Penzeys Spices

My Penzeys closed here in Jersey so now we road trip to CT– and hit Stew Leonards while we are at it— cuz they are across the street from each other– I love the spice smell when we walk in they always have new stuff– and yes they ship spices but I enjoy going in and spending time there without any rush.
My favorites are always in stock and the chili pods can be expensive for the small bags they are in — so I will still order mine from New Mexico– but all in all the prices are prety good and any cheff will tell you good spices and seasoning fresh or dry — do make a huge difference when cooking.

Like a toy store for serious cooks and kitchen dabblers alike, faraway friends struggle to hide their jealousy when I tell them that Penzeys is more than just an online façade, but a real place that’s close enough to call «local.» Their selection of herbs, spices, and baking extracts is unrivaled, and if you subscribe to their catalog, they’ll periodically send out coupons for free trial-​sized jars for the flavor of the moment. Very effective marketing– It brings me back in and always makes me realize that my spice rack is missing about a dozen different seasonings all of a sudden. Staff couldn’t be nicer, nor more genuinely enthusiastic about the products themselves. I once asked about a curious blend that had never crossed my path before, and they immediately looked up a handful of recipes online, printing out a thick DIY pamphlet before I left.

I never knew how spices makes the food taste different until I bought some fresh here – the cayenne pepper was absolutely wonderful. Can’t beat a store with all different spices /​seasoning, and even liked the ginger candy. Only problem I have with this place is the location. Bad location with the parking and a main road. Just be careful parking and reversing from the lot to the side road.

It is easy to get excited about spices when I shop at Penzeys. The selection is the very best. They are known for having many options of the same spice. There are so many different choices of peppercorns! Maybe if I ask nicely they will tell me the 11 secret herbs and spices to KFC.

Sign up for the catalog, you get great recipes but each one comes with awesome coupons for free spices or gifts.

I have been going to Penzey’s for 3+ years now. It is true that they have spices that would be hard to find elsewhere in Fairfield county, but I agree with one of the other reviews regarding expiration dates. There are none and from my experience some of the spices taste a little old to me. I tried to buy dried dill weed today and it looked black in color and was crushed such that it looked almost like dust. At these prices that’s just unacceptable. The sample jar showed bright green dill (like it should look) and when I asked to buy some that looked like the sample I was told that some dill looks black in color. Umm ok.

A real hidden gem on the Post Road. I often forget about this place but recommend it very highly. My new Vitamix calls for all sorts of crazy spices and I didn’t feel like buying big jars of stuff I may never use again at Whole Foods.
The spices are varied and fresh and you can buy small containers for very fair prices.
It’s as if you have walked onto an South Seas sailing vessel with exotic spices traveling to Europe and the New World.
They also have a nice baking section and some interesting salt combinations I have not seen anywhere before — one with hot spices is truly delicious.
Nice gift boxes too — who wouldn’t like to receive something from them?
Definitely seek this establishment out.

The spice selection here is huge! However, you definitely need a 3 figure salary to be shopping here. 3lbs of salt costs nearly 5 $ for regular crystal which you can find at any supermarket for about 2.99 $. Also, their prices on common spices are through the roof! You are better off going to your local indian or chinese grocer and getting the spices there. Get them in bulk and mix your own! What really made me angry at this store is that they had a Peri-​Peri pepper powder which used cayenne peppers and not peri-​peri peppers. That is preposterous! Anyone from South Africa would be very unhappy seeing this.
In summary, if you know nothing about cooking and have a spare maid to cook your meal, feel free to send here here with a fistful of benjamins and you will have your spices.

This is a really cool place to stop in. Prices are high but the concept and packaging yeilds a bit more than a plastic bottle in the A&P isle. I figured the best strategy was to pick up things I wouldnt normally see in a grocery store. I also got the sweetest magnet ever… see photo.

When Ina Garten says to use «good» vanilla or cinnamon or what have you, this is where she got it. Penzeys is the Sephora of spices.
Linger among the faux shipping crates and take your sense of smell on a journey around the world, as many spices are available in sampling jars to do just that.
You’ll see lots of exotic spices that you’ve never heard of, a virtual library of peppercorns and a number of spice tools and gift sets. There are plenty of proprietary spice blends to explore as well as salt-​free options. Baking-​related items even have their own section.
Employees were very outgoing and helpful. Prices are good considering the quality, selection and service. Recipes and coupons often accompany catalogs while samples often accompany mail orders. I’m already planning to prepare their (currently featured) ginger pecan chicken salad.
Penzeys is an inspiration to anyone with functional senses of taste and smell.

The largest selection of spices known to man.
I maybe bought 2 gallons worth of hot crushed red pepper here. They own the spice.

Well if they don’t have it I don’t know who does. Variety of vanilla beans alone is impressive and anyone who is culinary inclined must visit here to keep stock. Not fresh herbs but bulk and various options of dried spices leaves little for others to compare against. Where was the last place you visited and could buy WHITE poppy seeds?

Clean and bright. Bright is a concern as it breaks down spices. Also no dayes on the product so no idea of freshness. Also not a lot of unground product. We will stick with the spice house website.

Amazing selection and very helpful staff. I will never buy my spices in the supermarket again! They have things I’ve never heard of or tried before, so it brings a sense of excitement to cooking. They also have a place in NYC but this is where you can get a better selection.

You can find any type of spice you’re looking for at Penzey’s. The prices are pretty decent as well.

If I could take up residency at Penzey’s I would. I always considered myself to be a pretty knowledgeable cook, but I had second thoughts after checking out Penzey’s. Mace? Ajwain seed? You’ll find a lot of things you’ve never heard of, and a lot of things that will inspire you to try some new recipes. They offer most of their spices in small, medium and large jars, as well as bulk bags.
In a sentence, they have every spice, spice mixture, and spice-​related tool you could ever want. It’s foodie heaven!

Love Penzey’s! Have been a loyal mail order customer for years, but always visit the Norwalk store when I head down that way… Loved his One Magazine but sadly he had to shut it down. The book, One, is great fun too. Support Your Local Penzey’s!
Prices are very reasonable (compare them to the grocery store spices sometime — you’ll see). Quality and freshness can’t be beat!

how can you top a place like Penzeys? if you cook, and you use spices you need to know about this place. If you buy your spices from the dusty rack in the grocery store, you should just clear off your spice rack and all those nasty old spices and head to Penzeys for real spices! your food will taste better with these fresh spices, i promise!
this norwalk location was my first Penzeys store experience and I am hooked. even their mint cocoa is great! i think we first came across Penzeys on the tables at Fat Cat pizzeria and were intrigued enough to come down the street and find the store and have been spicy (love their curries) ever since!
the gift boxes make excellent wedding or shower gifts too :)

Yay, Penzey’s! A great selection of spices, and a lot of custom spice blends for barbequeing, pasta, salads, etc. They also have lovely wooden crates/​gift boxes (varying widely in size and theme) which make excellent and unusual gifts. Sign up to be on their mailing list while you’re there– they send coupons for free bottles of spices pretty frequently.

Penzey’s is a recent discovery of mine, and I don’t know how I survived without her.
They have a selection of spices that would rival any spice market in the middle east (ok, I admit, a friend was just in Egypt not too long ago and came back with more fresh spices than I ever imagined (I purloined a few vanilla beans) and I just want to have some ammo to fight back at him with in Penzey’s). If you have a chance to visit the store, all of the spices are available for you to smell and understand what it is that you have been missing.
Though, if driving to Norwalk, CT (or wherever else you find a store…
), you can always use their mail order business, which is efficient and amazingly useful.
As to price… I find them to be amazingly reasonable, especially when I consider that otherwise I would be going to the supermarket and picking up some McCormick’s spice that has been in a jar for the better part of the last decade and has about all of the flavor of sawdust.
Order and/​or buy your spices in bulk, keep what you aren’t using in the freezer… and you will have fresh spices on hand perpetually. Also, though I feel silly saying this on a foodie website… I will appeal to all those who don’t do this yet… buy your spices whole… grind them… they are SO much more flavorful in the end. (Ok, done preaching… sorry)