Support local shop in walkable Dunedin: The Spice & Tea Exchange, owned by Jennifer Higgins, is in…read moreDowntown on block closer to Marina, with free parking in lot just east of store and at Marina. So many exciting options for spices, teas and accessories. Very friendly and fun vibe with samples to broaden your knowledge of ways to spice up your home menus. TIP: store has info on ingredients making browsing so easy, especially if you must avoid certain spices! Five stars for bundled spice packaging for meals, teas, hot cocoa, cocktails and mocktails, including free YouTube QR demonstrating recipes. Jennifer assisted with recommendations, including her favorite Tea. and challenged us to try the packaged ideas and report back to her on our favorites. She so enjoys bringing new recipes and teas into the community and her client's homes and entertaining.

Pricey but quality…read more I recommend the GINGER SPICE TEA. or for chai lovers the EMPERORS CHAI. This is a great place to get tea, salt, and mixed spices. They have some amazing combinations and the price ranges from eight dollars to maybe upwards of $32 depending on the size.

It would be nice if they post the actual hours that they are open. Drove there, arrived at 3:00PM…read moreand it was closed. Posted hours on website and the window are 11:00AM-4:00PM. Wasted my time, won't drive there again.

It's always fun to try a new flavorful dry rub when you are barbecuing and experimenting with…read moredifferent cuts of meat and smoking techniques. I bought some Mexican dry rub spice mix likely designed for beef and used it on bone in chicken thighs and sausage. Smoked at 200 for an hour and finished in the convection oven for 20 minutes at 375 resulted in wonderful smoky meat with a nice light crust. It was truly fun and delicious! I likely used too much spice but I had two pounds of chorizo and bratwurst and five pounds of chicken thighs. So, what the heck!? I used half a bottle of dry rub from Spice Of The Harbor! Food for lunch and dinner for a week! The best part is I still have half a bottle of Mexican dry rub left so I can BBQ again, experiment a little more, and see what happens! What is your favorite smoking cut of meat and technique? Bone in dry rubbed pork butt for 14+ hours at 200? Wrap with tin foil for the last hour or two? Ribs cooked low and slow or fast and hot? Dry rub, BBQ sauce, or both? Veggies smoked with garlic, salt and fresh cracked pepper? Sweet corn on the cob with butter and salt? The options are limitless! Life is good with spicy, smoky BBQ!

I love these guys! Frist they have the best quality supplements and herbs…read more Second their customer service is unbelievable. I always get lots of help and attention. I have confidence that all the ingredients are top quality. The owner Debbie really loves what she does and cares for the customers. It shows.

Great spot for all your botanicals, I stopped in I was met with great customer service super…read morefriendly people!

What an amazing find this place is! I cannot believe I have been driving past this wonderful gem…read morefor years. I have now been twice in the last week. The first thing you need to know is that you can park right behind the building. Pull on the street just west of the building. It would be extremely difficult to park in front and have to back out onto Gulf to Bay / 60. The owner Sal is a gem himself. He has vast food knowledge and treats every customer like a friend or family member. He gave me his card and said to call him if I need something outside of hours or need him to stay late. Wow. He takes customer service to an entirely different level. He also made recommendations and did not lead me astray. This is a market that has REAL authentic Italian goods. They also make some incredible things in house. I have tried a Stromboli and a Marscapone dessert. They were both incredible. The Stromboli that I received was two pounds. It is almost all meat! It is thick and enough for a few meals. If you time it well, you may be able to get one fresh from the oven. Mine was in the refrigerated case as I arrived late one Friday night. I sliced it and heated it as Sal instructed. I was planning on freezing the rest for another week. It was so good, that I immediately jumped up and removed it from the freezer and put it back into the fridge for the next day. I purchased some homemade marinara to go with it. It doesn't have any added sugar (which made me happy) and was phenomenal too. The dessert I tried was one of the best things I have ever tasted. I had a rough day and told Sal that I wanted something rich and satisfying. It was just that. It was served chilled in a real glass (that is perfect for dipping the Stromboli into sauce after it is empty!). It had layers and little beautiful curls of chocolate on top. My description does not do it justice. I posted a picture. Go buy one! The second trip I purchased some things for my Brother for his Birthday including REAL pasta, homemade meat sauce, and a Cheesecake imported from New York (that Sal claims is the best... my Brother agreed). I LOVE this place and will visit often.

Having moved from st Pete with our local Italian store being Mazzaros, I wanted to find a local…read moreItalian store in Clearwater. I love Italian food - the flavor it has etc. This store has been around for over 50 years per Sal who I met. But I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with this store as they don't seem to be gourmet at all. I was looking for fresh pasta/ravoli, bread,pestos, things I usually get at the Italian market. Unfortunately, Sal led me to a section of dry boxed pasta trying to convince me it was the best. I then asked him about ravioli as that was mainly what I wanted to cook that night. He then took me to his freezer and said he had the best ravioli. Although it wasn't what I was looking for, I decided to give it a try and got a lb of ravioli. His frozen ravioli didn't compare to the frozen ravioli I got from the nature store down the street. I used the same sauce and everything I did previously and it was just blah. Additionally his store is mostly just boxed and bottled items imported from Italy, so things are a bit different nowadays and importing from other countries isn't as gourmet as it used to be. Unfortunately, I don't see myself coming back which is sad because I love to support small local businesses.

Great food, fast and friendly service. Love this place. When you're done hot up the supermarket and…read morefind food products to take home!

I rarely leave reviews, but after my experience at Sarah's Mediterranean Cafe, I feel like people…read moredeserve an honest heads-up before spending their money here. Let me start by saying that the food itself is actually good. The flavors are solid and you can tell the recipes are authentic Mediterranean dishes. If this review were based purely on the food, it would probably be decent. Unfortunately, a restaurant experience is not just about what ends up on the plate it's about service, value, and how customers are treated. That's where this place completely falls apart. First off, the service was extremely inattentive. From the moment we sat down, it felt like we were more of an inconvenience than paying customers. The waitresses seemed disinterested, barely checked on the table, and when we tried to ask questions about the menu or request anything simple, the attitude we got back was surprisingly rude and dismissive. It felt like they wanted us to order quickly, eat, and leave without asking for anything outside of the most basic transaction. One thing that really stood out was their refusal to substitute sides. At most restaurants, asking for a simple side swap is a completely normal request. Here, they flat-out refused with zero flexibility or willingness to accommodate. It came off as unnecessarily rigid and frankly pretty unfriendly. When customers are paying premium prices, a little accommodation should not be too much to ask. And speaking of mistakes they forgot my fries entirely. My meal arrived incomplete, and I had to point it out. Even then, it didn't feel like it was taken very seriously. No apology that felt genuine, no urgency to fix it, just a very casual reaction as if forgetting part of a meal was no big deal. When you're charging the prices they do, attention to detail should be the bare minimum. That brings me to the pricing, which honestly feels way too high for what you get. The food is good, but not nearly good enough to justify the price point when the service experience is this poor. There are plenty of Mediterranean restaurants where you can get equally good if not better food while actually being treated like a valued customer. Overall, the biggest takeaway from my visit is that good food alone doesn't make up for bad service. Restaurants succeed when they combine great meals with hospitality and basic respect for their customers. Unfortunately, that balance was completely missing here. Between the inattentive staff, the rude attitude toward simple requests, forgotten items like my fries, and the high prices, the experience left a pretty bad impression. I really wanted to like this place, but the service made it hard to justify coming back. There are too many good Mediterranean spots out there to spend money somewhere that treats customers like an afterthought.

Great concept here with tea and herbs with health benefits. Various types of items for sale related…read moreto this as well as many tea drinks. Came in since it was cold and walked straight from the trail to here for a hot tea to warm up. Ordered a hot tea. Service was ok, but didn't feel welcoming. It's really cute inside and out but didn't get the warm vibe.

Such a special little shop with the most incredible feminine energy The strawberry matcha was…read moreabsolutely delicious, it wasn't overly sweet, but refreshing and perfectly balanced. The shelves are filled with a variety selection of herbs and teas, you can tell so much care goes into everything here. Definitely a place you'll want to linger in and come back to.

Very clean store in a busy shopping plaza. Across the street from Wawa. The selection is decent. I…read moredid notice that there are no self checkouts at this location but when one cashier is overwhelmed with patrons, they do have backup. I visited the day after Easter and they had quite a few items on sale.

First time ever into this newer one of their stores in Pinellas County; I've been to the one…read morefurther north off of US19 previously. The store is clean, modestly "decorated" along with typical no frills everything a grocery store can be, other than a rathole (think Sav-A-Lot). We did purchase a few items we know we needed, but this was more of an exploratory jaunt than a typical grocery run. As most Aldi shops, this one is not even a third the size of a typical Publix or Winn Dixie, nor did it have the same variety as one would expect in 'em, either. No surprises yet for those who've shopped at an Aldi store previously. Same industrial chic with the same hit and miss expectation for the basics of groceryland. There are a few pluses to this store too, which merit the four stars; five is a bit much. Their produce looked quite fresh and phenomenal, for one thing. Located just after the entrance on the rightmost aisle is their produce, and they had a halfway decent variety of prepackaged fruits and veggies. You'll definitely find the basics, but if you need a rutabaga or fresh fig, you're gonna come up empty. Some of the other things one WOULD expect (canned kidney beans for argument's sake) one ain't gonna get either. Then there were other things that one DOES find that I'd never expect (tubs of gelato; genuine weisswurst) to see. As I said earlier...hit and miss. If nothing else, there's a Walmart Neighborhood and a Publix right across the boulevard anyway. The meat and dairy departments are around the corner and against the remaining outer walls. Many empty spaces scattered among the coolers but still a decent variety of basics...Meat is prepackaged but still looks good too, deli stuff included. Frozen is next to meat and runs both sides of the aisle toward the back. Just as in other parts of this store, the prices are fantastic compared to where shopping is a purported pleasure, Winn Lose or wherever else you get groceries these days. Finally I should tell you that if you are set on some national brands, you ain't gonna get too far other than iconic items (e.g., Coca Cola, Campbell Soup)...those are close to the same prices you'd expect at the other guys. They carry non food, simple dinnerware items and sundries. Checkout is a simple process and goes quick since the clerk just scans your order and pitches it back into your cart for you to bag later. There was only one cashier and very few other employees in the place. Then head over to the bench across the front aisle to bag it all yourself. The lady who appeared to run the front end (Jennifer) took a couple of us (at the end of the line) to another register. She was even quicker and more efficient than the one cashier until she realized one small issue. Guess what? Seems the satellite went out (the one that sends and receives credit card transactions). So Jennifer quickly tried to see if this was the same with all the terminals (it was). Do you have cash?" she asked. So I paid my $33 for the stuff I had got and that was that. She was very resourceful and still offered to cash out anyone using cash for their purchases, as the line was still growing. Two final caveats: bring a quarter (25 cent coin) and grocery bags. The former gets you a shopping cart from out front) while the latter gets you packed and on your way. They do sell reusable Aldi bags, however, which are good sized and look sturdy. Then if you want your quarter back, load up your car any take the cart back to the cart stall. Plug the cart into an open lock and your quarter comes back. That, BTW. in the reverse of the procedure to get a cart in the first place. I'd definitely return here for all the basic necessities. Again, some of it is really hit and miss, but the prices, the minimalist take it or leave it approach and the quality of products is fantastic. I simply hope the satellite is up and running and Jennifer is around.

Mary (the owner I presume) was more than helpful when I came in with questions. While this is no…read moredoubt a herb shop and had essential oils as well as crystals she has an amazing selections of teas! She mixes them all herself in house and the prices cannot be beat! She has several varieties that are purely medicinal but several that are just for taste as well. I got her Caribbean breeze which includes pineapple and hibiscus and is just wonderful over ice. I also bought some green tea with orange peel and its quickly become my favorite. In addition to my teas, she printed me off brewing instructions which I loved, though I do know how to brew tea buts its nice to know the temps at which to best get the flavors from her specific blends. She also provided me with a couple samples of some others teas and each sample was enough to brew at least a couple cups if not more if you resteep your leaves. The prices of the teas themselves were great! Each bag was $9 and I think at least 4oz. She sells honey that her son extracts from their own honeycombs and she sells cold process soaps made by her family as well. Definitely worth taking a look!

From the owner: Holistic shop Over 80 blended herbal teas, some for specific…read moreneeds like our allergy, arthritis, and kidney bladder teas as well as just some good tasting hibiscus based vitamin C sipping teas. You will also find the well known Essiac healing tea. More than 400 dried herbs and spices that are used for cooking or for your health and spiritual needs. Pure undiluted essential oils for medicinal or aromatherapy and crafting projects. Candles. Tinctures extracts for various health needs. Handcrafted cold processed herbal soaps  Vintage collectible items and objects of art and jewelry  Local raw honey, tea pots and tea infusers as well as other health related products. We use all natural wild harvested or organic products that have never seen an insecticide nor pesticide We blend and package all of the products right on the premises