Ambica Foods

Have been shopping here since August 2015 till today.
We have 50 – 50 positive and negative feedback about this store.
Positive:
Vegetables are fresh and good on Tuesdays and Fridays
Tiffin and Chaat counter is delicious
Festival specials are available like crackers for diwali and sweets etc
Negative:
Branded Products like Horlicks, Parle-​G or any biscuits, Noodles, Oats masala, almost 80% packaged products are all EXPIRED for more than 10 months
When asked, the shop keeper’s reply was «We got only those products, what to do?». But we are paying the same price for EXPIRED products. The store person nor the owner sounded like
they care because they have kept the expired products knowingly thinking people would buy and not notice dates.
Not sure how many of us look at expiry dates on branded products and frozen foods. But this is the one store we have seen with majorly EXPIRED products.
Have been in New Jersey for 2 years and never had this experience.
Billing was wrong couple of times. Had to sit and check the prices before we left the store.
Many products especially frozen foods like grated coconut does not have expire dates.
Vegetables wont be fresh on weekends so better go shop it on the days they come fresh.
In states like NJ, we have many stores on Indian street. But in Missouri, we have only 2 or 3 stores and if they have mostly expired products then customers are at risk consuming them especially kids and pregnant ladies.
Since the store people are aware of the issues and yet do not seem to be cared or fix it, I decided to post my review to help customers and take precautions shopping anywhere.
As a customer, I expect value for my money and not buy EXPIRED products just because of my ignorance or store negligence.

I’ve been here a few times and each time my experience has been so-​so. This week my trip was especially awkward as the shopper who entered the store before me held the door open for me and when he realized I wasn’t Indian asked me what I was going to buy in a place like this. I smiled and showed him my long list of spices. Sheesh. That said, if you can’t find it here you probably don’t need it after all!
I like to buy some samosas and some pani puri at the chaat counter. Prices are about the same as most of the other stores in town.

Beware! This grocery store mostly has expired goods/​products, be careful, check the expiry date carefully or better go for another.

took some visitors from India here and they loved it! it was a good experience for myself as well. i bought henna for my daughter and coconut crackers and frozen coconut, and coffee! it was a nice store in a great location.

I like the snack bar — I’ve never been to India so I don’t know how it compares — but compared to typical hot dog, hamburger, french fry snack bar in US it surely surpasses! Every spice or ingredient I need for Indian/​Pakistani cooking that I cannot get at a supermarket, I can get here. They are closed on MONDAY, but the owner was so nice and allowed us in when he saw us standing at the door looking perplexed. Call ahead to make sure they have fresh curry leaves before making the trip, because they do run out sometimes.

I was blown away by the breadth of stuff that this Indian Grocery store carries. Excellent selection of dry groceries, fresh vegetables and frozen foods. They also have four tables set aside in one corner for a Chaat Corner which has a pretty decent selection of stuff. A gem for the Indian community in KC!

This is a great store to come to to purchase all kinds of spices, sauces, what-​have-​you for the Indian chef at home. I received two Indian cookbooks this past Christmas and some things like curry leaves and frozen methi can only be found in these stores. The only issue I have is, trying to find someone to help you is problematic. I don’t want to walk up to anyone in the store and ask, ‘do you work here’…that’s rather presumptuous and awkward, to say the least. I did find what i was looking for and I luckily nabbed a woman passing by, who happened to be an employee, who told me where the curry leaves were (they were out)…but, I had to go to the front of the store and ask one of the people preparing food, if there were no more curry leaves available. I of course, will be back, but I also understand there are three other Indian grocers in the KC area so, I will have to check them out also. But, this store does seem to have a lot of products and also has fresh produce that is hard if not impossible to find in the standard grocery stores.

Aloo vada, panipuri & kachori. So delicious and inexpensive! We brought samosa chaat to our friends. 2 big containers, stuffed to the brim, $ 4.99 each. They wolfed it down and said it was delicious. I want to go back and try everything on the menu!

One thing about having fast food served inside a grocery store is that you smell of it when you walk out of the store, even if you didn’t eat there. If it is the deep fried chaat then you better carry a spare set of clothes, if you have something else planned after wards.
The quality of the chaat is nothing great. Pain puri is a total disaster. Samosa chaat is passable. Unfortunately because of the way these two items tasted, I won’t have the heart to try anything else.
Coming to the grocery experience, I will have to take away a star, for keeping a ton of expired items on the shelf. It’s one thing if there is no expiry date but if there is one, it better not have expired. In my opinion it just keeps piling up as no one will pick it.
They have nearly everything one can ask for in a grocery store and the prices are reasonable.
A big plus is they carry roopak store masalas, an ever favorite from the times we were in Delhi.
I would recommend this store if you happen to come here after a big meal thereby not be tempted to eat their chaat food and you happen to be heading home so that you don’t have to carry a change of cloth :-)

A great market with everything you will need from fresh produce to shelved items and some great fresh and frozen items as well.

My fiancé is from India so we come here often. We initially began coming because it was the closest to our home. As we learned of others we would try them out, but they never seemed to have EVERYTHING we wanted in a trip. We did find one we enjoyed more down south, but it was such a drive. So, Ambica it was. Then Ambica recently remodeled and now it is GREAT! It has an even bigger selection than before! If you are looking for something related to Indian cuisine you will find it here! And have options! There are numerous religious and cultural items available as well as beauty products and kitchen wares. The tea selection is ridiculous as are the snacks! The bulk items are nice in that they are in a ton of different sizes so you will find exactly how much you are looking for. I prefer to eat organic so I get most of my lentils and legumes and what not at Whole Foods across the street. If you really need some of the more exotic produce items this is the place to go! Sure, sometimes the produce gets a bit old, but for the most part it is really quite fresh! I believe Mondays is when the shipment comes in, not positive though. There are also hot foods at the front where you can buy and eat them in the store if you wish.
The staff is all very friendly as well!

It definitely has the largest selection in town, one thing though be careful, and read the expiry date on boxed/​canned products. Twice I have pointed out expired products to the owner who seems to show concern (or at least a worried look) but the products are back on the shelves. Seems this is endemic to other desi shops as well.

Oh! Another Indian market in KC!
This is the best one I’ve been to so far, they have a great selection of all the bulk foods that you need for Indian cooking (Yellow Mustard Seeds, Dosa Flour, Lentils) and lots of interesting snacks, veggies, frozen products (samosas, pakoras, and roti, yes please!). They also have a respectable choice of rices, chutneys and prepared spice packets.
The store is sparklingly clean and organized and has a snack bar at the front with some hot foods available.
As a bonus, this store is across the street from Whole Foods, making it convenient for foodies on a grocery mission.

This store is larger than some of the other Indian markets in Overland Park. The aisles are wide and there’s a very good selection of Indian spices, mixes, rice, legumes, etc. There are fresh Indian vegetables and a big selection of frozen foods, too. A good place to shop! This store is in the shopping center just north of the one with Whole Foods on 91^st and Metcalf. Be sure to check Ambica for bulk items — they may be less expensive than Whole Foods. The shopping center Ambica is in also has a T.J. Maxx and a Walmart grocery store. There’s also a Vive Latino store a few doors away but its stock is extremely sparse. They must survive mostly from money transfer services! Anyway, Ambica should definitely be on your list if you’re shopping for South Asian groceries! The selection is excellent!

Ambica Foods has a surprising assortment of everything — and it was only surprising to me because the only other Indian and Pakistani grocer I’ve been to sold a quarter of its goods. Since I’m not a connaiseur of this cuisine — I initially believed Patel Foods, only a few blocks away on Metcalf, was the ideal. But if you’re driving thorough — no doubt — this grocer is clearly a better choice.
Here is why:
1. It’s very clean and organized. The owner showed me the snack aisle, the fresh vegetable aisle, the chutney aisle, the ready-​made meal aisle — everything was well-​lit and presented in an orderly way. At Patel’s, they have only four small shelves of dusty ready-​made meals (which are good sellers if you want to try authentic dishes without having to make it from scratch).
2. The fresh vegetables were being loaded by the truck full through the back (which I noticed has a large garage for fast delivery of goods) — and all of that is a good sign. At Patel’s there were only a few vegetable options — if I recall rightly, only three types of onions in a basket on the floor. Ambica on the other hand had dozens of baskets of vegetables that I’ll admit to having no idea what kinds they were — but they were very green.
3. The staff. Every aisle was packed with employees restocking the shelves and laughing to eachother — and again, I’ll admit to having no idea what was said — but I could sense a good vibe. The owner showed me around and I told him I was just looking, that I was curious — and he was happy to have me. He gave me his business card.
4. Attention to detail. Nothing was growing mold or anything like that from having sat idle for the last two presidencies. They took care of their products and placed them to appeal to the shopper and I appreciated this because seeing dusty food products turns my stomach.
If I’m venturing to try something more exotic, I would trust Ambica above Patel’s — because from my experience, Ambica made everything look much more appetizing.