Tears Of Joy Hot Sauce Shop

As a major spice fiend, this was probably the greatest find I had during my first visit to Texas. First let me say that southern hospitality is a very real phenomenon, but I’m not sure if I’m a fan. My mom is a real talker and I don’t need you guys chattin it up about this and that and also this other thing for 30 minutes when we should already be halfway back to our hotel. But at Tears of Joy, I didn’t even mind; in fact I was the one who held up my mom! What a twist! And the lady was nice and let me hit fattystyle samples.
What a selection! It ran from the Don’t Be A Chicken Shit hot sauce to Eff Milk Got Hauce Sauce? to the Fifty Shades Hotter to Dr. Pain In De Ass Colon Cleanser or Dr. Assburn’s All Natural Elixir. Plus they had all the classics like Marie Sharp’s Grapefruit Habanero and the one with Obama on it. I went with the Hot as Shit Hot Sauce, and they definitely ain’t lie. And I’m no punk-​ass puto. My mom may have once asked the lady at Chipotle if pico de gallo was spicy, but I can handle my shit. Trust me on this one, hombre, that one’s the real deal. To my fellow spice fiends: if you happen to find yourself in Austin and you want to give your taste buds a nice ass-​kicking, hit up Tears of Joy, you’ll feel like a frat bro at the bucket hat store.

Great hot sauce, great shop, great owner! :) I really enjoy stopping here when I am in town.

Another Austin trip to the Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop on 6^th Street. What to say about a great shop run by a great guy — who will give great advise about hot sauce and Austin. and all things between

I like the fact that there’s so much variety of hot sauces to choose from. The prices vary for each of them but non will hurt your wallet. The setup is nice, it’s clean, and it’s very easy to find a specific sauce. For example, a lot of the hot sauces are categorized by region in addition to being either vinegar, bbq, or simple hot sauce.
The only drawback was the service. I felt the gentleman was pushing too much on their own hot sauce that they created. Pretty sure it’s good of a couple of times I ask what else is affordable, a nice gift, or a nice kick, it’s their own hot sauce.
TIP: Be sure that you buy the smaller bottles if you plan on flying somewhere else and not have to worry about checking in your bag at the airport.
Other than that, nice variety, pretty cool shop.

Extensive selection of sauces, rubs, and other gastronomical supplements. Whether you’re a chili head or just like novelty bottles, they have it. Very impressed, will definitely return!

I’m a hot sauce freak. I travel all over the place to find that sweet sweet heat. This place has pretty much everything. Mexican sauces, belizian sauces, the mainstay US ones and a huge local section. And it’s not just hot sauce, there’s BBQ sauce and salsa’s as well.
They have a tasting stand (right next to the cold drinks… Genius!!) where you can taste the sauces and pair them with my fave chips (El Milagro). Camille was very helpful and when she couldn’t find one open, she grabbed it off the shelf for me to try. Walked out of there $ 64 lighter and worth every penny.
I know I can some of these things cheaper, but to have all your favorites in the same roof and not have to hump around town, it’s worth the added price. If you’re into the heat, this place can’t be beat!

I came in during an off-​peak time and the gentleman behind the counter was knowledgeable and personable. He helped me pick a few bottles as souvenirs for friends back home. For those of us without checked luggage, they have convenient 3 oz bottles (and bags/​packaging to protect them on the flight). It was eye-​opening to talk to this man about hot sauce, too… there is a world beyond Tabasco!
I also could’ve stayed in there for hours just gulping the air… they make their own hot sauce in the back.

This store had a very knowledgeable staff, there prices are moderate, and their selection was vast. They even helped me pack my bottles in bubble wrap so that I could travel and not have broken spicy jalapeño glass in my bag when I got home.
Thanks guys! Next time I’m in Austin, I’ll be in to re-​stock.

They have a large collection of hot sauces and also some other spice related items. They even have some concentrated extract under lock and key if you really need anything that hot. There were several sauces to sample. If you’re a chili head you’re bound to find something here that will fuel that fire.

Fantastic selection and you can help yourself to samples of everything! Super knowledgable and I am now addicted to their homemade brands. Must check these guys out!

I’ve been to this store twice. Once a few years ago — last time I was in Austin — and just recently. No doubt the assortment is amazing. But from my experience what the store lacks is a customer service focus. The first time I was there, the guy who was helping me was just «meh» about the whole thing. Still, I went back the second time because I love hot sauce.
When I walked in I was the only customer and a woman was standing behind the counter. I asked if items could be shipped because I had flown with only carry on. She said that they ship from the website. I wandered around for a bit and asked if they had any samples. She said «They’re in the refrigerator.» Huh? I’m supposed to help myself? So I walked back to the refrigerator and did indeed see hot sauces in there, but no spoons, or chips or idea of how I was supposed to sample them.
I wandered around for a couple more minutes, during which she did not say one word to me. (For instance: «So what kind of sauces do you generally like? Oh, well this one here is something you would probably enjoy. We do have one open; let me get that for you.») I imagine some people will read this and think that I should have asked or pressed for what I wanted. Maybe. I’m not a shy person, but this situation was uncomfortable.
I’m a guy who has 20 – 25 sauces in my home at any given time. I would have bought at least 6 bottles while I was there. I’d been looking forward to the store as soon as my Austin trip was planned, but the whole thing felt awkward. If I wanted to buy from a website, there are plenty of places to buy from. I wanted to speak with someone who shares a passion, has knowledge, and at least sample a couple of sauces. Unfortunately Tears of Joy did not deliver on this.

This is a great sauce shop. I’m even a fan of the stuff they make in house. August in Austin is one of my everyday go to sauces.
Can’t recommend enough!

HOT! SAUCE!
So cool. I love some hot sauce, so walking into here was like walking into heaven. It’s so many bottles of hot sauce all throughout the store, some local to Austin, some world wide, some made right there in the store (or at least has the store’s name on it and is delicious.)
They also have things like BBQ sauce if you’re not looking for all the hot.
Talk to the staff, they know everything about hot sauce. And you can even walk around and sample some of the sauces if you would like.
So good. Spice up your life.

Unique store with some Hilarious hot sauces, we haven’t opened any of them up yet to see if they actually taste good. very wide hot sauce selection here.

Great selection of hot sauce, both local to Austin and around the world. Also, have BBQ sauce, jams and other items. Staff is very very knowledgeable and extremely friendly. I would recommend coming here and would come back if I visit Austin again.

This shop demonstrates the difference between a passionate and knowledgeable person and a simple seller. This is one of the best shops in the USA. Don’t come to Austin without visiting this place.

If you’re looking to buy some really good hot sauces and not just one with a funny name that you can find in an airport this is the place for you. Besides carrying tasty hot sauces they also have on hand a good selection of barbecue rubs. If you haven’t tried it yet make sure you buy a bottle of Texas Champagne hot sauce. It is hands down one of the tastiest hot sauces for sale.

Well, if you’re looking for hot sauce, and salsas, they’ve got a great selection, and the best I’ve seen in person. Tons of options with any kind of peppers you can imagine from not spicy at all to pure extract murder juice.
They’ve usually got a few dozen open bottles of random hot sauces and salsas to sample with a bag of chips as well to try out some new ones.
The Tears of Joy brand hot sauces they make themselves are very good as well. «August in Austin» is one of my favorites and has a really fruity, bright, citrusy and very spicy Habanero flavor and you just need a couple drops at a time so the tiny bottle still lasts forever.
Check them out next time you’re on dirty sixth!

It’s a great place and a great stop in when you need to get your local spicy-​fire fixings. The staff is always nice and they have a good variety of choices for the area.
They also have some of their own local made products. I appreciate that they focus on «local» products. I was able to get one of Austin’s newest sauces «Yellowbird Hot Sauce»

2 words… THE SOURCE!!! This thing is hotter than the back side of the devil’s nuts, and is actually the hottest thing in the store. If you are a brave soul you can try a dab on the tip of a toothpick that is actually smaller than the head of a match. Comes on slow but burns for awhile. Now novelty aside I will say that this place is like the Bangers/​Gingerman of Hot Sauce.
After roaming around the store sweating from trying about 5 or 6 sauces, I decided to see if he could nail a sauce down for me. I wanted a thicker table sauce like sriracha but with a different type of kick. He immediately asked me if I had heard of Peri Peri sauce, and since I do not eat, sleep, and breathe hot sauce I had not. He went on to explain that it was a sauce from Africa and that there are restaurants in Africa, Europe and one in DC. that base off of this sauce/​pepper. I was intrigued so he pulled a bottle from his fridge and let me sample it. I was sold.
Really took stock in the fact that they did not push their product or any specific product to myself or others. I will be back for my spicy adventure.