International Foods

International Food Store offers a poor selection of products that fail to meet expectations. Many items are stale, nearing expiration, or simply of low quality. Customers looking for fresh, authentic ingredients will likely be disappointed by what’s available here. On top of that, the prices are unreasonably high, especially considering the subpar quality. While specialty stores often charge a premium, the markup here feels unjustifiable. Better options can easily be found elsewhere, where both quality and pricing are more reasonable. Not worth the visit. People left their carts around the parking lot.

Maha n bemala please keep those two for ever and take good care of them, they’re good people to have around in the store

I usually love this place, but during my last visit I bought several bottles of spices that had been opened before. My jar of chili paste had been opened too. I didn’t notice until I got home and saw where someone had stuck their finger through the packaging under the lids on EVERYTHING. It’s unfortunate because this is the only place in austin that I can find some ingredients, I will just have to be more diligent next time.

When I go to International Foods I always check the expiration dates because many times I have gotten expired stuff… but even the NOT expired stuff is bad. Beware of anything you get from the frozen section, the plastic packaging was already open and it looks like it got thawed, moldy, and refrozen. This is not the first time I’ve experienced this here. Should I have to open the packaging of everything before buying to make sure it has not gone bad ?? Actually, just don’t buy anything frozen here at all. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

We bought Freekeh while we were cooking it we put meat and vegetables in it and it wasn’t the first time there was weevils insects inside the bag. We see it everytime but we don’t right a review and we had to throw away our food for the 3rd time.

I bought a pizza from them for $10 and heated it at home the same day. I found it rotten! Although the expiration date is 7/24. Very disappointed in their quality services! It’s a health and safety issue that they should take into consideration!!!

This place ripping of people, I bought two chocolate bar they charged my card $20, i looked it up online the price is $4.00 , this place sale halal food which mean they should follow good faith and behave when they do trade with people, but unfortunately it’s the opposite.

Found a lot of Balkan foods here: Macedonian Ayvar, Bulgarian cheese, yogurt and ayran, Turkish Halva, Bosnian Burek... Lots of Indian foods too (aloo paratha, moon dhal). Many spices, many types of beans, it's lovely. I couldn't find paneer though, but maybe I didn't look hard enough

Ok. I admit it. I'm a Demi-foodie. I love to try new foods from all over the world. I give new meaning to travel tummy. Going to International Foods allows me to visit the Middle East, India, etc without packing a bag...except for a reusable shopping bag. The prices are quite reasonable and the selection is amazing. I usually come home with much more than I had anticipated originally and I'm always pleased with my cache of new things to try. Oh, and by the way, if you like tea, there are so many different types of tea and the smells make you feel like you are being transported to lands far away.

5 years later update - officially our store for Halal Meats. There are some cheaper options but we have come to trust the quality here and have had no issues so no desire to shop around at this time. The service is good to us now, probably because we are now a familiar face. They also have the rice, breads, and packaged desi spices we use. There's also a small bakery inside, I haven't tried any of the items though. Some cons - the veggie section continues to be kinda crappy so we usually have to include a HEB run every time we come here. Meat cutters are not particularly friendly, seems to be an issue at every Halal butcher we go to in the greater Austin area. Thankfully there's enough packaged meat on display that we don't need to interact but sometimes they don't have the one we need on display and it's usually a hassle to get them to comply. Lastly, they still does not carry Bangladeshi packaged spices mixes so I have to go to Shahi Foods for those.

This is a good place to come if Persian/Middle east cooking is your thing. They have all the usual groceries that you would find in a South Asian grocery, but they have quite a bit of Persian stuff - example, they have the REAL kebab skewers, whole stack for lots cheaper than Amazon. Also bakery section with delicious flatbreads, and row after row of spices, canned goods, and dry goods. Oh, and excellent prices as well, you won't go broke buying the exotic stuff. Highly recommended!

Great selection- for example, I had 5+ rose waters and 8+ types of harissa to choose from. Although organized in perhaps an atypical fashion, this market certainly has a lot to offer. I plan to head back when I have more time to peruse. Kind and helpful staff as well!

Do not visit this store. All employees of this store had their masks hanging down from chin. I told the lady at the cash register. She asked the employees to wear the masks properly. They refused. And started talking loudly, "it's not compulsory to wear a mask" All customers were wearing a mask. Then there were sounds of coughing. Sneezing. It was a risk to be in this store. Also, it's the dirtiest unkempt store. Almost like stuff was just thrown about. Many items were out of date expired stuff. I compared the prices of tea with other stores around. At least $1.50-$3.00 more expensive. The man behind the bakery counter did not wear a mask. He was bagging cheese bread. I don't think I can buy food here. Sorry. Very disappointing. I just left without buying anything. Another customer followed and said this store is very dirty!

They don't obey COVID mask rules and while I had on a mask a man mopping approached me with NO MASK to tell me to keep my mask on. He only approached me and I am not sure why because my mask never came off. He kept telling me and only me. When I asked him about his mask and why he wasn't wearing a mask he stated he had his vaccine. I put my items back. 3 women entered after me with no mask and he greeted them and continued to harass me. The store is a mess and I only entered because nothing else was open. I will go without before I pay to be mistreated.

Great selection for products from Middle East. Great customer service and meat is freshly cut infront of you. Will come here often.

I don't know why this place doesn't make more cheese bread. They constantly run out, due to strong demand for it. But instead of increasing the supply to meet this demand, they produce other baked goods that just sit on the shelf.

A lot of folks talk abotu Peace bakery down the road. Check the bakery out in this not so little store. It is amazing! And it is not just a bakery there is a whole store of goodies to be tried. We have found the people here to be nice and helpful eventhough language does present a barrier at times. I love purusing the aisles for food stuffs to try that I do not find at my HEB. I also like looking at the cookware and candies. It is a fun shop to visit. Try it out!

When they opened they were very nice and needed us as customers but now I think they don't anymore. Taking my business somewhere else I will not let them see my money anymore.

No Thanks - I will go somewhere else. The guys working in the meat section are very RUDE. I always shop here and buy chicken/meat here, and they used to be really hood at it and always packed and serve me the way i asked, last time a new person was there and refused to pack chicken in a tray and offer to pack in the plastic bag instead. I am not shopping there anymore, at least not chicken/meat.

Wow. We have been telling these people to put the prices labels on the products and/or shelves for years. Is this rocket science? No! Is this very difficult to do? No! But they always have a reason. "Our label machine broke". "We have prices everwhere, but we move product location" ??? Anyway, we now mainly shop at Shahi Foods, 5 minute drive from there, and if there is anything we cannot find there, we reluctantly come to this place. We just lost hope that they will ever put proper price labels. I am just wondering, not putting prices on products: Is this just laziness, or is there something else behind this?? I talked to some other friends who shop here and they told me the same thing: They stopped shopping here because of labeling issues. Also, never ever buy sujuk from this place. Both Phonecia and Shahi puts sujuk in freezer. This place puts sujuks in regular refrigerator. We had to throw away the whole thing (worth $10) last time. And guess what: They have this consumer friendly policy of "you cannot return frozen items". How clever!!!

I've driven up north lamar many a time, subject to the weird clubs (media noche whassssupppp!), bad clothing chains (rainbow) and odd ethnic restaurants that I flip flop on. Either they could be the holy grail of curries, the top of the taco stops, the giant among gyros... or colon blow 2014. In this case, we just needed some beer. We stopped at a questionable corner store settled in what might be an old Fiesta. Then we wandered down the way to International Food. And international it was! All kinds of outrageous and presumably delicious items with letters I couldn't hope to read lay before me. It was the proverbial Aladdin's cave of culinary adventure. I could describe to you ad nauseum what we discovered there but it would take far too long. The highlights were cheap bags of spices, cheap produce, masala flavored lays potato chips, a butcher shop area in the back, every yogurt you could want, brined sheeps and goats cheese, syrups, olives, cherries, canned goods, sardine type things (eeeew), ready to make tikka and vindaloo and korma. We left with our arms full of stuff I can only hope we like and big plans to put together an adventurous dinner for friends who have made the terrible mistake of trusting us with their digestive system.

This is a great market for anyone who desires the flavors of the east. This market is huge, extremely clean, well-stocked with fresh meats, veggies, bread, and anything and everything you want to eat. Best of all the staff and the employees are extremely professional, helpful, and courteous. I would recommend this market to anyone.

I always enjoy coming here. Good selection of imported foods - I've found both old favorites and appealing new things to try on almost every trip.

Loved the food here! I got a gyro plate and it was seasoned so well. The rice and pickled vegetables were awesome, and this place definitely upholds the integrity of the popular snack, Hummus and Pita Bread (with some olive oil in the hummus). Big win, the only thing I could do without is the fluorescent lighting. But hey it's a grocery store, not a lounge. The cashier was very polite, there was a misunderstanding about if we had already paid for our drinks and he was quick to correct it and was very professional about the whole thing. We got to chat with a lady that I believed worked there are she was very sweet. Would definitely return for the food.

This store is so easy to get to, and everyone is so nice and polite and helpful. They have a fantastic selection of foods, Turkish, Persian, Russian and then some. Huge store. Awesome, will definitely be back!

I stopped by for a few items and discovered a world of amazing treasures, international food items, a restaurant and a delightful bakery of extraordinary treats. A stroll down each aisle was inspiring to cook. At check out owner told me a great story about his youth and early days in Austin. Everyone was so helpful and nice. I look forward to my next trip to International Food.

I wish I had discovered this place sooner! A friend took me to this grocery store- right as they were closing and they let us shop, which was super cool! They have Devolli Prince Turkish Coffee - which is super rare to find in any store in Texas (I usually order via Amazon or bring back extras when I visit the Balkans or go to NYC). True gem! They have everything I find at Phoenicia, but MUCH MORE and the prices are much lower. Moving forward, this will be my first stop when shopping for authentic Albanian cuisine. The fellas working there were really nice and even helped bring our bags to the car. Best shopping experience in Austin...EVER!

I stopped here for the first time when needing a snack while in the neighborhood. From the outside, it looks small, so I was expecting a convenience store with limited selections. On the inside, the place is spacious and stocked with a wide selection of foods, ranging from packaged foods to fresh fruits and vegetables. I came back a few days later when I needed to pick up a few quick grocery items; I was able to get vegetables, fresh eggs, and some meat without having to race long lines in a larger grocery store. International Foods is close to my child's school, so I expect to be stopping here regularly now.

The only store in Austin with Arabic and Mediterranean shopping. Very clean and a very large selection!Highly recommend!

International Foods is the latest place to pop up at Braker and Lamar in the old Albertson's location. Like its neighbor La Potosina, it offers a bit of produce, a deli & meat counter, and the owners have confirmed its halal status. We ordered a lamb kabob and falafel wrap and were offered hot tea while we waited. We browsed around the store, and they have quite a selection. My lamb kabob was served over rice with hummus and pita. It was very good and quite filling. I had a bite of the falafel, and that was very tasty as well. The guy behind the deli counter noticed us looking at the jars of pickled veggies and brought over fresh pickled turnips, cauliflower and beets for us to try. It was delicious and a great complement to the meal. Before we left, we grabbed a Thumbs Up and a non alcoholic peach flavored malt beverage. I'm very glad to have this new addition to my neighborhood! It is so great to have these small markets close by as an alternative to the huge grocery chains.

You can't do better than this place, for quality foods from all over the world! I can spend an hour, here, just checking out everything. Everybody is friendly, and the prices are amazing. I get my injeras here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Always a pleasure to shop here, I love coming here every time. They have a great selection of food, fruit, vegetables and lots of other good middle eastern stuffs.The service,employees and the owners are really good and everybody who works here are really helpful and nice.This market has it all from produce, deli, seafood, butchery, desserts, home, bakery and..... This is the largest middle eastern market Ihave been too, if you are looking for any kinds of middle eastern food you have to Definetly, definitely checking it out.we Will be back for sure.

After searching the entire Austin area and going to 4 other "European markets" we finally found this place. Largest in the area by far.seriously huge. Scores serious stars for having all the croatian food my husband was looking for. Had all the meats and spices from Croatia that I couldn't find in other stores too. They even had the large round pans we use for Burek so I'm pretty impressed. Only reason they don't get 5 stars is because they don't really have any ukrainian/Russian products that I was looking for, like seriously none existent. Very disappointing. I'll be back for my husband's food but I'm still looking for a good Russian market for mine.

I went to International Food last Friday for the first time and what a treat it was. I have been in Austin for 8.5 years now and have always went to Phoenicia and Sarah's. Had to deal with very limited variety and mostly expired food. International Food has almost everything I could ask for and the prices were reasonable too. Today is Monday and I am already contemplating going there again :)

Good variety of food from all parts of the world but it's hard to shop because there are no prices on anything!!

They have quite a good selection of Arab and Middle Eastern food necessities. Looks like they run out of bread sometimes.

The products in the store are very expensive compared to other stores such as Madina Market, Shahi Food, HEB Also there is a person behind the counter who is very very rude without giving any respect for customers. This is the last time going there as there are other wonderful choices!

Huge selection of spices and international foods! Tried the baklava here too and it's absolutely amazing as well. Highly recommend!

They are deceptive in their sale of meats (quality, type, etc). Mostly unfriendly customer service. Won't be returning.

This place is great for CHEAP Indian, Mid-Eastern stuff like falafel, hummus, big bags of spices and beans and grains. Awesome selection of achar (Indian pickles). Produce selection is small and sometimes tired but I usually go for the grocery section.

Bad Customer Service, i got rude treatments every time from staff there, i was asked an awkward question about where I'm i from, what kind of accent and they told me i was lying about my accent, which was really rude, and too many other personal questions to customers which i found not professional at all.

They are one of the very few places that sell injera, the Ethiopian pan cake. The people are also nice and they also sell some pastries that are yummy.

I've been to this market many times, absolutely love going to this market. I can find anything and everything I am looking for. Fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and fresh meat. They recently started to make some kind of Arabic sweets which was so good.

Very nice place to shop! I bought a really nice hookah pipe from them. They are much cheaper than a smoke shop and have better shisha tobacco than any other smoke shop. They also have very nice teapots and the staff is very friendly. I would recommend this place to friends!

Very tricky on prices . Different pice on the item but charge over price at the register . This is the 2nd time I caught them.

Customer service at meat section is bad. Guy was very rude and said take the meat from the freeze , they don't cut fresh meat.

Finally an Indian grocery store that is open late! International Foods (Braker and n.lamar). Extremely well stocked...the tea coffee aisle had stuff I didn't expect (Yerba mate, Arabic coffee..). Supposedly, the goat meat is fresh too...as per some hard-core goat consuming friends

My last lunch of 2012 and it was delicious! I love grocery stores that have little cafes or kitchens in them, especially international ones. They offer a small menu with various kabob wraps or plates, fried chicken, dips and salads. Prices are cheap and reasonable. I got the lamb kabob wrap for $5.99 and a pint of water. The water is in the cooler with the pop, it is self service. Once you place your order at the window, have a seat or check out the store. They cook each dish fresh, so it can take a good 10 minutes for your food. Not a problem for me. I prefer my kabobs fresh. The store has a lot to offer as far as Indian, Pakistani and Mediterranean foods go. They have a meat counter with various selections of meat. Once I got my kabob I fell in love. They use the real kabob meat that I grew to love in Turkey. Not that pre-sliced stuff that is shaved from a spindle and placed in a silver container, to later become a kebap. This is the real deal. The kind of meat that they slide down the knife and pound it and grill it over an open flame. My piece of meat was at least 8" long and thick. The way I like it. I didn't order any side with my wrap, and, I didn't need to. The kabob was a filler! The only thing I didn't like about the wrap was that they apparently mixed the tzatziki sauce with the veggies and put that on the pita bread first, then placed the meat on top. After a while the pita started absorbing the liquid and was getting soggy. It still remained delicious. Another minus was the napkins. They use the 4"x4" bar napkins. The lady checked on me a couple of times to see if I was satisfied. When it came time to leave she told me to take my ticket to the front to check out. At check out the guy asked me what I had to drink and, I told him I got a small water from the cooler. He said " I won't charge you for the water". Huh? What? Seriously? He further went on to tell me how appreciative he was for my business and welcomed me back. Did someone put something in his water, or was I dreaming? These guys know how to run a business, and, for the excellent customer service and delicious kabob, I vote 5 stars. Oh, and to note: Not once did someone yell at me "no picture"!

This store has all the international items your looking for however they are always not fresh . I've gotten old rice a few times but it hasn't run me off yet . I enjoy the spices and variety of hookah tobacco . There is one guy that is always friendly and leaves you smiling on your way out , he should teach the others . Overall I enjoy the store

well the store looks great lots of spices i found it even the goat meat is pretty tender the way it suppose to be. But don't expect the good service here thou, i asked for the spice they dont even know, hello i asked for indian spice. But i will be back dont care about the service.

The people here are always so friendly, and there are good eats! The range of foods is fascinating, and the little eatery in the back is sweet. And most days you can get a potato samosa at the front counter for $1. (Except on Mondays.) I see the only really bad review they got was the person really angered by a conflict about his wedding. Okay. I won't use them for any wedding receptions -- but otherwise I really like them very much!

Have you ever had a SWEET lemon? Well, well, well lucky you . I've NEVER seen one (until recently), let alone eaten one. Awhile back, I, sadly, had the flu and my best friend bought some and brought them to me to make tea. Now, I'm hooked! I eat a few per day (while in season)...it's out of control...me and this citrus wonder! At about $1.99 per pound, I'm buying an EXTRA- large bag per week, $26.00-$30.00 to support my habit. Lol. That's alotta' fruits! This is one of the most refreshing fruits that I have EVER tasted. And apparently it contains a hearty amount of Vitamin C. DELICIOUSLY CRAZY GOOD...AND HEALTHY....WHAT?!?!?! They aren't SUPER sweet, but NOT at all sour. The fruit is like drinking some lightly sweet and lightly flavored water...refreshing is the best word to describe it.The reason I'm sharing this little fruity tidbit is that Sweet Lemons are ONLY available at this neighborhood family market. On one hand, I did feel that I didn't want to share the info because I think many of you will want to rush out to have the tasty experience of this delightful fruit and then there might be a run on the goods....leaving my tastebuds dryly sad. Selfish, I know. But, there are so many finds at this market, I can't, not share. They have Rose jam, another hard to find item. Delicious. Already, halfway through my jar...great for sandwiches and good to make salad dressing out of. (There IS a process for the dressing. Jam isn't for clumping on a salad. Tip. ) The bakery and restaurant is a must eat at and must buy from....Whether it's falafel or desserts or breads. I will say that if you want in on the goods, better get there early, items are made fresh daily...first come rules apply. Also, good to know different religious faiths holiday schedules....as there is an abundance of speciality items during those special times. ( Tip.) There are spices, veggies, fruits, meats, beautiful homewares....Everything needed. Even apricot paste that I use to make a sweet drink. Oh, and bags of dried pumpkin seeds that I roasted and added different spices to...(BBQ, Cinnamon/Sugar, and a Mild Curry)....Super reasonable and were loved by friends and neighbors. Sometimes I can cook, but not without the already dried seeds. The families at the market are friendly and warm. And any of these sweetly cool people are helpful in explaining any product that I'm/You're unfamiliar with. Check it out! Ask Mike for the best Sweet Lemons....he grew up with them!

These guys are super nice and a real asset to the community! They have a nice selection of international foods, a ton of rice and beans and a small selection of produce. I ran out of garlic I was making for a dish and didn't want to run into a big supermarket for that one item. Lucky, they had garlic and I noticed everything seemed cheaper! They seem to really care about their customers as well...

Extremely expensive. While you're getting your groceries, there a certain price, but when you go to checkout and pay, its a totally different price! Wouldn't recommend it.

I stopped by the International store to purchase sandwiches and was given 2 sandwiches with one piece of lamb that was in the shape of a breakfast roll and lots of onions, red bell peppers and a piece of cucumber. No yogurt dressing was on it. It was supposed to be a guru/kebap. It came wrapped so I didn't know what I had until I returned home with it. It was dry and awful. Price of each was $8.99. Very disappointed and will never purchase a sandwich again. I will stick buying spices, oils and other products that are imported. :(

We contacted Rose back in January to cater our wedding. She was very nice and asked us to drop by to sample the food. The food was okay at best. We gave her our wedding date and what we wanted. She repeated told us it would be no problem and not to worry. We asked her if we needed to fill out any paper work or place a deposit. She stated no, just to call her a couple days ahead of time. So a week before our wedding we called her and she canceled on us, claiming they could not do it because of SXSW. Then attempted to blame us for not giving her the correct date. Her husband or partner was even worse. They had no willingness to make the situation right and tried to place the blame on us. We repeatedly gave Rose the date over the phone and obviously she has no calendar and did not write it down. It was a horrible experience and my wife almost had a nervous breakdown. Needless to say we found another resturant who was a God send! To top it off the food was 10X better! If yor in the mood for Mediterranean Food please visit Pharra's instead.

The store is okay at best. It has a little bit of everything...foods from India and middle east and from a few other countries. Anyhow, my girlfriend and I had a terrible experience at the place. Initially for some reason they were following us around, (maybe they thought that we would steal something). After we finished shopping...the person behind the counter was very rude. As he was scanning our items, instead of putting them down gently he was pretty much smashing them on top of each other. He didn't say a single word the whole time and look visible pissed off. I will probably never go there again. PLEASE DON'T GIVE YOUR BUSINESS TO AN ESTABLISHMENT, WHICH DOESN'T HAVE SIMPLE DECENCY TO TREAT ITS COSTUMERS WITH RESPECT!!!