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.

I needed some chili oil asap and didn't want to wait on a delivery from Weee! or Yami plus have to…read moremeet a minimum spend threshold, so I explored the Chinatown supermarkets and ended up here after a couple other options didn't yield results. They have a lot of options in stock here, so I loaded up on spicy chili crisp, chiu chow style chili crisp oil, and some mala red oil chili sauce by the classic Lee Kum Kee brand. I also bought a bag of chewy 陈皮糖 chénpí táng that I saw next to the cash register while I was at it. Altogether after the 3% credit card fee, my total came to $18.08. Such a bargain, I will be back.

Quick stop at San Francisco Chinatown, during this recent weekend trip and needed to buy the some…read moreAsian goods, the kine I don't see back home on Oahu. hehe. Luckily my other half happen to find a parking spot right in front of Golden Way. I had plans to go to the other store, I went last time but this works out perfect. The jumbo dried shrimp right in front of store caught my eyes. Stopped by real quick and got everything I needed, wish I could grab more but I had to limit myself since I didn't bring an extra luggagge. Golden Way, a great name, Lets go shop the Golden Way, reminds me of a store here at Chinatown, although very small cramped store it's very organized. Owner does a great job at storing everything and making use of all the spaces. Lots of Asian products here but no fresh produce or frozen products . Credit cards accepted as well, which is great! I ended up using my credit card for my entire purchase since usually cash is preferred in Chinatown. My co-worker wanted a specific soy sauce but no luck in finding it. What did I end up buying here at Golden Way, a LB of jumbo dried shrimp ( I think it was $24. or 25. lb) dried salted fish, dried scallops, long rice noods, pickled veggies, siracha, sauces, condensed milk, preserved eggs. Why on some of the products, Prices actually lower here. The only thing I wish Golden Way does is have prices on some of products, I had to ask how much?! The owner is nice & patient with me. I will be back again! I can't wait to use all those goodies, it made it safely back to Oahu.

Beautiful store. You want to take everything with you! A…read morelittle pricey but you find lots of organic herbs. Also, great selection of books and Cristals.

Staff was so nice, helpful and patient. Excellent A+…read moreproduct. Beautiful store. Not cheap but far less expensive than I expected. Gave me a discount as I checked out. 10/10.

delicious tea and the owners are super sweet! would recommend to any tea enthusiasts or anyone…read morereally

Really good shop with lots of spices and teas. The teas are a bit pricey, but worth it for a gift…read more They also have a honey selection. They make drinks in-store. We tried the blueberry black refresher and it was so good, you can even add boba. Super calm vibe, which is rare for Pier 39.

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.

Oaktown Spice Shop is my to-go shop for keeping my spice drawer fully stocked with everyday spices…read more(ie. Vietnamese Cinnamon, Whole Nutmeg, Aleppo Chile Pepper) as well as new-to-me spices to try, like Vadouvan and Mahlab. Today I needed to refill my Vadouvan because I want to make an aromatic soup from their website. I found out about Mahlab from their blog and must make the cereal that Samin Nosrat shared! The staff are knowledgeable and helpful. In addition to a beautiful array of spices, they sell amazing cookbooks and a few small gift items.

Amazing co-op grocery store with tons of specialty food items and more! They have produce, pantry…read moreitems, frozen foods, snacks, home and body care, and a huge selection of things you can pay for by weight. From herbs & spices, dried foods, olive oil, soaps, shampoos and more, they have everything. The prices are reasonable and there's less plastic waste. They also source locally which is nice. They also carry some gourmet food items like sambal from Azalina's, and locally made curry paste. I need to come here more often.

I don't live super nearby to this Co-Op grocery market but my good friend does and she brought me…read morehere while on a walk, and I was blown away by the whole place! Firstly, it was my first time shopping at a co op and I really really really love that aspect of it. Anytime I can support a business like this, I want to! But beyond that, I was skeptical that the prices would be outrageous and was fairly surprised that they really weren't! Ok sure, some items were pricey, and that's true for any small store in this city, but for the bulk items and dry goods, the pricing was incredibly reasonable! I even found the same scones I buy at my local box box grocery store for cheaper here!! What?! I was also just blown away by the variety of choices.. they've got everything here.. produce, condiments, dry goods, chips, snacks, bulk items, tea, medicines and supplements, and a section of boutique handmade goods that was so awesome to look through!! I don't live close by but I will be back anytime I go to see my friend (which is often).

The owner was warm and welcoming. She helped me find the spice I needed. It was my first time…read morecooking Ethiopian food and I appreciated her help. The injera I purchased was delicious. Got 3 big pieces for $7.

Excellent quality Berbere and Mitmita plus all of the spices needed for Ethiopian or Eritrean…read moredishes. We almost aborted our plans to prepare an Ethiopian feast when we were told that they were out of Injera (we arrived about an hour before closing on a Saturday). We were so touched when the sweet lady running the shop offered us the very last Injera that she had out aside for her own family's meal that night. We declined her offer but she insisted. We were so grateful . Highly recommend WeSpice!!

I actually did not know about this place until very recently…read more I recently read a book, Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge by Gordan Edgar. The author has worked at this grocery for decades, and is in charge of the cheese department. Naturally, when I visit SF, I have to come by for a visit. I was a bit worried about the parking situation, but glad to find that they have their own parking garage. I thought it would be a more hippy kind of grocery store, but I was actually blown away when I walked inside. First, there were jars and jars - I mean shelves and cases of jars - of teas, and different types of herbs and spices. Some I had a hard time finding, like butterfly pea. Besides the variety, the quality is excellent. I got so excited, as if I were a kid and those jars were candies, that I kept finding more and more stuff I wanted to buy. Then the bread - okay so thisis SF and great bread is to be expected, but I was surprised again at the wide variety of selection on offer. Well, I don't want to repeat myself, but I love their chocolate selection too - so many interesting flavors and brands to try. Finally I made it to the cheese section. I didn't see the author there by the counter, but I was not disappointed with the selection they have. The cheeses also have little cards with useful information, that helped me pick up a nice variety of cheeses from different countries and different parts of the US to try, including some award winners. I most certainly love my first visit and look forward to the next time I will visit SF. It's an awesome place that is truly employee owned and managed, so most certainly worth supporting.

If I made more, I would shop here almost exclusively. But alas I can only come here on occasion…read morewhen I cant find it elsewhere. Best place fir supplements!!!! They have the best, wholistic, hippy foods and items ever! I love this grocery store so much & its very well stocked & a great part of SF for years! It has everything a earthy, health consciousness, green person would want. brands that are non toxic and ethically correct. ugh they are the best store ever for supplements and prices are fair basically the same as whole foods... Bulk stuff its wildly overpriced but worth it. I only get a few items here ...Its a co-op which is super good but kinda means employees are free to do whatever they want & they are sometimes helpful sometimes not with questions.