Anand Bazaar — Local services in Poquoson

You can get some authentic Middle Eastern food at this market, with much of it being from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India, but the prices are expensive for such compared to other places. Apart from this, they usually run out of products routinely, sometimes for long periods of time, and the prices can change suddenly and significantly. They also have a nearby restaurant a few feet away in the same shopping center, where most of the food is halaal certified, but when I asked as to who does the certification, one of the owners/workers told me he did and indicated it was an "informal" certification and that he was not licensed to certify such by any reputed certifying entity. It was kind of like him saying, "If I certify it as halaal, it's okay for me as halaal, even though experienced and professional halaal certifying entities may not necessarily regard it as halaal." That poses a problem for conscientious and scrupulous people of faith seeking religiously acceptable foods, especially for people going by the kashrut/kosher dietary laws and seeking halaal food as an alternative when no certified kosher food is available or accessible (kashrut/kosher dietary laws and standards are much more stringent than halaal standards, and a food item can be halaal yet fail kosher laws and standards, but when no kosher certified foods are available, halaal certified foods are a step toward being kosher). In this regard, very few of the items for sale in this market have kosher certifications, and many of the prepackaged foods for sale do not even have certifications from legitimate halaal certifying entities. There are very few and sometimes even no kosher-certified items.

The store owners are Muslims who ostensibly prefer to not stock kosher inventory because kosher products and certifications are affiliated with Judaism and Christianity (religions repeatedly condemned by the Quran that Muslims regard as their sacred book). A t the time I visited such in 2023, this market basically did not sell Christian or Jewish Middle Eastern foods; was not inclusive of Christian or Jewish Middle Eastern food products; and apparently discriminated against Christian and Jewish Middle Eastern food products in procuring its supplies to sell. This was and is quite disappointing because many Christian and Jewish Middle Eastern foods are awesome. I rated this market 2 out of 5 stars in rating it for all of these and other reasons. I would rate it as 1 star due to the evident religious bias against non-muslim food, but when rating an entity I consider everything and they do have some good and authentic Middle Eastern foods here and for such reason I rated...

I LOVE this place... and I'd give them more stars if I could! After my visit today and reading some of these "reviews" I have to offer my experiences here.

I have shopped this store off and on over 15 years (if not longer). Since I've adopted the plant-based way of eating over the past two years, I've developed a hefty appetite for Indian cuisine... and continue to learn to cook authentic Indian meals on a regular basis.

This store has been a beacon of light in helping me to not only find the best, hard to find ingredients, but they have also helped me better understand how to use these ingredients for the best dishes I've ever eaten in my life!

I had an interaction today with one individual who took the time to actually ask if I needed any help... and after letting him know what I was looking for, offered some awesome tips on using these ingredients.

I've never felt or witnessed someone being "watched" during any of my visits. I will admit there were times when I wasn't immediately approached and asked if they could help. Then again, I never expect it. I do expect to NEVER be approached by anyone in Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion, etc. much less have someone make eye contact with me for fear of having to answer a question!

That said, whenever I have asked for help (which is almost every single visit), they are happy to oblige.

I encourage anyone in need of special (or not so special) ingredients to just go straight to this location. While it's not the closest place for me (I'm in downtown Hampton), I always seem to end up finding what I need (and more) when I visit.

It's well worth the investment in time...

I was very happy to find shop. I always have traveled to a VA Beach India Store, so this store was a welcome find. The staff was helpful in locating Urad Atta flour and the Hing spice that I needed. I tried my only Hindi word “Namaste” 🙏🏼 and got a smile. The register clerk has, repeatedly, been more than happy to assist me even though he spoke at a basic English level. I enjoyed communicating with the staff via our phone pictures to identify the product that I needed. So it was a great memorable experience. I learned something more about the item that I was looking for and other possible selections. I enjoyed communicating with the staff. Every time I leave this store I feel that I learned something new. I am pleased to state that The Kadhi & Pakodas dish that I made...