They should charge to just let you go in and smell all the great spices. But they have sales and also help with "what is this for?" Always so kind. ONLY when I'm in a last minute jam do I buy spices from the grocery store. Their social justice status is so on point. read more

On Labor Day Monday, Penzey's was one of the few stores open during the holiday. This visit, I found some small bottles of "Resist", which consists of black pepper, salt, paprika, cayenne red pepper, white pepper, and chipotle pepper, discounted to only $2 a jar. These will become Christmas stocking stuffers. If you are on their email subscriber list, you might receive a bonus mystery spice jar with your purchase. (I didn't get the jar because I had taken myself off their list.) No biggie. read more

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Stopped by Penzey's in Menlo Park to stock up on a few staples, cocoa powder, Mexican vanilla (it's delicious and our favorite), pumpkin spice, and a couple of other blends we wanted to try. You can smell the spices as you walk in! The customer service is okay - hence deducting 1 star. For most spices they have, you can smell them as they keep a test container, which was fun to go around sniffing a few that we wanted to check out. The cocoa powder is incredibly smooth and deep in flavor (though hard to sprinkle out of the bottle, not sure why that is), and the Mexican vanilla adds such a beautiful aroma to my coffee every morning. Their pumpkin spice might honestly be the best I've ever had - it's perfect for making it at home without any sugar (I just add a dash to an espresso shot, froth almond milk with a bit of vanilla, and it's perfection). The store is well-organized, easy to browse, and located right in downtown Menlo Park. Plenty of parking in the back. The spices are expensive than traditional stores FYI, but you only need small amounts, and they are good quality. read more

I've been a customer with Penzeys for 40 years. Way back when it was strictly mail order. But the spices were fresh and many were impossible to obtain in a small town. I got my first high end pot from them and I still have it. Just imagine my excitement when the store opened in Menlo Park! What? A brick and mortar store right next to me! How lucky can I get? So I got to look and smell the spices before I purchase. Wahoo! Now Penzeys has changed over the years. They have more spice blends than they do whole spices. I don't like the blends because I like to cook by adding spices in as I cook. It allows me to fine tune the final result. I never really know how the blend will turn out. Also if I don't like the blend deciding how fix the flavor is really difficult if not impossible. So by ignoring the blends the store shrinks down massively. The historical Penzeys had more items the I found useful. But they do have some of the more exotic items like the facing heaven chilis from the Szechuan region in China ( labeled Tien Tsin). The closest store where I found these was at a great Asian supermarket in New York City. Service was excellent but hey it was just me and one other customer. As for freshness Penzeys is still excellent but if you find some good ethnic markets you can do very well and pay an almost alarmingly lower price. In the end Penzeys is better for convenience and for beginners who haven't had a lot of experience shopping and just want to find some mysterious ingredient fresh. Once you become familiar with your spices and herbs you should take a tour around the Bay Area which has phenomenal diversity and get to know the little ethnic markets which might just be a treasure house for all those ingredients that you now understand. PS: watch out for open bottles of spices, which have the seal broken. Apparently some customers are over enthusiastic about checking out the spices. So instead of using the sample jars, they feel the need to inspect the bottle personally. To get you started, Setarah at 4644 Meridian Ave, San Jose, CA 95124 The Sadaf line of herbs and spices has been a good quality. However the Setarah line of spices has been disappointing. read more

Just walking into all those smells makes me happy. The people that work there are so informed, and super friendly. I LOVE this store. The store is so clean and organized. The herbs there are the best quality! read more

We love this place and their products! The best spice store ever. In particular, their house-brand hot spice powder is amazing

If you're looking to update your spice rack with some great spices, Penzeys is the place to go. They offer a large assortment of spices in various quantities. It can be a bit overwhelming to pick things because there are so many options. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. There's a huge parking lot on the backside of the store so you don't have to go far to find parking. If you can't make it to the store, you can order things online. read more

Penzey's has always represented excellent service. Have been coming to this location everytime I am in the area. Located on Main Street in downtown Menlo Park, street parking on the front of store can be challenging. Not a problem, just go to the back which has another door into the store and is located in the large public parking lot with lots of spaces. I had been anticipating arriving back to the Bay area and looking at the sales emails for a month. This trip to Menlo Park had me sneaking away from my obligations for a few moments and flying in two weeks ago for a brief moment. Imagine my utter disappointment that the store, while advertised open til 6pm was actually closed at 3pm. Little did anyone know it was the exact day that the IT glitch hit. No one's fault. It is what it is. Being a persuasive, ok bold one, I tried to convince the Penzey's Sales Associate to allow me in to shop, smell the spices, buy, and pay cash... she said it wasn't an option. S.A. did offer me a good alternative with ordering online and picking up at the store on a different future date to avoid shipping costs... after they confirmed payment online. Still not realizing the enormity of the IT glitch I tried to convince S.A. to allow me in store to just "look" and "smell" so that I could build my shopping list since I did just drive almost an hour to get there. Regretfully, that was not allowed. So, I pointed to my car and told her I would be sitting in my car while I built my order online, hoping the store would reopen quickly. A few minutes later she found me still in my car struggling to navigate the online site to tell me the store was closing permanently for the day. She was apologetic and offered me the two items that were giveaways ending that day. I appreciate that extra effort. Wish I caught her name so I could thank her or acknowlege her to management when I went back to pickup my order a week later. Going back to pickup order was NOT great for my wallet as I picked up a few more items on my 2nd visit hahah, I am absolutely in love with my Penzey's spices and seasonings. The quality is unbeatable! And the service, both first and second times visiting in a week has been, not surprising... top notch! read more

Penzeys Spices - A Special sample seasoning of the day - Herbs & Spices Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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The store is laid out in a nice way. It feels like I'm walking into a high end shopping experience as soon as I step foot inside. But the prices aren't really that much more than spices you pick up from the grocery store. Great selection. read more

I like this place, very organized and had tons of spice options. I was specifically looking for salt free blends and they had several choices. I picked up a few bottles and they threw in a little bonus too. In a nice area in Menlo Park near lots of great little stores. I'll be coming back again. read more

Penzeys is a well known and excellent purveyor of spices, herbs, and other culinary delights!

Had a $50 gift car so instead of ordering on line wifey and I decided to take a trip and visit the store in person. The store had at least 4 employees ready to help out. The floor plane with all the unique spices was laid out beautifully. They just started putting a sample jar of every spice they have available so you can smell what they smell like. "They had stopped doing that for the past couple of years due to Covid" The employees new their products and were a great help. Now I wasn't able to find everything I wanted but they looked it up on the website and was able to direct get me the SKU number so I could order it online. All in all it was a nice experience. read more

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Penzeys is located in a strip mall, close to Wells Fargo, Trader Joe's, restaurants, and other shops. There is a parking lot available. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable of their products. I like that they have spices from around the world. read more

A cozy neighborhood spice shop with a widespread, Western-leaning selection, really friendly staff, and high-quality spices! I love their taste notes on each spice and being able to smell each one before buying- their toasted garlic powder is made in store and absolutely divine. Also a big fan of their french herbes de provence mixes. Will definitely stop by here again, once I make it through my last spice haul! read more

Much love to Penzeys for wonderful spices, warm hospitality and standing against the racists and fascists

Always stop here when I'm in the area, otherwise I mail order. Cute shop with a good selection from their catalog. Friendly staff, too. If you don't know Penzeys, this is a great intro. read more

Wide selection of spices and spice blends. I prefer to mix my own "blends" so I am glad to find the basics here. Nice to see green spices like basil and parsley that are green and not the gray color of grocery store spices. Staff very helpful and pleasant. Easy to park. I can't get here often so I order by mail usually. It was nice to experience the smell of the spices from their samples. Love this place! read more

same stuff you get at Albertsons, but twice/three times as expensive. what you don't get from Albertsons, are the lazy employee lounging on their phones while you shop! same your money, this place is a joke. read more

Ever since I discovered Penzeys in Santa Monica there is no turning back. I buy much of my herbs and spices in bulk at neighborhood specialty stores, yet Penzeys is my go-to place for herb and spice blends and seasonings. The quality for everything is top of the line and they creatively put together combinations for everything from specifically for pasta or pizza to blends with names like FoxPoint, Tuscan Sunset, Sunny Paris, Forward and Justice. Once you get to select some favorites you'll soon discover that some sprinkle will elevate any bland dish to new highs. The blends come in a variety of sizes but gauge what you'll need for no more than a year. Freshness is key and it can diminish over time. I also like their chili powder and bay leaves, and have tried some more exotic things like sumac. Recently I have only done mail order due to COVID and being at risk, but otherwise I gladly go to the Menlo Park or Santa Rosa stores as it's so fun to pursue the options. As you can see in the photo I am well stocked, especially since I cook every meal at home, with few exceptions, Of you like good additions to your cooking, this is the place to look. read more

Penzeys Spices - My spice cabinet of Penzys - Herbs & Spices Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I love buying Penzey's spices online - been doing that for years both for myself and gifts for others, and I was excited to find that they have an in-person store in Menlo Park! There are plenty of parking lots nearby. Looks like other cute shops and restaurants in the area but I came for the spices. I like the store layout - you can find single spices in one area and all their spice mixes in another area. Probably my favorite section is the pepper section - I love Florida seasoned pepper (a pepper with citrus) and Black & Red (black pepper with spicy red pepper). Also the store always smells great from all of the spices. The staff here is very friendly and both times I have been in, there has been some kind of "buy something, get something for free" deal. So even if you are paying a little more for the spices, I feel like Penzey's quality is well worth it! read more

Love Penzeys. The spices are of excellent quality and the staff is friendly. Layout of the store allows you to browse and imagine or grab and go quickly depending on your mood. Easy off street parking in the back. Watch for store specials and email offers. And after shopping there are lots of places for a bite to eat. read more

Penzeys Spices - Outside of store - Herbs & Spices Near Me - Menlo Park, California

If you love cooking and baking, you owe yourself a trip to this high temple of seasonings and spice. Penzey's has an unparalleled selection of quality spices. Most food lovers are stuck browsing and ordering off their website, but we are so lucky to live near one of their few brick-an-mortar stores! Wandering through this tiny shop to sniff their wide variety of luscious spices is a special treat. The folks who work here are friendly and helpful. Hot tip: there are often promotions where you get some freebie (a spice, a mug, a tea towel, etc) with a small purchase. read more

Amazing store! Great setup, very efficient staff. Found the supplies I was looking to buy very easily. They have every spice you can imagine. Plus seasonings to enhance your cooking. Can't wait to try my new spices! read more

I love Penzey's! Been coming here for several years since they opened their Menlo Park location. They have an amazingly HUGE assortment of spices. For example, they don't just offer Oregano, they offer several oregano types harvested from different countries which will have a slightly different flavor profile. They also have display jars with lids. You pull off the lid and get to smell the differences in the spices- important if you are looking for certain attributes of a certain spice. For the chili peppers - they offer a huge selection and I appreciate that they give you a heat scale to know the different heat level in each pepper choice. My biggest words of advice are to "Sign Up for their email list". They periodically send huge discounts such as "Get any 1/2 cup spice bottle FREE with any $5 purchase." Which works out to a great buy. Otherwise, if you pay their retail price, the prices are rather expensive. read more

Best spices in all the land! I love Penzey's spices, they're a cut above the rest when it comes to quality and the prices are great. I have loved ordering pick up during the pandemic, and getting my spices safely delivered outside. Some of my at-home staples include their southwest seasoning, pure vanilla extract(so good!), Cinnamon, sesame seeds, rosemary, pepper, and sate seasoning. I have enjoyed using their spice pairing recipes they offer on their site as well(great promotions and discounts if you subscribe to their emails too). Consider supporting local and getting your spices here, they are much better than the average brands in large grocery stores and offer a wide selection. read more

Penzeys Spices - Spices to-go! - Herbs & Spices Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Finally had the opportunity to visit the store. absolutely loved it. First thing was the aroma of the spices. intoxicating. It was so streamlined & immaculate from outside you would not think it was bright and welcoming but quite the opposite. Prices are competitive with many other local stores. You can find so many unique blends and spices not available in the local grocer and multiple sizes. The staff were quite friendly and helpful. Signup for emails and get special deals. Yes, some complain about a political spin if you don't like it don't read or don't sign up. I can't wait to visit the store again read more

The tellicherry coarse grind pepper is The bomb! Great spices! I like when they displayed kids art. Great gift sets for holidays. read more

Had every thing I was looking for People were awesome and very helpful. I was looking for splices specific to doing corned beef for our National Holiday on the 17th... What I saw was someplace I need to spend a great deal of time exploring. I want to spend hours in this place. Check it out. read more

An airy store with lots of interesting and potent spices. Everything is simply packaged and open for exploration. I came in to get spices to make my own masala chai, but I also got the minced garlic since it made me think of a bone-in ribeye (which I then got from Delucci's). Service was friendly and non-intrusive. The lady at the cash register said hi when we entered and didn't bother us while we wandered around. Overall, a good place to indulge your sense of smell. read more

Penzeys Spices - Really potent minced garlic! - Herbs & Spices Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Cute little spice shop in downtown Menlo Park. Definitely fun to browse if you're in the area. Great for gifts if someone in your life is a cook with little time. Pros: Price is reasonable. A LOT of pre-concocted spice blends, which is super helpful instead of having to measure different amounts, and keep stock of each spice in a blend. I'm lucky to have a pretty well stocked spice collection but measuring each every time I want to cook a particular dish with a spice blend (i.e. Herbes en Provence) is a bit much and too time consuming for mom life. Their variety includes French herb blends, their own take on Italian seasoning, bbq seasoning, ranch seasoning, pumpkin spice, more ethnic specialties such as za'atar and five spice (Chinese). Displays have smelling samples in corked bottles, which helps in making a decision. A LOT of different versions to particular spices, such as various varietals of pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, and etc. Cute kids coloring zone for moms who wanna shop! A LOT of salt-free seasoning blends! Yes!! This was the main value prop for me, as I like to control the amount of salt accurately without making guesses to adjust for what's in the seasoning blend already. Cons: Some blends were not what I really expected, in particular some Asian spice blends (i.e. five spice, Szechuan spice). My best friend and I agreed the five spice did not smell much like what we've remembered from our parents' cooking or Chinese places in general; it was verrrrrry cinnamon-y and while that is a component, it should be dominating. While most of the blends seem fine for what they are, not sure how accurate some ethnic blends are. read more

Penzeys Spices - Kids coloring area - Herbs & Spices Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Just went to Penzy's for the first time, but it will not be the last time. Excellent selection and outstanding customer service!! I highly recommend this unique store. read more

Penzeys Spices are the best. I especially like their seasoned salt. They are a good company with good values. read more

Penzeys Spices are the best quality. Their service is top notch. Highly recommend Penzeys!

A store dedicated to spices deserves a visit and accolades, don't know how they survive with the myriad of supermarket options out there. So while in Menlo Park last Sunday, I decided to pay a visit and get some ginger jars to be healthy this winter, and also check what did they carry. The store itself is very pretty and clean. That boat full of salt jars is very welcoming and the imitation of retro kitchen with all that white and curtains and little touches here and there super charming. However, I found a lack in the offering. I expect a spices store to smell like a bazaar in Fez, in Istanbul, in Cairo...anything exotic. Here is more 'apotheque' style, like a pharmacy with all the containers unified and the labels the same. I could not find many middle eastern spices and I was disappointed with that, I like my Berber mixes, my Zatars...and being surprised by mixes I don't know about yet. I found a lot of 'pizza blends' (what?), herbes de provence and different paprikas. Event the salt selection did not display much variety. I would rather to got World Market to get more variety. At the end of the store they have a nice selection of assorted gifts at reasonable prices. read more

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Last Sunday I was trying to make a non spicy Butter Chicken dish, and I could not find Corriander spice anywhere. I literally thought of this place and wish we had one closer to Sacramento. Amazing selection of spices and spice mix for any occasion (BBQ, taco seasoning, all types of curry, and even sandwich seasoning) It was fun sniffing through the store to compare even Cinnamon from different parts of the world. There was a nice sized sample jar for all of the spices sold, so you can sniff until your heart is content. There was even seasonings I have never heard of before. In addition to seasoning, they sell soup bases and Extracts. There was even gourmet options for the fancy cooks such as whole Madagascar Vanilla Beans and Saffron for those with a fine pallet. I had a lot of fun roaming around, and I end up purchasing some smoked paprika for my next batch of deviled eggs I will be making. read more

Great selection and staff. Calm soothing presentation. Small size containers a real convenience,

2 visits. Both visits spent way too much & had a great time! I love to cook .... love this store. Great variety of spices! I love that there are jars available to open and smell the spices. Recipe cards are among the spices, find them and grab a recipe card. Sign-up for coupons & recipes. read more

love this place! I feel lucky that we have one in our area. You can walk around and they have "tester" jars set up for each product so you can smell the spices before you buy. The staff is friendly and helpful, and they keep a beautiful, clean store- very pleasant to be in. There's almost always some deal going on- so be sure and sign up for their weekly emails to find out about their generous coupons/ One of my favorite blends is Arizona Dreaming- great salt-free seasoning blend. There is ample parking with an entrance in the back of the store too (Google maps sends you to the front). read more

Penzeys Spices - Arizona Dreaming is one of my favorite blends- AND it's salt free - Herbs & Spices Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I am amazed at some of the reviews especially the one who found metal shavings in spices they bought. I have been buying Penzey's spices for at least 12 to 14 yrs. I always give them for Xmas presents and people are always grateful. Sign up for the email and special discounts. You will not be disappointed! read more

This place is spice HEAVEN. We spent a good hour going around and smelling everything. They have sample boxes you can get to try things out or give as gifts. The place is organized very well and prices are pretty affordable. They also have restrooms. Only suggestion I would have is to have coffee beans to smell in between. read more