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Category: Specialty Food [Edit]
Neighborhood: Inman SquareMon-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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Fantastic specialty spice shop where you can find something new in almost every visit! I love coming here when I'm in a cooking rut or just want to find something new to spice up an old recipe. They have some of the freshest and tastiest Togarashi and Lemon Pepper spice mixes I've found.
The prices are great for the little packets especially since you don't want to spend too much money on trying something you might not like. The pepper selection is fantastic with some hard to find varieties that are great for Mexican, Indian and Thai cooking. The coarse salt selection is also great for change from the traditional salt grinder.
They also have a great selection of hot sauce, beans, lentils, couscous, teas and other specialty items.
The staff is not noteworthy which is sad since that would be beneficial in a place like this, so minus 1star. Otherwise a great experience and wonderful shop.
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I waited to review Christina's until I went to Penzey's in Arlington, just to compare. I've decided that I love them both!
Christina's has EVERYTHING you could ever want in the spice realm, and then some! Their small bags are cheap and a great value. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy, just straight up spices. They also have a huge variety of dried herbs and fruits, as well as tea, nuts, beans, etc.
The price is good on this no frills spicery. Definitely a must-go. I can't wait to go back.
Chiles. Lots of 'em. From rare to mundane and back again. Trying your hand at kimchi for the first time and don't want to invest in a pound of pepper? Need any number of dried Mexican chiles for your mole? Seeking out something to burn your friends' palates? They have that and so much more.
That's why I adore Christina's Spice & Specialty foods. Because where else in the Boston area can you find the utterly delectable piment d'espelette, the rare AOC Basque pepper that seems to improve every dish you add it to - at a reasonable price (if you haven't ever tried this pepper, run, don't walk to Christina's and make the investment - it is costly but so worth it)? Sure there's the spice superstore in Arlington, but Christina's is folksier - and has a more eclectic variety of specialty imports, including grains and teas.
Even the venerable Formaggio stocks Christina's imports. If that isn't the gourmand's seal of approval, I don't know what is.
The one minus - and I'm just a picky bastard - is that the Aleppo pepper is a little too fine ground for my taste. I like a slightly more coarse flake.
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This place is worth the annoyance of whatever form of mass transit you take to get here from the outskirts of Boston. The selection of spices is pretty outstanding. They also have a lot of flavorings, oils, hot sauces, and even grains and rices.
The only reason I give this place 4 stars instead of 5 is that when I went I was not impressed with the customer service. I asked to find out if there were bonito flakes in the Japanese 7 Spice, and the woman working there said that usually there is a card with ingredients. Somebody must have moved it because it wasn't there, which I pointed out. She shrugged her shoulders and went into the back room. So I didn't buy the 7 Spice, which I would have wanted if it didn't have bonito flakes.
The other thing I don't like about this store is that everything is prepackaged, mostly in little plastic baggies or in glass jars. I wish it were more of a bulk section, where you take what you need. That way you're not stuck with too little or too much, and can use re-usable bags. I hate all of the plastic waste, and I would probably feel too guilty to buy any of the spices packaged in the baggies.
The hot sauce selection here is also better than any grocery store I've been to. It's not huge but it's better than Frank's Red Hot / Tobasco, which seem to be the options at most conventional supermarkets.
Also, it's right next door to the ice cream shop, so you can buy spices, eat ice cream, and go home happy!
I love how they package all their spices in little plastic bags and I don't need to buy it in a "gourmet McCormick" jar. Christina's got like every spice that you're looking for. Well, I'm not really a chef and I'm not well-versed in the land of spices, but I'm learning about new spices when I peruse the vast selection of goodies.
Christina's sells loose leaf tea (and the fancy filter bags that cafes in the area use when they give you loose leaf tea in a paper cup). She sells a lot of dried fruits. She has a lot of extracts. and she also has a lot of smoked salt and pepper (good for making your own BBQ sauce!?)
Anyway, I always find something new when I am there. I really need to know what I am going to cook next time I go there... but sometimes it's good to just go there, see what spices you want to try out, and then make your dish from there.
Five stars for being a little gem in Cambridge!
Christina's saved me when I was in a pinch looking for peppermint oil - everywhere else in town only carried the extract, which would not have worked for the recipe I needed to follow, but Christina's came through.
Tons of unique spices, herbs, teas and more - definitely a great place to remember if ever you're in a pinch like I was!
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...so happy to finally find a proper spice place...(I miss the spice shops from the Kensington Market in Toronto...where they call me "Amigo" when I walk in)...
still this place is certainly up to snuff, hey a place that carries, multiple varieties of chipotles, sichuan peppercorns, and grains of paradise can't be so bad now can it?
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If Alton Brown filmed in Boston, Christina's would be his place. The mixture of whole spices, ground spices, dried fruit and other magnificent globe-spanning kitchen software is impressive. I can't thing of an ingredient I would ever need that I couldn't find there.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble!
Yes, Christina's Spice makes me quote Shakespeare, it's that good. As I stand over my own caldron (read: cast-iron pot on my gas-burning stove) I can't help but feel a bit like a sorceress, capable of concocting a marvelous potion from the most interesting and mind-boggling ingredients:
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog.
Okay so maybe Christina's doesn't have THAT kind of stuff, but you will find blackberry leaf, lavender, wild cheery bark, rose petals, elder berries and stockpile of other worldly delights with which to concoct your own liquid of magical properties.
And by liquid of magical properties, I of course mean home-brewed tea. Antioxidants count as magical, kind of, right? I usually take a base tea (from my collection, a friend brought to me from China) and add some cool things found foraging the bins at Christina's and the results are unique and different every time. For summer, I make big batches and chill the tea for a nice refreshing treat. Now if you'll excuse me...
My elixir is about to bubble over!
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Unless unavoidable, I don't think I will ever purchase spices at a grocery store again. This seems to be the lesser known side of Christina's. While I won't say it's better, I think, perhaps, it's of even higher value.
The selection is mind boggling. I wanted to investigate and try each kind of salt. (probably because I was reading Salt at the time of visit) There were spices I'd never heard of and others I'd only ever dreamed of having in my pantry. I doubted that they would have Seasoned Salt since it strikes me as more of a base seasoning. (that I love) To my delight, they actually had it! And what's more? The prices are phenomenal. I paid at least half of what I would have for probably lesser quality product at the grocery store.
Chefs and armatures alike can frolic in this aromatic wonderland. After coming here even just once, I felt that procuring spices anywhere else would be nothing short of adultery.
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While they certainly do have tons of unusual items I was put off by the vibe of this place. When I walked in I wasn't so much as acknowledged by the two women standing behind the counter. As I browsed the owner came in and starting yelling at one of the kids who worked there for trying to bring his bicycle through the store instead of riding around back. Another employee sarcastically and loudly told him it wasn't too complicated to ride around the block. They proceeded to yell back and forth to each other and at the two women working. Something about how he was going to some trade show and he wasn't happy where he was placed. It was really weird and not once during all of this did anyone actually speak to me. The women proceeded to start restocking items I think in an effort to avoid the chaos and just kept rudely brushing past me. I rushed out of the store and I don't really plan to go back which is too bad because I think it has potential to be a great resource for finding specialty items. Maybe I will give it another shot and hope for a quieter day.
Oh, look at all the bins! What's this? I can't pronounce it, but it sure looks good!
Christina's has the best selection of dried chiles I've found in this town, which mean I can make mole any time I want instead of when Whole Foods decides to carry them.
For the adventurous cooks, do what I do: Walk in, pick out a spice you've never used before (ie: pink peppercorns) and design your meal around it. I guarantee you'll have a blast.
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It's tough going into Christina's without a mission, at least if I want to buy anything. Don't get me wrong, I love wandering around, looking at the displays of spices, dried chilies, grains, sauces and such. The store is one of those all too rare places that feels and looks exactly how that type of shop should--in this case, a little dark, a little mysterious, definitely intriguing. But it makes it all too easy to get a little overwhelmed by the more obscure offerings, which tempt me, oh yes they do, but I'm unsure how or when I'll use them.
On a more practical note, the prices are hit or miss, and I generally think they run a bit high, but some items surprise me, like Taza chocolate for less than Taza itself charges, and for some others, I'm fine with paying whatever for, because they're hard to find or I'm going to use so little of them anyway.
After having a filling brunch in Davis Square and then grabbing a drink at The Biscuit (note: iced chai is nasty), Amanda and I decided to head to Inman to Christina's Spice since we were in the area. We had some frozen beef at home that would probably need a little flavor assistance to make it enjoyable, so why not head here to find something to resuscitate our beef?
When I walked in, I immediately wished I lived near here because I would actually want to cook. Tandoori chicken? No problem! Brined pork? Of course! Dry rubbed beef? Hell yeah.
So, we perused the pretty extensive selection for a while, thinking of all the different ways to use this beef we had and possibilities for future animal parts as well. As many have said, the hugely wide ranging selection of salts was impressive and made me want to make salted cod. Bags can be had of most spices, with some coming in larger jars. The area in front of the register is devoted largely to spicier objects, habanero flakes looking particularly deadly. Every item in that section had a description above on a sheet of paper. Actually, many items all over the store had small descriptions. One thing we both found interesting were the containers of flavored rock sugar, including chocolate and almond. That'd be awesome in some hot coffee.
After looking around for a while more, we decided on the Hawaij mix, often called the "curry of Yemen." Put some of that on beef in a slow cooker for eight hours and let it mix in with the meaty juices... sorry, drooled a little there. I meant to say, that's good eatin'. For $6.22, I got a decent amount in a reusable jar which now taunts me in my cabinet. A little more than I rather would've paid, but I'm okay with it.
When in the area, I'll be back, no question. Hell, the cashier told us, in a very sincere way "Hey, guys, take care and have a good one." Better than the grunt of mere acknowledgment of which I so often receive.
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Such an incredible atmostphere. The people are friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable of their products. I actually needed something (fenugreek and other spices) that they didn't have, but they knew exactly where to point me. Cash only, but well worth it for all kinds of teas, spices, and nuts/beans/sauce needs. Prices are very fair for their quality.
I wish there were one of these in every square of Boston and Cambridge. Such a gem.
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Foodies rejoice!!! This place is like a little slice of heaven to me with their great selection of different spices. Rows of spices, including a few even I hadn't heard of. What brought me in was more or less a shot in the dark for a rather special ingredient I was coming to believe I could only find if I ordered it on-line. None of the local markets I'd been to had even heard of this stuff.
Not long after I enter the store, a helpful young lady ask me what I'm looking for, and not only did they have it, they had it in several different sized container. In my amazement I looked around the store and found few other tid bits I ended up bring home.
The only thing stopping this place from getting a full 5 star rating is the fact that they only take cash and since I normally only carry a few bucks with me, I had to be a little more careful with my choices of what to bring home.
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My first Christina's experience says it all.
I'm baking a chocolate-ginger cake. I need ginger preserves. I call up Christina's, right down the street (at the time.)
ME: Hi, do you have ginger preserves?
MAN (later to be identified as owner, Tom Ford): We just got some in! How many jars do you need?
ME: Um...one.
TOM: Sorry, we only sell them by the gross. (beat) Kidding. Come on down!
So I go on down. I walk in. The smell hits me: like being inside a roasting chili pepper, or a pot of stew. It's so intoxicating I almost forget why I came. I come to my senses and ask the guy behind the counter where I could find ginger preserves.
TOM: Oh, you just called! Here you go. It's very good.
ME: This place is amazing. Also, you kind of look like Kevin Spacey.
TOM: Really? I've never gotten that before. But one time, I was eating at Les Zygomates - they were sampling our ice cream - and my friend pointed out that Kevin Spacey was at the next table, eating my ice cream!
Tom is so excited about this, and it's very endearing. What's also endearing is how much he loooooves spices, enough to put them in the ice cream next door. Which is incomparable. Ben and Jerry are (almost) dead to me.
Tom also tells me that if I ever need anything specific and they don't have it, to tell him - he will order it, rush delivery. He offers to let me try things. He is generally delightful.
Go into Christina's on a wintry afternoon, even if you're not buying anything. The smell alone will warm you up.
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I love this place. I like that it is just straight up jars and bags of stuff and no fancy display or sale rack. If you know what you want as far as odd cooking ingredients this place has it, and probably ten different kinds of it. They have flash frozen kafir lime leaves, twenty different varieties of salt, and every kind of dried mushroom imaginable. It's no wonder they have such inventive ice cream flavors next door with this mad scientist supply of herbal oddities as constant inspiration.
The staff was mellow and laid back. I like more exuberance from staff, but at least they weren't rude or freaky. The selection is out of this world. If you like to cook and eat, go to this store. It'll blow your little cooking/eating mind. Dried mushrooms of all sorts. Dried teas of all sorts. Dried everything of all sorts. Flavored salt. Spice mixes. Various containers to put your things in. On and on and on in spice heaven. They earn the Prestigious Fluffy Tree Award.
Yet, according to other reviewers, be cautious of bugs. But hey, that sh*t happens.
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Christina's Spice surprised me in a few ways. I knew it was next to the ice cream shop and owned by the same people, but I didn't know that they were connected by a door and that the staff were shuttling between each store as they saw fit. The shop was smaller than I imagined it to be, even with looking at the pictures.
I went for two specific items, cardamom and pearl sugar, to make pullas/nisu/finnish coffee bread. And they had both of them. Even though I heard that cardamom was an expensive spice, a bottle of it was 5.58, which wasn't horrible. I did see people waiting to check out/be acknowledged and the staff (excluding the owner) were teenagers, though I must say that they seemed to know their stuff pretty well despite their young age.
I saw lots of crazy peppers that I know my bf would pounce on if I had brought him, so I'd say that they have a good variety. I didn't see the flavored sugars and chocolate that other reviewers said they had. I was pretty sure that they'd have what I wanted, but if you're not sure, I would recommend calling ahead. They're open until 6, during the week, which was a little disappointing because it seems like they could stick one staff member there until the ice cream shop closes.
This place is very eye of newt. I think they need a cauldron in here to complete their look.
Or maybe the owner can dress up as Professor Snape and run out occasionally to accuse customers of stealing his polyjuice potion.
You can find the coolest ingredients in this store that come in humble little plastic bags. I bought The World's Largest Can of Guava Paste from Christina's. It's been a couple weeks. I'm still whittling away at it. I also bought Lebanese Couscous, alder-smoked Maine sea salt, bamboo rice, and an assortment of random spices that, if I knew how, could also be used in voodoo spells.
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Do you like to cook Thai at home, but have trouble finding the ingredients? I do. They have Keffir/Kaffir lime leaves here - I love to use these in almost every Thai dish I cook. The flavor they impart is really unique, and lime zest just ain't a good substitute.
You just have to be in the know and ask for them - they keep them in the fridge.
Three stars for some of the least attentive employees ever. My boyfriend thoughtfully went on the lime leaf hunt for me. After entering Christina's, he found that the only other person there was this guy talking on his cell phone and walking around. Assuming that the guy was just another customer, my boyfriend tried to find the leaves by himself and was unsuccessful. He walks towards the back room, calling, "Hey, can somebody help me?" The guy on the cell phone turns around, hangs up the phone and responds, "Yeah. I can help you. What do you need?" in a pretty unfriendly/brusque/annoyed way.
Service with a smile, it was not.
But whatever, I got my leaves. Customer service comes second to leaves, in my book.
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Okay, great selection, etc. I've found exotic spices for all kinds of middle eastern, Asian, Indian, Georgian dishes. They have these dried strawberries that my family eats like candy.
BUT - I've had two bad experiences with bug-infested spices from Christina's, and I was just lucky I noticed before they infested my whole pantry. The basil had these little itty-bitty beetles. And these beautiful dried mushrooms sprouted dozens of nasty India moths. There's no noticing the infestation before you buy usually - they're hibernating or incubating or whatever until exposed to air. Once opened, they happily come alive.
So if you must buy there, be sure to seal the spices up again in a ziplock. I was impressed that they gave me my money back right away, no complaints.
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I love this store -- every time I go in I have to stop myself from buying everything. The fact that it only takes cash (despite what it says above) helps me to restrain!
The tea selection is especially great: Mem teas which are generally sold wholesale to restaurants.
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I've never seen so many types of Paprika in my life!!!!
I'l just echo what everybody else says. Incredible selection, very helpful staff, damn fine Mexican Hot Chocolate. Plus, for an added treat, a lot of these spices make it in to the ice cream next door.
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I lurve this place and want to buy everything here twice over. Honestly, if it was a person, I would make out with it, even if I wasn't really that attracted to it except when kind of buzzed, even though I kind of didn't want to see it naked, I would totally at least make out with Christina's Spices. That probably says more about me than it does about this place, but it's election night, and I'm hopped up on Newcastle. Hard to find spices, peppers, or random ingredients? This is your one stop shop. Hot madras curry, super smoky paprika, sexy kaffir lime leaves, whatever. They have it, and I want it. They even have tons of cool looking rices, green, pink, black, purple, red, brown, and white. It's rice utopia, all in harmony. Oh yeah, this is why I stopped yelping drunk. Don't forget the peppers, monkey, for there are so many and they make my rockin' world go round.
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Okay, I'm on the whole "Christina's rocks my socks" bandwagon.
You know how in fancy cookbooks, recipes often taunt you by throwing in one extra ingredient, like "the essence of moonflower, finely chopped and stirred with solid gold truffle sauce." Well, you can probably find it at Christina's.
The cash only thing is a bummer. Some of their stuff isn't really well labeled. And I honestly wish that they would explain a bit more about the unusual spices. Recipe cards, perhaps? Or descriptive labels, like the ones you find in fancy wine stores. If you tell me what pairs well with black sea salt, I'll buy it!
Still, when I asked how to prepare my purple rice (which, by the way, I have longed for ever since I had some in a Chicago area restaurant 12 years ago), they told me that it was just like regular rice. And when I was deciding between cinnamon sticks, they pointed me toward the ones that were better for cooking. Pretty friendly!
When I entered this store, I became the happiest person on the planet. I LOVE buying spices. And, if I can't afford them -- I will smell them, and that is just as satisfying.
So many different curry variations! Tea! So much TEA! Grains! Peppers! OH MY GOD!
If you like cooking and being creative in the kitchen -- you definitely need to check this place out.
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I love Christina's Spices! You know you've found a store that knows their stuff when the guy at the checkout counter tells you (at length) about the merits of Spanish versus Persian saffron.
If you are looking for quality spices (or something really obscure), this is THE place to go.
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The display is beautiful...almost a spice museum. The colors, the smells, the variety and price. You'll never want to buy grocery store spices again.
I love Christina's Spice!
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These people have EVERYTHING. It's so much fun to go there and get something new and interesting.
We are addicted to their wide variety of cous-cous. You MUST try the spinach couscous.
Such a wonderful inspiring place to shop in!
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This is the place that I run to for hard-to-find ingredients. One day I scoured the Cambirdge area for sesame seeds and couldn't find them at my local Asian grocery -which, judging by its near-empty shelves, appears to be going out of business. :-(
Christina's Specialty is the only place I could find sesame seeds. They also have a wonderful selection of chocolate!
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I seriously waited 12 minutes for some service, because the cashier disappeared all of a sudden into the backroom. And not ONCE did she returned to check again, nor did anyone else. If I'd walked out without paying, I don't think they'll know.
There's lots of spices here, and personally I think the display system and organizations are somewhat chaotic, making it hard to browse around. Tons of spice, but not everything I would find much use for. And the things that I need, I do know of other places to get them for better quality/price, so it's not all that unique.
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Huge tease - great selection but if you have a job, it's always closed! The hours are horrible!
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Christina's is great!!! Went in today to pick up some things I always buy from there because the prices are great!!! They don't use any fancy packaging or labels so it keeps the cost down. Couldn't find the catnip so I asked if they had any available. The nice girl said "let me check downstairs". A few minutes later she came up with a few bags. Not only did she make a customer happy but she made my cats happy as well!!! great place, great prices for any type of spice or seasoning you may need, and some you may not have realized you needed!!!! :)
I love this place. I have no doubt that if I went to various Indian and Asian markets I could find spices cheaper, but you can find everything in one place here. I did not have any cash on me, and unfortunately it is cash only. I wish they had a larger selection of other foods, like Asian noodles, but I'm sure I will be back for spices.
This review is actually 3.5 stars. Walking into Christina's Spice you are overwhelmed with the smell of tons of spices all at once invading your nostrils. This can be good or bad. I can cook worth a darn so I usually just find myself browsing not really understanding what I am looking for.
The presentation of the spcies seems a little cluttered to me. Some are in bags, some are in jars and it isn't organized in any sorty of logical way that I can tell. But, then again I can't cook so maybe it is (if it is alphabetical then I am a total tard).
A couple of times I have been in here I ask for some guidance. The staff didn't seem to know what I was asking and vaguely answered questions. Either they have no idea either or their English wasn't very good. I'm not sure. So, left on my own i tried but couldn't come away with much. I do know what cinnamon is though!
I suppose if you cook this could be spice heaven, but for me it was okay. If I didn't live down the street I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.
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A great little store with a terrific selection of spices and a very helpful and knowledgeable staff. If you know what you want or have some idea of what you want, this is the place to go. However, if you don't know what you're looking for or want to discover something new, I found browsing at Penzeys in Arlington to be easier as they have a lot of information available on display next to the spices and the store is roomier making it easier to move around when there's a crowd. My recommendation is to try both and pick your own favorite!
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I must say that I love Penzey's, and I agree with one of the other reviewers. If you don't know what you're doing or want to read about the spice before you buy, go to Penzey's (plus they have more kinds of cinnamon than I knew existed). If you know what you're looking for/what it's used for, go to Christina's. More than just spices, there's flours, dried fruits, teas, sweet things (flavored sugar rocks!), and unusual sauces. I was hoping for some mesquite flour, and got denied there, but I was also looking for a British sauce (HP), which I found. Woo!
If you're looking for spices, this is where you want to go. A great place to find gifts for the hard to shop for chef in your life as well. In the future, I don't expect I'll ever buy spices anywhere else.
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Neighborhood: Inman Square
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Neighborhood: Arlington Heights
Category: Specialty Food
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Category: Cheese Shops
Somerville, MA
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: North Cambridge
Category: Grocery
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