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House of Spice
Category: Food Specialty Food Specialty Food [Edit]
190 Augusta AveToronto, ON M5T 2L6
Neighbourhood: Kensington Market
(416) 593-9724
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:30 am - 6:30 pm
Sun 9 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
10 reviews for House of Spice
10 reviews in English
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Review from Steeven L.
Etobicoke, ON
4/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
House of spice has awesome spices, teas, sawces and food from around the world.
Came in here on a random walk around Kensington and walked out with a giant jar of wildflower honey and Darjeeling tea. I likes :) -
Review from Joe P.
Toronto, ON
9/3/2011
I was a bit underwhelmed after seeing all of the positive reviews. The place does have a fair amount of specialty spices. It seems like more of an Indian grocery. There were some asian spices too.
Was looking for kaffir lime leaves but they the ones they had are dried which kinda sucks. Had to hit up the cherry st. T&T which was a bit of a trek for me, but well worth it because they had fresh ones. -
Review from Anne M.
2/6/2011
Great place, reasonably priced and fresh products. I find the sizes of packaged herbs and spices is too much and things tend to dry out. This place is perfect for pick up just the right quantity of something. They have everything from dried cranberries, tea, and coffee beans, to spices, chocolate and barley.
Behind the counter, there are jars filled with candies and other treats which always makes me feel like a kid again.. -
Review from Cameron O.
Toronto, ON
12/13/2010 4 Check-ins Here
Good: they have nearly everything you might want to cook,sauce,spice or douse your otherwise bland cooking. Also, if you only want a tiny bit to try something for the first time, the owner is more than happy to make you a small container of it without having to commit to $3 of something all at once.
Bad: freshness of their coffee... give it a miss folks. Also they don't take Visa... Come on man! I'm here buying a huge sack of stuff and you won't take Visa? Also the inside of the store could use some love... It's starting to look very run-down. -
Review from N.J. G.
Toronto, ON
2/18/2009
I was looking for a place to get Indian spices in order to recreate some of my mother's recipes, without having to go out to Little India. This place was perfect, I had a field day. I found 4 different spices (haldi, jeera, chili powder, cumin seeds) which I needed for all my Indian recipes plus picked up on some typical spices (black pepper). It looks like a family run operation that does its own grinding and packing. It felt like being in a typica Indian shop on Dixie Road, but on a much smaller scale.
The only downside was when I asked the staff what the difference was between chili power and hot chili, she wasn't able to offer a sure answer.
I recommend this place for anyone in the area, looking for Indian spices! -
Review from Kat F.
2/16/2009
If you're on the hunt for small quantities of obscure ingredients like asafetida, fenugreek, cardamom, arrowroot flour, kaffir lime leaves or blue mung beans (OK, I made up that last one), House Of Spice is the only place to go.
If you need a tiny quantity of a spice they'll rebag/weigh out a small portion for you so you don't waste a whole bag. They also sell smaller cans (125 mL) of tomato paste and coconut milk, which is SUPER handy because you never need an entire can for a recipe and the rest usually goes to waste. -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
10/10/2008
I came across House of Spices almost by accident. Like many of the stores in Kensington it's easy to overlook, but it would be a shame to do so. They have a fairly good spice selection and quite an impressive Indian grocery section (it is essentially an Indian grocery with some added spice bins) but where this store really shines is with their hot sauce collection. Now there are many things of which I am not the expert. Hot sauce is my element. I firmly believe (although my mother denies it) that I was born with a bottle of Tabasco in my hand and I've loved it ever since. There were at least 20 different hot sauces on display in the House of Spices and several that I had never heard of. I wouldn't recommend the House of Spices for people looking for a spice shop, but I would recommend it to anyone who loves their hot sauce and can't get enough.
Like the review? Check out the link to my blog on my profile. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
1/6/2009 1 photo
Zing-a-zing-ah! I agree with Mike here -- the Indian spices and snacks are surprising for a place outside of Little India. Anything that saves me a trip on the TTC is good in my books.
Because of its relative large size compared to those of the closet-sized shops on Baldwin's spice row, it can afford to stock these exotic spices. Most items, however, are already prepackaged, so if you're only looking for a small bit of garam masala (the smallest package I got will probably last through to my grandchildren's lifetimes), it is probably in your favour to find a bulk place in Little India.
If you need spices downtown, though, this is definitely a good place to go. -
Review from John F.
North York, ON
8/12/2009
Most shops selling spices are either very touristy or very yuppie and often overpriced. This one is a nice exception. Very good prices on spices, unpretentious, and as other reviewers mentioned they have everything. Before you are tempted to make a substitution in a recipe because you don't think a seasoning is available, try this place.
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Review from erica j.
10/4/2009
I was pleasantly surprised. I had already been up and down the streets at other bulk spice stores but not only did this store have a superior selection, the prices were the same as the small hole in the wall stores. I walked out with everything on my list and now I don't have to resort to the more expensive stores that I was going to. I picked up pink and green peppercorns, sea salt, curry leaves and hot paprika.
