The Spice Trader

Allison, the owner was very friendly and helpful as soon as I walked into the store. I was impressed at all the spices and oils that were available. She and I had a nice conversation about food and she mentioned that they also run specialty event nights at the shop– everything ranging from truffles and how to cook with them to wine tastings and how– to cooking classes.
Spices were a little steep in price, but the quality seems to be there. I also like the small tin packaging and the amount that is sold. Buying spices in huge quantities is a giant waste unless you piece it off and give some to friends. This tins are the perfect personal amount for the savvy home cook.
They also had some great gift boxes for the person in your life who likes a little spice!

I have been frequenting this place for years now. Ever since I discovered the difference between the taste of regular olive oil and the real deal, this has been my go to store.
They have a large selection of fine oils and vinegars and a table set up at the back with a staff to walk you through a tasting (much like wine tasting).
If you have a foody on your gift list this year, definitely consider The Spice Trader. It’s not cheap but a good olive oil drizzled over your salad is worth every penny.

Family run, with personal service as a result. Interior is very cool.
In terms of product, excellent selection of olive oils — highly recommend the smoked olive oil by caastillo de canena which is hard to find in North America — but they carry it.
In terms of spices, it’s definately on the pricier side, but the quality is good and fresh. Plus the cool tins are a nice touch.

i used to be a big fan when i first moved into the neighbourhood years ago. However i find for their spices, its hit or miss really, and some of the prices are too high imo.
some of the blends are not very authentic imo, such as the garam masala
My favourite part of the store would be the olive oils.
The customer service experience from the staff is generally very friendly. however having had one or two «sour» instances with the owner Allison I have found it hard go back in the past year and a half at least. She has a long way to go in regards to courteous customer service

They know whatsup when it comes to olives. They offer samples of products to ensure you’ll enjoy the product. Very friendly service.

The quality of these spices is everything you would expect: fresh and packed with flavour. I was especially pleased with the Saigon cinnamon, lemon thyme and smoked paprika (sweet). The spices were pricier than average, but not much more than McCormick’s organic line. I purchased 8 tins that ranged from $ 5.65 to $ 8.30.
Their friendly, knowledgeable service was the highlight of the shopping experience. I will definitely return.

This is a posh shop with a fine selection of olive oils and spices. They have beautiful tins (50 $ each) with about 6 different spices each. Packaging has different themes such as Thai or Indian. Individually packaged spices are also available.
They give samples of their olive oils in the back of the shop. The person conducting the olive oil samples did a great job explaining the oils and is the star of the overall service experience.
Prices are high, but the shop exudes an air of exclusivity and product knowledge that gives purchases from here a sense of value.

This is where I did my hard-​to-​buy-​for-​people holiday shopping and they were unbelievably helpful. Guess where I’ll be heading to first next year?

It’s a hit and miss for me. Mostly a hit, but the tiny miss is on the price (I can’t dock any half stars for it, so I’m giving it a full 5).
The spice range, and the way they’re packaged = 5 stars.
The prices? Well. they’re a bit more pricey compared to where else I can purchase them (namely organic grocery stores).
I also am not really keen on not being able to look at the spices or give them a sniff to see if they’re old or not.
That said, I LOVE the layout of the shop, it smells like heaven when you walk in, you can find obscure spices for the most part, and the shelf for salt made my heart flutter.

I’ve walked by this place a millon times (I live less than a block away) but never went in until recently.
I was looking for something really obscure that I couldn’t find anywhere else in the city — White Truffle Salt.
Yes, they had it. I took a look around and they have what seems like an endless selection of spices, salts, and other things like fine oils and vinegars. They have more selection than Whole Foods, and way more than the spice store in Kensington, although a bit pricier.
If you are looking for something specific then this is the place to go.
Also, the customer service is beyond excellent. Every person I have interacted with there is very nice, but more importantly, they are very knowledgable and willing to share their knowledge freely and without any of the attitude you can sometimes encounter in other foodie stores.
Highly recommend!

Gosh this place is posh! It really is a very striking place, with dark wood, marbled paintings, and a ceiling fresco which evokes a very maritime, spice route trade kinda feeling.
This store stocks an endless array of spices, olives, olive oils and vinaigrette: for every kind of setting, event, person and day. I was on the lookout for a special strain of cinnamon and cloves; they had those in stock and then some.
The proprietor is super knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. I look forward to doing business here.

I haven’t gone to the store physically, but I did order a couple of their spice boxes online & had them shipped to my home. I gave them away to some close friends for Christmas gifts & they really loved them. It can be hard to get good quality, authentic spices these days, so I was happy to discover them from a write up in a magazine.

I was looking for a herb blend for grilled chicken for a mini dinner party and walked into the store to get some suggestions. The lady on duty was so patient in talking me through some options and i got to ‘sniff test’ some blends.
I settled on the Rib Rub… and a bottle of truffle oil
I rubbed the blend into the pieces of chicken and marinated it for 24 hours. Drizzled some truffle oil on the chicken… then grilled them for 45 mins on 350 °F…everyone raved about it. The rub was amazing. smoky, tasty… i didn’t have to do anything else with it.
Quality product, good service– Thank you!
Highly Recommend

quality makes a difference… I make this healthy Tuscan Kale Salad (search Dr. Weil Tuscan Kale Salad on youtube)
A quality olive oil is key in this recipe
& this store has it… even at the lower end they bottle their own line which is fantastic… I had visited it many times for the olive oil only, dismissing the herbs as something I could pick up at the grocery store… mistake…until I tried their Jerk Rub. I rubbed it generously into a cheaper cut of clodhammer from the Healthy Butcher and the aromas were fantastic. I had some guests over last night & it was a hit. Eye opening, really… quality spices really do make a huge difference.

With Christmas fast approaching and me not wanting to venture into any malls, I decided to take to my own neighbourhood in search of the perfect gifts for my family. They are all farmers who enjoy their food. well… bland. I have made it my mission to spice up their eating experience. With that being said, I wandered into the The spice trader and olive pit. I couldn’t have been more satisfied with this store. The spices are endless, the olive oil divine and the sea salts, in abundance.
To top it all off, the owners are absolutely remarkable and incredibly helpful. They clearly enjoy their store and everything it has to offer. Go once and they will remember you always.
If you are in search for the last minute, perfect gift, might I suggest a trip to this store; i guarantee you will find something for everyone on your list.

The Spice Trader is like a drug to me. I walk on the other side of the street to avoid the temptation of the little green tins of fennel pollen, ancho, marjoram, ceylon cinnamon, long pepper and epazote. If you want a spice, they’ve got it, and can tell you what to do with it. The prices may scare some people away, but I promise that the spices you buy here will last twice as long as the ones from the grocery store, they are much more potent, fresh, flavourful and organic.

This is an excellent store to get your spices, including any obscure ones. The Spice Trader prides itself on organic spices (sometimes this is not possible and they will try and find naturally grown or wild harvested). Each tin tells you the origin and if it is organic.
The spices here are super fresh and potent. If you’ve been hanging on to your 7 year old spices, do yourself a favour and go to this store. Because I’ve been using Spice Trader spices I sometimes have to cut back on the amount I use otherwise the flavour would be too strong for me.
Staff here are very knowledgeable and are willing to chat with you on ways to use the spice. I buy all my spices from here now. The spices may seem pricey, but when I compared it to an organic grocery store brand, they were on par.
Note: They seem to have discontinued their garlic powder, but have minced garlic and garlic granules available.
P. S. Also check out The Olive Pit which is downstairs. They sell balsamic vinegars and oils.