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Herat Market owner Amin with fresh Afghan nan

Herat Market owner Amin with fresh Afghan nan

AFGHAN FOOD MARKETS - RIGHT IN YOUR BACKYARD

March 14, 2012

By Humaira

My mom Jeja's favorite Afghan grocery store is Herat Market located just a few blocks from her house in Newark, CA.  Brother in-laws married to two sisters own Herat.  The whole family clocks in to cover the long business hours. The owners informed me that my mother and father were their first customers when they opened their doors 11 years ago.  I didn’t know that.

Jeja in her favorite market

Jeja in her favorite market

Herat has a butcher, a baker, and a large selection of spices, legumes plus housewares.  The owners have managed to fill tall shelves with all kinds of goodies. The shoppers are mainly Afghans or Iranians but once in a while I find a curious American wandering the aisles, picking one or two items. I envy that shopper since Jeja and I can never leave the store without at least 3 bags full of grocery. Since Jeja doesn’t drive, sometimes they make home delivery for her.  It is surprising to see such old-fashioned customer service in the age of self-check out counters.

Herat co-owners Amin and Hussein

Herat co-owners Amin and Hussein

As I hear about the negative effects of our country’s economy on small businesses it is heart warming to see this family run business thriving.  If you are in the East Bay I highly recommend a visit to Herat Market followed by lunch at Afghan Village Restaurant next door.

Although Herat is my go to Afghan market, I thought it would be helpful to provide you with an expanded list of places to shop for ingredients.  I have compiled the names and addresses of Afghan/Middle Eastern markets in the Greater Bay Area, Southern California, New York, New Mexico, Washington DC area and Denver.  Although you can find most ingredients for Afghan cooking at ordinary supermarkets, visiting a specialty store is a real treat and can be as much a part of the cultural experience as the cooking itself.    

Afghan pastries and delights

Afghan pastries and delights

CALIFORNIA

San Francisco

Parkside Farmer’s Market 

555 Taraval Ave.  

(415) 681-5563

Newark/Fremont Area

Herat Market

5694 Thornton Ave

(510) 713- 1834

Maiwand Market

37235 Fremond Blvd.

(510) 796-3215

Little Kabul Market

4673 Thornton Ave.

(510) 818-9201

San Jose

Kabul Market

2626 Union Ave.

(408) 559-6175

Hayward

Afghan Market

27521 Tampa Ave.

(510) 786-1085

Tracy

Afghan Market

3258 North Tracy Blvd.

(209) 834-0052

Ariane Halal Market

925 Central Avenue

(209) 835-1666

Concord

Mashriqi Market

1106 Meadow Lane

(925) 676-7844

San Carlos

Adel Market

165 El Camino Real

(650) 654-3340

Mountain View

Rose International Market

1060 Castro St.

(650) 960-1900

Dublin

Sahara International Market

6783 Dublin Blvd.

(925) 999-8242

San Rafael

Jasmine Market

307 3rd St.

(415) 459-4866

Southern California

Wholesome Choice

18040 Culver Dr., Irvine

(949) 551-4111

Super Irvine

14120 Culver Dr., Irvine

(949) 552-8844

Super King Markets (four locations)

10500 Magnolia Ave., Anaheim

(714) 527-5809

2716 N. San Fernando Rd., Los Angeles

(323) 225-0044

2260 N. Lincoln Ave., Altadena

(626) 296-9311

436 Auto Center Dr., Claremont

(909) 267-7252

NEW MEXICO 

Albuquerque

Ariana Halal Market and Afghan Food

607 San Mateo Blvd,

(505) 255-1325

NEW YORK

Queens 

Kabul Halal Meat and Indian Grocery

4219 College Point Blvd.

(718) 961-4141

WASHINGTON DC VICINITY

Alexandria, VA

Afghan Market

5713 Edsall Rd.

(703) 212-9529

Springfield, VA

Afghan Mini Mart

6566 Backlick Rd.

(703) 644-0186

COLORADO

Denver

Arash International Market

2720 South Parker Road

Aurora, CO 80014

Jams and garnishes

Jams and garnishes

All kinds of houwewares for entertaining like an Afghan

All kinds of houwewares for entertaining like an Afghan

Except where otherwise noted, all content on this blog is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license. 

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Humaira opens the world to Afghan culture and cuisine through this blog. She shares the wonders of Afghanistan through stories of rich culture, delicious food and her family’s traditions. Learn more about Humaira’s work.


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Tim Vetter of the Voyager Podcast asked me about Afghan Culture and Food. I hope you enjoy this interview.

Tim Vetter of the Voyager Podcast asked me about Afghan Culture and Food. I hope you enjoy this interview.

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