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!

I noticed this spice shop while stopped in traffic and walked over after I parked…read more The store is highly visible and inviting from the street and inside, beautifully organized with tempting sounding blends like popular Cyprus Wild Mushroom Umami Sea Salt I happened to pause in front of. I remarked how this salt looked like Egyptian frost salt and got a head shake, "Don't know that one". Okay, it's esoteric but also got a non-committal head shake they don't carry Maldon sea salt, commonplace for baking and a finishing salt. I explained I use it to make Blue Bottle Coffee's granola blend. Weak smile. I remarked that I liked their photography cards of beautiful recipe ideas near the jars ("What a good idea!") and shared my use of Vadouvan in a eggplant, chicken & basil stir fry I made up. I got another tepid response. I explained I cook a lot at home and had over 200 jars from the former Spice Ace store that needed to be replaced, "Sadly they faded with time." At this point, don't you think the salesperson would've jumped on that, "Would you like me to pull some jars, get that project underway for a New Year?" No. The owners should be slapping their hands on their forehead watching hundreds of dollars not go into their till that day and developing me as a regular customer. I have money to spend, clearly like to cook and told them I need to replace 200 jars. I practically placed a grappling hook in my cheek like a big mouth bass and told them to reel me in! I decided to ask about their pricing structure, noticing the nonsensical spread on the large and small jars, "Because they didn't get good pricing when they bought the smaller jars" Now muttering to myself, "So how is that *my* problem?" Oaktown Spice Shop is a growing and well-received small chain of three retail stores, two in the East Bay, that has a wholesale roster of James Beard and Michelin starred restaurants and high end delivery services like fellow East Bay business Good Eggs. If the owners read this review, they desperately need to retrain their retail staff. They rang up my small $22 sale as I began mentally filling my old Spice Ace jars at Rainbow Grocery.

Just walking into all those smells makes me happy. The people that work there are so informed, and…read moresuper friendly. I LOVE this store. The store is so clean and organized. The herbs there are the best quality!

Stopped by Penzey's in Menlo Park to stock up on a few staples, cocoa powder, Mexican vanilla (it's…read moredelicious and our favorite), pumpkin spice, and a couple of other blends we wanted to try. You can smell the spices as you walk in! The customer service is okay - hence deducting 1 star. For most spices they have, you can smell them as they keep a test container, which was fun to go around sniffing a few that we wanted to check out. The cocoa powder is incredibly smooth and deep in flavor (though hard to sprinkle out of the bottle, not sure why that is), and the Mexican vanilla adds such a beautiful aroma to my coffee every morning. Their pumpkin spice might honestly be the best I've ever had - it's perfect for making it at home without any sugar (I just add a dash to an espresso shot, froth almond milk with a bit of vanilla, and it's perfection). The store is well-organized, easy to browse, and located right in downtown Menlo Park. Plenty of parking in the back. The spices are expensive than traditional stores FYI, but you only need small amounts, and they are good quality.

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.

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.

Me and my guy were walking by when Andrew drew us in with a delicious floral tea and then invited…read moreus in to look around. The store is very large, and there was so much to look at and smell. We were greeted by the owners, who were very helpful in showing us their store and products. We went to pier 39 just to walk around, and ended up having the best experience while there. We ended up getting a bourbon bacon salt, a honey spoon, and got a free tuna rub! The store was so clean and well organized. I love that the spices/herbs/salta/sugars all had jars that you could open and smell for reference. The candles are also noteworthy! They smelled fantastic and I might just have to make my way back for some! Overall, Andrew, Mauricio, Blair, and Ian made the experience excellent! If you're walking through the pier, definitely stop into the business and give them look and purchase!!

On our stroll of Solano Ave, we stopped by this spice shop. Talk about spices. This shop has an…read moreamazing large selection of spices from all over the world. Two in our group bought several types of spices. The workers were friendly and answered their questions. If you are in need of spices and hard to find spices, you will find it here. I must shop for you home cooks out there.

CHOCOLATE TO DIE FOR!! Petite LaFleur Honeycomb Chocolate is incredible. Buy it here & surprise…read moreyour family, friends and guests with this incredible candy sold in very few places, handmade with the best ingredients in Berkeley

I was amazed and truly loved this local Spicery with the unique tea and spices options…read more The staff is amazing. The prices are a bit higher than the market, but at the same time it is a special tea options from green tea till herbal tea with some flowers that makes it blue in the cup! There are good options for a gift or a present for a special occasion. Parking is limited and only street parking is available in front. But if you park near by you will have an opportunity to walk around the area, which is itself a nice experience.

Visiting family near this waterfront gem recently, I discovered the most amazing spices! There are…read moreso many uniquely blended spices to choose from here. Upon walking in, the woman at the counter was friendly and helpful in asking how she could help find the exact one I was looking for that day. My Mom accompanying me, she ended up guessing which one too, the Baker's Cinnamon. The shop has such a comforting, welcoming vibe too no matter what spice you're looking for or are curious about. This should be Marin's go to spice shop no doubt.

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.

Stumbled upon this neighborhood shop and now I'm completely hooked. Perfectly Seasoned is one of…read morethose places that reminds you why shopping local matters. From the thoughtfully crafted small batch spices to the warm, welcoming feel of the space, you can tell how much care goes into everything they do. One of the owners I've met always remembers me, which instantly makes each visit feel personal and genuine. I also love that they offer two different spice sizes, which makes it easy to try new blends without committing to a large jar. Over the holidays, their spices became my go to gifts and they were a huge hit. Another favorite is their San Francisco series, a collection of curated blends inspired by nine of the city's most iconic neighborhoods. They also create and share recipe cards for many of their blends, which makes it easy and fun to actually use them at home. Everyone I've interacted with has been friendly and knowledgeable, and it's clear the people behind this shop truly love what they do. This is exactly the kind of local business I enjoy supporting and recommending.

special place with a special vibe and great teas and herbs. Fun to browse and connect with B.read more

Came in with my mom who seen this place and wanted to look around and we were NOT disappointed!! We…read morewere able to find traditional herbs that we've been looking for, for a long time and were treated very well. The owner was very knowledgeable about different ways to utilize the herbs and all the herbs we inquired about!! We will definitely be back! Our new favorite go to place!!