Penzeys Spices

Love the quality ingredients you get here. It’s always on my list to stop in when I’m in town! I like to restock what I out of and try a few new ones each time. It can be a little overwhelming so I pick a small part of the store each time so you don’t overload your nose. Try all the Cinnamon’s, they are delicious!

Huge fan of Penzey’s in general, and really like the Santa Rosa store in particular. Staff is very helpful, and the spices are very fresh. They have interesting blends that will inspire you to try something new, and also a few hard-​to-​find items. Worth a visit.

This spice shop has so many great spice blends. They make it so easy to create great flavorful dishes and to smell each spice in smelling jars. I have never been disappointed with anything from here. I have been going here since this location opened. The ladies are always so helpful and friendly. They have nice gift boxes as well.

This place always has what I need. My family gets all of our spices from here. The lady’s in the store are always very nice, and helpful.

Three stars because I actually like coming here. Clean and well organized. Most staff are helpful and friendly. Spices are abundant and each sample jar has ideas on how to use it.
However the lady who helped me today… RUDE! Followed me around the store like I was going to shop lift, her customer service was terrible. Did not appreciate her attitude one bit, not a friendly smile or a hello.
If I could only rate the employees separately. She would get maybe a half star. Employees like that make me not want to return.
Terminal: 055 register 02
²⁄₁₀ @ 11:10 am

This delightful store has every spice under the sun. I witnessed shoppers opening jars of spices, to take a sniff. Will come back in future when in mood to cook.

If you know me, you know that I am a Penzey’s addict. I have been a fan of their products for about ten years and ordering from their website before there was a storefront within a hundred miles of me. This review is SPECIFICALLY about the product and has nothing to do with this particular store front (the Ladies have been nothing but kind, helpful, and pleasant and I love going to visit!).
Why oh why Penzeys are you adding sugar to spice mixes that have absolutely no need for them? Why is their sugar added to season salt, Old World seasoning, breakfast sausage seasoning, pizza seasoning, and other blends that don’t need anything but the delicious fresh spices and dried herbs that they are meant to be? I am absolutely appalled and disappointed to learn that most of the spice blends in my cabinet have added sugar. I realize that it is the American palate to want sugar in everything but honestly I thought you were better then this Penzeys.
Unfortunately, because of your use of this additive (that is all I consider sugar, especially if your spices are as flavorful and fresh as they are said to be!) in so many of your blends I believe you have lost a customer in me. It makes me so sad that one of my favorite trusted companies has betrayed their customers trust.
I will be taking my business to REAL local spice vendors (*cough Savory in downtown Santa Rosa *cough*) who take the time to make sure their spices are full of FLAVOR and not sugar.

There’s nothing like wandering around a store filled with spices, herbs and all kinds of things to make my baking taste even better! It’s very relaxing here and the employees are helpful if you ask them questions. I love that they can guide you toward the perfect spice for your needs and then let you wander without hovering.

I heard those sleigh bells jing-​jing-​jingling jing! okay it wasn’t actually that song I heard although there were carolers who were singing by the door as we walked in. Which then had me singing other christmas tunes as we walked around the store.
The store is overwhelming to sous chef like me. My wonderful girlfriend Naomi G. is the head chef in our condo. She was the one behind the wheel as we drove around the shelves of the store. I should actually say flew around because this place has spices from ALL OVER THE WORLD! Many that I’ve never heard of…
They had samples you can waft (some that you maybe tempted to taste) of every offering. We grabbed a little of this, some of that. Got a copy of some of the recipes they were suggesting. Can’t wait to try em.
At the end of the world tour, I had learned a few things like we were on the magic school bus. Best part, it was at a far more affordable price than getting it at any other store.
Tis the season to go out and explore. Word to your mother.

I absolutely love cooking and experimenting with different cuisines. As a result, I have become a huge snob when it comes to quality ingredients.
The spices at Penzeys are superior in quality. They are strong, fragrant and fresh. I cannot imagine buying spices at Safeway after finding this place. The thought of picking up a jar of McCormick spices and sprinkling them into my food literally makes me sob inside.
I love many of their spices: smoked Spanish paprika, ground red chipotle, Parisien bonnes herbes, Turkish seasoning, BBQ, taco seasonings, Bavarian seasoning, etc, etc. Even just their simple seasonings like garlic power, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are a million times more pungent that grocery store brands. You definitely get better tasting food with Penzeys spices.
In contrast to some of the other reviews, I find the staff helpful if you ask them for help. Sure they don’t attack you on your first step into the store but if you go up and ask them for help they’re super helpful. This is personally how I prefer customer service to be.

Penzeys started in Madison Wisconsin in 1957. They are a true American success story, building themselves up to the national chain that they are today through the efforts of the founding Penzey family. Throughout that time they’ve held up good spice and good cooking as a fundamental value that brings people together. Yes it’s a bit flowery but I have to believe in their progressive values.
Values are important but the key to their success has been superior spices at reasonable prices. That’s what this store has. Yes it’s a chain and less it feels somewhat more sterile than the local store across town. My usual preference is to go for the local place but because I respect that Penzey’s is a home grown national chain. And the bottom line is that the spices are simply better here. The blends are outstanding and the pure spices crisp and flavorful
Whether I go to the store or order from the catalog Penzeys is my go to resource for spice

I love Penzeys! I discovered it on the strip in Pittsburgh PA and was thrilled that they have a store in Santa Rosa! They have smelling jars for everything they sell so you can have a sniff before purchasing. There are recipes all over the store too that you can tear from the display and take home. Excellent spice variations and they have it all here!!! Kudos!

This place saves me in the kitchen! Always top quality and they take a lot of work out of cooking by having such great blends. For example, the «Bold Taco» seasoning is great in a variety of taco/​burrito/​enchilada dishes, but the real magic is how great it makes Spanish rice taste! The double-​strength vanilla is off-​the-​hook amazing. Crème Brulee from heaven. Chocolate chip cookies to die for…

Large selection. Practically every spice selection has a 6 inch diameter sample glass jar that you can open for a sniff. Every spice smells fresh and potent. Quality is high. I purchased 5 different blends.
Expensive.

No. Staff does not care if you are in there or not. This was my experience and I wasn’t sure if they were like that to everybody or just people who fit the «profile.»
That’s okay… I found Savory Spice Shop because of Penzey’s inattentive customer service.
Savory Spice Shop was everything I had hoped for and more! Quality is just as good if not better and so much cheaper! GO THERE

A friend asked for funky spices for Christmas this year, so I hauled my butt down to Montgomery Village to check them out. This was my first time in the store.
Wow. Just WOW. TONS of stuff… and yes, even funky stuff! Though, I was given by my boss some Chinese long pepper a number of years ago, and that by far trumps the funk of anything sold at Penzeys.
Come here when you have a LOT of time to browse and sniff. I believe every spice/​herb has a sniffing jar.
Their gift boxes are really unique too. You can select one of theirs or you can package your own, and with that you pay an extra small price to get the garnish bag which comes with cardomom pods, a ton of bay leaves and quite a few cinnamon sticks.

I love that this place is walking distance from my house, but you can’t try anything!
For the price, selection, and real experience, go to Savory.

I’ve come back to this place time and time again and realized I didn’t update my review!
My first visit I came in hand with a $ 100 gift certificate. My boyfriend knows how much I love the spices here, if I took a picture of my cabinets (Yes! I said cabinets, more than 1!) full of spices I’d be the poster child for this business.
I loved walking around the store smelling all the spices I’d always overlooked the name online or the picture in their mailer.
My favorite spices of late that are hard to find anywhere else, but are always in stock at Penzeys: freeze-​dried garlic, freeze-​dried chives, and chili con carne. Seriously, their chili con carne mix goes with everything in the Summer. Think chili and barbecue! I also top my potato salad with it!
I also love Aleppo pepper. It’s a sweet pepper that sort of reminds me of a non-​spicy or smoky chipotle.
Everyone in the staff is super helpful! They help you find anything, and recently told me when I was buying mustard powder (making your own mustard is awesome!) that if you don’t see a 1 pound bag, grab 2 8-​ounce bags and they’ll give you the discounted 1 pound price!
If you don’t get their magazine, you best do so now! Every month it’s packed with suggestion recipes and always includes an amazing gift or discount certificate. The last one I used? Any 1 cup spice jar free. And you know what? It wasn’t just ANY, it was the most expensive! Yup, not realizing that I had a $ 14 1 cup jar of Maharaja curry (seriously, BEST sweet curry mix in the world!) in my basket I was thinking my tab came up pretty cheap.
Then the lady winked and said «Good choice!» I saved $ 14 dollars just like that!
Otherwise, just stop in and smell this or that. Surely some seasoning is to catch your eye, er, uh nose! Always a favorite place to shop. Oh and my first visit I spent about $ 60 dollars. So be careful when you walk in there! If you love to cook you’ll love Penzeys!

I came here and fell in love. The one thing I found that I cannot live without is the country dressing mix. All of their salad dressing mixes are amazing. I tend to make all mine from scratch, but after trying thiers, we may have a new house dressing staple.
Prices are reasonable. If you get on the mailing list for the quarterly catalog, you get insane coupons inside. Yay!
I cannot wait to go back. I spent about $ 40 here Saturday, and got an amazing selection of items. The bags are better priced than the glass jars, so if you have containers go for it.
Also they have Aleppo Powder — which outside of Dean and Delucca in Napa, I’ve had a hard time finding. Yay! score!

Prices are decent. And, the advantage this place has over the place downtown is definitely the parking. However, in my opinion, that’s the only advantage this place has over the one downtown.
They didn’t have a couple things I was looking for which was a bummer. One of the things I was looking for was even included in a recipe card they had posted up and, yet, they still didn’t have it.
Atmosphere is pretty sterile. Seems clear (at least at the time I went about a month ago) that they threw the place together quickly. Just some display racks, a cement floor, and a couple burlap bags slapped haphazardly on the walls. Nothing to make it feel warm and inviting. You just want to get in there, grab what you need and go.
Contrast that with some of the other specialty spice stores I’ve been that are set up in such a way that you want to linger and think of all the wonderful things you could cook if you only had the spices to do it. In that case, I end up spending much more.
So, on second thought, maybe it’s better (for my pocketbook) that the place is cold and uninviting.