Haig’s Delicacies

Haig’s Delicacies sells all kind of mediterranean goodies, most of which i can’t pronounce and have never eaten.
sadly, Haig’s is closing this retail store at the end of the month, they will continue their wholesale trade (hummus, ready to eat foods, etc.)
everything is 50% off so i grabbed some durable goodies:
–strawberry tea (4oz, 6.99)
–twinings ceylon orange pekoe tea (5.99)
pretty potent stuff, too much leafs = bitter taste
still good after 3 refills
hopefully, i made some good buys as i can’t complain to them since they won’t be here much longer.

love this place for all the dutch imported treats (like hagelslag and spekulas) and british candies and teas.
but note they are closing their doors at the end of March 2013 —
.

I am a hummus fanatic… Why have I not discovered this place earlier???
I LOVE their plain hummus and muhammara (walnut and red roasted bell peppers).
I like how old and simple this place looks. They sell dried fruits, nuts, loose tea leaves, cous cous, foreign snacks and candies, and most importantly HUMMUS!!!
You must go. NOW.

Great resource for Mediterranean spices and supplies… especially hard to find rose water, saffron, sumac, harrisa and many other unique items…
Want sesame paste… they got it!
Prepared foods: Falafel and dolma pretty good as well as hummus and baba ghanoush.
This place is another clement street landmark that has been here for probably 20 – 30 years… maybe more.
Support these wonderful, unique, and local stores!!!

We came in for lunch here yesterday — we were not disappointed! The young man behind the counter was SUPER friendly and helpful, and he made us excellent falafel sandwiches and a spicy hummus plate. I appreciated the small dining area near the window, and as for the retail offerings… wow! Walking up and down the aisles felt like a world tour, with pantry items from diverse places like Britain, India, Malaysia, Turkey. The deli case had some interesting cheese and such. I took home some saffron threads and Devon cream. :-) Can’t wait to go back!

What is not to like? This is a great deli with an awesome store with all types of Mediterranean foods — halvah, baklava, honey, nuts, spices, olives, filo dough, couscous, the list goes on!
I wish they would redo the sign outside so that there were more people who knew about this place. Many that I’ve asked in the neighborhood never heard of this place and I keep on sending folks here!
Note they close early (6-​ish) so if you are entertaining, stop by early to grab your essentials…

You can not imagine how happy I got when I stumbled upon this little gem in my neighborhood yesterday during my random afternoon stroll.
It was a walk down memory lane with all my childhood goodies in one place. Mmmm… never have I seen so many (legit) Dutch goodies at one time since I moved to the US.
In the Netherlands we also have a lot of Turkish food, and guess what, they have amazing Turkish goodies here too, although the Baklava is a bit dry.
The gentleman behind the counter asked «are you in heaven» upon check out, if only he knew… «Yes sir, Dutch Goodies Heaven that is.»
So many great European spices, herbs & delicacies, the only negative side of this is that I’ll be broke, because the products in this store are really expensive (as they are all imported), but it will be so worth it. Gosh, I can’t wait to go back!

Dear Haig’s owner
Haig’s is most definitely a gem of the neighborhood. My husband and I stopped in once and since then we visit at least 1x a week.
I am impressed by all the spices/​nuts/​grains that you carry i.e. Saffron, turmeric, cumin, different kinds of almonds, pecans, walnuts, couscous and tapioca, there is so many I can’t remember them all.
When I want to remember my travel travels to Europe, I browse and end up buying Spotted Dick (don’t laugh readers it’s a pudding), Tetley teas, crisps, Horlicks/​Ovaltine (euro), Ribera, Roses’ Marmalade, British biscuits and my absolute favorite is Devon cream. If I feel adventurous and want to trying to make Indian or Indonesian foods, you are the first place I visit to get the packets/​jars of spices that I need.
My husband loves to come and get your sandwiches here; his favorite is Mortadella, on a soft roll with Provolone cheese. While I usually go for a falafel or even pick up some Tabouleh, Hummus, or dolmas to go. And sometimes I treat myself to your Turkish delight, or Baklava or Halvah.
We don’t leave your store until we pick up euro chocolate candies i.e. Bounty, euro Kitkat, Buttons, and Aero just to name a few.
Last but not least we really enjoy the service that we get from Carlos; he is always smiling and always stops to chat a bit. From my observations he does this for everyone that walks into the store. I really appreciate that and I know that other customers do too.
One negative is that you should try to get a least a part-​time person in those 2 guys look super busy and run around quite often. How often do they have time to clean it up or at least dust the shelves? Some of the items need a rotation. This would only benefit you.

I guess I had high expectations for this place after reading its reviews but I left a little disappointed.
While they carried Turkish coffee pots and tea cups and lots of evil eye accessories, they did not carry many Turkish food products. I only saw a few Turkish candy/​snacks.
They did have jars of salep, but because I didn’t know any recipes calling for salep, I did not buy it. It’d be nice to recreate some dondurma in the states with it, but I’ll have to pick it up later after I do my research.
They also have kofte spices which is great to have when I wanna try to recreate the kofte that I had in Istanbul.
They have unboxed turkish delight however they were not as fresh as I thought they would be. They had 3 kinds, plain with lots of pistachios, plain with not as much pistachios, and an assorted variety of fruit flavored lokum. They sell it at 11.99/lb for the plain with most pistachios and 8.99 or 9.99/lb for the fruit ones. I got a quarter lb of the plain with not as much pistachios and a quarter pound of the fruit ones. The fruit ones were way too sweet and seemed artificially flavored and colored. Tasted too much like Dots than authentic turkish delight. The fruit flavored were so old that even the powdered sugar/​cornstarch that it was covered in was drying out. Crusty lokum is not fresh lokum.
Having just studied abroad in Istanbul this past summer, and having bought and tried 60lira/​kilo turkish delight, I thought that the turkish delight was not as good as I have had.
They also sold prepackaged boxes of turkish delight for ~6.99/box, might have been a better choice if I had known that their lokum had been out for so long. They carry Gulluoglu, a great baklava place, brand turkish delight too. I would recommend getting that instead and please let me know if its any better!
They carry baklava from Oasis which is very convenient. I had thought about visiting Oasis bakery in Belmont for their baklava but its out of the way and closed Fri-​Sun. I did not get it Haigs because they didn’t look as golden brown as the ones I had in Istanbul :/​Baklava in the states seem so pale compared to baklava in Turkey.
Lastly my sister ordered the Mediterranean plate and we were kinda disappointed. The humus was good but the rest of the plate was not that great. The falafel, I think, were small little balls that were brown and dry on the inside. I think they would have fresher food if they had more business. Old, stale food should not be sold though.

Their hummus is good, like previous reviewers have mentioned. HUGE selection of teas and jams from Britain and India! :)
What really appealed to me was the British soda, I bought 5 cans… heh!
The falafel is aiiiiight, I’ve had better. It was really really dense.
Service was spectacular. Both of the guys working were friendly and kind.

The best things about Haigs.
1– Their Dolmas. They are the only dolmas I’ve ever found edible. The leaves aren’t gooey, the rice & spice mix is perfect. And they sell them in some supermarkets too, but they’re much cheaper in the store.
2– Candy! They have all sorts of interesting european candy bars. The Crunchie, Flake & Aeros bars are my favorite. They had something called Chewy Kit-​Kat last time that was scary yet intriguing.
3– Tons of baklava. 99 cents each. Or 3 for $ 2.79. Or 6 for $ 5.29.
4– Love their Bulgarian Sheeps Feta. Very strong yummy cheese.
There’s a cute little seating area too, but there’s a stair or two in order to access it.
The bad part, the rest. I really dislike their pita bread, falafel, hummus, basically everything else. But don’t let that deter you from trying it for yourself, I think I have distinct tastes when it comes to mediterannean food. A lot of people I know love their food.
The guys behind the counter are super nice too, although one is a bit too nice, sometimes making vaguely inappropriate jokes or comments to women. I don’t think he means any harm though.

I miss this place. I used to live at the corner of 7^th and Clement, so I had access to bomb ass hummus.
This is review for just the hummus.
Here’s what some people have said about it:
«It’s the shit!» –Kyle W.
«G.O.A.T. Greatest of all time.» –Kyle W.
«Bar none best hummus i’ve ever had, and you can get in different spiciness levels.» –Kyle W.
There you have it folks, that hummus is worth whooping that ass for.

Recipe for a solid Hippie Hill picnic:
1.) Haig’s spicy hummus
2.) a mixture of Haig’s sweets (they have everything from fresh rose Turkish delight to sinfully sweet, pistachio coated baklava)
3.) Falafel
4.) soft doughy bread
5.) marmite… oh wait — how did get that on there? — definitely not marmite (thought they carry it)
6.) loose leaf tea (just make sure you have a spot to stop on by to fill up on hot water)
7.) decadent European jam
8.) on point honey
and of course my favorite ingredient
9.) love. Lots of it.
Haig’s + Hippie Hill + sunshine = So what’s up.
Trust.

The Muhammara is 5 stars. For those of you that know, you know. For those of you who dont, order it. It kicks hummus and baba ganoushs’s ass. Though Haig’s offers a delicious hummus and baba too.
I have had the falafel before and it was pretty good not pull my pants down good, but good.
There are also lots of random cool products you can pick up here, jams, candies, tahini…
Plus the guy who works there is super friendly and nice.

There is only one scene in the film «War of the Worlds» (Tom Cruise version) worth mentioning, and only one. His daughter ordered lunch delivered to his house, and he reaches down and takes bite of whatever it is she’s ordered and promptly spews it out with a ghastly expression. «What the hell is that?» he asks. «Hummus!» his daughter proudly replies.
I laughed out loud because twice in the heydays of the 1970s when my mother was returning to college and finding her inner hippie, she sprung that kind of crap on her kids. Once, at a party table laden with goodies, she said «try that, it’s delicious» and to pointed to a lovely miniature pie with a crust, it’s golden custard oozing out.
I took a big finger full and spat it out. Oh my god, it’s horrible, and it’s MOLDY. What is that? «Warm Brie» she replied. Cruel thing to do to a child (but I love it now.) The second time was «a really good lemon dip» which was, as you guessed it, hummus.
Hated it for years, but then I learned it’s pretty decent when made and served at a restaurant, but not terribly good or even reliable when bought from a grocery store. Trader Joe’s version is horrific, can’t stand it, but Tribe is passable if I’m in a veggie mood.
That «meh» attitude instantly changed when I found Haig’s Hummus in the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-​Op. I bought the tiny tub to have with some pita, took a spoonful and said «Oh my god. What IS that» with an expression of wonder. I scarfed it all down in a day or two, and returned for the big olé bucket size.
How can one brand be so much more delicious, nearly ethereal, compared to others?
There is no logical explanation for it, other than it’s got addictive chemicals which make ye crave it fortnightly, or, Xenu’s magical Volcanic powers are involved.
Tom Cruise would have jumped up and down on a yellow couch and bellowed to Oprah «I LOVE THIS HUMMUS» and pumped his fists, if he’d only tried it before making that ghastly film.
It’s quite possible people would have instantly understood his enthusiasm for Haig’s Hummus and then his career wouldn’t have tanked so drastically. Well it probably would have, but still. He wouldn’t have looked like such an ass..

I love both the deli selection and the groceries here. Haig’s is a special, unique spot along Clement, selling ethnic grocery from around the world and highlighting foods from the Middle East in their deli case. They have homemade Turkish Delight, Pistachio Delight, baklava, hummus, etc. here; albeit a little on the pricier side, you can’t really find these kinds of foods elsewhere in the city.
Today, as a kind of farewell to Clement (for awhile anyway), I tried one of Haig’s specialty sandwiches, with crispy cured sausage and soft, fresh bread. There was a slight kick to the sausage, but the creamy sauce and the lettuce and tomato balanced out the mix. Their other specialty sandwiches include dolma and hummus. Mmmm!
The décor of the store is like a small general store, with ethnic and local items hung up on the walls. The service is always so kind and helpful here; for instance, today I also bought a bottle of yogurt soda, and the worker told me to be careful when opening the bottle, and to use a cup over the top of the bottle when opening so to prevent spills. The tip will most certainly serve me well since I can be a klutz on occasion.
I hope to stop by Haig’s again, even though I’ll be living further away from it soon.

I was window shopping with my buddy Wendy on Clement Street and she was telling me about the hummus they’d served at a holiday ‘do the previous evening. «Haig’s,» she said, «Whole Foods. You gotta try it.» We continued walking, and I spied an establishment across the street with the same name. Could it be??? We went in to check. Sure enough, it was the purveyor of the delicious hummus-​a holiday miracle!
Great selection of stuff here and loads of lovely fresh stuff. The folks behind the counter are friendly and accommodating and don’t rush you (almost to a fault), giving you tastes of whatever you like. Everything was good, but my favorite was the red pepper hummus. I will be back again and again.
Is it the best hummus in town? Very close says I, but I still hold to the opinion that Krivaar on Pine in the FiDi has the best. However, Haig’s is as close a second as is possible, and in the red pepper hummus category, Haig’s takes the prize.
What a happy accident finding you, Haig’s. Thanks for being there and thanks for being so wonderful.

Stopped in today for light lunch fare: oneof their juicy and tastey falafel pita sando and a Woodpecker.
This is my first time drinking a woodpecker; it’s an english apple cider made by Bulmer’s of Herefordshire. Quite tastey.
When I used my iPhone, a window popped up and said HAIGSWireless.
Just clicked on the OK and Voila! I was browsing on their WiFi at very high speed. Much higher than 3G or EDGE or EVDO.
I told the owner that his Wifi was fast. He said it’s always free.
Thanks Haig’s!

One of the few VERY old SF stores, from the time when my grandparents were still around. And the only place I know that sells muhammara (a dip made from grounded walnuts and roasted red peppers). Delicious stuff!
Their hummus is delicious too. It has the right consistency (thicker) and taste. The dips have helped me impress many friends at potlucks. I use crackers or pita bread for dipping. In case you want to try any of their dips, you can always ask for a taste before you buy anything.
Muhammara ($ 6.99 per pound):
Roasted red pepper hummus ($ 6.99 per pound):
The outside looks really outdated, but the inside is clean and contemporary. There are a few seats by the left window if you choose to eat inside. This deli/​grocery store stocks a large assortment of spices, canned European food specialties, drinks and foreign candies. The owners are from Armenia. In my opinon, they are as good as they can be, a well-​stocked middle eastern deli with quality ingredients, so they get 5 stars.
I think that their falafel is pretty good, although I’m not a falafel expert. The fried falafel balls are smaller so they can be spread out inside the pita bread (a great idea), but they put very little tahini sauce (bread doesn’t become soggy afterwards). Yes, most other places use hummus instead. For my taste I’d ask for extra tahini sauce.
In addition to falafels, hummus (regular, spicy, roasted red pepper), and deli sandwiches, they have sliced aram wraps, dolmas, couscous salad, tabouli, spanakopita, homemade middle eastern sweets, etc.
Also one of the best places in SF to get cheap pita bread, at $ 2.99 per bag (a dozen pita). While you might find pita bread for around $ 3 elsewhere, you’ll notice that the bags at some other places only have half dozen pita breads.
Owners: Bill (son of Mr. Haig) and his wife Rita.
They close at 6pm. Closed on Sunday.

There’s more here than Middle Eastern and Turkish food.
The bagged spices are well worth browsing, and the deli and coffee shop are popular. A few items on these shelves can be found elsewhere, but most of them are rarities. We came to buy some European specialties.
2 cans of Zenith dolmas, which TJ doesn’t carry anymore.
HP Sauce, from Birmingham, England, not New York.
Branston Pickle.
Patak’s Original Major Gray Chutney.
Cadbury milk chocolate with hazelnuts.
All great finds, for a total of $ 19.65.