworking staff, reflecting our long-standing business relationship. Upon arrival, I was pleased to see that your company had arranged a small buffet for employees. The warehouse staff were polite and exchanged festive greetings, creating a positive atmosphere. This reflected well on management and is worth acknowledging. However, an incident that followed severely disrupted what had been a pleasant morning. I must clearly identify that the staff member involved is the senior female employee from the back department responsible for vegetables senior lady ! This day she was standing their cut pork for customer and employee! she refused to provide proper portions to my employee, who was waiting in line appropriately. Instead, she directed her to take leftover scraps filled with excessive bone fragments. When I calmly asked for clarification, this staff member responded with a cold, impatient, and hostile attitude, demonstrating a complete lack of professionalism and basic respect. My employee feels like homeless need get her food ! As long-term customers and fellow business owners who consistently support your company, we expect fairness and respect, particularly during a festive occasion meant to reflect goodwill. As business operators ourselves, we understand that management culture directly affects reputation. What we witnessed today raises serious concerns regarding internal service standards and supervision. I respectfully request that management review this matter seriously and reinforce professional training to ensure equal and respectful treatment for all customers moving forward.

It doesn't have everything but it's definitely a lot cheaper than ranch 99 if you need to buy a…read morebulk supply of veggies. I bought a huge can of Mae ploy yellow curry for less than $6 - fresh rice noodles for $5, Thai tea, - they have other bulk frozen meats - but too much for me to buy. The cashier was helpful and friendly to me.

Long story short, last year, I got some Mareko Fana seeds from a work-related source. These are the…read morepeppers used to make Ethiopian Berbere spice blend. Raw, they were terrible--so much so that I was skeptical--but we dried them and used them to make homemade Berbere spice. The homemade Berbere spice was fantastic with complex layers of flavors from the pepper and different spices. We've been using it ever since to make Ethiopian food at home- sadly, we just finished the last of it. I enjoy going out for Ethiopian food, but making it at home has been a revelation. The flavors are incredible, especially Berbere red lentils, which are easy to make and very delicious. But we are not ambitious enough to make Injera from scratch. Luckily, we stumbled upon Abyssinia Market in Oakland, which makes and sells Injera. It's inexpensive, delicious, and keeps well in the fridge. To warm it up, we just put it on a plate, cover it with a damp paper towel, and microwave it. Beyond Ethiopian food, we've found that Injera pairs well with all sorts of dishes--everything from eggs in the morning to Middle Eastern and Greek dips. Tonight, we had it with roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and Aji Verde sauce. If you haven't tried their Injera yet, I highly recommend it!

It doesn't please me to see that the owner of this place was "gladly" willing to sell smaller…read morequantities of seasonings to other customers after refusing to do so for me--I was obliged to purchase a full pound of berbere spice, much of which is still sitting in my cabinet. In retrospect, she wasn't particularly friendly or welcoming toward me during any of my visits. Nowadays I get my injera elsewhere.

Chinese Ginseng and Tea shop in Oakland Chinatown. You walk in and immediately the rich smell of…read moredry mushrooms, ginseng, and other vegetables hits you. Big barrels of dry veggies line the aisles. However, I went there looking for packaged teas, and the selected seemed limited. I think they want you to buy from the bulk teas, and not the pre-packaged tea bags. Staff was very nice and had alot of patience Street parking

Wing Fong Ginseng replaces KV Mart. quite a few ginseng stores in area now. average sized store…read more offerings: ginseng, dried seafood, herbs, chinese medicines. buys: chinese meds when the need arises. shopping notes: -no food related items noticed on a look see.

Stepping into Man Must Wak must be like using a teleporter into South-Central Africa. Mere moments…read moreafter being on an Oakland sidewalk I was staring at canned, bottled, and dried products from Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Guyana. Not only do the dry ingredients seduce one into cooking a wider menu, but there's a large amount of prepared food that can be a shortcut. The ambience reminded me of my time in Africa, between the variety of languages being spoken, the music from the radio, and the smells. The service was spot on and helpful, and the few questions that came out of my astonished face were answered. Next I'm going to have to search through some cookbooks...

Came here to buy supplies for egusi. Store is very neat and got a bunch of supplies . Clerk didn't…read moreknow what went into egusi and just said to search internet. I saw they have a lot of frozen prepared foods which I would love to try but no ingredients listed on the packaging. I would love to try if I knew what was in it.

Cute store lots of different kits and tools for the novice chef. Got a sourdough starter…read moreunfortunately it did not grow, but thinking about trying a different kit.

Love this store. Like the new location even if parking can be a pain. Got a new vinegar mother and…read moresome sour dough starters for a friend on my last visit.