The Souk — Local services in Seattle

The Souk sells fun, well-made tchotchkes which you’ll see in the window, but go inside and you’ll find it’s SO MUCH MORE than a standard Pike Place tourist shop.

It’s a place to socialize! The shopkeeper, Sabra, is very hospitable. Somehow whenever I go in, no matter how much of a rush I’m in, I wind up chatting with her and other customers for at least 20 minutes.

It’s a place to eat! Sabra makes her own baklava and sells it for less than you can find anywhere else in the market. Definitely grab a piece or two while you’re here.

It’s also a fully functional grocery store. There aren’t many middle-eastern grocery stores near downtown Seattle - for me and many others, this is the closest (and cheapest) place to buy staples like dried chickpeas, zaatar, harissa, halwa, chaat masala, and many other things you can’t...

My Mom and I were in town (from Dallas, TX) for an Alaskan Cruise last month. We were staying at the Marriott Waterfront. It was beautiful and sunny outside and we decided to eat our way through Pike Place Market. A hopeful search for a traditional Turkish Tea ensued, and this place had it! It was perfectly packaged for freshness, and I could just imagine a kettle of freshly boiled water and the exotic, spicy, and enticing aroma hitting me in the face as soon as I poured it over the tea bag. The enticing aroma is also what drew me to her cute little store. One of the owners, Sabra, was a delightful lady who assisted us as soon as we entered her store. She also makes the best Baklava I have ever had! Will definitely visit again when we...

Great place for Asian (especially Indian, Pakistani) herbs, spice powders, whole spices, rice and lentils. This is a very small but sweet shop. Makes me smile. You can also get some ready-to-cook (only boiling needed) Asian meal packs. Price is slightly higher than the larger popular such shops at Bellevue, but this is much closer and easily accessible for quick visits on days when I don't intend to do bulk shopping or travel to Bellevue. I like this shop and do...