Rest assured the staff at this Middle Eastern (and beyond) store will happily help you choose between Hungarian double cream, Greek low-salt, or Bulgarian feta. Other customers might help, too, while waiting for kebabs from the halal butcher. Wander the well-stocked spice shelves, wall of frozen pastry, and multiple aisles of jarred goods until you get to the produce in the back, home of seasonal gems like green garbanzos and fresh yellow dates.

Don’t leave without: Green sauce.

Among Seattle’s many, many Asian grocery stores, few specialize in Thai, Lao, and Cambodian foods—and even fewer did back in 1986, when this gem opened. Tastes of home like spicy Burmese pickled tea leaves and river tamarind (that’s guaje to Mexican shoppers) share the shelves with durian candy and Lay’s hot-chile-squid-flavored potato chips. 

Don’t leave without: Tiny fruit-shaped mung bean cakes.

Every neighborhood deserves a Leschi Market. The kind of place that carries local Ren-faire beef jerky, the best salsa in town (we tested), and that cup of sugar you need. While it looks like a mini-mart from the outside, the precisely curated wine selection, locally made tortillas, and full-service butcher prove that extremely incorrect.

Don’t leave without: Housemade smoked andouille sausage.

In the 50-plus years since Big John Croce opened his Italian food import business, it has expanded, moved, and passed down to his children. It remains the best place to find gourmet ingredients from Italy and its neighbors: niche flours, a half-dozen types of anchovies, and all the supplies for the world’s best charcuterie platter. 

Don’t leave without: Truffled pecorino cheese.

Behind all the touristy showmanship, the fishmongers here fillet a mighty fine salmon. While most grocery shopping is self-guided, each produce stall, butcher, and even candy shop is staffed by an expert in that exact thing, excited to help customers find the perfect product.

Don’t leave without: A bouquet of flowers from one of the local Hmong growers.

Imagine a store selling Costco quantities with Grocery Outlet produce prices and the ingredient selection of every Indian, Chinese, and Mexican grocery in Western Washington combined. That gets you pretty close to a picture of this sprawling warehouse, but then you need to add the Russian deli, Arabic breads, herbal medicine specialist, and eyebrow threading salon.

Don’t leave without: At least seven kinds of lentils or an 8.5-pound bottle of sriracha.