Kakulas Brothers

I used to L O V E Kakulas, BUT as someone else has mentioned the service is appalling, like truly horrendous, and i don’t say these words lightly. I have been in retail/​customer service for many years and the rudeness of the staff — Joanna I’m looking at you — is awful, and frankly shocked me. It is a massive shame as I loved shopping there but I can’t justify giving someone my money when the service is that bad. I would rather go to Kakulas Sister in freo where the staff are a sh*t ton more friendly.

I’m done with them and their bad service and awful attitude. they fact that they also lie about where a lot of their product comes from really gets my goat. A large percentage of their product is marked as «Australian» in actual fact they buy it from gaganis brothers in adelaide who imports it from India, Pakistan, Egypt, etc. I find this behaviour very «unAUSTRALIAN» so put that up on your counter tops and ditch the putrid customer service

I come here ever so often to get all sorts of goodies! Spices, hot sauce, chocolate coated goodness, tea, coffee, flour … the list is pretty much endless! I could end up spending a whole day in here getting lost amongst the goods.

Love this place. You can get most of the hard to get spices you need to keep your heart content & it also won’t break the bank.
I usually end up with many different spices/​teas/​nuts/​dried/​flours/​coffee beans/​fruits bags.
There is nearly always a queue which can be a pain if you are there during your lunch-​break. Also, it is cash only.

Need a rare spice, specific kind of flour or salt, or something special for a recipe? Kakulas is the place to go. I even have stopped by to grab Cajun seasoning, Moroccan spice and German mustard for my mother-​in-​law, who lives in Melbourne – and I thought Melbourne had it all!
Even when I don’t need anything in particular, I love to wander Kakulas and have a look at all the spices, flours, beans, pastas, teas and treats. It’s always a sensory experience and it makes me feel at home.

Beautiful old time market. Excellent selection of spices, dry goods (beans, pastas, flours) and lots of gourmet goodies. The scents and visuals just make you itch to get cooking. At the moment we don’t actually have a kitchen… but if we did I would be in there every week.
Note that this market is cash only.

You can smell the beautiful aromas wafting from the entance to Kakulas a few shops away. It’s so enticing!
After a tedious search for the perfect coffee beans for my espresso machine i decided to look in Kakulas Brothers. I was tired of paying $ 40+ for a kilo of beans as we were running through them quite quickly.
Kakulas has quite a few coffee beans to choose from, each has a little sign describing their origin, characteristics and flavour.
My tip is the Espresso Blend, it’s the most expensive but at $ 22 a kilo I’m hardly complaining! They recommend it for home espresso machines and the taste is beautiful, rich and creamy. Never burnt or bitter.
Drop the packet of Fiori or 5 Senses or Yahava or whatever you’re blending at home at the moment and give these beans a try. you might love it :)
Oh and FYI– CASH ONLY $$$

I love popping into Kakulas Brothers and purchasing the honey/​cinnamon nuts and chocolate covered nuts. If you want to get some superior snacks make sure you check out the nuts section.
When I start trying some more adventurous cooking I will probably come and try out some of the exotic mysterious spices that I spy around the shop.

I’m in loooove with this store. It is amazing as everyone has stated. They have everything and knowledgeable staff to boot. «Does asafoetida have gluten?» Yes. Not only will you not get that sort of product at Coles or Woolies but 16-​year old kids aren’t very knowledgeable.
I’ve bought sauerkraut and though the date said it was fine, it had gone bad a long while before. Amazing for loose goods. Double check labels.

this long established (well before the younger Sista) business is in the heart of Old Northbridge. Back in the day when Northbridge was gambling joints and cafes, food shops and restaurants, families and dance-​clubs (ie pre casino) Kakulas was the place where everyone purchased their dry goods. The fact that it has managed to hold on, without any glass or chrome, selling the same produce, without tills that add up or fancy eftpos machines is tribute to old fashioned tax avoidance and the quality of the products. Cheap, fresh varied and plentiful. And that’s just the staff. The stock is fascinating and aromatic. A Mecca for for kids young and old.

If I can’t find a particular spice or herb, I head to Kakulas. There’s still quite a range that supermarkets don’t stock and probably will never stock for someone who makes spice blends and sauces from scratch. Sauce straight from a jar just doesn’t do it for me. I still add to it.
A first timer to any Kakulas store can be overwhelming as there aren’t any signs of where things are located but it doesn’t take too long to figure out where the main stock items are located. The staff are always happy to help out with locating an item and even suggest other ingredients for a dish.

If Kakulas sells what I’m after (and 99% of the time they do) then I won’t buy it from anywhere else. Not only is it wonderful walking through their bags and bags of herbs and spices but it is cheap and you can buy as much or as little of something as you like.
I make all my bread at home so I love buying different seeds and nuts from here to try out in the bread mix.
The herbs and spices are fun to experiment with and you can even get chocolates and coffees.
One of my favourite shops in Perth without a doubt.

Okay so maybe I just walked in here because it smelled good. There, I said it. The spicy, delicious aroma of this Greek house of spices drew me in like a cartoon wolf floating on a breeze that lead them to an inevitable trap. The trap, of course, being that Kakulas did not only just smell delicious, but it tasted pretty freaking good too.
The shelves are packed with loose grains, spices and all things gastronomous, making for an experimental cook’s dream. The treats they’ve imported are definitely worth a taste too, sweet and savoury alike. The Northbridge branch now has a window on the street where you can fetch yourself a freshly made coffee with their fine produce in your cup. Definitely worth a look, or even a smell.

I adore the sister version of Kakulas Brothers in Freo and never realised one existed closer to home until now. I am over the moon because now I can pay more regular visits to my favourite gourmet grocer — the bags of coffee beans, chocolate, rice and herbs get me every time. If you whipping up a plate of exotic nibbles and needs some inspiration for a tasty combination, you will find it no where else than at Kakulas — guaranteed.

Having recently returned from travelling to Jamaica I have developed a taste for the internationally famous jerk chicken that heralds from the Caribbean nation. The authentic recipe calls for the treasured pimote seed, of which is quite difficult to find in Perth. Kakulas Brothers are an institution in the Perth spice arena, providing a wide election of mainstream and elusive spices, herbs, flours, grains and other gourmet delicassies that add flavour to your culinary creations. The service is excellent, the staff are incredibly passionate and very knowledgeable. Upon enquiring about the Jamaican pimote seed, I was informed of a range of other spices to complement my Jamaican styles and add depth to a range of other dishes from the region. It is great that Perth has this type of shop, that is family run and is widely supported by the community. The store has a magical ambience that inspires any aspiring foodie to become a little more adventurous.

I really think the Kakulas family should start paying me with free produce for all the pro bono advertising I do for them. I’m a frequent glutton at their Fremantle store, Kakulas Sister, and I can’t recommend their gourmet nibblies and various food stuffs nearly enough. Luckily for folks North of the River, Kakulas sibling, aptly named Kakulas Brothers, is a connoisseur of the exact same ilk. Except, dare I say it, perhaps even better? But not quite.
Kakulas is positively old school. Think old wooden floor boards, good old pen and paper signage, and an amazing array of international imports. In fact, Kakulas is channeling the vibe of an old Greek deli so much so to the point where they completely forego EFTPOS facilities. Quaint, but positively irritating. Surely they’d save a lot more time and make much more money if they even had a $ 10 minimum? Get with the program, brother K! They do redeem their luddite ways by being incredibly organised. I love Sister K to bits, but I always feel like I’m shopping on Christmas Eve every time I go in there because the place is so darn small and not really easy to navigate. Brother K has much more room, making grocery shopping a far less hectic experience.
Am I the only one who occasionally samples their wares? Holler at me if you’ve ever pinched a berry or two!

Until recently I’d only been in Kakulas Brothers’ sister store in Fremantle (surprisingly named Kakulas Sister), but on a recent wander round Northbridge its spicy scent tempted me in. It’s pretty similar to the Freo store, except bigger and I’d say their selection of loose herbs and spices is better. But they stock all the same wonderful imported produce and sacks of nuts, dried fruit, grains, cereals, flour and every other ingredient a self-​respecting chef could want. I regularly pop into Kakulas Sister for crystallised ginger and Turkish delight to snack on — I am a ginger addict, and a piece of Turkish delight never goes amiss. So, imagine my delight when I found that Kakulas Brothers has several flavours of Turkish delight that the sister store lacks, and one of them is — ginger! I was overjoyed when I discovered this and immediately helped myself to a healthy portion to nibble on. Delicious.

Head straight for the nuts and chocolate section for cheap treats. I can only recommend THEM ALL but my favourites are the honey roasted cashews and chocolate oranges. Every time I go in here I can’t help but spend more money than intended on additional olives and cheese. Oops!

Ah, Kakulas Brothers. You’ve fed me and helped me to feel connected again in some of my lowest times. How ever will I repay you? Perhaps I can start with this shining review? It’s impossible not to get excited about this speciality grocery store, which has been importing products directly from Greece since the 1930s. Most people know Kakulas Brothers for its loose produce — giants sacks of grains, flour, oats and coffee, tins of herbs and spices, canisters of nuts, dried fruit and chocolate in every form and process imaginable. It’s like bulk-​food Mecca! And it smells sooo good. But there’s also a cold meats section and plenty of packaged European food products which are worth the trip over for as well. I also had one of the best soy lattes around from the coffee bar here. What a place!