I'm not sure why I came, but my sister told me about this clean Indian market with amazing snacks and we didn't have any plans so we drove 50 minutes to go to this market (yay, rodeo traffic) to meet up with them. Aside from the fact that it's out of our way - all the way in Katy past Katy Asiatown - it was a pretty decent market!
The area still seems to be developing so that would explain the cleanliness. It's fairly large and we were the only people who were not South Asian there - but it was busy! Lots of people going in and out. There were people seated on the outdoor patio because there's a "food court". There's what you see at your typical Indian grocery store (that I've been to): fresh produce (though not very big), your plant based protein (lentils, beans, nuts), rice, snacks, frozen section, prepared foods, spices...
We're no allium vegetarians so I'll base my review on that. They have an okay selection. I did find some things but it took a lot of reading through the ingredients. A LOT. They have vegetarian options (look for the green dot on the packaging) but having it vegetarian AND no onion/garlic? Difficult. Plus no hing/asafoetida? Almost impossible. BUT we did find ONE box of samosas and one pack of paratha. I even found some spice mixes. I miss Mother's Spice Mixes that are no onion/garlic but this place doesn't have those. Snacks were a little better, but not by much. I got only 3 bags of snacks. At least my wallet sighed in relief. OH. And there was a pack of gluten free naan that my kid could have! A big plus.
The food court serves savory and sweet foods. I even spotted some sweets that I haven't seen before! But things weren't labeled very well. I opted for a gulab jamun cake and a mango cake. Both moist, tasty, and live up to their names. The staff there (or at least the lady) were nice. I asked about the chances of having Jain-friendly savory options and she looked doubtful but said she had to ask the kitchen. I opted out since I was content with my cake.
Also: my son with multiple food allergies can't have anything there (or at any other Indian grocery place so far). Whatever he's allergic to is what the products share a facility with if they don't outright contain the allergen itself. I was hoping not to pay for overpriced lentils at Whole Foods to make sure they're not contaminated.
A pretty nice visit! I'm not sure if I'd return since I probably passed 5 to 10 (maybe 15??) South Asian grocers on the way over, but it is a solid choice if you're nearby. The cakes were great! My only complaint was more on the other customers. Apparently, there are no lines when in the food court - or at least it was the case for this older couple who pushed past us. Which is "fine" in Asia only because it's almost expected there (in many countries). But we're not in Asia. read more