Patel Brothers Indian Grocery — Local services in Tampa

Went for the first time today and will never go again. Went to grab a few ingredients for an authentic biryani and I was extremely excited since I’ve passed by the store since I was a child and never had a reason to stop in.

Unfortunately, I was greeted by unfriendly employees who would walk in front of me with their carts and stop directly in front of the display I was looked at, no excuse me or apologies, but this I attempted to ignore. This is even after realizing we were being followed in the aisles.

One make employee who seemed irritated with my presence would ask “need help?” And then almost slap me with the ingredients while handing it to me, and talking down to me when I grabbed certain ingredients. It made me feel extremely unwelcome. No smiles, no courtesy. Although I did appreciate the help finding the ingredients.

The icing on the cake for me however was the lady up front. While she did provide help when asked about a few ingredients, while my partner and I were looking at my shopping list at my phone, the woman kept calling to my partner saying “Sir, Sir, Sir, Sir” a million times and forcing us to the register. Despite me saying numerous times we were not ready to leave.

We ended up going to another store to purchase the rest of our ingredients, which had much better selection, prices and customer service. This experience left such a sour taste in my mouth that I will never ever return, especially after learning of their superior...

This place was small, but had so much of what I needed at short notice.

The first thing that caught my attention was the sizable selection of vegetables and fruits on offer. The shelves were stocked with fresh produce, with a wide range of traditional Indian vegetables and fruits that are often hard to find elsewhere. The quality and freshness were commendable, allowing me to pick good ingredients for my recipes. However, I must admit that the guava's price was a bit steep, and I wish it had been more affordable.

Venturing into the fresh hot mixes section, I was delighted to find a nice assortment of spicy snacks and traditional Indian munchies. They were not too spicy, but a little pricy. I recommend Mama's Kitchen for the Kerala mixes.

The frozen section boasted an impressive selection of kebabs that piqued my curiosity. From chicken kebabs to flavorful vegetarian options, there was something for everyone. I tried a few varieties, and they did not disappoint; the flavors transported me to the vibrant streets of India.

The store's layout was clean and well-organized, making it easy to navigate through the aisles and locate the desired items. Additionally, the staff was friendly and approachable, readily assisting customers with any inquiries or suggestions for suitable products.

Despite the store's many merits, the only drawback I found was the pricing of certain items, like the aforementioned guava, fresh hot mixes, or...

This Monday, I had paid a visit to see a new and most amazing Indian grocery store that I had looked up.

I had intentions of visiting on the weekend, but Monday worked just as well.

Anyway, as this was my first time visiting the store, just like when I visited the Mahal Bazaar earlier this month, it was a case of immediate delight and impression!

Visiting this store was amazing, and I saw so many products and interesting Indian food as far as the eye could see, and like the Mahal Bazaar, I couldn't get enough of the amazing smell in the air, which was just pleasant, and I especially loved smelling the smell of Indian incense sticks. This store made me feel like I was already in India again, and the service was great!

Not only that, but just like I did before, I, having learned more of it, had another chance to use my Hindi language to interact with the people who worked the place, and the check out registers.

Overall, this is yet another really amazing, yet interesting place to see, visit, buy things, and feel like you're in India!

I absolutely love this place, just as I do the Mahal Bazaar. 😊😁

When my visit was over, I bought some Mahal Chai Tea, tried it when I got home, and that tea, from India, was very refreshing and enjoyable!

My rating for the store... five-- no, better yet... 10 stars!

Thank you very much for having me visit your store, Patel Brothers! I do hope that I can return again...