Kind people that keep this market running. It's been a few years since the last visit. Twists and turns of products you can't find in regular grocery stores. Freezer and refrigerated items in the front of the store with isles of spices and packaged items for cooking up a delicious meal. Large bags of rice and noodles in the back of the store. This ended up being a quick stop for a packaged snack and we were on our way. Plenty of parking available. Located in a small pocket of eateries right across the street from UCR. read more

India Sweets & Grocery - Masala lays & mre meals - Grocery Near Me - Riverside, California

Great food to go options at extremely reasonable prices. Easy way to stock the fridge for multiple family meals.

The new owner has updated the store Very Clean, Great food, Amazing atmosphere Very convenient location and lots of parking

This place has some great food but unfortunately the service is terrible. They will ignore you and serve their friends first.

3.5 stars, but I'll round up since the man working was nice! Decent shop to grab some Indian sweets and household grocery, spices, etc. BE WARNED: The staff do not wear masks here. Ironically, they do sell N95 masks here though. The store was pretty messy and they even keep some of their vegetable boxes on the floor. The glass displays for the prepared food were a bit cloudy and not super clear. Nothing inside was labeled either, so I had to awkwardly point at the sweets that I wanted in the display. I asked for 5 rasgulla, 2 carrot burfi, and 2 samosas. The man working was super sweet and gave us 6 rasgulla, 3 carrot burfi, and 2 samosas. With a couple freebies, our total was $8. What a great price! The rasgulla was AMAZING! The perfect sweetness and I loved the taste of the rosewater. The carrot burfi had a pretty strong carrot flavor that paired very well with the almonds on top. The sweets were so delicious. The samosas seemed to be sitting there for a while at the display, but I still ordered two. The man gave us two sauces and warmed up the samosas in the microwave. They were not super crispy in texture, but the flavor was good. read more

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consistently overcharges , dishonest and rude owner. if you are likely are going to ask for reciept he probably try and brush it off like it was mistake. and reset the prices to higher sometimes. read more

I love this place. I go in and get everything I need like a bunch of pints of food to go. The owner seemed a bit grumpy the first few times I went, but then was very nice and helpful in recommending hot and frozen food. It was all so good! read more

Samosas from here are pretty good. They are loaded with potatoes, herbs, and spices. It'll be a lot better if it's cooked to order so it's crispy and hot. They come with mint sauce and tamarind sauce. Mint sauce was good but could be more spicy and the tamarind sauce was way way too sweet. read more

India Sweets & Grocery - Samosa - Grocery Near Me - Riverside, California

When I have Indian food, I always compare it to this place. I LOVE this place for Indian cuisine. Authentic and freshness you can taste, this is Riverside's hidden gem. I've tried other places, but for me, nothing compares. The small neighborhood vibes here keeps me coming back. With a grocery store on hand, you're sure to find anything you need to create an exquisite Indian meal at home. In addition to food, many other items are sold here as well such has hair care products and many other things. I have to admit, I've only came here for the food and have had no complaints. Parking is exceptional, as you'll always find a space. Right in a shopping center that's generally never busy, this plaza makes for a quick stop-in. read more

I think, value for your money, the samosas are a winner at $.99 each: they come at a sizable portion with tamarind chutney and mint pepper sauce. My folks really enjoyed the samosas being that it was just the right consistency and not too expensive or spicy or anything. It was a great afternoon snack. I also ordered a few pieces of Gulab jamun but the bread balls had a chalky, tough to eat consistency, and not as moist as I prefer my balls. The rosewater sweet syrup was good tho. I don't know if I'll buy gulab jamuns again to be honest. The place also served vegetable Indian dishes in really affordable packages - I might try those later on. Indian sweets and snack shop really is the quintessential neighborhood grocery store since it also sells Indian groceries and beauty supplies as well as fresh produce. They also have the big TV playing indian shows to while away your time. Located in a pretty big square on Blaine Street around the university, it's right by the street w plenty of parking in the lot. read more

Awesome people. Family-run has a great selection of sweets, snacks, and spices . Owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. read more

This place and the #2 combo singlehandedly got me through college. It has been $7.99 for the past THREE YEARS! They literally resist inflation more than any business I have ever been to and their quality has gotten BETTER over time. Do yourself a favor and try the paneer. Also the owner is so nice! This is my favorite restaurant in Riverside! (P.S. the picture is of the sheer amount of food they give you for $7.99!!!) read more

India Sweets & Grocery - $7.99 #2 Combo - Grocery Near Me - Riverside, California

I was in the area w/ my boyfriend and he was interested checking out this store, in hopes for finding some spices. Right when we walked in, we were looking around the store, but the employees who worked there didn't even greet us, they starred at us almost the whole time we were there. The employees kept walking near us, checking what we were doing, and they didn't offer to ask if we needed help... Poor customer service. We felt very uncomfortable. Almost every product we were observing didn't have prices, some bags were opened, and there was a lot of dust... it's a shame because there were a variety of spices that you wouldn't find in your local supermarket. We checked out the food at the counter and it didn't look that appetizing.. the quality seemed it was sitting there for days... We only bought one cheap item from here. read more

Great little Indian market for food and groceries! Just across the street from UCR, perfect for students on a budget. Always come here for the Thalis, never disappoints. My go-to is the #2 with okra and paneer masala. read more

India Sweets & Grocery - Inside - Grocery Near Me - Riverside, California

Absolutely love this place! I mainly get the food here, and it never disappoints! The owner is always so kind and happy to answer our questions about the food and sweets! Definitely a must try place :) read more

Clean dining and shopping area and the shop offered good fresh cooked Masala milk tea! read more

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It looks like a mom and pop owned place. The lady at the counter was extremely helpful and took the time to explain the menu and the food to us. The prices for the combos were low compared to others I've been to. The Chicken Tikka Masala and the Naan was one of the best I've ever tasted. They also sell groceries and fresh produce. The canned gulab jamun was also good. It restaurant quality. read more

I came here after seeing the $2.99 Thali special on their window, and damn it was pretty good and filling. When you open up your styrofoam lunch box, you can see 2 portions of vegetarian dish with some rice. The small soup container have some sort of lentil soup that goes great with the rice. They also ask if you want garlic naan (50 cents more), which I got. For under $4, you will be fill. I also tried the 75 cents samosa and I was satisfied. It comes with a sweet sauce and it's pretty filling. The place have some benches where you can sit down and eat with Bollywood movies/music videos playing in the background. It's a pretty nice environment that isn't loud. I'm rating the place based solely on the food and value. They also sell a lot of Indian spices and packaged food, but I came for the food. read more

This is an amazing store. The grocery store is well organized and clean. The owners are super helpful and sweet. I can't say enough good things about their food they offer. It's beyond delicious and made with love. Their garlic naan was made from scratch, so fluffy and soft. They love their jobs and have good variety of food. Also the combo prices are super reasonable. Will definitely come back this is my new favorite place read more

I came here the first time to get some turmeric and spices for cooking. The selection and prices are pretty decent. Now, the second time I came was to try their meals that came in a take-out box. The service was unusual, because there was a food/health inspector that was getting ready to leave. Ordering took longer than it should have. Even after the inspector left, I was just standing there for a while waiting to order. In the end, the food was really good and it didn't take so long either. I ordered the Thali special and two samosas and was pretty full afterwards. I can handle spicy, so it wasn't a problem for me :) read more

Wow! The food was amazing and only $2.99! What!? I came away full and happy. The menu is vegetarian, so if you are craving some meat, this is not the place for you. Although it is vegetarian, it is quite hearty and I did not find myself missing the meat at all (I love eating chicken... sorry). I had the Thali Special and was happy to see the variety and portions. I also got a Mango Lassi that was the best I have had. I am pretty sure that it had real mango blended in with it and not just some syrup. Delicious. The Indian Grocery is also quite amazing and has anything you would ever need to cook some delicious Indian at home. read more

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In Oct. 2017, I purchased several boxes of premade Indian food for my college student who fortunately checked the expiration dates before eating. Some boxes expired Oct. 2014 and one expired Jan. 2012. I will never return and would strongly caution people not to eat here. If they are selling food that expired almost six years ago, who knows how old the ingredients in their kitchen are. Buy your Indian food at India Sweets and Spices. read more

India Sweets & Grocery - Purchased 10/17, had expired 10/14! - Grocery Near Me - Riverside, California

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This review is only about their deli. It's fabulous, flavorful, and such a great deal. You can eat like a king for under $10. Seriously. You can spend the other $10 on treats to take home. I have no idea what most of the stuff is, but I always like it and it's filling. Also, do yourself a favor and upgrade to the garlic naan. It's only $1 or something. I've been coming here since 2011 and the man in the front and the man in the back (same every time) are always super cool, patient, and nice. read more

Pluses: Cheap. $2.99 for the thali special, and it will fill you up. Minuses: The food is pretty bad. The ingredients are not fresh at all, the rice is sometimes day-old, and the bread has a stale, dry texture. They lack sufficient customer volume to economically provide freshly prepared food from fresh ingredients. Groceries that are also restaurants have a trick: they use the oldest, unsaleable produce to use in saucy dishes. It's hard for people who don't cook to detect that the food is not fresh. This way, their produce inventory seems fresh because they've used the rotting stuff for the kitchen. Please note that I LOVE many restaurant/grocers. This one just happens to be the worst. Because it's an independently owned grocer, I used to like buying groceries here (average prices, and acceptable quality). But eventually I admitted to myself that the owner is not an honest man and doesn't need my patronage. You NEED to watch him while he runs the register. He's attempted to rip me off on several occasions when buying groceries, and he's probably succeeded a few times. His trick is entering inflated per pound prices on the scale, so it's hard to notice what he's doing. He does this routinely, so you need to be vigilant and "remind" him of the marked price. Count your change also, he's short changed me before. Avoid. read more

I've been coming here for a few years now but I've only ever had their samosas which are delicious. The samosas are cheap and the owner is nice. Had I written this review years ago my complaint would be that he grabs samosas with his bare hands. A bit unsanitary for my taste. I've been back more recently and he uses tongs now. Yay for my germaphobic mind! read more

I advise those getting sick from this place to toughen their guts and enjoy the finest Indian cuisine that Riverside has to offer. And it's practically free. This place was right by my house in Riverside (Red, White, and Blaine!) and we'd bike there a lot. They used to not have a menu up, you just had to know that they served food and you could go to the back counter and order. But now it's kind of a proper eatery with advertised lunch specials (which is a completely satisfying lunch). They've got unlimited water on hand in some questionable pitchers, but it's unlimited and I'm thirsty. Once you go through a pitcher, you get to take it back to the counter and get a fresh cold one. Vierk, if that's how you spell his name, is always behind the counter watching Bollywood DVDs and I love it. They have a giant rental section, music too. And the seasoned cashews? Pound after pound after pound... they're unreal. I just gave myself a gondola-sized craving. What? read more

This is definitely a good place to eat especially considering the price. The special is really the only thing that is advertised. The food was 2.99 with tax that came out to be 3.25. Garlic naan is more. I ordered it, scanned a place. It was pretty decent/adequate for an indian grocery store. The main guy was meh, not rude nor helpful. It was just definitely good for the price you are paying. read more

I was craving indian food so I ordered the $2.99 thali special, it's a decent price for the food that they give. it was very flavorful with a balanced spicyness level and the Garlic naan was nice and soft. I will go back to satisfy my indian food cravings on a college student budget . read more

I wanted indian food, but didn't have all the ingredients and was kind of lazy. So the fact that they offer both ingredients and food beckoned a visit. Grocery: 5/5, great options, what you'd expect to find at an Indian grocery market, plus a little more. Food: 3.5/5, I got the $4 special that is mentioned in other reviews-- was a bit too oily for me, but the flavor was there. And the naan bread that comes with your meal is huge!! Definitely filled me up. The paneer in my curry was also good. overall: 4/5. I'd definitely visit again. read more

Oh my gosh yum!!! This place is like my favorite vegetarian restaurant in the IE!!! They are so nice here and there's always leftover food to take home. Their rotis are crispy AND soft and delicious. For $5, you can have a full meal with two entrees!!! So delicious!!! I constantly crave their food. Every day is a different array of options for entrees too. Not to spicy. Not too hot. Not to bland. Just perfect blends :) read more

Came in w zero expectations. Walked in and it smelled like India, so i was happy w that. Trampled around the store. It was difficult to get through the isles. Everything just seemed to be throw up onto the shelves without prices. Decided to go ahead and check out the thali special bc lots of ppl were raving about it on here. While waiting for the thali I saw two cockroaches. One was chillen on the pile of dvds near the pastries. The other was chillen on the big shelf of imported beauty products behind the counter. I said wusup to them. I had already ordered so I wasn't gona back out now. Got my food to go. There was nothing special at all about the thali. It is now 3.99 not 2.99. It actually reminded me of some dirty street food I've had in india. Nan sucked. Like it wasn't Nan at all it was just a large piece of dough. Super thick. More like chipotle than nan. Best thing about the food was the pickle. Overall food sucked and I will never eat here again. It's not worth it even tho I live down the street. I rather just spend a few more bucks and go to Punjab Palace over on University. I have made better India food than this place. I rate 4 emoji poops. read more

Got a box of their sweets... Tried a bunch and liked most of them. But can't remember the names of any of them :). Will have to go back for more soon and just point like a chimp ......mmmmm that.... Gooood... The fellow at the counter must be on some high dose of beta blockers or cough syrup because he was highly mellowed out and moved at speeds that could rival a desert tortoise...(or dessert tortoise- lovin' those sweets!). Seemed like a good dude, though . The shop seemed a little grimy but I liked the vibe and prices. No less clean than a shop on any beach boardwalk....has a bit of the outside environment and elements that have made their way inside. All in all, I recommend the sweets in a big way. read more

A little gem in our community. Definitely going back. The owner is super nice and the prices are very reasonable.

I was surprised by how good this buffet is. I mean, not too oily, reasonable portions, delicious tastes and a unique assortment (they had kundru subji, can we get an awesome). This place is amazing and worth a trip from wherever you are in the IE. The auntie is super nice too. Make sure you get some daal. It was good. read more

Insanely cramped aisles, shelves too close, difficult to walk through, have to turn sideways and beyond messy with stuff thrown haphazardly everywhere. I have never seen a store as disorganized as this, didnt even bother to look at third aisle cause it was blocked with boxes and was turned off buying anything cause who knows how long that stuff has been lying on the shelves all mixed up like a storm or earthquake just happened. Family was eating so their cooked food but I was too scared and turned off by the whole mess. read more

Small market with a great food counter. They are quite patient with my questions and their food is delicious. All vegetarian, quite spicy. Grab dinner!! Mmmm read more

This is my go to for both groceries, snacks, and a quick meal since it's conveniently located close to university housing. The set up reminds me very much of all the Indian stores I visited as I was growing up and brings me a comforting nostalgia whenever I enter. The owner is so nice and even let me come back on a payment that wasn't going through. He's also very helpful in making suggestions when I'm trying out a new brand for spices or other ingredients and I don't have my mom available haha. In terms of desi ingredients, they have fresh produce, frozen meal items, spices, misc ingredients, snacks that are packaged and freshly made, pulses, flours, oils and GHEE. So please come here before you go to Trader Joe's for that A1 flavor and quality. Also it's my mission this year to try every single sweet they make, their shelves are stacked with a plethora in both salty snacks and sweets that come in all shapes and colors freshly made in house. They exclusively cater to vegetarian dishes and at 3-5$ a plate depending on how many items you're getting, it's a steal! All the dishes I have tried so far, I've finished and wanted to go back for more. Tip for the chaat type of items, they're best eaten in the store or your car. Overall, this love is a gem! read more

The guy wasn't the nicest but the fresh foods are priced at a decent rate. Got finger foods for a party...a couple pounds of sweets, box each of pakoras and samosas at a reasonable price. Haven't tasted them yet but their smell in the car is making me hungry. Edit: Those samosas were wayy too spicy, guests couldn't finish them. read more

Just stopped by for some groceries for the first time. They have lot of varieties. Great prices. Very helpful staff. Took samosa chat home . It was not only very yummy but the way it was packed nothing leaked in bags and after 45 min drive home it still was warm and delicious. Have to try there other items next visit. read more

Was looking for a veggie meal during lunch and decided to stop by to try this place out. Didn't really know what to expect, seeing that prior reviews were all across the board. I ordered the Thali special, as most people seem to reference it in their posts. It included things I had seen before at different Indian restaurants, but don't know the name of: potatoes with veggies, potatoes with lentils, rice with yellow curry, two naan (you can choose plain or garlic), some sort of vegetable surrounded by onions that tasted as though it were pickled, and a small cup of yogurt. Total cost: $3.25 (incl. tax). My first impression after unpacking the meal back at work was, "wtf is with these meager portions." To my pleasant surprise, however, the meal was filling. Like another reader, I packed away one of the naan for later snacking. The food selections in the special were tasty, with a good amount of spice. Not too weak, not too strong, with just the right amount of kick to it (I prefer milder spiced foods anyways). I skipped the pickled-tasting onion-covered thing, but om nomed the rest and enjoyed it. Like some of the other reviewers, I agree that the ingredients aren't same-day fresh, but I've learned to accept that fact from any small place. I've had better tasting Indian food, but I also paid far more for it and sometimes felt it was of the same quality and taste that this place offered. Although it is far from five-star cuisine, it was tasty, it was a great deal, and it filled me up for lunch. I plan on returning to try a dish other than the special. read more