Love stopping at this store because they carry SRI LANKAN items. They sell Munchee Biscuits from Sri Lanka, Jaggery, Cordials, Jams, spices, rice and so much more. So grateful to find a little bit of Sri Lanka here. read more

See all

Man the woman ( I think it's the owner ) is so rude. Even my mom told me to write them a bad review. She literally asked them if it's possible to cut the dried coconut to check the quality since couple of times, they have been rotten. She literally just rolled her eyes and said no. There old guy who is way nicer, had said that they can cut it for her. read more

I'd give a zero if possible!! Groceries were all spoiled and rotten. They were all dried up and un-maintained. In addition, VERY RUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE!! CASHIER MADE FUN Of MY MOTHER!! We're paying for the groceries not getting them for free!!! Cashier was getting annoyed for no good reason. Unless you want to spoil your mood and day, avoid this place at all costs. Managers need to know what type of bald rude arseholes they hire!! read more

TL;DR: A big yet somewhat obscure Indian market with large Indian spice selection and yummy samosas. Thoughts: My friend told me that their samosas are probably the best in the Bay Area and I have to say they didn't disappoint! For 99 cents, you can a large delicious samosa; the outside is crispy and the fillings are flavorful and a bit spicy. We also got a box of baklavas and it was delicious too, although it's not made by the store. read more

Milan International - Samosa - Imported Food Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I have been going to this Indian grocery store, Milan in Berkeley, for some years. There were some issues such as telling me that some new Ayurvedic Chaywanprash (other than Dabur's) is sugarless which, as it turned out not. A few weeks ago, I bought a flat stone mortar with a stone pestle from Milan for grinding spices, etc. This was the only one left in the store. When I brought it home I did not use it for some time until recently and found it to be defective as it has an upward curve in the middle and it is unusable with the pestle. I took it to the store, and the owner told me that he cannot refund it. I honestly told him that I tried to use it and then he immediately said, once used it cannot be refunded. I said I could buy other things in exchange for a refund. Still, he would not do it. I told him that I am a regular customer and I expected you to consider it. he said not. After I had reminded him that Federal and State laws require a refund for defective items, he told me "Get out of my store!" I will never go back to the store. read more

I bought hathi(elephant brand ) atta within a month had these nasty worms inside . when I called the store about exchange they said they cannot do anything . I read the reviews about this store that they have expired product on shelves but still ignored. Everyone should be cautious using any of their product . They don't stand behind the quality of their product. FDA should check their products. Customer service is zero read more

Great market with an extensive selection. The fresh samosas are obviously a huge plus!

Very big store and practically has everything in it from food to other type of supplies like shampoos, soaps and cooking utensils. Lots of variety and things you can buy in bulk but I don't like the staff's attitude that much and the packaging of products is not always good. It's more of an indian store run like it runs in India where there's a bit of chaos and not really clean. Also, they don't carry organic brands hence can't really trust the quality. But definitely lowest prices of products and they also have a loose section where you can buy as much as you want which others stores don't have. Prefer the Bombay Spice or Vik's Chat since they are smaller but cleaner and carry organic brands. read more

Messy inside, but plethora of inventory!! Guju owned Indian mart. Came here to get atta ( wheat flour) and kasoori methi ( fenugreek). No fresh leaves available----not even at Berk Bowl. Like just how many things they sell. Get your tea leaves for chai here, and always, always----my cupboard is stocked with Alphonso mango pulp cans. Yippee read more

Milan has way more ingredients for Indian food than I would ever know what to do with. I got a whole bunch of spicy stuff, beans, rice and some miracle powder (see below) today and it all came out to under $6. Booyeah. The staff is extremely helpful, perhaps too helpful at times as one of the staff kept on chasing after me to see what I wanted. I asked a girl working the counter how to cook Naan and she laughed at me and suggested that Naan is only made in India for holidays. Normally, they just eat a flatbreead called Chapati. We chatted for a bit, and she asked me if I am married - No - and suggested I marry an Indian girl if I wanted really good Indian food for the rest of my life. I'm not sure how the culture works, but I think she may have been hinting at something. Watch out Mari C.! But why did I come here in the first place you may wonder? I came here for one thing and one thing alone: Tavari Churna. It has changed my life. Why? Milan carries this powder called Tavari Churna and it is a remedy "useful for general weakness of ladies & gents." And those who know SuperNickman, would never associate him with "weakness." That is because I eat this stuff like it's eggs and with them. Goodbye general weakness, hello 10,000 kilo bench press! read more

Milan International - Imported Food Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

It's hard to find a better grocery store or market for Indian food than this one. It literally has everything. But the reason I came, and the reason many of us do, are the samosas. They are definitely the best I've had anywhere, and I served them for a party at my home with a lot of excited guests. So why 3 stars? Attitude. I asked for samosas, and the gentleman at the counter told me it would be "just a minute". Just a minute turned into 20. I then finally asked about it again, and he went outside to remind someone who came immediately with the samosas. He just didn't seem to care about my wait and I kept having to remind him. With some attention to service and people who need assistance, this could be an even better place. read more

I buy all of my chai and frozen food here (naan, samosa, etc.). The store is well organized and has everything I need.

A big reason I'm writing this review is so that I don't forget this place and where it is. They have EVERYTHING for Indian / Pakistani groceries...and I've searched in lots of other places for specialty items that have come up short comparatively. They also stock certain items in bulk, like whole spices which is great to keep in pantry. This store felt like a toy store for me when I went in, really liked it and can't wait to go back to stock up. read more

This is the place to go for spices. They have everything. I'm not sure how they're doing it with covid because the bins used to be open. you would scoop how much you needed into a paper bag. read more

The Old Man is mean. But the store carries a great variety of bulk spices. I like their prices. Their samosas taste good. Update--- Their samosas are fantastic. They always have been and are the standard that i compare other samosas to. read more

Every time I go to Vik's Chaat House, I seem to have to stop at this Indian grocery store. They have a fair selection of Bollywood music and movies, but plenty of Indian sweets. If you like Indian cooking, this is a good place to find authentic ingredients and other food products. On a whim, I bought some Safi "blood purifier" which among other things claims to "check nose bleeding, cure constipation, corrects indigestion, improves complexion and helps you stay slim and smart." You won't find that at Whole Foods, brothers and sisters. read more

Lately I have been throwing large Indian dinner parties and sometimes I need esoteric ingredients like asafoetida or "methi dana", aamchur etc, which is hard to find in a normal grocery store. This store has it all. My guests are definitely ranting and raving... ok I'm bragging but it's true. I love their bulk bins. I use it to buy smaller quantities as a single person doesn't need the large packets. The prices on the junk Indian food can be high sometimes. But the spices and condiments are pretty reasonable. They even have chai masala... I'm spoiled because I get my mother's chai masala. But when I run out of it I buy it here. Although I don't need it anymore because I make a fresh mix every time with lemon grass, ginger and cardamom. It is better than anything one can buy but I digress If you wanna treat yourself, buy the alphonso mango pulp and roof afza syrup. The mango pulp goes very well with milk (soy/regular) and ice cream. For even more flavor soak some cardamom and saffron in soy milk for a while and then mix it with the pulp. Absolutely heavenly. Rooh afza is a refreshing addition to any smoothie or just as a topping on plain vanilla ice cream. The owner speaks bambaiyaa hindi (bombay style), something I miss because most of my Indian friends here are either from South or North India. Highly recommend this over the stores in city if you are gonna shop a lot. I feel the stores in south bay are probably cheaper but oh well.. For a taste of western India, buy the khakra or khari. Yes, this is highly processed food with some not-so-desirable hydrogenated fat in it but unless you can get it homemade from an Indian housewife this is your best bet. I wish they had better quality green chillies and kadhi patta (curry leaves). read more

The rudest possible store owner. Most horrible shopping experience I've had in the last three years of my stay in the United States. DO NOT shop here unless you want to yelled at by the shop owner. I bought a frying pan from them for an exorbitant price of $16 hoping that the quality would be nice. But the handle of the pan just broke off after two weeks of use due to improper design of the screws. When I went back to the store with the grievance, the owner blatantly accused me of lying with the theory that the handle had melted and had nothing to do with bad design. I asked him to get another one of the same pans so that I can show the issue, to which he never agreed. He kept shouting at me for the store not being responsible for what happens to the items once you've bought them. In conclusion, LOW quality products, EXORBITANT prices, and EXTREMELY RUDE behavior. read more

The lady who probably was the owner was so rude to her employees. She was yelling and grumbling at them. I was carrying my baby, she started sneezing in the store so I walked out and stayed outside leaving my wife inside. She came out and started looking at me suspiciously as if I was a shop lifter. I shop most of the times at santos agency in san leandro. They are so cool to every one. But this one is so bad. Never recommend any one. read more

Milan International - Imported Food Near Me - Berkeley, California

Recently I was swept away by the "Indian Cooking" issue of Saveur magazine. I've made various Indian dishes before (I love cooking with paneer, and I make a delicious Gujarati Cabbage). I had many of the ingredients I needed, the Berkeley Bowl was the right place for the fresh items (including curry leaves, which I've never eaten whole before), but for some things I needed to find an Indian market. Toovar dal? check. Urad dal? yes! In fact, they are available in bulk so I could buy just the amount I needed. Black salt? Got it!. While wandering up and down the aisles I also picked up some jaggery (which I used to make a caramel lassi so decadent that you had to sit down to drink it). It's not the sparkling-cleanest place I've ever been in, but unlike other reviewers it didn't bother me. The staff was really friendly and the prices were very reasonable. I'm definitely coming back the next time I get swept away with a desire for Butter Dal or Aloo Masala. read more

A great place to buy bulk spices of any sort, and great for Indian stapes. The real reason I go to Milan? Samosa. These crispy samosa are actually made at the restaurant next door, but are almost always available in the spice market. They are crispy, with fresh peas, dense potato and not-at-all greasy tasting. The curried spice comes through, and it's hard to stop at just one. Great to bring as an appetizer to parties, or buy a small sack -- they reheat well with a few minutes in your oven. And at 60 cents each, it's hard to go wrong. read more

What a find! If you are looking for bulk spices or grains at a reasonable price, check out Milan ... just resist your urges to plunge your hands into the huge vats in the back and toss the lentils into the air. Anyone else see "Mother India"? Haven't been able to look at a lentil without excitement since then..... Pataks spice pastes are about half the price than at Safeway or your average supermarket. The variety of prepared spices is mind-boggling ... for a moment there while standing in a puddle of my own drool, I imagined how cool it would be to open an Indian restaurant in my own kitchen. Found papads from India to snack on at home. Yum... Gonna make Milan a regular stop for me on all my Berkeley trips. Next time I'll get a sack of samosa. read more

First things first.... the people at this place are very friendly and helpful. Unlike any Indian store I've been to and it pains me to give it 2 stars. This is definitely not a place to go to get produce... it was all wilted and dead. But their selection of spices and the concept of wholesale bins really impressed me. In addition, I felt that the prices are a bit too high. read more

I first whet to Milan decades ago...it hasn't changed a whole lot over the years, with the exception of a lot more SKUs in the health and beauty area. For Indian spices, this is the place to go in the Bay Area. The assortment is unparalleled...it appears that nothing is missing. Babbish was most pleasant. Great to see this fixture of a spice source still going strong. The paucity of parking is an issue, but not worth not patronizing Milan...a few extra steps is good for all of us. read more

I just love shopping here!!! Yesterday I bought 10 different spices from the bins and have been cooking yummy food. And a beautiful man working here explained to me how to make curry. I'm excited to give it a go! I always come here to buy ghee. If you haven't tried ghee (purified butter), it is amazing!!! I use it instead of oil (except when cooking curry, per the employee). Milan sells a local one in glass jars (a plus) for less than other stores in the area (another plus). This place is great!!! read more

Decent selection of dry food but veggies are usually old and not good, staff (specially the son) is very rude. He is too full of himself, and just doesn't have good customer service etiquettes. Father is OK but can be rude too. I avoid going there when the son is at the cash register and take my business somewhere else. read more

A friend sent me here to pick up ingredients for a meal she was preparing for 40 People. The clerk was totally helpful in finding everything, 75% of which I'd never heard of much less knew what it looked like. He even carried it to my car! read more

I have been shopping at this place for a couple of years in an effort to learn about Indian cooking and condiments and they have a really nice range of stuff. I especially like a line of Sri Lankan curry paste (larich) they carry. They also have this herbal paste boiled from Indian gooseberry called Chyavan-Prash which is pretty cool. The owners have always been pretty nice to me and the Samosas are as good as people say. There sweet section is also pretty good and they have something called Besso Ladoo which are fried chickpea balls fried in ghee and sweetened with sugar that are addictive. Not much of a fan of the vegetables. All in all a decent place to shop compared to what I find in San Francisco read more

Is there anything lower than a one? Can I give negative stars? This place is FILTHY. To the point that not only will I not shop there but I will not allow anything that someone else has bought from there to come into my home. Not even a newspaper. Not even a movie. I washed my sneakers each of the three times I actually ventured into the place. I have seen bugs crawling over their bulk bins. You do not want to look at the floor. The sidewalk into the place has not been swept much less pressure washed in its existence. I have no idea why the health department does not close them down. It is that horrible. The people seem friendly enough but I just can not support a business that has so little regard for their customers that they would allow this level of filth. read more

At face value Milan seems to be a nice store. However, most of their pre-packed spices are either expired or close to the listed expiry date. Recently, when I was in dire need of some MTR rava idli mixture, i strolled into milan to see if they have it. After locating it, i found that roughly 75% of their MTR idli powder was expired. the other 25% did not have a date on the package. The shop keeper told me 'those are the new batches'. I left in disgust. Also on other occasion I was being followed around like i'm a shop lifter (some of my friends have similar experience). The reason why they are able to sell Patak's paste etc at lower prices is because they might buy over date or close to expiry date in large amounts and sell it at prices lower then other shops. I'd love to be proven wrong, but Milan is not the shop for me. read more

Milan is large, and everyone who works there is very friendly and helpful. Their bulk section is amazing, with great prices on all sorts of things. They've also got the only large jars of Marmite, and the best price on British-style Heinz baked beans you can find in the area. Not to mention the selection of movies, sweets, and delicious samosas. A neighborhood institution. read more

My friend actually told me about this place. They have a nice variety of spices and foreign products you cant get elsewhere. I felt that they "push" you to buy things. I was there two weeks ago and payed with my debit card and the transaction was fine. Today , check my online checking account and was amazed that they charged me AGAIN ,this time $25 !!! I have a filed a claim with my bank. If you really have to go there never use ur credit or debit card ! Pay cash !!!!! read more

Seriously, the best samosas in the world. They make them right there too, so don't worry if they seem to be out! You can even call and order ahead, and just pickup in 15 minutes. Once you get your samosas here, you won't order them at a restaurant. Also, a great place for general indian grocery shopping, but I legit just come here for the samosas. read more

The most rude people work over here and the way they behave is like really sick . I remember the old man throws stuffs on the table as if they are giving it us for free . I am never going to that place again . read more

I've literally never had an employee stand right next to me like I was gonna steal something. I guess they get a lot of Black people pocketing garam masala. :-/ read more

Milan is Berkeley's best Indian grocery. That is no small feat, as Berkeley is home to several excellent ones. A few highlights: a major bulk spices section. Unbeatable prices. Fantastic selection of teas, chutneys, and pickles. What most makes me a loyal customer is the knowledgable service, Indian style. Someone will always ask whether you are finding what you need. If you are not sure, they will make an informed recommendation. read more

When I go here I feel like this is exactly what it would be like in an Indian market in India. There is something special about that for me, probably because I long to go to India one day. I love everything about it. The smells, the food, the culture, the language. They are always really nice and helpful here too. I love to go to stock up on my Indian sauces and chutneys. I particularly love the curry sauces and mango chutney-- yum. There are no frills about this place, but that is part of it's charm. You can also buy Indian movies, which I also love. The desserts are pretty tasty too. I will definitely go back to stock up. It is also pretty inexpensive! I got a bunch of stuff for $18. read more

Great customer service! Fair prices considering costs of shipping are so high these days. My favorite Indian Grocery store in Berk

We have been going to Milan for years, and although occasionally we run into the woman who works there (and who can be bit curt), the male owner and his male helpers have always been very helpful to us. My husband (who is Indian...I'm not) and I like Milan because their selection of items is more extensive and their prices are lower than those of the other Indian stores in Berkeley. They have many spices in bins (which is great because we can buy as much of each as we like), as well as a good selection of pickles, rice, and other staples... ...and we love their SAMOSAS, which are fresh and cooked next door. These are just the right size to bring to parties (especially with a jar of date-tamarind chutney) ...but if you want to do that, it is a good idea to call and order ahead to make sure they have enough. read more

I am a true fan of this store. I love all the spice bins and exotic things they sell at the store. I don't care for the mexican guys who follow you around all the time watching you shop. I was just in there yesterday and these guys were not there, good. I love having a place to shop for spices that have good prices, a large selection, and everything you need for Indian cooking and then some. I give it four stars. read more