Borderless European Market (BEM)

European supermarket in Austin, great store, clean, non huge but has everything I was looking for! Fresh products, attentive personal speaking Russian as well and feel cozy. Love choice and variety. Prices are reasonable for any imported products. Absolutely recommend if you are Russian, Europeans or even a stranger who wants try something new and delicious!

This small Slavic market, often labeled as a European Market, is primarily focused on Eastern European cuisine, with a strong emphasis on Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian products. While I’m not a huge fan of Slavic cuisine, despite being from Siberia myself, I occasionally visit these stores to pick up staples like buckwheat or other familiar ingredients we still use in the kitchen. The store is compact but well-stocked with all the essentials. It’s clean, well-organized, and has a welcoming atmosphere. The staff is friendly, helpful, and always ready to assist. It’s a great spot for those seeking a taste of home or unique ingredients that are hard to find elsewhere. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a bit of Slavic flavor in Austin!

It was my first time visiting, and I’m so glad I found this place! The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. They have an awesome variety — smoked fish, cheesecake bars, cakes, cereals, Russian mayo, wine — so many things I didn’t even know I missed. The store is clean, organized, and has a really warm vibe. From now on, this will definitely be my go-to spot. Highly recommend! Also if you pay cash they have a 4% discount!

This is a really interesting European grocery store. You’ll find a lot of things here that you’ve never seen before and many of the labels are not in English so it’s hard to figure out what some of them are or how you would eat them. Going here with a Lithuanian friend was great because she could tell me what they were, but otherwise It’s kind of a crapshoot. It’s a very interesting place to just go browse for a few minutes though, and if you were looking for European products, this is the place. This is also one of the few places that stayed open while the whole city shut down during winter storms.

As a European i love that fact this store is around! Great people work here and can ask any questions regarding the products they sell. Great selection of food from Croatia, Ukraine, Russia, some of everything. I’m half dutch & Polish so this is a happy place for me and my family. Definitely recommend anyone to visit and explore the great foods they sell. We will be back!! Thank you

BEM Austin is a true hidden gem for international and European foods. It’s a gold mine of familiar favorites from drinks to canned and bottled items, specialty snacks, and so much more. The prices feel just right, especially for those nostalgic products you loved growing up and can now find locally. The selection and variety are excellent, making it a must-visit for anyone who enjoys authentic European flavors.

I walked through this store and witnessed a great assortment of products specific to a European market store. The place was clean and well managed. I highly recommend this store!

Coming to this store since the opening to get some European treats and interesting food items that I normally don’t buy at the local grocery stores. Last time I’ve met a new employee and she wasn’t very pleasant and continue asking me questions during the checkout in her native language (which I don’t mind, but I had no idea what she was talking about, I was just nodding and said “spasibo” at the end). I’ve always recommended this little store and will be loyal, but please ask your personnel not to assume anything since other nationalities are supporting your business as well. P.S. This store is offering many different and interesting food options, the store is clean and well organized, over the years I’ve never discovered any expired or spoiled food, the owners obviously are staying on top of the quality. Great job!

My wife and I have just discovered BEM - Borderless European Market - in North Austin. If you're a foodie, it's a gem! Don't miss it. It's the only place in Austin for Eastern European groceries. Coming out of a nearby restaurant, we saw the BEM sign and decided to check it out. We found a wide range of fascinating products, coming from countries such as Ukraine, Poland, and Romania. It's like a small convenience store, but much more interesting. After handling many products out of curiosity, we took a grocery cart and selected several items. I'm posting three photos, which don't do justice to the many types of products they have such as a huge variety of sausages, canned goods, candies, soft drinks, beer, wine, and breads. You'll notice that I like dark beer and chocolate, sometimes at the same time! It would be well worth your going to the store at 2121 W. Parmer Lane. It's pure fun!

I went there for a quite while in the last few months. I need to highlight consistency of improvements. Service got better and nicer, staff is more helpful and friendly. They did some remodeling and store lookes bigger and brighter. Quality goods, expanded variety of products and competitive prices. I like to see changes, so yes I would recommend this place .

I went In here not knowing what to expect because I've never been to an Eastern European food store but you all are missing out!! Even though this place wasn't huge like target or some co-ops in the area but it had everything you were looking for! Chocolates, honey, sweets, chips, sausages, Kvas. It was all here! The red October chocolate bar was for real one of the tastiest ones I've had. There's something to be said about chocolate that's made outside of America. It just tastes so different and this did not disappoint. They also had so much Kvas. This was the first time I've tried it, my wife suggested it since she has spent some time in Eastern Europe and I'm telling you, so not sleep on this. Dark rye Kvas is one of the best drinks I've ever had.

It feels like I have a piece of home to feel mentally emotionally routed again for a little bit of peace of mind with the food. Thank you so much for bringing different varieties of different brands and always great labels and very easy to understand and grateful to have staff that I can speak the same language and also great Assistance that they give each and every time very warm welcome and keeps me coming back! The little flags and the details around the label sign is so appreciated and helpful to know also the wall decorations and the display of different dairy products and freezer/refrigerated aisles are easy to find and take an open door slide doors open. Good easy access to a parking lot and easy on the address finding on the map.

I'm a big fan of international markets. This place definitely hits all the right spots. Borderless European Market has snacks, drinks, condiments, alcohol, and ingredients from other countries. It's bright and super clean inside and well organized. The staff is friendly and quick when you're ready to make your purchase. The space is small so selection is limited, but there's still plenty to browse. It's really easy to spend a ton of time just looking at everything available. I'm not super familiar with European items so I can't say much about the price points here. I did end up buying some booze and some jam. I almost took about half the candy available too. This is not a market that is near me, but if I'm in the area for something else, I will probably take a few minutes to stop on by again.

The lovely ladies that worked here were super helpful finding specific things I was looking for that were of a specific region. Incredible selection of bulk candies, pickles and refrigerated meats.

Many different foods from East Europe, but the cost is too high sometimes. Also, you can find many of these groceries in other stores at lower prices. But, the best dumplings are here! And Kyiv cake for sure! You can't buy it anywhere in Austin, except in this store!

My Polish mother and I have been looking for Polish stores in the Austin for the longest time, but we have come up empty, until I discovered this store! My Polish mother loved the Polish and Eastern European food this establishment offers. The Vegan Potato and Mushroom Pierogies tempted, but instead I bought some dried small white beans. This store selling dried small white beans at at price I can handle pleases me . Thanks for running a place my Polish mother loves!

So, I just want to share my very negative experience with this store. On March 11 I bought few things among which was a vegetable spread. The price on the shelf didn't match the price on the receipt so I returned it on March 24. Instead of a refund $13.59 were taken away from my card. On March 28 I went back. Instead of the $27.18 (double refund), this amount was taken away from my credit card. So now I was "robbed" of $54.36 from my credit card. Cannot get in touch with the manager, and the cashiers have no clue of anything. Please do not use credit cards at this store!

The boyfriend is Romanian and gets major food nostalgia (especially over the snacks) every time he steps inside. I'm so glad this place exists, or else I would have to get all my Eastern European goods in Dallas. They are small, but they have a great selection of high quality stuff (pantry staples plus refrigerated and frozen goods). The Romanian MIL in Dallas is even jealous that the pickled cabbage leaves (for sarmale) I get here are the Raureni brand because it's the best and she can't even find that over in Dallas. I also love the fruit syrups (that I use with my SodaStream to make my own fruit sodas) and the speciality cheeses--Bulgarian feta (saltier and creamier) and kashkaval (medium firm yellow sheep milk cheese; and this is a fairly strong flavored version of kashkaval). And of course the pelmeni. Don't know what things are? Doesn't matter - just get them, explore, and learn!

Been there only once and love the store, has lots of great products and hope to go back soon. Service is ok, not bad but we Russians tend to be very serious lol. Love the food it's great. Totally recommend this store!

Stopped by here for the first time today and was very impressed! I didnt know what a lot of it was, but I grabbed a bunch of stuff to try. I'm a pickle fanatic, and they have a huge variety of pickles. I was really excited about that. The lady that checked us out was very kind and helpful! Overall a great experience and can't wait to go back!

For a store with Borderless in the name, they sure drew a strict border and discontinued the sale of all Russian items. The store shelves are now mostly empty and the remaining items are covered in dust. Extremely overpriced food, and most of it seems to be Polish. Won't be returning. Rest in peace, BEM.

Me and my mom come here every once in a while. The people there are very nice. We really enjoy their food as well, it tastes amazing. I also really like how they painted the place. It is really awesome.

Great selection, friendly staff, good prices and good location. The candy and chocolate selection is great! True Eastern European products and lots of them. Will be coming back every Austin trip For sure!

I've been here a couple of times now. It's convenient to where I live and I know that what I get here will be authentic. I specifically have come here for Polish food - pierogis to be exact. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Poland and now am ruined to not eat truly authentic and / or homemade pierogis. Here, they have a good selection in terms of quality and flavor choices, including some pierogis straight from Apolonia Catering, another local Austin business specializing in Polish food. Overall, the store has a wide variety and selection for the size - especially considering that it specializes in a number of Eastern European food products (Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian and Hungarian). There is free parking in the shopping center's lot and the store is kept clean and masks are required for entry.

We were visiting Austin for the weekend and accidentally stopped by this place. We decided to go in out of curiosity, since neither of us are Russian/eastern european, but have always been interested in different cultures. And what a better way to explore different cultures than by food?? I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of foods they sold at this small store and we bought 2 bags full of goodies. I will definitely go back during my next visit to Austin to buy more stuff! Totally recommend this place for the curious souls out there :)

This store has items you can't find anywhere else, and is run by people who are actually from the region and know what they're talking about. Broad selection of cured meats and packaged foods. Most importantly they have sturgeon caviar!

First of all, it is nice to have a Russian/Eastern European store in Austin for those that crave comfort foods of their childhood. The location is better than the previous one off Rundberg lane. The good things: the selection of merchandise is good, and the prices are fair all things considered. I like the dairy section and the cakes/ice creams available. The cured meats section is impressive. The bad: as a previous reviewer has mentioned, customer service seems to be lacking. I also happened to come in when two young ladies at the counter were present. I was the only customer and they have silently nodded in response to my greeting. When it was time to check out, there was no additional greeting or small talk besides a lackluster Thank you. It was more awkward than checking out at a seedy gas station in the middle of nowhere. Amazon is carrying more and more Russian shelf stable items at a reasonable price now. I think I will continue shopping there since going to BEM isn't much more personable. At least Amazon will deliver the goods to my doorstep for free. I do hope that the service improves, as the store itself is not bad at all.

A Lithuanian friend brought me here and it was very interesting to walk around. Many of the foods were not labeled in English so it was good to have her to translate the Eastern European languages on the label. I came here during the big freeze of early 2021 when almost all the other stores were closed and sure enough, they were open. I grew up in Chicago (and I am part Russian) where that storm would have been just a normal day, and I figured that other Russians would see it the same way and open up, and I was right. Keep that in mind if we get another storm. The only problem is that since they bring their food in from halfway around the world, its unpredictable what they will have on any given day.

I was hoping more from the new location on Palmer. For sure it's an upgraded new space with better street exposure and larger space and more light inside. However, I was disappointed with the low inventory. I hoped inventory would grow with the move but does not seem that way. Shelves were semi empty, two bottom shelves being so low that you can not see anything without squatting. I have a few favorites to get like ginger cookies and bread rings, but it's not very motivating to come in often.

I came to the store for the first time a few days ago. The experience wasn't great at all. As we came in, my husband and I were not greeted. The store is tiny and I found the selection of products disappointing, so as inventory. There were only 1-2 items of products I was looking for. Prices are also very high for many products. When we were at the register, two guys were chatting with each other and started whispering, which I found quite rude. I shopped in various European markets in FL and CA and never had that very strange experience. When we arrived home, we noticed we were overcharged for some candy.

Great selection of European snacks, food etc. if you're looking for this in Austin. I was able to find some fresh pierogi that is made by a local company! I am glad a place like this exists in Austin. Big fan.

I wasn't terribly impressed with the selection at this store. Granted, I wasn't even aware that any likeness of a "Russian Store" even existed in Austin so it's good that one does. However, they are missing some essentials here. I was told before coming here that the store is small, which it is. They have a few refrigerators toward the back and a freezer with pelmeni and dumplings. No deli, unfortunately. I was able to find a few things that I really liked, but I feel like I have seen the same items at Shahi for less money. Overall, I'm happy I know about this store now, and between BEM and Shahi i can find most of what I want to buy. Staff is friendly and store is kept tidy. A OK in my book

This place is super easy to shop at with a variety of high quality gourmet to choose from! Not to mention the most friendly and helpful owner you will ever meet! Whenever we want pelmeni, we head to BEM to shop the best! #supportlocalshops

I lived in Chicago for about 5 years before I was moved to Austin 2 years ago. I'm a Cajun Boy originally, but fell in love with the Polish and Ukraine along with their food. I was so desperate for Polish food that I had my Polish friends ship me real Polish Sausage through the mail...that was until I was going down Rutland Dr and saw BEM. I decided to stop in one Saturday afternoon. I was in heaven...happy as hell. The first thing I bought were periogi My ex could make them from scratch so he made me an expert on the taste. I also bought some sausage and juice we used to drink with our vodka. The only thing I'm missing is steak tartar. The guy behind the counter said not yet, :-). So, I hope the deli will be expanded sometime in the future. So, if you've ever been to Eastern Europe or have Polish, Ukraine, Romanian, and Serbian friends...this place will give you the fix you need.

Good to know I can find stuff from home and feel better about being far away. Good product for the price you get , cheaper then online but for some stuff. Wish had more candy ,but I mostly get all I had as a kid! .nice person that works there willing to help , with out you asking fist.

Horrible customer service, I felt like back in Russia in the 90s. The selection is pretty low too.

Great place to find international food, just wish they had a south Austin location and a few more choices. I'd love for them to sell Opera Cake!

We've fallen in love with kachapuri ever since we've been to Moscow several times for work. BEM had ones to take home and bake, and they were 100% on point. We cut the top Bit of the pastry off the second time we bought them and cooked it with an egg. Delicious!

Great selection. Love this place. Friendly staff. Going there every two weeks. Definitely recommend.

It's the only place in Austin to buy Polish or Ukrainian food. However a lot of the food is on the lower quality side (lots of preservatives) - things you would buy in Poland in a discount store. What's worse, every time I shopped there I spotted things past the expiration date or even moldy (chocolates). The items that expired are at the front of the shelves - so it seems like trying to get rid of items, not an honest mistake. To sum up: buy but check the dates and the list of ingredients.

Shopped multiple times at old location which had good selection and now at new location, it's an even a bigger variety of products. Never had any issues, always fresh products and friendly staff. Highly recommend!

I was happy to find them since Austin has been missing this type of market for a couple of years. They have foods from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland.I went in a couple of weeks ago and they were very nice and will answer any questions. They were still getting product in on the shelves. Go check them out! Perogies and chocolate!

Great place to get European goods. Very nice place and had a lot of great stuff. My husband is obsessed with sun flower seeds and they had a very good selection. Customer service was excellent! I will definitely be visiting this store again.

This cute Eastern European store sells stuff you probably won't find anywhere else in Austin. From snacks to canned goods, it's fun to just come in here to browse! Prices are a little bit on the high end, but that's expected for imported goods for a niche crowd. There's a lack of English labels, so it's a little difficult to figure out what everything is, but just ask for help from the friendly staff! There's only three aisles, but hopefully the variety of items in stock will increase as the store gets more traffic.

What a fun place to go. There is a pretty good selection and lots of stuff you won't find anywhere else. If you are from or have ever traveled through Eastern Europe, you must check this place out. Very friendly staff, willing to make good suggestions. Good selection of pickled veggies; also good selection of pelmeni and sweets.

If you haven't travelled to Russia or Poland recently you may feel that this store represents what is being sold in those countries today. This store reminds me and my friends of a Soviet time grocery store, but not what you find in Russia or Poland today.I am so disappointed in the quality of groceries they sell. Their herring has so many preservatives, that the list looks like the Mendeleev table. I saw many items past the expiration date and am wondering why the Health Department hasn't fined them.

Was exited to find them. There have my favorite foods there, selyodka, pelmeni and sunflower oil. Also all kind of jarred veggies, i got the eggplant but have not opened it yet...awesome!

Good quality sausages and cold cuts with my favorite Polish krakowska dry type of sausage and pork loins. Pickles, jarred vegetables, pate and other European delicacies. Thank you for bringing food to Austin from the old world.

I might just make this part of my weekly shopping routine. Everything reminds me of my childhood. So far, everything has been top notch but the meat pierogies are above the rest. Fully recommend.