I will not tell you all my favorite items here because sometimes they are out of stock. Not everything here is always the cheapest you'll find it around town, but quite often it is. When it comes to cheeses, pastas, oils, grains, flours, sauces, bulk chocolate and tons of other stuff, this is just a great place to shop. The longer tenured staff know a lot about the products. Bring a container if you want brine with your wonderful feta. read more

I love this place. The cheeses, the olives, the cured meats....but I just spent the twenty minutes straining about a hundred beetles out of my pasta. Terrible way to begin dinner, and now I can't eat it. You guys are great, but come on. A romantic dinner turned into a gross fest. read more

Big John's PFI - A few of the many many beetles I had to strain out of the pasta I bought. If I wanted protein I would've bought ground beef. - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I used to love going to Big John's down that "alley" off 6th Ave. The new location is beautiful with indoor free parking, and they still have a fine selection. But the prices are now no different than any other "gourmet food" store and it's not worth the trip when I could spend the same in The Market or in CapHill. read more

Seattle Yelpers, you have failed me by not telling me about this place sooner. It's a stone's throw from my apartment and I was so happy when I finally arrived. Awesome selection of bulk spices and grains. My heart went a flutter when I saw arborio rice, my girlfriend swooned over the French lavender. This place would have been great for my cheese and olive loving friends to visit but they left a week before we discovered the place. Be warned, there is a one-pound minimum on all meat, cheese and olives. They have a sign that mentions one pound minimum at least three times. That means, for example, if you are buying a cheese, you need to buy a minimum of one pound of that cheese. If you want the brine for your olives, you should bring a very very watertight container. Also, you might want to shower afterwards. Just sayin'. read more

Wow, what a great place! A friend of mine and I just staggered out of this amazing establishment with sizeable bags full of delicious swag. It's not as hard to find as it seems, and there's a ton of parking. Service was awesome and they do let you try just about anything you want from the cheese/charcuterie/olive area. I found 1 lb. marscapone cheese and was thrilled - at last I can make tiramisu again! I was always loathe to buy those little 8 oz, overpriced ones at the supermarket. I was in fits of delight at the jam section, as well as the dried spices. At the last minute I had to run back and get some powdered chipotle that caught my eye, and some sheet gelatin - 8 for 2 bucks! They were unfortunately out of the truffle pecorino cheese, but we each found a few others. My friend got some amazing looking little french cheese (one of the stinky/runny family) and they guy told her, "It's not quite ready yet...but when it is...you'll know. You'll just know." I'm not sure I would know. I'd be that character whose sensei would say, 'when the time is right, you'll know' and I'd be like, WHEN? I WON'T KNOW!!! JUST TELL ME! But I think my friend has 'Stinky Cheese Sense' and she'll know. I got more average cheeses myself. But enough about that. A couple other cool things we found were: Delightfully-scented olive oil soap, a can of fried sweet peppers w/onions (drool!), pastas UP THE YINYANG, amazing black olive paste (tapenade), and lots more. Next time I have a party I am totally going back for some little tart shells - they have 4 different sizes of them and the smallest ones (2") were perfect for little lemon tarts or whatever and for about 20 of them it was about 8 bucks. Sweet! Our only disappointments: One, that they don't slice the cured meats for you, they just sell you a hunk. My friend wanted some prosciutto but was a little daunted by the prospect of shaving it up at home. Also, they don't have fresh BREAD there. If they did, we'dve been eating in the car. We'll be back, soon! read more

ONE POUND MINIMUM ON CHEESE. This is noted everywhere around the cheese counter, yet I was behind a woman trying to barter a half pound of cheese from the staff. It was one of the more amusing things here! This is a place that isn't easy to find, but once you do, get ready to get wowed. The cheese counter is something I could spend a lot of money at and if I did buy cheese when I visited I would have eaten it all in one sitting and become lactose intolerant. (Which, I hope to GOD, never happens to me). This would be an ideal place to load up on cheeses and meats and olives for a party. They also have great basics: pastas, sauces, oils, spices. I will definitely come back to buy cheese for an event: Just not for myself. It's too much temptation! read more

Found out about this place through some co-workers after I talked for five minutes nonstop about my recent cheese obsession. Before Seattle, I'd never tried any cheeses outside of the sliced cheeses you find at a typical grocery store (think, cheddar, american, mozzarella). My idea of fancy cheese is shaved Parmesan (mmm living the life). However, after sampling "fancy people cheese", I think I am ruined. I've been dropping tens of dollars on goat cheese, bries, and all sorts of aged cheeses. Walked to PFI from work during my lunch break (1.7 miles round trip, I'm gangsta) and got a pound of "trigulo" (I think??)- a sharp milk cheese, 1.5lbs of their "house" mixed olives, imported pomegranate balsamic vinegar, and three kinds of dried chiles (out of bulk containers). Fantastic quality. Great Service. Only cons- weird, weird location (would be HARD to find by car), and sometimes limited hours. read more

This place reminds me of a little shop in New York or Boston, or Rome where every time you come in you discover something new and interesting about it. It's a "Foodie" must visit if you live near Seattle. Think of a gourmet food shop like Delaurenti's, or J. Bildner's in Boston, only run by some savant-genius.... Here's my Foodie checklist and how it stacks up: 1. Does it have a confusing name -is it "Big John's" or is it "Pacific Food Importers" or is it "PFI"??-check! It's all 3. 2. Is it hard to find? Tucked under the I-5 overpass, behind a pay parking lot, off of an abandoned strip of Airport Way-with confusing signage Check! 3. Does it have haphazard presentation of ingredients,bulk containers with hand scrawled signs, making things hard to find, presented as if the goods recently arrived and the staff is so busy they just threw it on the shelf? Price tags optional...Check! This adds to the "treasure hunt" aspect, think Loheman's or Nordstrom Rack, only for Foodies. 4. Do they have yummy and interesting goods that you won't find anywhere else, well maybe at the corner store in Campo di' Fiori, Rome....Check! Go here, give yourself some time to browse, and be very careful that you only park in parking spots labeled "PFI" otherwise you need to pay for lot parking or risk getting a ticket. read more

This is a niche place but the inside is a bit ratty. Yes they have a crazy good supply of cheese but i wanted pancetta and they had a severely overpriced chunk in the freezer. Went to QFC and got a fresh section sliced much much cheaper. Bonne maman preserves are 7+ a jar, but only 5 at QFC. This seems to be the norm that everything here has a 25% surcharge. I was disappointed and bought a few things but over all pretty underwhelmed for this being a specialty market. Could use some cleaning up as well. read more

Way overrated. A bit random and dingy. At one time this was probably a real treasure trove of international novelties. But you can get better selections of spices in modern ethnic markets (and probably fresher due to higher turn-over). Disappointing. read more

The place to go for Cheese and Olives plus all that weird Mediterranean food you long for. They also have a great bulk spice section.

its my secret spot to acquire canned Italian tomatoes i use to make red sauces. Largest cheese counter in seattle/ Ive ever seen. check out their cured meats! They sell bulk spices, which i use to make rubs and "secret seasonings" read more

My sister in law sent us here with orders to get all kinds of good stuff for Thanksgiving. What a place. Looking for Spanish Smoked Paprika or Dutch imported breakfast cereal? They probably have it. Be sure you sample their vast array of imported cheeses which have little descriptive tags saying things like: "salty, rich and creamy, will linger on your palate and in your memory." You can ask for tastes, so do. read more

Now, this is the kind of Italian store I was looking for in Seattle. None of this DeLaurenti BS, but true imports and Greek stuff to boot. We got some pizza flour (caputo) and made some damn good pizza crust. If you're missing something Italian this is the place you go to find it. It might not be the exact brand you want, but a good substitute nonetheless. Also, their spice/grain selection was incredible. I'll be going back for some Italian 00 flour. Oh, yeah it's a little difficult to find but not as hard as everyone makes it out. You might want to avoid it during baseball games, as you'll have to dodge the fans heading to the game. read more

Fantastic international cheese and olive selection in addition to a wide variety of oils, vinegars, condiments, chocolates, spices, teas, candies, and other epicurean delights! Don't forget to bring a jar or tightly lidded container if you'd like brine for your feta and/or olives. read more

Not crazy about this place. They do have an excellent variety of cheeses and olives. If you're coming here, this is what you should focus on. Good luck figuring out the pricing for the cheeses because it isn't clearly marked. Also, I believe the minimum order for most cheeses and olives is 1 pound. I would steer clear of their dry goods. Some things I picked up were expired, and in general the prices on most items seemed quite steep compared to any other grocery store in the Seattle area. I walked in looking for Callebaut chocolate but their selection looked like it had been around for awhile. No expiration date on any of the bulk chocolate and I wasn't willing to risk it - just felt that it had been sitting around for a long time. Not impressed with their prices or their dusty selection of merchandise. read more

This is our first stop for olives, cheeses and other specialty deli items. The selection and prices are the best in the city. I sometimes can only find the odd things that my dad needs in order to make our sentimental holiday favorites and I always find things I never knew I needed or wanted when I'm there. But let there be no misunderstanding: this place is set up for restaurants. It's not a nice/finished storeroom. It's a bit grungy and you have to walk around and look in order to find things. It's not a regular retail type location. So don't let expectations ruin your experience. Or do, I won't mind if the lines are shorter when I go for my holiday load of cheeses and olives. read more

Review from 2009, updated: I'd go on and on about cheese, but really, I think 44 other people have that taken care of. If you 1) are going to cook for any large quantity of people soon, 2) use any particular cheese a LOT, 3) are running low on balsamic vinegar, olive oil or other cooking components & want GREAT quality at normal costs (admittedly some are more but SO BUTTERY), 4) want dried versions of meats, grains-local einkorn&farro&pasta galore,50 shades of beans, SPICES inc.tea components (custom blends! OK,maybe it's just ME that does that),&more 5) want to browse a selection of Euro-centric cookies, candies, syrups and the like, 6) contemplating economic revival via blood(down payment),sweat,tears(lease charge), and a sticky, often stinky mobile metal box you affectionately call Carck for its cart-truck hybrid nomenclature AND the carcasses of both your(sacrificed to obtain Carck)&of nomsources purveyed in it, or 7) just need a optometric foodgasm-don't bring the wallet if it's just to browse or you WILL buy a pound when you bite into that incredible sheep-cow blend of cheesy wowwwww, THIS is where to go. I first came here in April 2006,then in May 2009 (between times 1&2, it took me forever and an email to figure out where the bleep it was, this warehousey garden of eden for people who LOVELOVELOVE spices & balsamics & oils & cheese & chocolate) and have gone ~10x/yr ever since. So anyway, the first visit was during a 3 week journey here;I met up with a chef friend, then a student who worked for a caterer&slacked off a good solid week from both to REALLY pursue his career w/a real foodie! This mesmerizing spot, where my reverence turned laugh-rich chatter to a hush more dramatic than a Dali painting, welcomed us sometime between art galleries&parks&lunches&dinners&music shows. Chef friend (then working for the degree to formally get the title+cha-ching) knew this was the go-to for making things from scratch for any local spot that didn't want Sysco crap going into their deliciousness, ESPECIALLY hot w/destinations marked by cheese courses, gourmet ingredients&non-chain sizing. While adoring the place, seeing the drab building lit up by its product, which to me is perfection, I saw a SWEET place to covet... it was a place of discounts, mwah BigJohn, mwah! The broken chocolate, which I was all too happy to consider a hundred uses for (including twirling around in my mouth with a tickled-happy tongue), was accompanied by a few less pretty packages, dinged massive canisters and battered up labels and such, along with some random last-fews or expiring-soons and things that just weren't selling so well. The only sad thing=more and more are aware of it so you'd better hustle! Rantgent (rant tangent): I read the rather critical "knowing they're less than fresh" early review and wish I'd been on here to explain that those barrels--much of it now in reused pickled pepper jars for aesthetics?-are SMALL and unlike many, those spices aren't literally sitting in exposed warehouse bins (or on its filthy floor, cough, ohhh ask me sometime, I DARE ya!) collecting all manner of dust, insects, and more (like just about EVERYthing in jars, including Penzey's ground FrouFrouJokez0nEwe). What I initially peeked into was generally Spice Islands to Penzey's quality (by that, neither is better/worse; Spice Islands has superior [smoked omg-yum] paprika,Saigon[lush,deep red speckled] cinnamon and dill; Penzey's has superior sage, nutmeg& cumin). I don't see that being a problem, honestly. If you've ever had a loose tea that you just say "huh... this is good but I'd love more [lavender, hibiscus for the tangy fruity burst from a flower, chamomile, peppermint, etc]," then this is a very logical spot to check before braving tehwebz (then, if failed, scoot to Angelina's online, whose prices are kinda ridiculously good for TOP quality teastuff). Anyway, they source locally when available, but save Sequim lavender, few spices GROW well here :) Remember, this hasn't always been open to all, so before you mouth off that it's SO impractical or think it's so ridiculous that everything's so huge, THINK! The place is mega-successful w/out charging a fortune; success requires high product turnover speed; low turnover=stop selling it! Now be glad it's not STILL exclusively for restaurants like 40 years ago or even only open to the public once a week like many butchers or Seattle farmer's markets (complain about THAT like me, someone whose size-of-10-costcos hometown farmer's market runs 7am-6pm 363 days a year). Spices being far less handled,far more quickly sold than the stuff in jars,&far more affordable (without having to worry about getting a costly jar to use a few times) is something I'm GRATEFUL for; I'd rather reuse my OWN jars; when's the last time you could literally scoop the exact amount of spices for mulling wine for the holiday or coming home w/(if you make your own like I do)your super secret jerk seasoning/49curries? :) read more

The friendly staff is another plus for Big Johns pfim. With the great assortment of cheeses and olives, that you are invited to sample before purchase, plus the ability to bring in your own container for olives which is weighed before being filled with olives, weighed again and then the brine is added is another winner. The olives are superior to Whole Foods where I just bought a variety, sadly unable to take the time to drive to Seattle and pfi. I buy my spices and herbs, that I do not grow, at pfi. The turnover is quick from the five gallon buckets so I feel comfortable buying amounts for six months and then replenish them so I always have the freshest in my pantry. read more

Go there. If you like food and cooking, go there. The cheese counter is long and full of love.

Awesome selection of cheese. Just be careful where you park. Lot was nearly empty, and we missed it by one spot and got a $43 ticket.. lot attendant did not return my call. I might still go back as the employees were knowledgeable and friendly and they had an excellent selection. I will still get my herbs and spices at another store, but the knowledge at the cheese counter made it worth a trip. read more

Oh noooo...this is one of those times I seriously can't believe that I haven't written a review for a place. This place is one of my biggest Seattle secrets! Spices in bulk for dayyyys....you can stock up on every spice, bean, rice or wheat that you can think of for mere pocket change. Not only that, but they sell fresh and prepared turkish delight, imported coffees and oils from around the world, as well as tomato sauces you weren't convinced existed. And chocolate. And pasta. And oh, the cheese and deli meats. The jordan almonds, or how about the huge dill pickles? And the prices--so low. So so low. Just went there again today. Well, actually I go as often as possible, and I hope they never leave me. read more

Love this place. Great selection of interesting imports. Great selection of flours and bulk items, oils and vinegars. Best cheese and olive selection in town. Good staff that is usually very helpful. read more

Good place for buying some legumes & spices in bulk; pastas, oils & vinegars are fine but just about everything else is SALT CITY. If you wanna do in someone you'd do well to buy these items: packaged breads, while whole grain etc they're whopping with salt; the packaged bagged bagels have a whopping 350 or so mg. per bagel. Cheeses: They don't carry any reduced sodium cheeses. Canned ready-to-eat foods have enough salt to kill a moose. They don't carry any sizes, small, 15 oz, or institutional sizes, of no-salt added tomato sauce, tomato puree or tomato paste. A little behind the times, and then some. read more

Interesting store. It's fun to browse and discover some new and hopefully tasty goods to try!

hidden away in the basement Big Johns PFI is truly a hidden gem of the city. Great selection of world spices, cheeses and other foods. I love the large cans of olive oil from Italy and Greece. and often find myself wondering around a few laps buying up all sorts of random imported edibles. read more

Spices in bulk, which comes in handy when I'm doing BBQ. Extensive cheese selection and knowledgeable staff (so far as I can tell.) Decent stick pepperoni and salami. Lots of interesting European and Mediterranean foods. It's hard to find; downhill in to a parking lot, look for the pay to park sign at the entrance. Some prices are better than others, but being able to buy the bulk spices and full loaves of mozzarella cheese takes me there often. read more

Cheeses! Cured meats! And spices! Oh my! But also a great place to find the coveted white anchovies, great flavoring syrups, all the pasta you can handle, and lots of sweets you may have never tried. Their olive oil and vinegar section will have you creating marinades and salad dressings that will blow people away, go here and let your Mediterranean imagination go nuts! read more

Love, love, love this place!! Spices you can purchase by the ounce, amazing cheese selection, fun gifts during the holidays, several awesome butter options. And it's the only shop outside of Paris where I've found my favorite French mustard. So much packed into a small space!! read more

I am so happy I finally find my Hawaiian Black Lava Salt here in a reasonable price.

loved this place. They were very friendly and helpful- giving suggestions and samples. Wish I new how to use everything there but lots of fun to buy and experiment. Spices are amazing. read more

What a fun store! Yes, it's true, the prices aren't rock bottom on every single thing. But, who cares when you have this awesome selection and free parking to boot. It made my day to find garlic-free pesto on their self. read more

Fun place! Imported goodies from Italy.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! Best place for CHEEEEESE. and other goodies. I love going at Christmas as they have tons of imported goodies, and the folks are fun, will give you tastes of any cheese to delight your palette. They even now have Blue Bird farms bulk produce, farrow, different unusual flours and grains, all organic, the best price too. So go have fun and give yourself lots of time to prowl around the place. read more

What a cool specialty market. I took a cooking class in Seattle and the lead chef highly recommended this place. Before leaving Seattle, I decided to walk through the market. It's definitely a chefs paradise and if I wasn't jumping on an airplane, I would have left the store with a cart full of groceries. read more

I love this place! Great selection. I was able to find a pasta here that I have not been able to find in ages. It has been my favorite pasta since I was a little girl. Yum!! Soooo excited! read more

My best friend has been coming to PFI for several years and he's been singing PFI's praises for just as long. I finally made it down to the shop last week. What a place! I browsed for over an hour to get a feel of all the wonderful imports from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. I know it is best known as an Italian joint, but MAN, this place knows its Mediterranean foods! I used to make an Iranian dish called gormeh sabzi. PFI carries a great brand as well as other really really cool but hard to make dishes. I was feted like a queen by cheese monger Alex. If you enjoy cheeses from around the world and I do mean to some of the far reaches of the planet, PFI is the best place to get what you are craving. Oh, did I forget to mention that PFI has any canned seafood you might want? I need to get a new job just so I can shop here with abandon. Thanks, PFI. read more

A necessary evil. If you need access to a large selection of flours, olive oil, bulk spices, sardines, anchovies, bulk cheese, & cured meats, this is the only game in town besides DeLaurenti. The staff clearly recognize the fact that they have a monopoly on the market, and their attitudes reflect this. I spend thousands of dollars at PFI annually, yet I always feel like a second-class citizen when I'm there, they are so rude. Once I asked for a standard-sized bulk bag to fill up with 5# of flour and an employee told me to "just use those tiny spice bags, I don't have any big bags." I would have had to fill 50 bags, so it was a completely useless suggestion. Another time I noticed they were giving away reusable grocery bags to customers spending over $75. When I asked for one, the lady behind the counter told me "those are only for big spenders." I had spent $300, guess that wasn't enough. They won't slice meats or cheeses and you have to buy minimum one pound. They quit carrying my favorite flour & when I told them I'd commit to buying x amount per year they replied with "we just don't want to order it for you- we have other choices." Customer service goes a long way these days, and these folks could sorely use some. read more

Amazing food and candy. Everything is priced fairly especially​ the cheese​ and meat. One of the best places​ to buy bulk spices​ and olives​. read more

CROOKS! I bought olives and came home and weighed them ... each one pound bag was exactly 3/4 pound on my Salter digital scale -- which I tested. Many of the items are wayyyy overpriced. Others are cheaper, so if you really know what you are buying, are buying packaged goods, and don't mind supporting criminals, it's OK. read more