Northwest Arkansas has ethnic food markets to satisfy the most international tastebuds. From curry powders to galangal to a variety of moles, you can make a gourmet trek around the globe in your own kitchen. Our local grocers also have more exotic choices than just your regular Asian or Mexican food aisle. I’m going to take you on a little international trip around our corner of Arkansas and introduce you to a few really special ethnic food markets.
First stop is at Koreana Food Market 729 S. School Ave. in Fayetteville. We can pick up Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking spices, sauces, and all kinds of Asian food items here.
As we head north in College Ave/Hwy 71 B we will stop at two places in the historical Evelyn Hills Shopping Center. Avalon Nutrition Center, 1388 College Ave has some chutneys and ghee, marsalas and curry powders and a wonderful variety of teas. Over in the northeast corner is a wonderful market Ozark Naturals Foods. They have an awesome array of Indian, Asian and Thai spices and sauces.
On north in Springdale you can find Chinese, Japanese and other Asian spices, sauces, cooking utensils and bamboo items for making sushi and other specialties at the P & N Oriental Market, 1209 S. Thompson St. Also go to Tang’s Asian Market, 224 S. Thompson St. for the most fresh seafood around.
The India Plaza Market, 1400 SW Susana Street in Bentonville, provides wonderful curries, garam marsala and cumin spices as well as halal meat and fresh vegetables for the more than 4000 Indian families that have moved into the NW Arkansas area in recent years. They have a complete line of North Indian, Pakistan and Bangladesh groceries.
At 109 SE “A” St in Bentonville is The Spice and Tea Exchange, an eclectic little shop that you won’t want to miss! It’s the cherry at the top of this list. You can follow their blog and get delectable and out-of-this-world recipes such as darjeeling-sweet-potatoes. It is a great shop for putting together a really special gift basket.
Do not fear trying something new! You may never leave this corner of the world but you can still experience many cultures! Life in NWA is good!
Tip: Don’t hesitate to visit the sweet owners at these markets and ask for authentic recipes.
If you know of more specialty markets serving our NWA communities, please comment on this post!
If you’re interested in buying or selling real estate in Northwest Arkansas,
contact me, Jill Bell, for more information.
