This tiny, Palestinian market on Martin Luther King serves Southwestern Asian and Northern African pantry staples like dried figs, baking dates, sumac, and olive oil. Owner Ramzy Farouki’s mother makes stuffed grape leaves and pastries for the cold case, while Oregon-raised meats hang out in the refrigerators and freezers. If you’re lucky, paper bags of falafel will be sitting at the cash register, ideal for snacking on the way home.

There are a number of lovely African markets to visit along Martin Luther King Boulevard, but Mama Pauline’s is the jewel in the crown, with a wide selection of snacks (chin chin, anyone?), fresh produce like plantains, and pantry standbys like fufu mix and attiéké. Plus, Mama Pauline’s sells a variety of stunning African textiles, clothing, and beauty products.

Likely Portland’s most popular high-end specialty market, Providore exudes luxury with its selection of high-quality imports and local goods. Fishmongers at the TwoXSea seafood counter wrap McFarland Springs trout for customers, who may also fill their basket with Revel Meat steaks and Pastaworks ravioli. Picnickers stop by the elaborate cheese and charcuterie counter, grabbing a few Little T baguettes and pre-made salads as accompaniment. And those stocking a pantry may end up nabbing a few cans of Spanish octopus or Sibeiho sambal off the market’s shelves. Providore also offers delivery and pickup for those who order online.

This micro-grocer started out in 2017 with a coffee counter and produce section, but has since developed into Foster’s hub for specialty groceries. The frozen meat section is of particular note, carrying high quality meats that are often nabbed by Portland’s finest chefs: Visitors will find local producers like Marion Acres chicken, My Brothers Farm bison meat, lamb from Deck Farms, duck from Campfire Farms, and Birkeland Farms’ grass-fed beef in the cases here.

This California-based Chinese and Vietnamese supermarket took over a former Fred Meyer in 2019, retaining its mini-mall feel with several small businesses attached. Many grocery items here are conducive to quick meals, from pre-cut mixed vegetables ready to be tossed into a stir-fry to vacuum-sealed bags of assorted meatballs perfect for hot pot at home. Plus, the seafood department will clean, cut, and fry fish free of charge.

The family behind this Northeast Halsey market also own Namaste Indian Cuisine, with locations in the Lloyd District and on Northeast Sandy. For those wanting a taste of the restaurant’s chicken or vegetarian curries without the fuss of dining in, the bazaar offers food to go. A trip to the freezer section reveals a staggering array of chapatis, naans, parathas. Within the market’s limited produce section, staples of Indian cooking can be found, including white and yellow turmeric, tindola (also known as ivy gourd), and okra.

Upon entering this Eastern European store, a hot deli case filled with cabbage rolls, beef plov, and stuffed bell peppers entices customers along with a nearby rack offering freshly baked bread. Its cold counterpart offers herring under a fur coat, or shuba, by the pound, plus interestingly named meats like Mother Goose pork pate and children’s sausage. In the market’s cafe area, enjoy a cup of Turkish coffee with sweet cottage cheese pancakes, or for a heartier meal, opt for a bowl of borsch or pierogies.

Primarily focused on Thai products, this market also offers a good range of Southeast Asian goods. The market’s prepared foods section is bustling around lunchtime, as combo plate orders are cobbled together from stainless steel deli pans of piping hot pad Thai, spicy sausages, and bamboo shoot curry. On the deli counter and adjacent case, find more heat-and-eat specialties like patongco, bamboo soup, and Thai steamed fish curry in little foil boats. 

This Rohingya-owned market, which also has a location in Beaverton, supplies a variety of international goods, predominantly from India, Southeast Asia, and Africa. In the cooler, Palestinian Nabulsi cheese cozies up to Italian mortadella, while the market’s plentiful shelves hold everything from Indomie instant noodles to boxed fufu mixes. One of the market’s big draws is the butcher section, with halal meats including fresh and frozen chicken, lamb, and goat. Fish cutting services are available on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Portlanders have long flocked to the city’s outskirts for the guisados, or meat stews, at this Mexican market and deli. Order a combo plate or meats like the succulent puerco de nopales or cochinita pibil by the pound. No trip to the tienda is complete without grabbing their house-made tortillas and salsas, in varieties like roja, habanero, nopales, and the super hot “loca.”

All of the essentials for a Mexican meal can be found at this supermarket, whose ceiling is festooned with brightly colored pinatas. In the meat section, cuts of taco meat are conveniently situated across from locally made tortillas. Find self-serve conchas, churros, and other Mexican pastries displayed in a bakery case nearby refrigerated desserts like flan, tres leches cake, and rice pudding. The store smartly stocks the makings of a michelada — an assortment of Mexican beer and tomato juice — side-by-side in a cooler. At the back of the store, the fruit stand La Casita de Frutas slings spicy-sweet mangonadas and snacks like esquites.