Step up your home cooking game by learning about eight of the most reliable places to buy whole, dried, ground, and blended spices in Los Angeles, listed in alphabetical order instead of order of preference.

Updated March 1, 2018: Penzeys (Santa Monica now Torrance), Spice Station (Closed), Van Dorn Gourmets (Closed)

Buna Ethiopian Restaurant & Market (Little Ethiopia)

Eyob Tadesse, who hails from the small Ethiopian city of Dessie, has run Buna Ethiopian Market since early 2011. He’s best known for Ethiopian comfort food, including Little Ethiopia’s most impressive fish. Up front, you’ll also find shelves of spices, grains and other imports. Buna is one of the only places in L.A. to find Ethiopian spices like berbere and mitmita. You’ll also find lentils, split peas, and injera, since spices need vessels.

Dragunara Spice Bazaar (Mid-City)

Michael Khemlani debuted the Dragunara Spice Bazaar stall at The Original Farmers Market on November 11, 2011. A medical condition first forced him to consider seasoning beyond salt and sugar. That said, Dragunara does sell a variety of salts, including Himalayan salt and “bonfire-smoked” sea salt. He even features certified organic spices in blends like the Biryani Blend of cumin, peas, lentils, fried onions, nuts, and turmeric, a trending superfood.

Herbs of Mexico (East LA)

Herbs of Mexico is an East LA institution for “quality herbal products” that dates to 1961. The name is specific, but the owners source 450 bulk herbs from around the world, not just Mexico. The company has a sizable online presence for herbs like Irish moss, Jericho powder, and licorice sticks. You can find a second storefront in Huntington Park.

According to Food Network‘s description of licorice, “This feathery-leaved plant grows wild throughout southern and parts of central Europe. It’s favored for the extract taken from its root and has long been used to flavor confections and medicine.”

India Spices & Groceries (Mid-City)

Indian spices get the spotlight at India Spices & Groceries in Mid-City. This bare bones store with fluorescent lighting and white shelves features vegetables, grains, legumes, and plenty of boxed items. Look down to find low-slung bags of spices like paprika, cardamom, clove, and cinnamon.

Penzeys (Torrance)

Penzeys is a Wisconsin based spice company that has an L.A. outpost near Torrance’s Village Del Amo Shopping Center. Spices include whole Turkey bay leaves, Mexican oregano, and Albanian juniper berries. One benefit to shopping at Penzeys is that they suggest culinary applications for many spices. They’ve also been known to get awfully specific. For example, they created “venison sausage seasoning.”

New High Ginseng Herbs & Tea Company (Chinatown)

High might be in the name, but this is no dispensary. Jars of Japanese garlic, dried scallops and sea cucumbers give way to a wall of drawers, each with the name written in Chinese. Of course the store’s namesake root appears on the green sign, but the supplies run far deeper.

According to AllRecipes, “Korean Ginseng is normally double-boiled with chicken meat as a soup, unlike the American Ginseng, which is usually sliced & soaked in hot water to make a tea.”

Quang An Duong Chinese Herb Store (Rosemead)

The shelves of this shop look like a library’s card catalog, with each drawer designated for a different spice, each designed to cure a different ailment or provide a boost. The labels are in Chinese, but ask the counterperson, who’s kind of like a pharmacist. Bonus: Quang An Duong also makes fresh squeezed sugar cane juice, a sweet rarity in L.A.

Valeria’s (Downtown)

This staple vendor has been going strong at Grand Central Market for approximately 15 years thanks to a variety of spices, chiles, and beans. Some of the more popular spices on Valeria’s shelves include cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. They also sell house moles.