So many groceries and varieties - haven't had their Indian buffet but looks and smells delicious !

I prise myself on knowing where to find the best ethnic grocery stores yet somehow Namaste was an undiscovered gem! While it looks small from the outside it is HUGE when you enter. They have everything you'd want for preparing authentic Indian/south Asian food and a small cafe at the back Produce was the only thing lacking - it was there but wilted and old looking read more

One of the best places to buy spices for price and quality. Definitely recommend a trip off the beaten path.

HUGE selection. One of my Indian friends recommended that I try a specific type of Chai but told me that she'd need to ship it to me. I found it here! They have a restaurant in-house as well. Highly recommend! read more

Namaste's spices and grains aisle is fantastic. I love my Shan spice mixes and I like to get bulk lentils and spices from here. There are a wide variety of south Asian snacks and frozen snacks as well. They have all of the essentials I'd expect from a south Asian grocery store. I thought I would miss going to Patel Brothers or Apna Bazaar when I moved to the area, but Namaste fills that absence. There are several products that I need to feel like my life is complete that only Namaste carries in this area. I buy my hair oils from here since I grew up with those. I also can't find guavas anywhere else and guavas have been my favorite fruit since I was 5 years old. There's a naga pickle I like to eat with my meals. The store layout makes sense. Everything is organized and easy to find. It's brightly lit. I don't have complaints about the place whatsoever. The cashier is always super nice. They have fresh samosas sometimes and they're really good samosas! That's the cherry on top for me :) read more

I am only giving this place a 4 because I have very little to compare it to. I love it here! I absolutely love trying out new foods and different things and love Indian food. I have been able to find so many good things here and enjoy wandering through the aisles. There's so many frozen and refrigerated items if you don't know where to even begin with Indian food which for the most part I don't. There's also a very great Indian grill there where you can get food made while wandering. I ate a quick vegetarian homemade samosa while I was there and that was great. I recommend taking some time and spending some time wandering the aisles and enjoying the atmosphere. read more

Namaste is the most comprehensive Indian grocery store in Rochester. They have a huge...oops, I mean "hujah" variety of vegetables which aren't commonly found in Wegmans. Moreover, they are cheaper here as well. In addition, they carry fresh turmeric and tamarind (elusive ingredients in Rochester). They have everything you can possibly need to put together an Indian dish. From bitter gourd to asafoetida to a dozen types of rice (Ponni, Basmati, Sona Masuri, etc) to a million varieties of frozen pratas, you are unlikely to need to set foot into another Indian store to finish your shopping list. You can also get your Bollywood fix here - from DVD rentals to fulfill your Shahrukh Khan craving to beautiful but somewhat overpriced salwar kameezes to wear to fancy parties. I took off a star because navigating the vegetable section is alarmingly similar to going through an obstacle course. I almost tripped over giant boxes of cilantro and came close to face planting in green chillis. Okay, I wouldn't really mind the latter but it is not optimal for most people. I hope they reorganize the front to add another row of vegetables. The staff is friendly and helpful as well (which is something to consider if you are venturing into this store for the first time - it can be overwhelming given they have a huge variety of spices and food). For your Indian cooking needs, you need to look no further than Namaste. read more

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Great store in Rochester to get Indian groceries and pretty much anything you could need to cook Indian/Pakistani food. Owned by the same people who run Haveli Indian Restaurant on Jefferson. They recently moved to a bigger place adjacent to where they used to be. The grocery store is bigger now with more stuff and easier to walk through. Variety of fresh vegetables and fruit. Frozen ready to cook Indian meals. Indian juices and refrigerated items. A variety of Indian spices and condiments. If they don't have it you can ask them and they make an effort to order it for you. They have a small section of Bollywood music and movies. I guess it could be a valuable resource for people who are into that. The Bollywood music playing in the background is definitely enjoyable. I've been to a couple of other Indian grocery stores in town but this is the one with the most comprehensive selection and the one I frequent. read more

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A great place to get spices, and other assorted Indian produce. Their veggies look great for the most part, and you can find vegetables that Wegmans never carries! The place is well lit, and the aisles are wide, which makes finding products much easier than other small cramped stores. Their service was really good too, friendly and helpful. read more

Namaste is the place to go for Indian cooking supplies, snacks and ingredients. With a large open layout, the aisles can easily handle a shopping cart if you're stocking up for a diwali feast and there are hand carts if you're just picking up a items. There is a good supply of produce in the center aisles. Everything looked very clean and fresh. Freezers line the rear wall with Indian snacks. To the left is a very impressive array of whole and ground spices, flours of every variety, chutneys, and pastes. I have never seen so many variety of lentils. To the right are premade items, including chips and other snacks. They also have a nice variety of fresh naan and parantha. And like any ethnic super market you can find a wide selection of DVDs and CDs behind the checkout counter. I can easily spend an hour here wandering up and down each aisle, scanning every shelf. Another must visit for the amateur chef. read more

Hand down, I have to agree with James M. - I have been frequenting Namaste for over 5 years. There is a good supply of produce and exotic fruits and vegetables. My wife and I find it very easy to find items that we are used to seeing in local markets in Sri Lanka. Some items are highly overpriced (i.e. the rupee price compared to the dollar) - but that is understood. You may not get deals advertised on items since I was told by Management that the deals only apply when it is in India. Keep an eye out for expired items - for a few times in a row, we found expired packaged food items on sale. This is a rare event, clearly much better than Canadian South Indian groceries in Toronto who sell expired items all the time (not planning to go back to Canada for a refund, once you cross the U.S. Boarder). Most of their dry rations are reasonably priced - ubiquitous in terms of selections. Enjoy their "Raja Foods" snacks (one of the best), among the huge snack isle. read more

The only place in the Rochester area I've found with a consistent supply of fresh turmeric. The staff is friendly and helpful. The huge displays of vegetables and fruits are unique and fresh. Love it here! read more

Watch out for the bags of Basmati rice and lentils. Several of them are infested with insects which is a huge problem when you purchase a large bag of rice. We took such a bag of rice back the day after opening the sealed bag and noticing the insects. The shop owner was uncooperative and dismissive and read us Namaste's 2 week return policy. We purchased the rice 3 weeks ago but you don't usually open a bag of rice as soon as you bring it home. Secondly, we were pointing out a health issue which didn't seem to bother him one bit. We told him we are now inclined to not shop there anymore to which he said he was just fine with that. read more

Good selection of Indian groceries and specially produce.

When you're just bored silly of the "samenss" of Wegman's, this is the place to go to feel different and creative. I can find almost anything I need for the indian recipes I make following Manjula Jain on manjulaskitchen.com or youtube. They have a beautiful selection of fresh sweets during diwali laid out in trays on tables. You fill a container for about $7.50/lb. Really a treat. Interesting fruits like persimmons and pomegranates in season, and even hard to find fresh spices like turmeric roots. Pretty little asian eggplants for stuffing, and they always have fresh cilantro, spinach and methi (fenugreek). Bags of fragrant Basmati rice and the better whole-wheat flour from India, of course. Fun frozen foods if you don't have the time to try manjula's creative recipes on youtube. They carry some indian beers and Neem soap that I use in the summer to keep mosquitos off my arms--great for kids evening baths if they are getting bitten up on summer nights. Prices are good here, and they are very nice, the owners, stock men and the girls who work the counter. I even bought a tiny tulsi (holy basil) plant here when they had a little tray of them at checkout. It's big and sort of shrub like now, sitting by the window. I hope to have it all winter. So check it out, fellow non-Indians. Life is to short to be bored by the the usual. There's a fun korean grocer in the same strip mall, but it's pretty darn expensive and not as regular friendly. I go there for fresh light miso I use as a soup bases. The korean place also has loads of teas and condiments and a big selection of seaweed for making sushi or vegetable rolls. Prices are high, so I limit my shopping there and buy much more at namaste. I guess the imports from Korea and Japan are more expensive than the imports from India. read more