Kohinoor Foods

Great selection, but they could improve upon their customer service.

If it is hard to find, they carry it.
Black cardamom pods
Kashmiri Chili powder
Ajwain
Curry leaves
I simply could not find these ingredients anywhere else.
If you like high-​end indian cooking spices, with a rich smokey flavour, you’ll like this place.

Fantastic store — amazing spice selection, great service and very nice prices. Go there to stock up on hard-​to-​find Indian food and spices. The owners and people working there are really nice. It loses one star for organisation and cleanliness. Some packages were dirty and the place was very dusty.

If you are having the worst time sourcing a spice you need for an Indian dish, come here. It’s a tiny shop and it doesn’t look like much, but these guys have what you want. It’s even worth a trip out from Etobicoke.

«…may not look like much but she’s got it where it counts.»
–Harrison Ford as Han Solo
Han Solo may have been referring to a space ship but he might as well have been referring to this gem on Gerrard Street. I used to live around the corner and although I’ve moved to the west end of the city I still make the trek east when I need supplies for any South-​Asian dish I’m cooking.

Looking for some spice in your life or perhaps some south asian groceries, Kohinoor Foods is where it is at! Do not be fooled by the small location, the aisles are packed with south asian product goodness. You name the spice, Kohinoor’s will have it.
Their produce section is descent, usually outside, they have an assortment of south asian fruits and vegetables.
Stop by Kohinoor’s while you in the Little India area for your south asian grocery needs!

The best place to get fresh spices anywhere in the city. Kohinoor is my go-​to everytime I attempt to try an indian recipe at home. Run by extremely friendly and helpful shopkeepers, who are happy to help you find that one-​last-​and-​completely-​unpronounceable-​ingredient you have scrawled on the palm of your hand.
Yeast and flour for naan, mango powder, blocks of paneer, fresh cloves, asafoetida for digestion, Fantastic fresh spice blends, ground and unground seeds, a wide variety of dried legumes, tamarind, tamarind pastes, canned saag, Chyawanprash, (
) neem toothpaste, spicy jars of pickled things, vegetables I cannot identify and those pre-​made packed indian meals for one.
Most fantastically Fresh curry (fenugreek) leaves for making sambar. (Right inside the door)
The incredible aforementioned fresh ground spices run about $ 2.99 per 200 grams for the usual suspects (coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric).
as Kat mentioned, there is another Kohinoor just across the road which is the best place to buy things like tiffins
to tote your rice and dahl to work with you. They are in the $ 15-​$ 20 range.
Love this store.

If you want to spice up your life… with freshly ground chili powder, paprika, and cumin, this is the spot!
I bought a spice tin for someone and I needed… spices!
And this place had spices, lots and lots of spices amongst other South Asian groceries.
Apparently, most of the spices are ground fresh that week. You may be able to find them cheaper at BJ’s, but they may have been sitting longer.
I picked up 7 medium packs of spices that ranged in price ($ 2.99 to $ 4.99). They have different pre-​packed sizes depending on how much you need.
One member of the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful showing me where everything was.
I even picked up some easy-​make curry mixes that were on sale for a buck! Butter chicken, mmmm.
I had to stop myself from buying more, custards, tea…
If I didn’t have to lug my groceries on the TTC home, I would have bought more!

I once took an eight week Indian cooking class and the freshly immigrated instructor insisted that we pick up supplies from Kohinoor Foods, and only Kohinoor Foods. We took a daytime field trip together and loaded up on on Indian spice basics like cumin, coriander, black mustard seed, cardamom, turmeric and ajwan seeds. They have every bulk spice imaginable as well as dozens of different flours, rice, lentils and some fresh produce like limes and my Least Favourite Vegetable Of All Time™, okra.
On my last visit I spotted fresh fenugreek (who knew??) and bundles of mint and cilantro big enough to fill a wheelbarrow. Absurdly cheap, too, at $ 1.29/bunch or less.
There’s another store called Kohinoor catty corner to this one, and it specializes in cooking supplies like masala dabba (so pretty!
), pots, pans and other essentials. A must visit if you’re ready to plunge yourself into the world of South Asian cuisine.
NOTE: What’s Black Monkey Brand tooth powder, and who would buy it?

Indian grocery store in Toronto’s Little India. A pastiche of exotic smells and sights await you inside with the various legumes, flours, spices and fruits on display. The shopkeepers here are friendly and kind, and were very patient with me during this year’s Alphonso mango season. :) Take the 506 streetcar east.