Borderless European Market (BEM) — Local services in Austin

Another update: I cooked the pasta and sauce and it was delicious, topped with some freshly grated parmesan and garlic added to the sauce while warming it up.

Update: Lowering the stars because some vanilla wafers we got here after we returned for another visit were almost a WHOLE YEAR expired! I used to be a cashier at a grocery store. Although I was only a cashier, and 17 years old, I took pride in my aisle being clean and tidy, and that the candy was not expired. We were responsible for doing this check whenever business was slow. We were even supposed to venture to aisles nearby and turn all the cans around to face the front if it was really slow. This store seems to have plenty of downtime as a specialty store. There should not be anything so beyond its sell by date. It's like, a basic ask I ask of a food store.

Original review:

Everything is imported from what seems like Eastern Europe, so that's pretty cool! I saw this fermented bread soda that a Ukrainian friend introduced us to there. I didn't end up buying it because I wasn't totally sure it was the same drink. We got some Italian pasta and sauce we're looking forward to cooking. I expected to find some more snacks that I would have recognized from my 6 weeks stay in Portugal, but didn't find anything specific. The wafers are close! I love European wafers. I also bought an herbal tea because I feel like any country in Europe probably makes tea 10x better than America does. We might try some of their frozen dumplings next time! They had veal dumplings, which...

I love this store, but it might be time to start looking for an alternative. On my last visit, I picked up some candies called pomadki — I love them, so I grabbed a few without thinking. But when I got home, I realized they were rock hard and had expired three months earlier. I brought them back, hoping to exchange them or at least get a refund, but was met with a rather aggressive refusal. I was told that I had purchased them from the “expired products” section, and that everything in that section is past its expiration date and non-returnable. The section is labeled “Reduced price — groceries close to the expiration date (don’t worry, everything is safe, fresh, and tasty),” so I didn’t expect the items to be expired or inedible. In the end, I did get my money back, but the experience was very unpleasant. I’m not sure what BEM’s current return policy is — it’s not listed on the website — but in my opinion, selling expired products, especially without clear labeling, is simply...

Coming to this store since the opening to get some European treats and interesting food items that I normally don’t buy at the local grocery stores. Last time I’ve met a new employee and she wasn’t very pleasant and continue asking me questions during the checkout in her native language (which I don’t mind, but I had no idea what she was talking about, I was just nodding and said “spasibo” at the end). I’ve always recommended this little store and will be loyal, but please ask your personnel not to assume anything since other nationalities are supporting your business as well. P.S. This store is offering many different and interesting food options, the store is clean and well organized, over the years I’ve never discovered any expired or spoiled food, the owners obviously are staying on top of the...