The Pros: Massive Variety: Truly a "one-stop shop" for tea…read moreenthusiasts. Low Pressure: The staff greeted me and then stayed hands-off until I had questions. The Price: Easily some of the best values in the city. The Con: Sealed Packaging: Everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags. Because of the sealing, you can't smell the tea before buying. I'd love to see them implement scent jars in the future to help with the selection process. Neutral Observations In-House Packaging: All the tea is packaged identically in 1lb bags, which suggests they likely process and bag everything in-house. Labeling: I didn't notice any specific organic labels on the packaging, though I didn't explicitly ask. If this is a deal breaker, you may want to ask. Review If you're looking for a genuine loose leaf tea source -- your search ends here. I stumbled upon this place after endless online searching (blogs, search engines, etc) and it was well worth the effort! Just a heads-up on navigation: G-Maps is slightly off. If you rely solely on that, you'll be a few doors down. Look for the Volvo mechanics and the shop is located just on the other side. The exterior is unassuming, no windows, just a sandwich board on the sidewalk and a door. Looking inside it's a bit of a mysterious vibe, you'll see a stairway to the left and a hallway ahead. Go for it. Ignore the single pane glass, bank-teller-style window to your right (which directs you to the main door) and just head in. Also, keep an eye on the clock because, per the phone tree, they close for lunch from 12:30 to 1:00. I arrived right after 1pm and was able to park right in front. There was also plenty of other parking spot around at that time. IDK why, but before walking in, my imagination had prepared me for an old-world San Francisco opium den. I was thinking there was going to be this lingering aromatic smoke, plush floor pillows, people lounging, sipping tea, and the soft, ambient melodies of an upscale spa. I had also pictured rows of heavy, whiskey-style wooden barrels overflowing with loose leaf tea, topped with clear lids and metal scoops. The reality is much more utilitarian. This is not a den or a spa. It's clean, straightforward, and focused entirely on their product. The selection is robust and incredibly diverse. While they claim "wholesale to the public", I can't verify the industry margins, but I can tell you the prices are very good for the quality you receive. The employee greeted me and then stayed hands-off while I browsed, which I appreciated. When I did ask specifics, they had basic foundational knowledge. Honestly with the diversity and sheer quantity of products offered, it would take forever to earn a Tea Master badge. No harm no foul. The only real bummer here is that everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags, so there is no way to smell the product. I'd really appreciate scent jars in front of the bags. Since they seem to be doing the packaging in-house anyway, it makes me wonder why they haven't set aside a small amount of each batch for scent jars. It wouldn't require a change in their supply chain, just a few ounces and a glass jar to help customers navigate that massive variety. That aside, I absolutely loved this place. I've been searching for a spot like this for a long time. I'm just glad I finally found it. If you're at all interested in loose leaf tea, I'd suggest giving these folks an honest try.

I needed dried lavender for simple syrup and ice cream and found this place online. Prices are very…read moreaffordable and they have so many options! I'm not able to post all my photos but this is some of what they offer! Will definitely come back.

They have an amazing array of herbs and spices, and a very helpful and knowledgeable staff. I've…read morebeen very pleased with everything I've bought here.

Lots of awesome spices and selection along with knowledgeable and friendly staff, more than willing…read moreto help you find what you're looking for and provide their opinion! Prices are also very good even though it's located in a more expensive retail area. I'm looking forward to trying more items from here!

Love this local gem…read more I'm slowly replacing all my seasonings with their products (with the exception of some Persian food seasonings like sumac which I still get from Sadaf). Friendly and helpful people working here and a nice bottle recycling program. If you are anywhere near 24th St. enjoy cooking, I do recommend stopping by. Both their standard seasonings and special blends have been great.

I love this place, and it is so great to have them in the heart of Noe…read more The selection is excellent and the blends are superb (I recommend the Noe Valley sweet herb blend.). The space is calm, the folks helping are friendly and knowledgeable. It feels good to support a local small business plus their goods make great gifts - who doesn't want to spice up their spice rack from time to time!

Walking around San Francisco you will run into a few pleasant surprises. San Francisco is always…read morefull of surprises which makes it a unique city. Although it feels comfortable with familiarity with some common spots there is always room for spontaneous things appear out of nowhere in SF. Shopping in the city you will find stores with many different goods. I found a grocery store in Chinatown sells alcohol such as wine and whiskey along of tea from China. It's located on Stockton street and it's called Golden Way Trading Company. On a Summer stroll almost Fall I landed on Stockton ( not the city) street at the Golden Way Trading Company. Inside you will discover lots of different items such as mushrooms and noodles ( not Angel Hair) along with different sauces. They have everything from canned Ovaltine to canned Pho broth. You will also find an aisle of liquor ranging from cognac to red wine. This place has many ingredients like corn and others to make breakfast , lunch, and dinner. This is a place worth checking out and especially if you are on a liquor run in Chinatown in SF. San Francisco has an interesting food and grocery "scene" and at the Golden Way Trading Company that sells tea that's "green" and some with or with or without "caffeine" and you can find anything from a bottle of cognac to a can of "Ovaltine" Walking around in SF things happen "spontaneous" you run into a bunch characters on social media in SF with an "alias"and some occurrences that happen in SF "simultaneous "and this all goes down and happens in a 7 by 7 square mile "radius"

I needed some chili oil asap and didn't want to wait on a delivery from Weee! or Yami plus have to…read moremeet a minimum spend threshold, so I explored the Chinatown supermarkets and ended up here after a couple other options didn't yield results. They have a lot of options in stock here, so I loaded up on spicy chili crisp, chiu chow style chili crisp oil, and some mala red oil chili sauce by the classic Lee Kum Kee brand. I also bought a bag of chewy 陈皮糖 chénpí táng that I saw next to the cash register while I was at it. Altogether after the 3% credit card fee, my total came to $18.08. Such a bargain, I will be back.

I've passed by this store a thousand of times but decided to finally stop in and wish I've done it…read moresooner. I was looking for a birthday gift for my friend and thought she'd appreciate some aromatherapy. I loved the vibe I felt upon entering. The staff were super friendly and very helpful. They offer tinctures, candles, crystals and so much more. I ended up getting my friend the Palo Santo scented candle and myself some soap and hemp gummies to start. There were so many more things that I wanted for myself but I was in a time crunch. Will definitely be back for more!

Beautiful store. You want to take everything with you! A…read morelittle pricey but you find lots of organic herbs. Also, great selection of books and Cristals.

The owner welcomed us as we walked in and it's a very nice spice and tea place on the second floor…read moreof Pier 39. We looked at the honey and the spices. The owner came over and introduced us to the jars that are all around the shop. You can open these jars to smell whatever spice or tea to get a feel for what you would be purchasing. If I remember correctly, the owner and his girlfriend blend it themselves. We purchased some flavored salts, and cranberry apple jam honey. They also had samples of a white strawberry tea that was amazing. This store is great and the service from the owner was fantastic from a details end. I appreciated what they were doing and definitely will be back when we venture out to Pier 39 again.

Food: (5/10) the drinks were nothing special. I got a hot chocolate and I definitely can make a…read morebetter hot chocolate at home. We also got a pumpkin chai latte and that wasn't the best either. Not worth what we paid. Service: (6/10) I have mixed reviews about this. Our cashier was a 10/10. He was so kind, nice and cool. The woman who made our drinks was very stand-offish and not exactly what I consider customer service friendly. The man who manages the place swindled us and I didn't appreciate that. He really sold us a story that him and his gf are the owners and that they made everything in house and on their own. We later found out that these are franchises and their stand alone shops exist in many places. We thought we were supporting a family-owned business and we bought spices and drinks to help him and his gf out. He may have been a great salesman but not cool, dude. Not cool. Ambiance: (5/10) nothing special. It's cool that you can smell a lot of the spices and teas though. Really helps you decide on what to buy. Additional Notes: the spices are pricey. A 1oz bag is $8

All. The. Spices! I…read moremay have temporarily lost my sense of smell while so, so excitedly sniffing ALL the scents, but I finally made a decision (with a little help from the nice employees). My favorite so far is the smoked salt because it's so versatile! I also bought a guava jam that looked so divine, but sadly the airport trashed it (I am convinced they just ate it because again...it looked so yummy), so maybe one day I'll try again! I will be back next time I'm in the bay to stock up on more spices.

You'll know you're right at home as soon as you walk through the door. For anybody that's wondered…read morerows of disorganized shelves of stuff all over the place or spots that are less than well kept, look no further. Oaktown Spice Shop is immaculate, well organized, and staffed with folks that are quite passionate about the goods! Also helps that it smells amazing, but it really speaks to the quality of their stuff. If you had any doubts about them, put that to rest and just visit or use their online store! Any foodie worth their salt (hah get it) will be able to appreciate what this place has to offer.

Amazing co-op grocery store with tons of specialty food items and more! They have produce, pantry…read moreitems, frozen foods, snacks, home and body care, and a huge selection of things you can pay for by weight. From herbs & spices, dried foods, olive oil, soaps, shampoos and more, they have everything. The prices are reasonable and there's less plastic waste. They also source locally which is nice. They also carry some gourmet food items like sambal from Azalina's, and locally made curry paste. I need to come here more often.

I really enjoyed this grocery store. The chocolate selection was so delicious and we got so many…read moregood ones to take home. They also have wine by the can that's cold that we were able to take with us to Golden Gate Park. A lot of unique finds

Showed up for a fun run, staff was friendly offering us a couple of samples. Parking can be tight…read morebut fortunately they have staff on site. Cool selection of products, they don't sell meats here because there are many vegan options available. Cool produce section, diverse selection in household and other care items. I did skip prepared food section, perhaps in a future time 5/5. Amazing place

If I made more, I would shop here almost exclusively. But alas I can only come here on occasion…read morewhen I cant find it elsewhere. Best place fir supplements!!!! They have the best, wholistic, hippy foods and items ever! I love this grocery store so much & its very well stocked & a great part of SF for years! It has everything a earthy, health consciousness, green person would want. brands that are non toxic and ethically correct. ugh they are the best store ever for supplements and prices are fair basically the same as whole foods... Bulk stuff its wildly overpriced but worth it. I only get a few items here ...Its a co-op which is super good but kinda means employees are free to do whatever they want & they are sometimes helpful sometimes not with questions.

New speciality food and home store in the Inner Sunset! I was on my way to dinner nearby and came…read moreacross this charming shop. It's well curated with lots of cool kitchen and pantry items, as well as other household goods. It's the perfect spot if you want to treat yourself to something gourmet or to get a gift. I picked up a Fat Gold Olive Oil since it's local to California.

Pepperjack Provisions is a super cute neighborhood gem with a variety of unique, high quality food…read moreand food related items - perfect for gifts for foodies or for treating yourself. I love browsing throughout the shop, but it's pretty expensive, as most of the items are marked up from retail. Products that caught my eye include fun, colorful glass straws and glass teaspoons, matcha bowls and whisk stands, specialty chocolate bars, jarred goods like Rooted Fare spreads, and ornaments. My most frequently bought item is the Kolsvart Swedish candy fish. The elderflower is unbelievably yummy, and the sour blueberry, sour raspberry, and black currant and raspberry ones are also available. If I had more money to spend, I'd be buying a lot more from here!