The best way to explore any new culture is through their cuisine, but not everyone can afford to jet off across the world.
Luckily, there are edible embassies popping up all around Austin. You can go out and find exciting new ingredients to try, snacks to spice up your life, and even entire meals to discover. With stores offering selections representing almost every continent (sorry Antarctica), you can sample the world without ever having to leave Texas. Here are all the International Markets Around Town worth exploring.
Contributed by Deven Wilson
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Photo via Yelp
11301 Lakeline Blvd.
Lakeline can feel like a world away, but once you get there, you can experience something beyond the typical suburban fare. H Mart is like if you took a department store and a food hall and made a retail-apocalypse proof baby. While they carry a wide variety of Asian goods from groceries to kitchenware, their food hall is what makes H Mart stand out. Keeping with our city’s fascination with Korean fried chicken, check out Don Chicken to get your fix. Then check out their grocery selection and leave understanding the store’s Korean name “Han ah Reum”.
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Photo via Facebook
North Austin: 3909 N Interstate 35 Frontage Rd
South Austin: 5510 S IH 35 Frontage Rd
To any Houstonians or Dallasites, y’all already know about the low-cost magic that is a Fiesta Mart. While it mainly serves as a Hispanic grocer, Fiesta represents well over 90 countries within its walls. Their international section offers products from the UK to Japan, so the sun never sets on Fiesta’s selection. Fair warning: the aroma from their bakery will pick you up and carry you over to grab something to snack on.
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Photo via MT Supermarket
10901 N Lamar Blvd G
The crown jewel of the Chinatown Center, MT Supermarket is your gateway into Asian cuisine. This Pan-Asian tour through the aisles will make you get excited about going to get groceries. Past their koi ponds, their seafood selection makes the lobster take at Walmart seem tame. With live catfish, blue crabs, and other sea creatures, you can take your culinary skills to a whole new level.
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North Austin: 4701 Burnet Rd
South Austin: 2912 S Lamar Blvd.
A classic Austin spot to sample some Mediterranean meals, the bakery at Phoenicia is the main attraction offering everything under the Grecian sun. They make amazing candies and pastries alongside fresh bread perfect for a bacchanal of carbs. For something more savory, peruse their giant olive selection featuring over 20 different types of olives to try, or have a gyro from their deli. Your odyssey down their aisles is sure to be unforgettable.
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Photo via Facebook
2121 W Parmer Ln
The Iron curtain is long gone, but there’s still a barrier keeping Americans from exploring past a croissant. While Texans are more than familiar with Polish food, there is still a missing middle between Poland and Asia. Borderless European Market fills the void with exotic flavors from all over Eastern Europe. Expand your vocabulary beyond vodka, and let something like Kefir delight your taste buds.
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Photo via Facebook
11331 N Lamar Blvd
851 S Bell Blvd (Cedar Park)
Just a few blocks north of Chinatown Center, International Food-Market is an unassuming storefront that packs in a representation further west from Asia into the Mediterranean. Inside, you can find Arabic and Turkish delights at their bakery and a wide selection of Middle Eastern fare. The scent of spices and walls lined with kitchenware will feel like you left North Lamar and entered a bazaar.
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Photo via Facebook
6800 Berkman Dr
8752 Research Blvd
Los Vaqueros Supermercado takes the Tres Leches for providing Austin with a bounty of Hispanic flavors. There is no limit to what kind of Hispanic dish you wish to create with their sprawling selection, and all Spanish signage adds that international feel to the shopping experience. You can try, but you won’t be able to resist getting a last-minute bag of Takis to take home at check out.
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Photo via Facebook
15609 Ronald Reagan Blvd B310, Leander, TX
A newcomer to the Austin market scene, DB World Foods brings India to Leander. Another storefront expanding the palate of Austin’s suburbs, you’ll find everything you need to move past your current curry recipe. You can grab your pantry staples while expanding your culinary horizons. Grab a meal to-go through their kitchen or just enjoy a cup of chai as you shop around.
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Photo via Facebook
6105 Burnet Rd
3005 S Lamar Blvd
Focusing on Japan, you can find specialty gifts and groceries from the land of the rising sun at Asahi Imports. Finally, you can learn how to make authentic sushi and pick up the right tools to make rolls at home or pick up Bentos to break up your meal prep routine. Try other grab-and-go products at their Onigiri corner serving Bentos, mochi, and onigiri. Also, be sure to try their soft serve on the weekends with flavors like black sesame or matcha.
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EVEN MORE INTERNATIONAL MARKETS IN AUSTIN:
3421 W William Cannon Dr #133
2506 W Parmer Ln #170
6929 Airport Blvd #110
1700 W Parmer Ln #100
9616 N Lamar Blvd # 125
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Where do you get your global groceries?
