Penzeys Spices

Penzeys makes me a better cook! The fresher the ingredients the better the dish.

Admittedly, most of my reviews are about my dining experiences so, it may seem odd that I would write about a business like Penzey’s Spices. Ah, but, I love to cook and bake which brings me to seek out shops that can offer my palate a World Tour.
While visiting friends in Portland, we walked into the Pearl District to look for this shop since it was located nearby to our hotel. Once inside the shop, I was excited like being in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar (OK, NOT as crowded or physically exotic). The aromas and colors of the spices or herbs filled the air. The layout of this shop was exciting to me as I roamed about while thinking about what «great» dish (es) I could conjure up with what I purchased.
The service in this store is warm and friendly. As you roam around, you don’t feel like some vulturous salesperson is hanging over you. However, they make themselves available and they’re all quite knowledgeable. They’ll offer you advice on purchase and storage on all of their products. All of their top-​quality products are fresh and packaged very well, unlike supermarket-​brand spice shelves. You really get a «full hit» of whatever product you try!
Because we were traveling, I only purchased a few items that I were packable but I signed up for their mail-​order and online catalogs. The catalogs are chock full of their offerings and are arranged by categories (like their store) such as herbs, seasonings, spices and salts. Another bonus is the recipes that are pretty much «foolproof» to prepare and are tasty.
I continue to purchase online but when or if I can be physically in a Penzey’s store, I’d be there in a heartbeat!
#506

On a chilly December morning, the roomie and I walked past Penzeys Spices, and I remembered that (albeit some 650 miles away) I was out of cinnamon, and dashed in to grab some before flying back home. Penzeys is the cutest, home-​y-​est little spice shop that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.
THE HIGHLIGHTS.
+ Extremely friendly and helpful staff
+ Wide variety of herbs, spices, salts, and more
+ Fairly reasonable prices for the quality you pay for
The ladies at the cash register were kind enough to send me on my way with a few more treats than I had came in for, including some Vietnamese cinnamon to compare to the other jar I had picked up. Thanks for the holiday cheer!

We love Penzeys! Staff was helpful — the main downside to this place is that I bought way more than I planned ;)

This place is awesome! I had only seen their catalogues, I didn’t think there was a store anywhere close! I’m not from here! It smells sooo good just walking in the door — of course I didn’t walk out empty-​handed! Haha. If I had more money — I would of spent more!!! I’m on there list now — again! Their prices are awesome & the product is fresh — unlike the grocery store — where the age is questionable!

If you love to cook and haven’t been to Penzeys it will quickly become your new ‘happy place’. The bagged herbs and spices are a better deal than the small jars. I’ve never been disappointed with my purchases. The double strength vanilla is incredible.

If you love to cook or bake this is the perfect shop for you. While I was in culinary school it was a tradition that I always got a few different kits from family and friends. I always looked forward for the catalogs to be sent to me it was like a kid walking into a candy store for me.
When I moved out to Portland I found the shop and was so excited to go in and look around. They have just about every spice, herb and flavoring you can think of even whole to grind yourself. The vanilla double strength extract is my favorite to bake with, it’s about 200 beans, the aroma it lets off while in the oven is out of this world. They also have other flavors such as almond, lemon, orange.
One thing that I love about Penzeys is that have gift boxes for just about every occasion you can think of or you can build your own. Each box will come with a assortment of whole spices to freshly grind, bay leaves, star anise, and a few others. The staff is very friendly and is always happy to answer any questions. If you visit the website you can find all kinds of recipes and get ideas about how to use different spices. Never be afraid to ask questions especially when it comes to good quality spices.
Good luck, happy shopping and more importantly enjoy cooking or baking your heart out.

Looks similar to Savory Spice Shop (it’s in Sellwood) and I believe is a chain. I know they have at least one additional location in Beaverton.
I was surprised they do not sell a deep selection of salts. My friend was hoping to pick up some black truffle infused salt like I had from Savory. Employee directed us to nearby location of Whole Foods, but I did not see it available there either.
Otherwise, cute shop with a broad selection of rubs, herbs and flavorings. I liked that all of them are in large, easy to open jars for smelling or tasting. At Savory, most items are in a shaker for that purpose.

I really like this place. I’ve never been to any other spice stores, so I don’t know how it compares, but it’s nice to walk into a store and be able to sniff the spices and read the little blurbs about them. Cool place. I’ll be back.

This a great little shop, with a really good selection. I get my Mace leaves here, and grated Sumac, too.

a wonderful place to go to when you are searching for those dried spices that your regular grocery store does not carry.
you can buy smaller amounts and keep your spice collection up-​to-​date that way, also handy.

I went a little nutty over this shop. I didn’t realize this spice catalog store had B&M stores.

Before Penzeys, I never would have thought I’d window shop at a spice store. Now I know better.
Penzeys has amazing selection and killer quality, and great prices on the larger quantities. Did you know there are like five kinds of cinnamon? And at Penzeys you can decide exactly which one is right for you. I love this place.

They have a HUGE selection of spices, and decent prices. All rhymes aside, this is a great place. I am happy I reside nearby. I rhymed again. Ask the staff for recommendations, they are quite knowledgable and offer much insight into the world of flavor enhancers.

I’m not sure I’ve had a more delightful or effortless customer service experience inside of a couple of years than the brief and delightful interaction I had with Don at Penzey’s Spices on Wednesday, February 5^th, 2014.
Not realizing that this location was only 4 blocks from my apartment, I set out in my trusty Subaru at about 20 minutes to 6pm to pop into the other spice shop downtown. As rush hour/​construction traffic mounted, panic did too. I had been assured that the difference between ‘meh’ and ‘epic’ in a particular recipe hinged on the use of Aleppo pepper over the substitution of regular red pepper flakes. As I was cooking for my relatively-​new fellow (inside of a year is still solidly in I’m So Gonna Impress You Right Now mode), I was cursing my own sloth, the damned dedicated hotel parking on SW Broadway and sluggish traffic until I pulled up to said other shop only to realize that while it was several minutes to 6pm, winter hours were in effect: they had closed early and I was quite assuredly S.O.L.
Pulling the car over, I Google spice shops Portland and find/​remember that there’s a Penzey’s in NW! Oh snap, it’s in the Pearl! I call, asking first for hours, praying for 7pm and then inventory. The nice man on the phone confirms three sizes of the fancy Turkish pepper needed and that they close at 6. Crap! While I mutter about never making it, he asks where I am, I say 3^rd and Alder but heading north. To the eternal credit of kind souls everywhere, the voice on the other end states that they’re usually there until about 6:15pm and if I have cash and knock on the door, he’d let me in and sell it to me, no problem. I doubtlessly squealed entirely too loudly and told him to look out for a tall, frantic woman in a huge black coat very shortly.
To make a long story stop, I get there at about 6:02, park semi-​illegally, dash to the darkened shop, knock, am let in by our friend Don and dear me, there are one each of the 3 sizes of Aleppo pepper on the counter, each with a Post-​It with their price. I buy the essential, recipe-​altering spice, gush like a dork and then dash back out so this nice man can go the hell home.
The dinner I made with the Aleppo pepper from Penzey’s Spices was one of the finest meals I’ve made in my life. My handsome dinner guest has already expressed a wanna-​eat-​it-​again craving, despite it being just last night’s meal. We’re adding mussels on Saturday and doubling the broth, oh yeah. I’m gonna whip through that small bottle and be back for more Aleppo and for everything else I need in the spice department.
Thank you, Don. You made my whole week.
I’d like to add that I’ve been in retail & customer service for years and years (nearly 20!), both boutique and corporate, and sometimes it’s easy to say no/we’re closed/sorry/can’t help you. I might have done that to me yesterday and I felt both giddy and humbled to be treated so kindly.

YES! I finally got to a Penzeys Spice shop. If you know the place, then you know why this IS the place to go to get any and every spice you need or could ever want. Whole spices, powdered spices, rubs, mixes, seasonings. They probably have it.
I discovered them last year in Texas but was never able to make it to the shop in Dallas. I was over in the Pearl district and after what I went over there for I decided to wander the area since I’d never been over there. I was walking across the street and spotted it and made a beeline for the place.
I have been teaching myself dry rub over the past two years so I have amassed many many spices and rubs and have come up with many of my own blends. I like to find unusual spices to try out and see what works well with pork or beef ribs. Penzeys will give me that opportunity to explore spices I never thought about or even knew existed. The two I picked up were charnishka from India which is actually a spice used in Jewish rye bread but it has its roots in the middle east, Israel and India and is the main component in Garam Masala. The second is more in my area, aleppo peppers. These are peppers from Turkey and being that I like spicy peppers and I have several varieties, these were a type I haven’t tried yet.
One of the things I found really great about the store is that by each rub or seasoning mix and for most of the spices, there was a jar that you could open and smell the mix and get an idea of where you intend to use it. There were recipe cards around and I got a few new items to make. The prices can be a little higher on everything but when you can understand every ingredient that’s in a rub or seasoning mix, you get what you pay for.
Simple rule of thumb for all of you spice addicts. Whole spices last four years, powdered spices/​rubs/​mixes last two years.
I will be visiting Penzeys many more times. I told the guy there that as well. I do love talking spices and learning about them.
Enjoy!

This is a great place to shop for and buy spies. Any home chef would appreciate the variety of Penzey’s. Even if your not an inspiring gourmet chef you can benefit from the various spice blends that will leave your friends thinking you’re a mastermind of flavor. For the baker, they have awesome vanillas and sugar blends. I think some of their products would make nice hostess gifts too.

I would say I have my fair share of spices, yet I always want more. I just so happened upon Penzeys while in the neighborhood. I heard about it, but here it was.
Although they were just about to close, I managed to pick up some small bottles of different spices. I bought Cloves from Madagascar, Sweet Curry, Ground Cumin, Horseradish powder, Ginger powder and Granulated Garlic, for my own kitchen.
For a friend, we bought a canister of the Hot Chocolate Powder which is perfect for Hot Chocolate or a little Cocoa in your coffee. Makes a nice small gift.
Every spice I bought was a good deal, plus it comes in a really neat little bottle. They stack perfectly in my over-​spiced cabinet at home. Thank you Penzeys.

The Official Brother of Bredbaker was in town for a visit and one of the places he had to go was Penzeys Spices. Since it is located across the street from Powell’s Books and that was another stop he wanted to make it wasn’t much skin off my nose if we stopped in for a few minutes. I was of the mind that they have spices at every grocery store and farmers market.
Spices have been in use by humans since 50,000 B.C., by 2,000 B.C. a spice trade had started through the Middle East dealing in mostly cinnamon and pepper. Egyptian embalmers used great amounts of spices and it was that practice that drove the early spice trade routes. By 1,000 B.C. medicinal, herbal and spice-​based medicine were firmly in place in China, Korea and India. Spices have been the catalyst of great discovery, wars, trade alliances and religion. So when you think about it having a store devoted to spice is quite fitting. Imagine a world without spice.
In we walked into a very earthy, open space that was not at all cluttered and yet they had a lot of things in there. Someone worked very hard to make the store this inviting. It is about the time you are marveling at the décor that the smells start to hit your olfactory senses. The smells change as you roam about the store from smoky to savory to sweet. Plenty of help was on hand to answer questions and direct you toward spice nirvana.
I wound up with a smoked paprika that is just amazing, such deep and complex flavor from a spice. A few blends for grilling meat and chicken were next in my pile along with some much needed garlic items. Is it more expensive that Safeway or QFC? Yes, a little, but is the quality head and shoulders above store brands? Heck yes! Have I been back since my initial visit, heck yes! Penzeys is worth a look and sniff.

Since getting together almost 5 years ago now, we have been using Penzy’s spices since the husband claimed they were the best. I was hesitant, until he introduced me to their vanilla extract which is probably by far the best extract I have ever tasted/​used. Penzy’s is typically a mail order business with few locations around the country with actual stores and until somewhat recently, none in Northern California.
On our first (or second) Hanukkah together (or it could have been Christmas), Kevin ordered a whole slew of spices for me that came in this awesome box along with a salt and pepper grinder and some other things. Each box comes with loose bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg. Way cool.
Long story short-​I have been getting the catalogs for Penzy’s ever since and have been out of vanilla extract but nothing else so I kept putting off placing an order. So when we were driving away from Powell Books one dark and rainy night, I saw the Penzy’s sign and told my husband who was driving at the time to find a parking spot STAT. The teen queen was not too happy about having to go into a spice store, but we were in HEAVEN.
FIrst off, customer service was fantastic and since it was a rainy weekday evening we basically had the store to ourselves. We were able to smell all these great spices, were able to bypass ones we would never use or already had and I hit the jackpot-​a very very large bottle of double strength vanilla extract! We also got some new Vietnamese cinnamon, some shallot salt (love shallots) and some other things. The prices are fantastic and without paying tax or shipping, I felt like I was the luckiest gal in the world (low standards folks).
This was pure happenstance and though Toni and I had promised a ladies day where we would schlep over to Menlo Park (the one Norther California location), we will have to wait to do our Penzy’s run and focus on our wine run!