Sasta Bazaar

This place is wonderful. Places like these are why I love and will always need to live in a city. They have the most authentic ingredients from Pakistan (and some other middle eastern regions) and India, and the best part is that everything is so reasonably priced. They have basmati rice on deck here. Like seriously. You can get so much rice for like 10 bucks. Any other grocery store in the city that amount of rice would cost you like triple, maybe more (if you are shopping at whole foods). The have boxes here that are spice mixes for traditional dishes, and most are under two dollars.
They have a huge selection of lentils and other dried beans as well as a some frozen food selections. They also have oils like almond oil and other hard to find oils for again, so cheap. They have a small butcher shop, did not purchase anything yet, but damn they they had some cheap beef heart.
So If you are looking to cook some very traditional dishes, or just want an inexpensive way to punch up your meals, this is the place for you.

I’m here all the time, don’t know why I never wrote it up. Well it’s your only real choice in town for real Halal meat. I wasn’t convinced they would survive on Devon in Chicago, but as it turns out, they have a branch there too. It’s connected to Anmol, so if you get your food to go at Anmol, first stop in here to see if they have some fresh made roti or other bread, it will be cheaper than in the restaurant. Good selection of spices, grains, South Asian style rice, pickles, soft drinks, frozen goods. Bring your own grocery bag, the plastic bags they have here are flimsy and they like to tie them up before you have a chance to stop them.

So this place is where my boyfriend, who happens to be Indian and is an excellent chef, gets the best cuts of goat and chicken known to man. Just yesterday he made this awesome goat masala and it was to die for!!! The meat was very tender and came right off the bone. Highly recommend.

A lot of our friends eat Halal meat, so when we have our annual barbecue at the lake we order all of our meat from Sasta, as it is Muslim owned and their butcher only sells Halal. Ordering is easy, and they ask you how you want the meat cut. Is your meat for grilling, soup, curry? They will cut it accordingly. Everything is done in front of you and then they bag it up. Prices are slightly more expensive than average, but there are not many Halal butchers in Milwaukee so they have a bit of a monopoly.
This little shop sells good frozen garlic naan, and a nice selection of dry spices. I bought whole cloves, star anise, dried chili, Cardamon pods, and all of the other goodies one needs to make a good mamak curry at home. I also appreciate that they sell chili powder so I can mix it with my curry powder to give a bit more heat.
If you have Muslim friends you want to invite for dinner, be polite and ask if they eat only halal meat. It is courteous, and if they say yes — you know where to go. You will win kudos for being so culturally competent, and considerate.

Oh hi, secret little Indian/​Pakistani grocery store right next to Anmol. I had no idea you even existed!
But you do, and I really, really like you.
Here’s what you do:
1. Go to Anmol. Peruse their shiny, newly printed menu complete with pictures, or order what you know you love (in my case, I’m still exploring, but the chicken makhani, the okra masala, the chicken biryani, the chana dal and the palak paneer… all winners) and get it to go.
2. Tell the nice folks behind the counter that you’re heading next door to Sasta to check out the following:
–a bazillion kinds of rice
–various fresh meats from their deli counter including goat and mutton
–crazy spices
–frozen delights
–lychee jam/​all sorts of jams
–curries
–refrigerated desserts
–cookies/​baked goods
–drinks
–lots more…
This grocery store isn’t huge, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in interesting/​fun/​super cool Indo-​Pak stuff. Try your hand at making chana masala at home, perhaps! They’ve got what you need, much like Biz Markie.
I wish that I hadn’t been in a rush to get home, because I would’ve gotten the name of the really nice guy behind the counter at Anmol who gave us the heads up on this place. He was so nice!
Next time you head to Anmol, make sure to pop in and check this place out. You won’t be disappointed!