Patel Brothers

–Excellent selection of fresh vegetables and Indian spices and grocery items. Sometimes i go to one or two other similar type store to find specific item without success and I find needed items always at this store.
–Owners/​Staff are always, reasonably, helpful finding the things in the store. Note, I said reasonably compared to all cheap customers (customer who complains for price of $ 1.99 spice but has no clue about overhead expense) and customers’ kids (damned the kids, keep them home) they deal with.
–i do wish though the receipt would indicate the names of the items bought. Although, my wife keeps the eye on what is being charged very fast. Never had problem being over charged.

Medium sized, family owned market specializing in Indian groceries.
They sell all sorts of seasonings and spices like cumin, mustard seeds, curry, garam masala, different types of dried beans from chick peas, mung beans, basmati rice, chapati flour, naan bread, various pickles, mango pickle, carrot pickle, etc, dates, candy, crackers, treats, all sorts of jars of sauces for specialty dishes, prepacked frozen foods, ghee, paneer cheese, etc. The list could go on and on. They sell a small selection of fresh produce. Cilantro and ginger always consistently fresh.
I am very much drawn to Indian food since I had family friends from India and I spent a lot of time in their home growing up eating the best food! My friends mom would invite us over for lunch or dinner, whip up the most amazing home made chai tea with fresh cloves, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, honey, milk, black tea, and who knows what else her special secret was, and veggies with so many delicate spices, a bean or lentil dish, chapati, etc. She taught me how to combine spices and how to make a few vegetarian dishes, Indian style. Thus, I enjoy exploring this market.
The store is on the cluttered side. I was thinking about buying a bag of sliced almonds, picked up the bag and three others came tumbling down because they were just packed in there. But that’s part of the appeal I suppose. Everything is stacked high and tall. If you’re unable to reach it, the guys stocking the shelves will help you out.
Everything I’ve purchased is fresh. I have experienced satisfactory customer service, no problems. The store can become quite busy, but in a pleasant way. Always bustling with energy.
I have been coming here for a few years now and I will return. I prefer buying my spices from here and other little seasoning ingredients for cooking.

Just witnessed how big of an a’hole the owner is.
An elderly person found something wrong with a bottle brought it back and asked for a replacement. He was man handled, pushed outside of the store.

One of the wrost franchises of patel brothers. The place is crammed to the neck, fitting a single shopper in the isle is difficult. Above that, one has to bear the sullen and arrogant attitude of the lady owner shrew. Wouldnt want to visit this place again.

Closed randomly during days, even when it was way past the «be back» sign. Store is a mess and dirty dirty who knows how long stock has been out. I would not eat anything from this store. Gross.

I’m from NJ. There’s a Patel on every corner – this place has your basics at OBSCENE prices. Do yourself a fav and hit up any of the Asian groceries nearby – Lotte, etc. You’ll get fresher things, and proper prices.

This Patel Brothers shop is even smaller and more cramped than the ones I used to shop at in Chicago. That being said, it’s still my go-​to place for Indian groceries.
The aisles are tight and the shelves are overflowing with product, but you can pretty much get everything you need for Indian cooking here. The produce section seemed a bit sparse to me and it is annoying that you can only buy onions in a large bag instead of individually.
The freezer section was also really messy, so I had to dig to see if they had the brand and variety of roti and naan that I wanted.
Again, still the best option around and I’m sure I’ll be back frequently.

I was on an Indian food kick a few nights ago. Came here, read the reviews, and made a short list of places in the Chantllly/​Fairfax area. Patel was my 2^nd stop.
I like the place. I found everything I wanted and more. I didn’t really need any help, other than to check out. As the woman behind the register went thru my pile of stuff, she said, «You can’t buy just one.»
Huh. «You mean I have to buy another one? I just want one pack (frozen Samosas).»
«No, no, no… See here? You get two for this price?»
How cool is that?
I like little «foreign» groceries (I’m an American). And I like Patel a lot. I loaded up on prepackaged Indian single-​dishes (for $ 1.49 each!) for lunches. I’m looking forward to going back soon.

Echoing what others have said in other reviews, this place has a far better selection than what others in the area carry. I found pretty much everything I was looking for and then some and at good prices.
That being said, they were so busy that I couldn’t find anyone to help me locate one final item that I needed. Additionally, one thing I wanted to buy were outdated by almost a year.
I really appreciate having so much choice, but a little bit better service and checking the expiration dates on their stock could really do some wonders for this place.

Not sure why previous reviewers think there aren’t any indian grocery stores around this area — right across the street is shivam music and spices, and a few miles away there is Lotte Plaza with a huge indian selection, there is Daily Spices in merrifield. If you have a car and you can make it to Patel, you can make it to any of these other places which are much better. Patel is the last place I choose to go to, and for a long time I haven’t had to go to patel at all.
My first choice these days is Daily Spices, then Lotte and Shivam.

Given the fact that there aren’t too many desi grocery stores in the area, this guy is minting some serious money! But the one part I like about this place is that they always carry what I need! In the past few months that I have been here (almost like twice a month to stock up), I have never come home without something I planned on getting from the desi store!
They do charge exorbitant prices for things that do not have standardized prices like samosas, gujiya, chruan golis etc! I agree with previous reviewers when they say the people here are really mean! They are seriously rude. the lady at the counter looks at me like she’s doing me a favor by letting me buy her stuff!!!
But then again, with very few other options, sighhh!!! I still go here!

3.5 — Well, there aren’t too many Indian grocery stores in No. VA (and I have been to one that’s not so great), come to think of it I only know of Patel Bros and 2 or 3 other places. Patel Brothers isn’t so bad! It’s pretty big compared to the other ones I’ve seen — more freezer stuff, produce, dried goods, and all the spices, sauces and mixes your heart and tummy desires. But if you want help finding something, tough, you’re on your own — especially on weekends it gets busy.

I guess I’m a snob, because I come from LA where the browntown scene is HUGE and there’s a ton of indian stores, and some of them are so modern, they even have conveyor belts!
Something oddball about Patel Brothers. I had to go here to stock up my new kitchen (and get rid of all the bachelor food) so we could start cooking again, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
Inventory not great, service people downright mean — dude, I’m new, dunno where to find stuff!
Maybe I should just order my indian stuff online… less face time with the mean peeps that way.