The place to go for all things European! Good quality pastas and the cheese look all amazing. Most products are imported. I usually get my canned tuna (imported from Italy) from here which is sooo good! read more

If you want a pinch of peppermint, a dash of hot curry powder, some green peppercorns, a bit of granulated garlic, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes you can get it here. Or say you want some extra virgin olive oil, or a nice rich balsamic vinegar or sea salt or pickled vegetables or Arborio rice you can get that here too. Of if you'd like a lb of your favorite cheese guess what you can get that here and guess what else you have a buy it by the pound because they won't see you anything less than a pound of cheese and their cheese selection is a-freaking-mazing worth searching hi and low to try and find this place. Having to buy a pound of cheese really doesn't bother me when I can buy just a pinch of the herb or spice I'm looking for and get just what I need and not pay and arm and a leg for it. In my opinion it's the best place to buy herbs and spices in the area. read more

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My kind of Hole in the Wall-- featuring Traditional and Unique Mediterranean and European products--think the best of DeLaurfenti and PCC however more organic--Featured on King 5 Evening Magazine as one of the "hidden secrets" of Downtown Seattle--word of mouth advertising, old concrete broken down floors, peeling paint,food and Olives in bulk, all keep the prices somewhat reasonable-- Their claim to fame is a 30 foot long counter with wheels of cheese and meat galore--if someone complained about the old 1 lb minimum order for cheese--owner John Croce, who passed in 2016,(still family run by two daughters and one granddaughter), used to say "Well just have a Party"--new age--now down to 1/2 lb minimum as the cheese wheels are hard to cut down further--the saying now goes "just have a small party"-- You can get stuff like "Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey", Spicy Prosciutto spread, or "Black Forest Schinken" (Ham mported from the Black Forest in Germany) naturally smoked with tree wood, Also exquisite chocolate and caramel treats galore in bulk (think habit forming and you can just pick one--right?)--the Jacobsen Salty Caramels (from Oregon) are simply "THE BEST"of any I've tied--sugar is slowly toasted in rich, heavy cream and butter, then sprinkled with flaky sea salt (PLAIN OR WITH CHOCOLATE COATING) @ $23 per lb So with over 40 pastas imported from Italy, any spice in bulk imaginable, the place who originated imported "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" started in Seattle in 1971, practically before the "Godfather" started his business. And like the song says "you can get anything you want at Big John's Restaurant" excepting-- you gotta cook it yourself--so if you end up drinking too much of their fine wines, while cooking with Alice-- they have of course--imported "All Natural and Tested Hangover Drops"--cheers Al read more

Big John's PFI is like the best of DeLaurenti, PCC, and the Cheese Cellar all wrapped up into one fabulous store. Their bulk goods have everything you'd want to get in bulk - need a pound of dried lentils? got 'em. Need 1/8 oz of truffle sea salt? Voila. A bit of perfect baking chocolate? You get the idea. Cheese-wise, there's no place better. I've described what kind of obnoxiously stinky cheese I liked and how I wanted to incorporate it into a recipe and they found the perfect cheese for me. They also have olives in the jar or in bulk and you can even get the brine if you bring your own container (squeeeee!!!). They have insanely fun stuff too, like a bunch of powdered chocolate milk flavors with fun names (chocolate moooose), a zillion types/flavors of mustard, and many other non-italian ingredients (curries, chutneys, honeys etc). And of course they have a huge selection of olive oils and vinegars. And more San Marzano tomatoes than you'd dreamed of finding. The 2 big surprises for me were their pasta and wine selections. It's hard to adequately describe their pasta shelves, I lived in NYC's Little Italy and never saw anything like PFI's offerings. From small bags of elbow macaroni to 5 lb bags of DeCecco rotini to bags of 18 inch squid ink pasta, they seem to have it all. And the wine selection isn't huge, it's just GOOD and really inexpensive. There are a few things that stop me from giving 5 stars - it's not the cleanest place and some of the employees are really nice while some are pretty rude/dismissive. But I'll keep coming back. read more

CHEESE! If I didn't give a place that has this much awesome cheese 5 stars (let alone imported goodies, tons of bulk spices, etc) I'd basically be committing an existential crime of some sort. Let me break it down logically in a classic modus ponens style argument: I LOVE Cheese. Big John's carries lots of cheese. Therefore, I love Big John's. My only quibble in regards to cheese is that you HAVE to buy a pound of it, and some of these cheeses are ~pricey~. The selection is stellar though, and they will let you try it before committing to the aforementioned required pound. Anywho, if you are lactose intolerant you can still find lovely things to suit your fancy here. The previously mentioned bulk spices are awesome and reasonably priced. Chocolate abounds here. Tons of German/eastern European goodies catch my eye. You can find nearly everything imaginable pickled here. There's cured meats, soda, and more more more... read more

Big John's PFI - Very important questions.... - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Reducing my rating because I keep seeing items on the shelf that are past their expiration date. They also only had one flavour of the French mints I love during my most recent visit in September 2015 and I came back specifically because I wanted to buy more of them. Bummer! Big John's PFI is unique but I really need them to put a little effort into it and make the store feel less grimey and clear out the expired goods. Until then, I'll be buying my specialty/imported foods at the Metropolitan Market in Queen Anne. read more

Bottom Line - I absolutely love this grocery store and come here to buy non-GMO Italian 00 + semolina to make my fresh pastas. There is a large selection of olive oils and balsamic, as well as a big case of imported cheeses. Prices are very reasonable. I discovered this place after returning from a food trip to Italy and wanting to source ingredients to recreate my favorutie Italian dishes. I previously had been mixing my own pasta flour, but Big John's has imported pasta flour that's already mixed!!! I've been using this ever since. The other main reason I come here is to stock up on olive oils. There are two that I get from here; the Atlas olive oil from Greece, which is unfiltered and is delicious drizzled on almost all foods (especially fish and pastas). I don't use the Atlas olive oil to cook... for that, I use the Maestri olive oil from Italy. If I'm cooking anything at high temperatures, I use grape seed oil. The place can be hard to find, so watch for the PFI sign. read more

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Big John's! Where have you been all my life? I live in the International District and am lucky to be surrounded by a ton of great Asian markets. When the hankering for antipasti hits, I walk two blocks south of Uwajimaya to this wonderful supermarket. Big John's is a great European grocery store. Here, you can find every type of pasta you can imagine and their cheese selection is the best! You can bag your own spices for reasonable prices too. Other things available at this place: licorice, pizza dough flour, German cookies, wine, olives! Great place for imported gifts as well! read more

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I LOVE this resource and used to drive from Olympia to purchase items (cheese, pasta, goodies not found elsewhere). Haven't been there since before the pandemic and just found out from last week's Seattle Times about their new location. One of these days, I will be back! So hoping I will find delivery to Olympia!!! read more

Big John's is definitely one of those places I would never had known existed if not for Yelp. It is in an indescript location near Safeco Field and about two blocks away from Uwajimaya. Look for a PFI sign with the Italian flag colors. Apparently Big John's is fronted by a pay lot, but if you drive further down there are a bunch of spaces for customers. You do need to park in the designated spaces though. The store has a warehouse feel to it. They have a good mix of products here. There is a nice section of bulk beans and spices, though I was disappointed that I could not find corona beans which I fell in love with at Volunteer Park Cafe. Oh well.. Loads of European grocery items here from many countries including goods from the UK all the way to Greece. Not sure about the pricing here though, some of the goods are a little pricey. Though I thought the pasta selection here is impressive. Not just pasta from Italy, but a few from Greece and France. As mentioned by just about everyone, Big John's has an impressive selection of cheeses here. They also have a selection of meats, but that kind of comes secondary after the cheese. A lot of choices, though you have to buy at least a pound of the cheese and meats. Some are priced reasonably like the domestic gorgonzola which is a little under $5/lb., while some of the more specialty cheeses are in the $20 something dollar range. Big John's is a cheese lover's oasis! The selection here is what makes Big John's a good find. A lot of interesting products. This is the kind of the place I would go to when I want to try making dishes out of my usual repertoire. read more

Best kept secret for Italian and Mediterranean foods. Large selection of cheeses, affordable imported wines, specialty flours and spices. Employees very helpful and friendly. read more

Big John's PFI - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Let me begin by saying that I loved big John PFI when it was in it's old location in the international district. Having visited their new address, after today's visit I'm done. Used to have great people behind the counter who could cut cheese accurately. What an ordeal. Cuts amounts were repeatedly incorrect. And please take note, although they carry prosciutto di Parma, it's only sold by the piece, and there is no slicer in the store to slice the prosciutto or any of their cured meats. A slicer for cured meats, would provide better customer service and better sales. And the prices have escalated tremendously. What I liked about the former big John's PFI was how good the prices were. read more

After being away from Seattle for 13 yrs PFI was our go to place back in the day in their old location, we've been talking about going here for a while now so while in town we found there new upscale location,There was one young man working there who was very polite and helpful and made us feel comfortable shopping and asking questions all the female staff were cold and unfriendly like the salami's in the deli case ...hahahaha I notice the pricing on most items were certainly catering to that young upscale crowd , we did buy some cheeses which they have a great selection ,and a few other items , Still a great place ,but time moves on ........ read more

Overall: An unusual store, worth the visit just for the experience When I read the reviews and looked at the website, I was so looking forward to visiting this place. Firstly it is a bit hard to find... but we found it nonetheless. On entering, it was a little more primitive than I thought - but I put that aside. On entering there was a huge display cabinet full of delicious cheeses, other items included tomatoes, olives, speculaas (spiced dutch biscuits/cookies, but made in Germany), huge jars of sundried tomatoes, lavazza and illy coffee, French chocolates, pastas, large variety of balsamic vinegar and olive oils (excellent ones with less than 0.5% acidity), teas, marmite, Bovril, amaretti cookies/biscuits, halvah, crackers, slabs of broken chocolate, apricot/other fruit syrups/cordials (to dilute with water - oh how I miss this stuff, but for $11.70, I gave it a miss), Bisto gravy granules(???) AND huge buckets (YES, buckets) of herbs and spices - I personally wouldn't buy these, because they are in large buckets, the likelihood of them still being fresh and aromatic is very small. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed after visiting this place and I doubt I will be revisiting. It was hard to see that a pacific food importer actually supplied stuff like Patak's curry paste, Thai curry paste, sesame oil when Uwajimaya is just round the corner. I don't know what I was expecting, I was hoping this was a Mediterranean specialty place, which to me wasn't - it was a place that sold some Mediterranean items. It was not overly impressive to me, I guess I have been spoilt for too long in the UK :(. read more

Big John's PFI - Yes, we found them - Big John's PFI - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Not really hard to get to(It's behind the immigration center in the International District). It's not meant to be a full on discount store, but pretty much everything here is cheaper than you'd find in grocery stores. Certainly the many imported and deliciously stinky cheeses are a great value. They also have one of the best selections of meats and sausages like Mortadella and lots of Capacola and bologna. But it's the sauces, condiments and pastas that you really can't beat. Pasta in every shape you need. Good quality balsamic vinegars, jar upon jar of olives, peppers and pickles. Plus they have lots of fun stuff like Nutella and just about every nut butter you could want. But the best thing about this place is something Seattle really lacks; a real, ethnic feel. It reminds me of the italian markets of North Beach in San Francisco or the North End in Boston. We have plenty of great specialty markets but this place has that great feel of a family business, filled with passion for the food. read more

Excellent! Really a wide range of spices and bulk foods. Prices are, for the most part, fair. read more

Seriously a hidden gem. The cheese selection is to die for and to top it off has an extremely knowledgeable and friendly counter woman. They have an amazing selection of hard to find foods. Free parking available. read more

If you're a serious cook you'll have fun here. I figure if you don't know about Big John's Pacific Food Importers (I call them "Puffy's") you probably don't cook too many interesting things. Not that they have everything mind you. "Puffy's" specializes in meats, cheeses, dried, and canned goods imported from Europe and to some degree the Middle East. With "Ewi's" (my nickname for Uwajimaya) less than two blocks away, between the two stores you can probably cook any cuisine in the world. read more

Big John's PFI - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Premium Italian grocery. Going back to slow try everything they have. Great customer service and very knowledgeable about what they carry

What a fun place to shop! I really love their new location, too. Bright, clean, easy to navigate, friendly/knowledgeable staff and jam-packed with grocery items. I love how many hard to find items they import; it's a great place to find oils, pastas, cheeses, meats and dessert items. Not to mention canned/jarred staples you simply cannot get anywhere else. I will definitely be back! It's worth the trip over there. read more

Shopped at the old location often. Have tried to shop at the new location 3 times. The underground parking garage is so small you may win the lottery before you will find a parking space. If you find a parking space you better have a small car because they are small. Street parking next to impossible. Three times I gave up. Won't try again. read more

This is a food lover's dream store! They have hard-to-find items, amazing fresh cheeses, wonderful pastas and sauces. So many excellent ideas for a special occasions or just to stock your pantry for a quick weekday meal. The staff is super friendly and their behind the counter recommendations are spot on. read more

Expensive but can find a lot of Italian food items not always easily found in Seattle. The new location much more convenient.

Great place to get bulk spices and stinky cheeses. Lots of imported goods from Italy and the Mediterranean. Spice prices are cheap and other goods are reasonably priced as well. Lots of good olive oils to choose from. Love this place read more

Best place for wines, cheeses, Italian groceries and other import items, bulk goods (all the kinds of flours, spices-really unparalleled on that selection, legumes, rices, etc), bulk and baking chocolate, olives, etc...my favorite place and I need them to reopen because my favorite cinnamon is almost out. And the wine cabinet looks a little sad. And I'm out of good olives; their house blend is the best. I'm hoping that they reopen on 4/15 because that's when I get paid and I just remembered I used the last of my Basque seasoning blend yesterday. Love these guys! read more

This place has a HUUUGE selection of cheeses, spices, pastas, olive oils, etc. I've been hearing a lot about this place. I finally had the chance to check what this place was all about. ...and I'm SO glad I did. Ever since my trip to Cinque Terre, Italy, I've been craVVVing trofie pasta and have been hating myself for only buying 2 bags to bring back to the states since. Lookie lookie what I found at PFI?!?!? My long lost love...TROFIE! Let's just stay I stocked up on that stuff--bought enough for me, my family and my girlfriends who I traveled with to Cinque Terre. Yay for stocking stuffers! I haven't had the chance to try their cheese selection, but I'm sure I'll be stopping by sooner or later. This place is definitely a hidden gem...I'm keeping this place to myself & yelp :) read more

Big John's PFI - Trofie, top left corner :) - Cheese Shops Near Me - Seattle, Washington

So, every year we have one big winter dinner party that involves at least two full days of cooking. My rule is guests don't bring things, it's a gift to friends and professional folks. Generally around 30/40 people. Big John's is always a critical stop and this year I decided to give myself a break and, in addition to the very best cheese case in this town I (gasp) decided to buy sheets of frozen puff pastry instead of spending a day making it- not hard just tedious and I (my French grandmother would expire from vapors) I bought frozen pastry shells. Add a killer selection of baking chocolate, bulk spices, other pieces of other things including filo dough and this remains the place to go for people who actually cook. Simply the rock solid dependable always great place. I love these guys! read more

Absolutely love this place, it has awesome imported products that I couldn't find elsewhere. I love their pasta and cheese selection. The only negative thing I have to say is about the charcuterie meat, they have a beautiful selection of imported meats... but no meat slicer! I came home with a piece of proscuitto that was impossible to slice thin enough so I used it differently. But it makes no sense to sell this by the chunk! Unless you have a meat slicer at home or are a gifted chef with the right knives... be ready for extra thick homemade cuts! read more

I don't know who Big John is and I don't care because I love this place! I have been here for a few months looking to find a place to replace the Italian specialty stores that I was used to in Chicago and NYC...I believe I have found it. You are not going to do all your weekly shopping here but if you love to cook Italian goodies at home with quality products this place is for you. It does have more of a warehouse type feel but hey that is fine with me (If you are used to a Safeway, Whole Foods or QFC experience...don't come here you will not be pleased) . On my trip the store was clean and well organized. You can get all kinds of spices (Traditional and specialty spices...like curry spices and some blends) and flour and other goodies in bulk...and prices are so much better than the prepackaged MCCormick garbage you find at the grocery store. Also lets talk about the pasta!!! What I have found in Seattle is the generic types of pasta...you know you normal spaghetti, fettuccini, linguini....etc (that is made of cheaply milled flours and no better to the pasta that ate in college)... you get my drift...but what about papradelle (That you don't have to go to Pike's Public Market to purchase to deal with all the stinking' tourists), bucatini and other lovely varieties! A lot of the pasta that I saw is shipped from Italy...I almost waled out of the store with 30$ just of pasta...I was in heaven. I didn't purchase any of the cheeses but my goodness the variety they had was amazing! I'll have to go back and try some...and all the European goodies they have is magical. They have candies, wines, cookies, oils, grains, vinegars, frozen doughs and pastas...oh I just love this place. For the first 15 minutes I was in the store I just walked around with a smile on my face. The people who work here are amazing! They are nice but not intrusive but they are happy to answer questions for you...and they know their merchandise. You can tell they remember their customers- while I was there they called their customer by name or by what they usually purchase! Which I think is key to building relationships and return customers. They do have free parking spaces which is key for me-Just beware that you need to park where the PFI signs are...it's about 10 parking spaces the rest are city parking spaces which you will need to pay for. When you drive to the street the Big John's is on it is down a little hill (It's not off the right main road-keep them eyes peeled) I'll definitely be back and sooooo worth the trip for me. read more

I could spend all day in here. Spices, pasta, discount wines. Everywhere you turn there is something interesting to take home. Parking isn't all that extensive so you may have to park out on the street. Definitely recommend for a true market style experience outside of Pike Place. read more

My go to for quality Bulgarian Feta, Kalamatas, wine, Estrella Dam, and bulk spices. Loads of Southern European delights and always something new. Grabbed some Dorothea's potato chip cheese from the Netherlands and made Mac & potato chip cheese- kids loved it! read more

PFI makes my dinner parties better. Trader Joe's-like prices with a selection that ranges from the mundane to the rare, with nary a pseudo-Hawaiian shirt in sight. If you're too lazy to make all-butter (or half-butter) puff pastry and don't want to suffer through the partially hydrogenated lameness of Pepperidge Farm's non-butter version, then come here. If you need a lotta cornichons or olives for a party or some sort of odd bedroom games that I don't want to hear about, then this is the place. If you need really good olive oil, and the $8 President's Reserve at TJ's won't do the trick but you don't want to spend $40-50 at DeLaurenti's, then come down to PFI and save $10-15. If you want real balsamic vinegar, then come here. Need a lot of beans or Tipo 00 flour for your Napoli-inspired pizza, or semolina flour or farro or polenta in bulk? Yeah, they can do that. You probably need a ridiculously cheap pound of smoked mozzarella that you'll cut up, freeze, and deep fry in corn dog batter, or some potato dorothea cheese, or a chunk of Valdeon bleu. If you want less than a pound of something that's not above the magic price threshold, the trick is not being picky about the exact amount. "A small chunk" will do. You're not paying the kind of prices that would give you the privilege of complaining over the difference between a quarter pound and a third. Oh, by the way, Elderflower syrup and a bottle of gin. Half of that equation can be found here. Finish with some club soda and lime wedges. read more

"Garlic is the catsup of intellectuals." That phrase itself, stamped in one of PFI's columns, gets this quaint store at least a couple of solid stars. Garlic makes my heart pump, pump, pump...as much as this place did the first time I set my two little feet on it. Baba cakes. Grisbi cookies. Expensive sodas with beautiful donne Italiana drawn on the bottles. Pasta. Pasta. Pasta. At least 20 different types of olive oil. Bulks of chocolate. Many, many white buckets filled with spices, chiles, peperoncinos and other dusty magic flavors. Anywhere you turn around, you'll find yourself gasping in delight. Definitely, this place is not your customary grocery store. Not even a curious one. PFI is a piece of parallel world you would never imagine exists in the Northwest area of anywhere outside Italy. Unique. Ryan my BF brought me here today during lunch time as a little surprise trip before heading to El Quetzal. I have to confess I felt like a 5Th grader. I kept on going around and in circles telling him "Mira, mira! They have this! Oh, they have that!" Mamma Mia! I had a childish, giggly blast! I also enjoyed the fact that this place is nothing fancy. The best comparison I can make to describe PFI's ambiance is...hmmm...let's see: it's like that small, secret motel two lovers find to have their delicious encounters; it's that place that is clean but strange, with a vintage feel. Here, sin and adoration mix together (like a glutton with some calories!). It's not pretty but it's certainly special. So special you have to keep coming back to get what you love. In this case, I love some heart-shaped pasta, cappuccino grisbi cookies and guava curd. I enjoy getting my BF an Italian-speaking, red tin filled with crunchy amaretto cookies. I smile non-stop while reading tens of little goat-shaped tags with the names of tens of different cheeses one can get here. Florette, Taleggio, Fontina, and various Manchegos, Parmiggianos, Asiagos, among many other. Oh boy, oh my, a dairyland that made the back of my neck tingle with pleasure... The fifth star will be kept in the pocket until the service becomes more cheerful and relaxed. I'm eager to give it to PFI. Lets see what happens in the following visits. For now, I agree with that other column. "I came, I saw, I ate." read more

CHEEEEEEEESE, Grommit, CHHHEEEEEEEEESSSSE!!!! Hard to find, but well worth it. Right near nothing, it's down a ramp and in the back and lower level of a non-descript building. But, hey, parking's plentiful. After going down each aisle and picking up a few items from the Asian section, the Middle Eastern selections and the Italian items, I landed in nirvana - their cheese counter. I spent a good 5 minutes discussing the difference among and tasting the 3 feta cheeses that they have - French, Greek and Israeli. Yes, there is a marked difference between the three. And that's just the feta. I don't know how many cheeses they actually carry, but it is a LOT. And I mean, A LOT. read more

If I were to die in this store, please know that I died happy. Also, please know that I won't need to worry about going to heaven, because I died in a foodie heaven! It seemed like they had practically everything from Europe! I didn't find many Mexican/Texas imports, but that's just not their specialty. It only made me a little sad, but everyone knows there's not much room for sadness in food heaven! They do however have things like bulk dried gigante beans, clotted cream, frozen mini-pie crusts in little tins, cheese galore, olives galore, a wide variety of salts, bulk specialty flours, specialty honey, European candies, specialty pasta, fruit spreads, offshoot vinegars, salami's (no Salumi's salamis - they don't have to be imported!), and SO much more! Their prices are a little bit higher than regular grocery stores, but that's because you can't find practically any of their items in grocery stores! Still, their prices are much cheaper than they would be if you were to find these products online and have them shipped to your home. For example, I purchased 6.76 lbs of bulk gigante beans. It came to $33.74 ($4.99 per pound). If I purchased them by the 1 lb bag on Amazon, it is $5.99 per pound plus $5.95 shipping. Plus I was able to choose exactly how many pounds I wanted! I noticed a sign saying if you are there to purchase feta or olives, it is best to bring your own jar. If you bring your own jar, they will provide brine with your purchase for free. They also have a few recipes available on their website. This location can be a bit difficult to find. It is off 6th Ave South, and it is in the last large brick building before you reach Charles St/Airportway. It is on the left hand side of the road if you're going northbound on 6th Ave, and it is on the right (north) side of the building way in the back. They do have several parking spaces reserved close to their entrance, so be sure to park in a spot marked for "PFI," otherwise you will get a parking ticket. read more

PFI is a really good place if you love imported European foods, if you're a fan of savory foods like olives and cheeses or if you do a lot a of cooking. There are tubs of bulk dried spices and ingredients at a fraction of what your local QFC charges in a little bottle. There are a dozen bulk types of olive oil and even more types if you need a smaller quantity like a liter or 1/2L. This is my go-to place for Greek olive oil, try the Mykonos, it's a beautiful dark green and so smooth! I buy it by the 3L. There are also other oils like truffle and grapeseed. If you love caned fish this is another paradise; imported from different parts of Europe sardines, mussels, octopus, sprats, clams, anchovies! They have an impressive array of sweets too, bulk and packaged chocolates, mints, hard candy- so many varieties that it would be better to just see it for yourself. PFI is not a cheap place to go, but they have items no one else carries. A gourmand's delight! read more

I'm thrilled that PFI has moved to my neighborhood. Lots of good things for intrepid hedonists. However, when they put stock out, it should be with this rule in mind: Thou Shalt Not Put Out Stock Unpriced. I go in there, and of course many things are tagged, but many things are not, and consistently. Lastly, bring a thick wallet. Now, there are many things reasonably priced, but lots of things just a hair much. Were it not for those two things, I'd give them five stars. read more

Reliable selection and service seem to be on the decline at Big Johns of late. Some brands I've come to rely on are no longer being carried, and the folks who stock and replenish don't seem to care that they're out of stock or that your favorites will no longer grace their shelves. It's almost like they don't care what customers think, and that's a shame because this store won my praise for how well they listened and responded to customer demand. There also seems to be an increase in prices across the board. For now, I'm curtailing the Saturday pilgrimages which I used to enjoy. The selection and service over my last several visits have been significant enough that I no longer find it a fun place to shop. read more

I don't know what I was expecting, but I was actually pretty disappointed with PFI. This place is pretty hard to find, when you look it up on Google while you're on the road, it initially directed us to their warehouse in SODO. That was NOT correct. We finally found this place near the stadium, and with the helpful tips from other Yelpers, we actually found this tiny little place that was tucked away inside of a parking lot. There are designated PFI parking spots, and if you do not park in these spots - you risk being towed. When you finally get inside the place is 1. A lot smaller than you would imagine, but still managing to have a warehouse feel and 2. A lot darker than you would hope for in a grocery store, reminding me of the DK Market out in Kent, except without the extra space that DK offers. There is a wonderful selection of spices, imported dry pastas, cheeses, and even a variety of salts - which I love. Unfortunately, it's dim, it's not very clean, a lot of the dry pastas that we were looking at were shattered (which was tragic because we wanted lasagna sheets), their checkout process (with their one cashier) took about almost 20 minutes alone, the cheese line was 30 people deep (and none of their prices are clearly listed, so we didn't get any), and I found a few items on their few shelves that had already expired... This place is fine. I might be back for their selection of bulk spices and grains, but the whole experience was lackluster after reading all of these glowing reviews. It just served as an example that one persons' fantastic experience has no contextualization when it comes to yelp. read more

I was on a quest for carnaroli. No luck at the major supermarkets. Somebody told me about this hidden cache of Mediterranean cooking supplies buried somewhere in the southern end of the International District, so off I went on a treasure hunt. I found the place without much trouble. I didn't bother picking up a basket -- I knew what I wanted, so I'd be in and out in two minutes. Twenty-five minutes later, I deposited an armful of groceries on the checkout counter. I found my carnaroli, and a bunch of other odds and ends. They have a big selection of dried pastas, and jars and cans of everything that can be jarred or canned. Mostly European products, but also the odd jar of Lebanese tahini, Moroccan Harissa, South Asian spice mixes and so on. Lots of confections, jams, tinned fish, oils, vinegars, pickles; you get the idea. They also have a few snack foods clearly targeted at homesick expats; I resisted buying a pack of McVitie's chocolate digestives for six bucks. Most of the products are pretty reasonably priced, though; if you can find it anywhere else in town, it'll probably cost about the same or less here. They've got little employee recommendation cards pasted on some of the shelves, like they do at bookstores. Nice touch. I did not explore the cheese and olive counter, but I did walk around the bulk spice section. I don't know how long that stuff has been sitting there unsealed. I found a couple of bags of extremely stale coffee from 7 Roasters*, which made me wary. If they are leaving locally roasted coffee on the shelves for 2-3 months, I bet that bucket of ras el hanout has been there since the '90s. I wouldn't buy spices here unless I absolutely couldn't find them elsewhere. For shelf-stable stuff, though, PFI is an excellent place to forage and stock up. ----- * That's one roaster named '7', not seven roasters named '1'. Does that make sense? Look, don't worry about it. read more