The Silk Road Spice Merchant

The Silk Road Spice Merchant is so much fun to browse in; a great place to let your imagination run wild as you sniff, read about and imagine all the amazing culinary possibilities… The ambience is cool and the staff are knowledgeable. The spices are mostly affordable and because they are high quality, a little goes far. If you are shopping for an indulgent gift for yourself or otherwise. ;-) the truffle salt is amazing — a pricey $ 18.00. A little does go a long way. It is yummy stuff! They will give a taste sample in the store on request.
They have a location at The Calgary Farmers Market for convenience. But the original store is worth a visit to start for certain to really get the jist of what they are about.

I found this gem long before it moved to 9^th ave. I always make a list at home and just hand it to the staff member (does that make them spice girls?). Being on 9^th ave, parking is tough (especially when one drives a big pickup) and it sucks to drive all the way there only to realize one forgot that they are closed Monday. But I love it!

This is one of my favourite places to go even when I’m not out of something. There is always a spice or blend you can experiment with. I really like the Red Hawaiian sea salt, for both its visual interest and the taste. My pepper mill is filled with their Mignonette Peppercorn blend — obviously I’ve got a large bag of kosher salt, which is pretty standard, and my favourite blend is a toss up between their Bow River Fish blend and the Juniper Berry spice rub. A+ for their originality, friendliness and packaging — the bags and jars — which you can’t go wrong with for last minute gift ideas.

Such a cute spice shop, with a great selection of spices that you can’t find from the chain markets. I was looking for caraway seeds, so glad they carry it :)

An amazing collection of smells greets you the second you walk in the door. The shop is a big bright open space that is easy to move around in even when it’s busy, which is often. If you are a cook or a bartender even in your amateur dreams this place is heaven. The selection of bitters alone is inspiring. Some great cookbooks (Vij) and I guarantee some spices you never imagined (vanilla lavender sugar). I also really like that you are forced to slow down! One till it’s slow but the clerks are friendly, have good cooking suggestions and what’s the rush anyway?

A friend recommended Silk Road Spice Merchant and I’m very pleased to have learned about it. They have a great selection of hard to find cocktail ingredients. They had the bitters I wanted in stock. I will absolutely be getting more cocktail ingredients from Silk Road Spice Merchant!

WOW! Fresh spices at grocery store prices. I’m ecstatic. The selection of this store includes Thai, Indian and Mexican spices, various spice blends, whole and ground spices, salts, truffles, citrus spices, bitters, cocktail accessories AND kitchen spice accessories.
I have nothing else to say except that regardless of the level of your cooking skills, you should try this place for your spices.
This store is busy so expect a bit of a wait at the measuring table and checkout; especially if you order something not already on the shelf.
For the record, I got hot yellow curry, ground habanero, ground roasted garlic and thyme. The next chicken I roast is going to be so proud to be marinated in all this awesomeness

What terrible customer service!
I made my first and last trip to the store today. Although beautiful and in a great location, I was certainly unimpressed by their apathetic sales associates.
I had rushed down on my lunch break to purches some Christmas presents and had two expensive gift boxes ready to go — but when i got up to the till, the sales associate announced loudly to her coworker that debit and credit appeared to be down. She then disappeared to the back without explaining where she was going or what she was doing… Just leaving the customer in front of me and myself standing there confused.
when she finally returned minutes later, she said debit and credit weren’t working.
The customer in front of me had the cash to pay, so she did so then left.
I, however, didn’t have the money to pay for my pricey purchases.
I asked if we could try using my debit, just in case.
(The woman in front of me had tried to use visa, so i was curious if perhaps it was just her card that wasn’t working, or credit cards in general, but that debit may still be functional.)
The sales associated laughed at my query and said «there’s no point it wont work!»
I stood there in silence.
No one was offering any solutions.
No one offered me ANYTHING, not even an apology.
I have sympathy for the staff, i worked in retail and customer service for 5 years… And i am aware that debit and credit can go down from time to time.
BUT when they did, i always made an effort to put items on hold for customers not able to purchase them… And to get their phone number so i could even call when things were working again.
No one offered to put my items on hold, so i asked if i could and they complied, still not offering any apologies or any sympathy at all.
I explained that i wouldn’t be in the area long, and that i was on my lunch break and already late to get back to work. I asked how long they thought it would be before things were up and running and the sales associate scoffed, «i have no idea.»
They didn’t even make any effort to alert the other customers shopping in the store of the issues, or to make a sign to put on the till. They just left people to fend for themselves.
I was blown away by the utter lack of care from any of the staff. It was like i was inconveniencing them by trying to purchase something and they just wanted me to leave so they could get back to chit chatting with each other.
I did notice that i could hear catty conversations from the back room while i was shopping, as it is separated by the shop by only a thin curtain. Another charming feature of the shop. Lord only knows Whar they said about me back there.
Remind me to never shop there again. I’m glad they didn’t get my money.

My girlfriend and I stumbled upon Silk Road while roaming the streets of Inglewood this past summer. She’s got an amazing knack for blending flavors, and knows her herbs and spices very well. So on her insistence, I followed her in.
First thing I noticed was the smells… so many incredible smells! Next, the selection. I can honestly say I couldn’t believe the amount of selection they had. While she was perusing the shop, I found my way to the rubs. I came home with their Barbecue Belt Chicken and Rib Rub. I tried it on pork chops that night, and couldn’t believe the difference! I have since tried their other meat seasonings and have never been disappointed.
What I like about Silk Road is the quality; none of this sugar and salt filled nonsense that you get from commercial brands at the supermarket. And the prices are on par with what you would pay at the grocery store.
Do yourself a favor and visit this gem next time you’re in Inglewood.

Got a friend to send me a 45g bag of «Grains of Paradise» (I live on the west coast).
They sold her a 90g bag, as they said they didn’t have any 45g left.
Weighed it (the original rolled, taped bag, no tare) with a very accurate scale.80.2 g.
An accident or skim?

I wondered into this fine establishment at the sun festival held every year in Inglewood. I have driven past it many times at this location and their old location and I am sorry that I had not gone in sooner. The place is full of amazing spices, dried herbs and spice lends from every part of the world.
They are reasonably priced considering you will pay 6 bucks a the grocery store for something of lower quality. They don’t skimp on filling the bottles either. I have purchased a variety of spices from there and all have been filled to the top.
They only thing I could say is that I wish it had a sprinkle lid on top but there could be an option to purchase one and I didn’t see it.
Seriously… Go here… It’s awesome!

Calling all cocktail connoisseurs, calling all bakers, calling all master chefs and anyone else that dreams at night of making food sing! This is single handed the most amazing collection of spices, herbs, rubs, marinades, honeys and oils I have ever seen collected in once place. The selection of bitters is incredible; there were at least 3 different companies as well as a menagerie of flavours. This fragrant store little made my heart skip a beat then beat like I was in love. You must, must enter this store… But be warned, I thought I would just look around: $ 120 later, packing some serious culinary heat, I left with white truffle oil, truffle infused organic honey, teapot bitters, grapefruit bitters and rosewater. Oh, I left with one more thing — a smile that has continued for a week now since acquiring the lovely jars. And an instantly renewed passion for my kitchen and the friends that dine in it! Get ready gang, this summer’s dinner parties are going to be kicked up a notch!

I adore this place. They have such a wonderful variety and selection of fresh spices I quiver every time I enter the store… or perhaps it’s my bank account that shakes knowing what is coming. Time and time again I come here to buy gifts for people. They do such a lovely job of packaging up the spices in a gift box that I want to buy a gift for everyone I know.
With helpful and knowledge staff, this is the place to go to get your spices or even try a new combination. A definite must stop every time you are in Inglewood.

This place is dangerous, I spent $ 18 on truffle salt because they had popcorn samples with a variety of seasonings to try.
The store is laid out wonderfully by type of spice and lots of the spices rest on bookshelves. If you are in for a refill, you can save some moolah by getting a bag instead of a jar.
They also sell shaker lids for your jars, don’t want that truffle salt spilling out every where.
I roamed around the store twice, tempted to purchase everything, though I can probably do without the freeze dried shallots, they do have them.
I ended up leaving with my jar of truffle salt, a bag of mexican hot chocolate and a bottle of Porter’s tonic syrup. This section of the store intrigued me most as they have a whole variety of different bitters in stock. I wish I had brought some gin with me.
They also stock some le Creuset pieces and a variety of spice books. Need a wedding, birthday or mother’s day gift? You can customize a gift box of spices!
I definitely will be back.

I like to think I know my spices! This place has a lot of them! A ton! 5 stars just for the variety!
It started out in a basement or garage I was told by a couple that could not find the spices they were looking for. In 2008 this business was born!
I loved it, everything you could possibly want was in this place. The gals working were nice too and very helpful.
Each corner of the roomy shop is labelled and MAN, you can smell when you are in the Indian section and sure feel it in the eyeballs when in the chili section!
I asked for ghost pepper and yep, they had it but you have to ask for it as it is hidden away! (liability reasons as these peppers are that hot! And pricier too but hard to find so I jumped at the chance to get the flakes)
The spices are fresh and blended weekly.
The shop is lovely and has a nostalgic yet modern feel and I must have walked around the whole place 5 times getting my spice on.
We also walked out with some rare Argentinian Chimichurri which I cannot wait to marinate my meats in!
Next time I am going in for the vanilla sugar for my coffee.
The spices all have a drum with their story on it which I love, and how to use each one. They also have a small tester so you can smell each. The drum serving will give you a smaller quantity (doled out by staff) of many of the spices you are looking for so you can try them at home for less $. Not all of the spices have this option but the bottles are very nice too that are standard for each item and would make amazing gifts for anyone who likes to cook.
The spices are not blended with the low sodium diet in mind — they are blended for flavour but I have no doubt that many of the spices have natural health benefits. I forgot to ask if they had any added MSG or preservatives.
I would be hard pressed not to come back here to this Inglewood location! Loved it! Top marks!

I love eating out as much as the next Unilocaler, but am just as happy to spend an entire weekend in the kitchen creating all kinds of gastronomic delights. This place totally fulfills my cravings for new and exciting flavours.
Beyond the selection of herbs and spices from around the world, they also carry cocktail bitters, loose teas and beautifully packaged gift boxes like curry and BBQ sets. They would make the ideal gift for your favourite cook, or just to try out a bunch of complementary items for yourself.
If you only have the budget to try a few items, my favourites so far are:
Smoked Spanish Paprika– both sweet and hot varieties, put it on everything from eggs to chili
Pumpkin Pie Spice– oatmeal will never be the same without it
Star anise– I bought the big jar of it to throw a few of the beautiful pods in my chai lattes, the perfect mix of sweet and spicy
The experience of walking through the shop with lots of natural light, sampling the exotic aromas with a basket in tow makes for a wonderful afternoon. Topped off with advice from the friendly, helpful staff I don’t know what could make Silk Road any better!

Be prepared for an aroma onslaught… and not in a bad way. Like, when you walk into a flower store and all you can smell are fresh flowers, that’s how Silk Road is, except replace the flowery scent with a most agreeable mixture of any spice you can think of.
I poked around the shop for awhile, looking at the array of spices, the gift sets, the cocktail books and bitters. All the while, I could hear someone pounding away in the back, crushing and grinding more spices for sale. Whether you want curry spices, the best cinnamon, chai or even BBQ rubs, you’ll find it here. I couldn’t help but come home with a new drink mixing guide.
Part of me wishes I cooked more. The other part of me is saying to just make more friends who can cook and buy them all presents from here… that way they’ll HAVE to test it all out on me, right? I’ll bring the liquid pairing.

The Silk Road Spice Merchant is a beautiful store in the heart of Inglewood. The owners started it about 4 years ago after finding it difficult to locate the quality and the variety of spices that recipes they were cooking called for.
Not anymore! Silk Road is now a one-​stop shop when you need to pick up spices. Everything they sell is fresh, and it makes an enormous difference in flavor. When it comes down to it, the reason you add spices is to add flavor. If you are adding old spices that have sat on the shelf of the supermarket for months (having been ground, packaged and shipped months before that), it is almost like adding dust to your recipe. Gross. Come here instead. The prices are similar to grocery store prices as well, but here you know that you are purchasing something that is much fresher and of higher quality.
The owners and staff are really helpful and knowledgeable. No matter the question, they will have a plethora of advice and information for you.
Keep up the good work Silk Road!
Review #23 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Review Challenge 2012

Inglewood is a thriving community nestled near downtown Calgary full of some of the most interesting places to eat and shop. The business community here is friendly and sincere. It’s always a pleasure to visit and it’s clear to see the passion they have in their work. It’s fair to say that there are few places here that don’t fit that bill. I have never found myself walking into a shop and not be greeted by a blank stare or generic greeting. Inglewood is also one of those places where I can find something I can’t find anywhere else.
Enter The Silk Road Spice Merchant. This incredibly beautiful historic building is brought to life with the colours and aromas of spices from all over the world. As you walk around, powders, dried peppers and specialty salts are artfully arranged on rustic wooden shelves and old cabinets. Huge jars draw your attention to the exotic contents as a different scent from some corner of the world takes hold of you with every step.
Information on every ingredient is clearly explained with no pretense. The staff is also very knowledgeable and ready to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. The quality of the spices are some of the best I’ve seen and I think that the prices are more than fair. I especially like the house blends of curries and seasonings that are available as they are very unique. Another thing to mention is that you can choose from any of the great items to build a gift box in addition to the ones that are already available.
I was very impressed with the Hawaiian Alaea sea salt and the dried Juniper berries. Both were hard to find items that are always readily available here. Just in case you want to check availability of a certain item, you can always call them or visit their website (
) to see the vast selection.
If you do stop in, be sure to savour the shopping experience, and pick me up a jar of Hawaiian sea salt.

My favourite shop in Inglewood. The bbq rubs are fantastic — elevates my chicken, ribs and steaks. Great blend of flavours and it keeps the juices inside the meat. Each container cost about $ 6.99, a dollar less if you don’t need the glass container. I’ve also picked up some vanilla beans, 3 long stems for $ 11.00. Prices are reasonable once you realize Safeway is charging way more for way less quality. Staff have always been very helpful, though it gets very busy on the weekend.