Desi Brothers — Local services in Austin

If I could give six stars to this place I would ! Note this is the old Gandhi Bazaar but it is called Big Bazaar now ( like the one in Houston). So discard earlier reviews and averages bc the new remake is two thumbs up - way up !! If you have been in the US for some time you may remember the cramped dirty indian grocery stores. In contrast this is spacious with items neatly marked. Not all prices are marked but hey you can’t have everything !This is one of the best I have been to in the US for its size. it does not have too many boxes lying around. The woman who works and as cashier is amazing . She helps a lot and also knows a lot about the products and gives her honest answers ! The man is very kind and helpful as well ( sorry don’t know names yet). For Indians they have basically everything. For non Indians I don’t know if you have tried some of the indian frozen dinners - really good and cheaper than regular grocery stores. They also have some ready made snacks like dokhla and of course samosas. If you are in the area and like Indian...

For ingredients and frozen food, great spot. If you want to get food from their in-house station, be prepared for some excuses. Maybe I’m used to the stores in Dallas & Los Angeles, but the wait is absurd (nearly 20 minutes for one thali) and 3 out of 3 times I haven’t been able to get chaat. It’s 2:30 on a Friday and the cashier told me “maybe in an hour?” What’s the point? Don’t put your hours as 12-8 if someone isn’t there!! I don’t want to waste gas and time.

I also want to add I’ve seen multiple store employees not wearing masks, and people are lining up less than 1 ft behind me (most customers wore masks). Someone should care about being COVID compliant.

*EDIT: I got their Papadi Chaat, and while it was heavy on salt (likely from using packaged ingredients), it was great. Hit the spot when it came to...

This place has changed hands three times in recent years. I used to always feel welcome, but under the Desi Brothers management we have been met with suspicion and have been made to feel like invaders. We shop here frequently and not once has the regular checkout staff said hello or thank you to us. In fact the past three visits the checker has actually ignored us when we ask him how he is doing. I know he speaks English as I've seen him exchange niceties with other Indian customers in English and he's chatty enough with the Indian patrons in Hindu as well. Do you want money or not? DESPITE ALL THIS, the selection here is pretty good and the store is usually relatively clean. Definitely miss the Big Bazaar management. They were always friendly and grateful for business of customers of all...