The Head Nut

Great place for fresh ground coffee and dried dandelion leaves. A gem within RTM. Xavier so helpful perfect coffee blend.

This is my favorite spot in Reading Terminal Market. It’s small shop tucked away in a corner next to the bathrooms, so it’s really easy to miss, but search around a little bit because it’s well worth it.
The Head nut sells spices, grains, coffee, tea, candy, nuts, etc. in bulk. Spices end up being way cheaper because they just throw them in a plastic baggy for you and weigh them by the oz or ¼ pound. Coffee and tea aren’t necessarily cheap, but it’s all loose leaf and there’s a great selection, so I always come when I need to restock tea. Sometimes I’ll literally just stand in an aisle and smell different teas for 15 minutes… it’s kind of small so people probably don’t like that I do that.
But any candy, trail mix, whatever you want you can find here, and you get it by weight! How great is that! Sometimes I go just to get a pound of chocolate covered sunflower seeds. And sometimes I make better choices.
They also sell packaged baking mixes, nut butters in containers, and a few sauces and random items like that.
Check it out next time you’re there. Worth it I promise!

Lots of delicious treats — nuts and chocolates. Everything looks amazing. My friends likes to get oatmeal from here, and it’s only like $ 2 for a fairly large bag.

Nice selection of nuts (of course), herbs, sauces, salts, candy, teas, coffees, etc. This is an awesome store for browsing and you can always find something interesting to take home. We stopped in and bought .5 pounds of a selection of candied nuts including candied pecans which were crunchy, sweet, and buttery all at once.
We had to observe a transaction in order to figure out you take the entire container of the product you want to the front counter, and have them weigh and bag the product for you. If you are feeling particular nice during your visit, take the container back to the aisle. This is teeny tiny space so the aisle are very tight and almost impossible to have two people cross each other in the aisles, so be mindful while shopping. They accept cards, however there is a $ 10 minimum which isn’t hard to reach with all of the variety of products they have to offer. When I visit RTM this is always a stop I make.

I wanted to give 5 stars, found all the dried fruits I wanted for holiday baking, great price, about half from supermarket plus way more selection. Great service too despite being busy. Lose one star for hanging up on me twice when I tried to call to see if they had it before walking there. But, now I know where to go from now on!

You would think a place that a no-​frills place that sells bulk items would have reasonable prices. But you would be wrong.
Many items are the same price or higher than at a conventional grocery store and specialty stores.

We were in desperate need for lavender for an ice cream recipe and turns out it’s not as easy to come by as you would think. This spot is just perfect for all your spice, herb, coffee, tea (and sprinkle) needs. Everything is measured by the pound and isn’t as expensive as fancy artisan packaged herbs you would find anywhere else. Not only were the prices are extremely reasonable but the fact that it is in Reading Terminal Market makes it even better. The convenience of the store, it’s friendly staff, and the fact that they have so many varieties of herbs and spices will definitely have me coming back!

I really like the Head Nut! I have been hearing the commercials on KYW news 1060 on the radio about getting mix nuts and coffee and spices. My daughter told me to buy your tea, coffee and seasonings there because they are fresh and you get as much as you want other than the supermarket! She is right! They sell loose teas and coffee of a variety of selections in flavors and blends. Certain coffee there are a bit high such as the Hawaiian coffee and some others. You can get ¼ to 1,2 or 3 pounds of coffee. The staff there seems to be friendly whenever I visit there. And what is nice the staff ask you at the register if you want it ground fine or whole in what type of coffee maker you have. I get mine finely grounded since I gave a Gevila coffee machine. You have to carry the glass canisters to the register for the cashier to weigh and give you what you want. I also buy mix nuts there and they are very healthy and fresh! I buy Basmati rice, Jasmine rice and wild rice from there and it is much cheaper by pound then buying it from Whole Foods! Even it beats supermarket prices. There are a assortment of salt, flour such as gluten free, cocoanut, Tapioca, and unbleached flour. That was a huge canister so I had to ask the casher to get it for me .I remember I wanted some rice and the Jasmine rice was filled to the top. I tried picking it up to take to the counter but it tipped over and some spilled on the floor. The casher person said, that is okay, that happens often. So she quickly swept it up. I hope it does not as far as people having accidents in a canister spilling over the contents of rice, coffee, salt or some seasoning or even flour on the floor. The store maybe small, but it is packed with healthy items I am sure people will buy over and over again there. I will!

I absolutely love this place! They have a great selection of spices, coffee beans, tea, and baking flours. I can’t resist going in when I’m at the market. The staff is so friendly and helpful.

I currently live in what I affectionately refer to as the boonies, so I figured I should preface this before I write a review here. This place contains a billion things that I can’t obtain where I’m currently living (unless I’m made of money and willing to pay exorbitant prices).
I did originally want to go The Spice Market, but timing was an issue. (All the more reason to return to visit Philly again someday, right?!).
You bring the containers of the stuff you want up to the front and they measure it out for you. This might be an inconvenience to some people, but I definitely like it better than the thought of a billion random customers going through these containers each and every day.
I’m sure there are some things here that are more expensive than you’d be able to find elsewhere, but I thought the prices were pretty reasonable, and again, bulk prices will pretty much always be cheaper than the tiny little containers you get at grocery stores.
I stocked up on coconut flour, Hungarian paprika, sesame seeds, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. :] I was really excited about all the other stuff, but figured I probably shouldn’t buy the entire store, so I showed some restraint. Service was very friendly and I didn’t have to wait very long, despite it being a Saturday afternoon.
I believe they take credit cards if your purchase is over $ 10. :O

Went here on Saturday afternoon after going to the Philly auto show. It was super packed. I didn’t realize that you have to take the container to the register. I give this place props because they carry I wide variety of nuts, candy, spices and teas. We found chocolate gummy bears and salted chocolate almonds. This place fails because it took about 30 minutes to check out. A relatively small store and only two registers, there has to be a more efficient way to run this store. I don’t think it is worth the wait.

This store certainly does not have everything and their prices are not the best. But, that being said, you can find some items that are otherwise difficult to obtain, and occasionally, the prices aren’t too bad either.
Like most stores, you should shop selectively here since not everything is of the best quality or the best price. For example, a lot of the oils/​extracts/​etc that they sell behind the counter you can get for MUCH cheaper just a couple of blocks away in Chinatown.
But, overall, it’s a decent store and the employees are pretty friendly. The coffee is good quality and especially affordable compared to other local coffee roasters.

I can’t believe I haven’t been here before. The staff is helpful and the rules about not touching the spices make sense. Reasonable prices too. Got ground peppercorns, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks (making phở) for less than $ 10. Actually $ 9.33 to be exact. They let me use credit by charging me $ 10 and giving me the change back. I’ll definitely be back.

Reasonable gluten free flour prices such as coconut, gf all purpose, garbanzo bean, etc. Bought flour that I can’t get at home for way cheaper than if it were shipped.
Don’t expect anything fancy, it’s bulk food and you have to carry the jar to the counter to get it weighed. Some were pretty heavy…

I’ve had better experiences other places. The staff was very rude, and the place itsself isn’t accommodating. First of all, they don’t offer a credit option. I was very surprised that a store of this caliber was not offering a credit option. Secondly, the staff was ignoring and being ignorant to first time customers. The cashier would rather drink the beer he had hidden at the register than help a customer. Also, I think getting drunk or drinking while at work is deplorable! Where was the boss? Did the store run out of water? Anyway, we won’t be back in any time soon. I’d rather go to teavana then this place.

The new go– to spice store in RTM.
Prices are reasonable for the most part.
I asked for pickling salt last week, which they didn’t have, but they started stocking it the next week, hopefully I’m not the only one who was looking to pickle something this season.
Best for: Gourmet coffee
Most spices in bulk
Gluten-​free alternatives to flour (including xanthum gum)

Yowzas! This place rocks.
I was looking for espresso in RTM yesterday, and I had a vague memory of a spice shop in that region of the market. As soon as I spotted it, I quickly remembered what I’ve been missing out on over the past year or so. This gem is hidden — but it is probably one of the coolest stands in the whole «jawn»!
You can get rice, spice, tea, beans, coffee, chocolate, candies, and all other bulky goodness by the pound, half-​pound, or quarter-​pound… or heck, even buy the whole glass jar full of the rare discovery that awaits your consumption.
I went here looking for espresso, and ended up leaving with some long-​grain basmati rice (for $ 1.79 for half pound!) and a nice helping of dried dates, too! The friendly customer service attendant ground my coffee beans while I waited, and I was able to indulge in the most amazing cup of brewed espresso as soon as I got home yesterday. Talk about Yum!

A little gem hidden in the very back of Reading Terminal Market! Container after container of snacks, coffees, teas, candy, and spices, this store is a baker/​cooks dream. Everything is done in bulk; you just grab your container and head up to the counter. My moms favorite thing is green gummy bears, I actually found a container full of just green gummy bears, how awesome is that? No picking out the yellow ones anymore.

To say I am a regular shopper at Reading Terminal Market is an understatement– I am there literally daily, if not multiple times a day. I was eager to check out this new stall after the older spice place had gone out. However after going in there today it is highly unlikely I will ever be back.
Today I found myself there– along with many other customers– confusedly wandered the aisles seeing signs all over that said «Limit one item per bag.» However, there were NO bags in sight! The two salespeople were just kind of standing at the counter, clearly witnessing our absolute confusion and not helping at all.
Eventually, my husband asked one of them how you were supposed to purchase any of the items in the large bins. We were informed that we were supposed to bring the WHOLE bin to the front of the store and they would scoop it for you. Are you freaking kidding me?! Me– the paying customer — and let me assure you, the items are not cheap— I am supposed to schlep big bins of flour, wasabi peas and sesame sticks to you — -the stafff? I’m sorry? This is what is passing for customer service these days?!
Not to mention, I was planning on getting a bunch of stuff… logistically this system makes absolutely no sense. If this isn’t going to be a serve yourself system (as all the signs imply it is) then they need to have additional staff assisting customers.
Needless to say, I left without purchasing anything, which is a real shame because they certainly do have an ample stock of items I would have been very interested in trying out.

Like this place a lot. They have several aisles of tubs of delicious nuts, spices, seeds, etc. My favorites: cumin, Hungarian paprika, almonds, cashew butts. It is fun just wandering the aisles and looking at/​sniffing their spice options. They have big tubs of already-​mixed nuts too which look pretty good. Also coffee.
All they need to make this place perfect is some free samples! Each time I have gone to Reading Terminal I make sure to stop here because it is such a cute, fun little place!