Curio Spice Co.

Specialty, high quality spices, as it turns out, aren't really of too much interest to me. However, if you are looking for unique and high quality spices, this is an excellent place to get them! They have a wide selection and friendly staff, as well as a few cute non-edible products which could make nice (sometimes functional) decor and/or gifts.

I recently discovered Curio Spice Co., and I’m so glad I did! Spice always calls my name, and this place is a treasure trove of flavor. The customer service was exceptional—so friendly and helpful in guiding me through their wide selection of spices. I left with a fantastic new spice box, and I can’t wait to start experimenting with all the flavors.

Very beautiful store, Variety of spices, candles, tea and coffee Peace of mind.

To preface, I visited the Boston Market Location. I dropped by the market to pick up a few things for some friends that were in town (07/11) around 5:00p. Holy Gen Z experience, I’d imagine the company wants there workers to be present when a guest arrives and is browsing around the area. I’d also imagine that maybe the employee would look up from there computer and acknowledge that someone is visiting them. I’d suggest saying something like (but feel free to come up with your own thing) “hi/hello” wait a few moments and follow it up with “what brings you by” or “are you finding everything okay?” Everything was fine as far as a product but I conducted the transaction the young woman saying six words, the price and “do you need a bag” and she went quickly back to the computer as I gathered my things and spent the rest of what I thought I was going to spend with Curio at Q’s Nuts and Hearth & Hug. It wasn’t a great experience that I’d like to see a repeat performance of if I go back. It’s not difficult to greet your guest and be present as they visit.

A chef’s dream. Curio is owned and run by devoted and experienced folks whose goal in life seems to be to bring you the best of what’s on offer from around the globe. There is no such thing as a hard-to-find item here. They source spices from different places - example: you can get Hungarian Paprika but you can also get artisanal paprika made here in Massachusetts. They carry multiple sources for things like saffron and vanilla. You can get many spices in a variety of sizes so you don’t have to buy a huge amount. They have in-house spice blends for many types of dishes. My spice rack has their products - from vanilla beans to nigella seeds to Bazaar spice mix and more. It is an absolute gem of a shop and a delight to visit, and the folks there are always friendly and helpful. They will tell you what dishes a certain spice would work for and help you choose between different varieties of the same spice. They will advise you on which dishes do better with a vanilla bean and which benefit most from an extract. They sell luxury kitchen items such as high-quality nutmeg grinders and other such uncommon tools. They do ship, but if you are close by it’s a fun trip and not a chore to stock up your spice rack. Parking is on the street on Mass Ave, and usually not too difficult to find.

Fabulous spice shop in Cambridge. They have some excellent spice mixes as well as individual spices, chilis and a selection of beautiful housewares. They will guide you through their collection of spices and provide recipes fkk

Ordered from their online store. The website is nicely laid out, things are easy to find. We really liked their chai spice mix, had more of a ginger kick or something spicy, very good. The Sichuan peppers smell and taste same as the ones we'd get at the Chinese market. Haven't tried them all yet, but pleased with everything so far.

Just received my first online order from Curio Spice Co. It was packaged very well, and I loved that it came with a card that I'm assuming is the person in Morocco from whom the company gets the spice. I do a lot of Middle Eastern/Moroccan/Mediterranean cooking, and I especially like to use rose harissa which is not the easiest to find. I live fairly close to two Middle Eastern grocers, but neither of them has heard of rose harissa. I'm so glad I was able to find it at Curio.

This is such a fun store. The staff are friendly and knowledgable about all forms of spices and recipes that use them. Spices are seasonal and sourced from small farms around the world. I was so impressed by the variety and thoughtfulness that went into presenting them. I later attended the Spice Blending class with Susan, who was passionate about spice pairings and layerings. In all, I've learned so much from my few experiences with this store and plan to return for all future cooking needs. Thank you to all the staff at Curio!

Fresh, highest quality, fair-trade spices. Obviously you can get less expensive spices in bulk but if you're going to cook your own food you should have the freshest spices you can get your hands on. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and their spice blends are creative and unique. I love the recipe cards they offer to go with the spices and blends as well. The couple of recipes I tried were excellent.

There was a chalkboard sign about a spice blending class outside the storefront, I was curious so I popped on in. I immediately recognized the brand because I've seen their saffron sugar sold at diesel cafe in Davis square. Browsing around, the guy working there was quick to help me navigate the store since I had nothing in mind except to wander around. Very helpful - he gave me a few complimentary recipes using ingredients I had mentioned that I liked. I was super curious about their Persian ingredients, especially to compare pricing from the Persian markets in Watertown. Yes, Curio is more expensive, but their quality is high. They had zereshk (barberries), limoo (whole dried lemons), adiveh (spice blend that I bought), and honestly so much more that I wish I had the time to list off. Overall beautiful selection of spices, I can see this being a go-to place for me to use in my own cooking and to buy as gifts for others. Other highlights - their chocolate selection! So many unique chocolates from around the world. I went home with a Vietnamese chocolate that was flavored with pho spices & a Hungarian chocolate of caramelized lavender & anise. So aromatic and lovely! They have pop-up events every so often and in-person & virtual classes. If you're a foodie & enjoy cooking, this place is definitely a place to check out.

I am leaving a critical review out of a spirit of love and a hope that this shop can thrive and be here for many decades. I came to the store today looking for three specialty ingredients, which I had not been able to find at other shops. For two of the three ingredients, I was initially told by employees that they were not in stock and not available at the store. This turned out to be wrong, they finally made two trips to the back to look, and I was able to buy all three at the store! That's great, but it took quite a bit of persistence and a bit of polite craftiness for me to enlist the employees in a full effort to determine whether the products were in stock or not. I think this is a culture thing: you need a culture where there is a strong aversion to quickly saying no, and a strong preference for saying I'm going to figure out how I can possibly get the answer to be yes. Of course, there are going to be some things that you just can't do no matter how hard you try, but the limit to your trying should be way, way above where the actual practical limit is for some employees here. This might be a distinction between clock-puncher mentality versus owner mentality; The question is, how do you make it so employees feel genuinely invested and enthusiastic about going the extra mile? Whoops

I never knew it was possible to have so much fun in a spice store!! This place is beautiful!! The decor, the ambience, the random minerals in strategic locations! I love it! Claudia (sp?) was so so so helpful and let us taste test spices when we were torn between cinnamons! She even gift wrapped my sister's purchase for her, taking extra care to make sure the wrapping was plane proof. She was so knowledgeable about all of the spices and gave excellent excellent recommendations! Also she was kind enough to give us recipe cards that corresponded with the spices we'd picked! This place is such a win, and I will definitely be back!!

Curio has quickly become one of my favorite shops! Every time I go in, I end up with a unique addition to my pantry (or an improvement on a spice I already use). I love that the country of origin is in most the spices' names. I've bought the Sri Lankan Ginger and Ceylon Cinnamon which add nice kicks of warm flavor to baked goods, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, yogurt, and more. I also have the pepper pump grinder which is both stylish & functional and comes filled with Sri Lankan pepper corns. They do lovely spice mixes (including some that were developed for the acclaimed restaurant Juliet in Union Square) as well as teas, pickling spices, and haldi milk. I love smelling the aromatic curries and dreaming of what culinary creations I could make. There are also great host/housewarming/birthday/anytime gift ideas like spice sets, gift baskets, and even a secret spice society!

I haven't visited the store yet (which I'm sure is a magical experience) but I received the 8 tin chef's pack of spices + Turmeric latte mix as a gift and got HOOKED! Curio has such incredible spice blends, and even better, there are recommendations on how to use it right on the tins. I put the Da Lat spice on everything now - it adds so much flavor. I love that they're all made locally in Cambridge, and source from sustainable small farms. I mean, read their whole mission statement - it just makes buying these great products even better! Customer for life.

I called in an order for some ground annatto seeds. They were the only place I could find that had anatto seeds and they would grind them up for me. The store itself is not open to the public due to COVID, so I swung by, rang the bell, and was able to pick up my order in a jif. You can either order off their website or call them and place an order for what you want/need. Their website lists all of the wonderful spices, spice blends, herbs, etc, they carry. I definitely will shop with them again. Once COVID restrictions are over and they open the store to foot traffic again, I'd love to come in and look around.

Wonderful spice shop in the Davis Square area. Having recently relocated from out of state I have started to slowly replace all the spices that did not make it with me to my new home. A quick Google search brought me to this local shop and I am so glad I found it. Not only do they have a wide selection of the more commonly used spices for cooking and baking, but they also have a nice selection of spice blends. In addition, the customer service here was amazing. The staff (owner?) who attended to me was great to chat with and she freshly packaged a spice I needed that had run out from the store shelves. I recommend this place to all those looking for a local alternative to the overpriced and mass produced spices at your nearest Whole Foods.

This may be a nice spice shop. Or it may not be. I couldn't tell. The people there were so anxious to "help" me that I decided it would be best to leave. I agree with the comment below about the Indian grocery across the street from it. Also from what little I did see there wasn't anything there not at Penzey's in Arlington.

If you're looking for Indian spices, go to your local Indian grocery or, better yet, the Indian grocery RIGHT across the street from Curio shop. Indian spices here are horrendously expensive by weight. Also, there don't seem to be any people of color (esp. Asian people of color) on their staff, as far as I could find in the shop bio, which is really bizarre for a place that purports to be a genuine spice shop. I'm not inclined, as a person of color, to support a place that seems to be a product of white chefs acting like tourists and then making money off of it.

This review is for the website which is awesome. They have their own in-house blends and also a partnership with local artisans for different spice blends/one right now fundraiser for India. Excellent place to buy ginger/single spices responsibly sourced as well as blends. They also have some interesting gift choices, I bought a kit to preserve lemons for one of my aunts. All lovely packaging/glass came securely wrapped. Also they sent it flat rate USPS/lower cost than/UPS shipping quote they had online. Looking forward to visiting the shop in person some day...in the mean time will be ordering online from them again!

Cute spice shop in a row of local businesses. I like that they keep sample jars so that you can open it and smell them. They are very pungent (in a good way!) and can be very surprising at first. They run the gamut from single origin herbs to spice mixes. Service is friendly and the staff is very knowledgeable about the spices available.

Curio is one of those spots that makes us feel so lucky to live in North Cambridge. It's not uncommon for my partner to plan a whole weekend of meals based on what new spice blend or pickling kit he finds on the store shelves. When planning our wedding, we wanted to highlight local businesses and Curio was at the top of our list. We worked with Sam and Claire to secure the cutest little jars of the Herbs du Romance. Not only do our guests get to share in the Curio love, we get the extra little jars! Thank you Curio!

I ordered Black tea with turmeric and lime. It is the best tea I've been ever tried!! Please check this business out.

Even though Curio is closed due to covid you can still place your order online for pick up! Accidentally came before my order was fulfilled and they were accommodating! The quality and the prices can't be beat, especially if you don't need to buy in bulk. Happy to support this woman owned business

Have u been by yet? It's been too long if u haven't. Never been? Then ur missing out on one bright spot in this dystopia. Don't let covid obscure the sun! Brighten ur day by checking out the website.Go look in the windows to feel-Happy! Have little ones? the Golden Milk ( turmeric) will become their/ur go-to treat & most unique gift.(pre-covid I gave instead of flowers for housewarmings/parties) Take-out here and feel transported to foreign lands w/o fear of flying.Fleur Spice a fav.Pure hedonism & education for those dulling senses.( oh...& try their tasty salts -w a pinch over the shoulder for that needed luck .)

Terrible customer service. I tried to correct a mailing address the same day as the order and e-mailed twice about it. Never heard a thing! Not sure why they give out an e-mail??

This place is simply delightful! From the moment you enter, the warm scents, the artistic displays, the varied and clearly labeled spices are all just so appealing to the senses. I picked up several delicious and unusual chili powders (urfa- a smokey dark treat, peach chili- local but fiery and sweet as well as a smoked paprika from Spain, and the hard to find Sichuan peppercorns). I also got some cupboard staples; lavender, black peppercorns and mustard seeds- though given their freshness and pretty packaging, I will absolutely be skipping the supermarket aisle for any spices in the future. They also sell several interesting salts blends-would make a very special and delicious gift. Very friendly and helpful staff as well as completely reasonable pricing- I can't wait to return and will recommend to anyone interested in making delicious food and drink.

Ok, so.... I love to cook and I love to eat. One of my favorite tricks is finishing salt. Curio has a salt and pepper mix that while technically isn't a finishing salt, I use it as one all the time. It's called Kampot & Salt and consists of pepper from Cambodia and Sea Salt from Maine. I mean seriously who thinks of Maine and Cambodia when coming up with a spice mix??? I'm really glad they did. Clever, versatile and delicious.

Curio has a small space but it's loaded with products. There's a great selection of spices and blends, all roasted on-site. Everything's organized with sample jars for your sniffing pleasure. The staff knows right where everything is located, and is knowledgeable about the merchandise. They can even custom grind/blend to your specs too!

What a gem! Located in a block of great shops. The staff was super helpful and knowledgeable. I picked out some great gifts for Valentine's Day. I made some spiced liquor that turned out amazing. I'll be back...with some friend next time!

The store isn't just stocked ... it's *cultivated*. Every spice has a story, and the owners seem to go to great lengths to find the hard-to-find.

The owner is phenomenal and the spice shop is adorable. I was able to get the missing ingredient for my lemonade here, along with the recipe :) She is always happy to chat about what you are looking for, which makes this place well worth a visit.