Spice Houses
Discover spice merchants, read expert reviews, and explore their specialties.
Discover 25 merchants and their specialties.
- Conte Di Savoia
- Burlap & Barrel
- The Spice House
- Kalustyan's
- Epic Spices
- The Spice House
- The Coffee & Tea Exchange
- Diaspora Co.
- La Boîte
- Penzeys Spices
- Heray Spice
- Middle East Bakery & Grocery
- Steenbergs
- Gewürzhaus
- Metro Spice Mart
- SOS Chefs
- Curio Spice Co.
- Patel Brothers
- Savory Spice Shop
- Terre Exotique
- Rumi Spice
- Herbie's Spices
- Oaktown Spice Shop
- Épices de Cru
- Old Town Oil
Conte Di Savoia
Little Italy's old-school Italian market since 1948 — imported herbs, spices, cheeses, and specialty goods on Taylor Street.
Burlap & Barrel
The purveyor that made 'single-origin' mean something in spices. They buy directly from smallholder farmers, name them on the jar, and the intensity shows — their Zanzibar peppercorns and Turkish Urfa are reference bottles on our tasting bench.
The Spice House
Old Town's landmark spice merchant since 1957 — hand-blended seasonings, fresh-ground spices, and the shop that set Chicago's standard.
Kalustyan's
The legendary Lexington Avenue emporium that chefs fly in for. If a spice exists, Kalustyan's has it — often in three grades. Their online shelf is the closest thing to a global spice bazaar in a browser tab.
Epic Spices
Ukrainian Village's rare-spice specialist — bulk jars, hard-to-find chiles and peppercorns, and blends made in-house.
The Spice House
The Old Town institution that taught America what fresh-ground means. Their blends are milled in small batches all week, and the difference against a supermarket tin is night and day. A cornerstone of our Chicago guide, and just as good delivered.
The Coffee & Tea Exchange
A Lakeview institution since 1975 — burlap sacks of beans, loose-leaf teas, and a wall of spices sold by the ounce.
Diaspora Co.
A radical rebuild of the colonial spice trade: single farms across India and Sri Lanka, harvest dates on every jar, and quality that hums. Their turmeric is so fragrant it reads like a different ingredient entirely.
La Boîte
Lior Lev Sercarz is the spice blender New York's great kitchens call, and his atelier's numbered blends are composed like perfume — layered, precise, never muddy. This is the purveyor for cooks who want a point of view in the jar.
Penzeys Spices
The mail-order pioneer that put single-origin cinnamon into ordinary American kitchens. Penzeys turns its stock fast, prices fairly, and its catalog depth — four cinnamons, three oreganos, a wall of paprikas — still sets the standard.
Heray Spice
Chicago's saffron company — premium single-origin saffron and spices sourced directly from farmers in Herat, Afghanistan.
Middle East Bakery & Grocery
Andersonville's beloved bakery-grocery — house za'atar, sumac, fresh pita, and one of the city's best Middle Eastern spice walls.
Steenbergs
Britain's quiet standard-bearer for organic spice. Steenbergs was doing certified-organic, ethically traded spices before it was fashionable, and their baking range — vanillas, mixed spice, cinnamon — belongs in every serious pantry.
Gewürzhaus
Two sisters fused German spice-house tradition with Australia's native larder — wattleseed, lemon myrtle, pepperberry — and built the southern hemisphere's most beautiful spice shops. The online range travels just as well.
Metro Spice Mart
West Loop's Indian & Pakistani grocery — fragrant whole spices, dals, basmati, and masalas stacked floor to ceiling.
SOS Chefs
The East Village atelier where Michelin kitchens quietly shop. Sumac from Lebanon, black lime, rose petals, a dozen peppercorns — SOS Chefs is where you go when a recipe says 'good luck finding this' and you intend to find it.
Curio Spice Co.
A small shop with an explorer's soul — Curio sources directly from growers in Cambodia, Greece, and Madagascar and treats spices the way a good wine shop treats terroir. Their Kampot pepper alone justifies the order.
Patel Brothers
The Devon Avenue flagship of America's iconic Indian grocery chain — an unmatched wall of whole and ground spices since 1974.
Savory Spice Shop
Lincoln Square's locally owned spice shop — hundreds of jars of spices, house blends, extracts, and sauces measured out to order.
Terre Exotique
The purveyor that treats pepper like Burgundy — grand cru bottlings from Malabar to Madagascar, plus the Timut and Sichuan peppers that lit up modern French kitchens. Elegant, rigorous, and unmistakably French.
Rumi Spice
Founded by U.S. military veterans partnering directly with Afghan farmers, Rumi brought Herat's spectacular saffron to the world market. It is some of the finest saffron we have ever bloomed — deep crimson threads, honeyed and potent.
Herbie's Spices
Run by Ian Hemphill, author of the definitive Spice & Herb Bible, Herbie's pairs an encyclopedic catalog with genuine scholarship. When the man who literally wrote the book on spices packs your akudjura and sumac, you're in good hands.
Oaktown Spice Shop
The East Bay shop that grinds and blends everything in-house and sells by the ounce, so you buy what you'll actually use while it's alive. Their chile selection is a quiet masterclass in California's pepper obsession.
Épices de Cru
The de Vienne family travels the world buying single-estate lots the way négociants buy wine, and they sell nearly everything whole so it arrives alive. Their catalog notes read like tasting journals — classy, scholarly, and correct.
Old Town Oil
Old Town's tasting room for extra-virgin olive oils, aged balsamics, and infused finishing oils — pour-your-own bottles from steel fusti.