Austin Area Specialty Stores

If you're like me you may have often found yourself wondering, "Where can I get the things I need to make that kind of food," or, "Where can I go to get great organic products?" With that in mind, we have put together a list of some great places in the Austin area where you can go to get what you need.

Store:
Apna Bazaar
Type of store:

Apna Bazaar

International- primarily Indian and Pakistani goods. They have an excellent array of whole spices and premixed masalas. You will also get very friendly, personalized service which is generally lacking in most supermarkets. In addition to a very large selection of products, they used to serve the best samosas and chaat in Austin. Why mention something they no longer carry? Because I had a chance to speak with the owners, and they mentioned that they stopped serving fresh made food because they plan to open a restaurant in the same shopping center in February. They said it will be focused on Indian seafood and food from the region of Goa, which is something not often seen in Austin. They can count on a review as soon as they open!
Location:
8650 Spicewood Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78759


Store name:
KP Indian Grocery
Type of store:

KP Indian

International- primarily Indian and Pakistani. Like Apna Bazaar, they have an excellent selection of whole spices and masalas. In addition they also have a great selection of produce, and utensils needed for some types of Indian food. They also have the type of the great customer service you'd expect from a family run store.
Location:
1212 West Parmer Lane, unit # F
Austin, TX 78753





Store name:
Central Market
Type of store:

Central Market

Specialty, organic and international products. Central Market is a bit of a land mark in Austin. It is a very large supermarket owned by the HEB chain of grocery stores. They are known for their very extensive produce section which includes a large number of organic and gourmet items. They have a very large meat and seafood section. They also have an excellent selection of wine and beer, a fantastic cafe and bakery, and one of the best selections of cheeses in Austin. Seriously, I could spend entire monthly grocery budget on their cheese and still not sample everything they have. Maybe I should do that....On most Thursday evenings they also have live music on the patio, and offer various culinary classes throughout the week. In addition they also do what they can to represent state and local producers and farmers. They are one of only two places in town to offer Sticky Toffee Pudding Co products. Sticky Toffee is owned by Tracy Claros, a native of England, who has brought her culinary expertise in baking to the Austin area. It's too hard to explain the flavor, but suffice it to say it was like a culinary awakening for me. I didn't think that pre-packaged baked goods could be that delicious. I highly recommend the orange ginger pudding. 

Location:
There are two locations in town, so check online for the location nearest you.



Store name:
Wheatsville Co-op
Type of store:

Wheatsville Co-op

Organic, Local, and health food. Wheatsville is a medium sized supermarket that carries just about everything you'd expect. The produce is fresh, much of it organic, and they also offer a wide selection of items sourced from local and Texas producers. They also have a nice selection of bulk items such as tea, spices, nuts and treats.

Location:
3101 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78705



Store name:

Sun Harvest

Sun Harvest 
Type of store:
It is a small to medium sized organic and health food. They also have a very extensive bulk section that includes nuts, cereals, grains and more.

Location: 
Two locations in town, so check online for the location nearest you.



Store name:
Fiesta Mart

Type of store:

Fiesta mart

Fiesta is a large supermarket located right off IH 35. They have a very nice international section, although they do specialize in Mexican products. You can get fresh made tortillas at Fiesta, and if you are feeling adventurous they even sell huitlacoche (pronounced weet-la-coachay), a type of fungus that grows on corn. It's sometimes referred to as Mexican Truffles. It goes quite nicely in quesadillas.  
Location:
There are two locations in town, so check online for the location nearest you.




Store name:
Antonelli's Cheese Shop

Type of store:

Antonelli's Cheese Shop

Cheese. If I could afford to, I'd happily spend a month's salary at this store. They offer a wide selection of cheeses, salamis and even some wine. Of course the real star here is their cheese. Their selection of cheeses is excellent. They source from small producers all over the world, and their inventory varies in size and selection based on what they've been able to procure. Antonelli's also offers classes in tasting and pairing. In addition, you get kind of personalized and expert service that can only happen at a small, privately owned shop.

Location:
4220 Duval Street
Austin, TX 78751



Store name:
Water 2 Wine
Type of store:
A fully functioning wine-making store. In addition to selling wine bottled in house (I sampled a Merlot, very nice), they also offer you the opportunity to be your very own vintner. Seem strange? This is how it works- you come in and tell them you want to make some wine. They then help you select the type of wine to make and the grapes that will best suit your needs. Then they help you through the rest of the process of pressing the grapes, fermenting the wine (45 days), bottling and then printing your own custom labels. They also offer classes on wine tasting and food pairings. The entire staff is very friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about their craft. If you like great wine, or if you are interested in trying your hand at wine making then this is a great place to visit. 
Location:
There are two locations in town, so check online to find the location nearest you.





Store name: 
MT Supermarket 
Type of store:

MT Supermarket is a very large Asian supermarket located in an excellent Asian shopping center. They sell a very large array of products spanning several Asian cultures. They also sell some rather unique produce, the kind of things not usually found in an American supermarket. Things like durian fruit. Durian fruit is a large and rather dangerous looking fruit known for its rather, ummm, unique odor. I've never smelled it but I am curious..... 

Location:
10901 North Lamar Blvd # G
Austin, TX 78753


Store name:
Lee's Meats
Type of store:

Lee's Meat Market

Butcher shop. Lee's is one of several actual butcher shops in town. They offer a very nice selection of meats and even prepared dishes and sides. They will also custom marinate, cut, and cook your meat for you.
Location:
1601 West 38th Street
Austin, TX 78731


Store Name:
Whip In
Type of store:

Whip In

Beverage and cafe. The Whip In is known around town for its huge selection of beer. They offer all kinds of beers from all over the world. The number that I've heard most often is 400. I'm not sure if it's quite that large, but it is rather extensive. In addition to beer and other beverages they also have a fully functioning kitchen and serve up some homemade Indian and Texas cuisine. I spoke with one of the employees and he told me that the owner's wife comes in and cooks many of the items herself. They are on our list of reviews. If you fancy a drink stronger than beer, they have you covered on that as well. Attached to the Whip In is their sister store: Beverage World. Beverage World has a very nice selection of hard liquor and wines.
Location:
950 South I H 35
Austin, TX 78704




Store name:
Austin Homebrew Supply
Type of store:
Austin Homebrew caters primarily to home brew enthusiast. They offer everything you'll need to get started making your very own beers and ciders. They have a wide selection of grains, yeast, bottles, kegs and just about everything else you will need. They also have supplies for wine making, soda making and cheese making. Believe me just walking into the place gave me several more ideas for stories, maybe a start to finish guide for making your own home brew? Or maybe cheese making? You'll just have to wait and see!
Location:
9129 Metric Blvd
Austin, TX 78758

This is list is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list of specialty stores in Austin these just some of our favorites. The fact is that there are a large number of other places that we just didn't have the time mention. The next time you're feeling adventurous or inspired to try something new go to your favorite specialty store or just pull up this list and give it a go!

-Matt