Marketplace | Saraga International Grocery

Location | 3605 Commercial Drive  Indianapolis, IN

This place is the Disney World of international food. I don't even think there's anything remotely like this in LA. I think it's because LA has a lots of different neighborhoods and people are pretty isolated in their respective ethnic villages - Chinatown, Little Armenia, Thai Town, Little Tokyo, Little Ethiopia. I feel like if someone could get some square footage in DC, where people are forced to live amongst each other, this place would make a killing. It has most everything you can imagine from anywhere on earth (with the exception of passion fruit concentrate). I can get Ting by the case here, so I'll always be loyal.

You can get almost any cut of any animal your heart desires. Tripe, stomach, ear, foot, tongue. There are even some smoked meats, like Turkey legs. There's a regular butcher and seafood counter one side of the store and there's a Halal butcher on the opposite side of the store. The meat is very reasonably priced. (I'll have to admit I'm a little afraid to buy meat here though. Snob.)

There are vegetables from everywhere. They even had culantro, which I've never seen outside of Guatemala. The produce always looks fresh and there's always a lot of it. There are also bulk beans of all varieties in bins around the produce section.

The Central American fare is pretty good considering there are probably three Central Americans in the entire state. There are Chicky cookies, Tortix chips, Ducal black beans, Maggi seasonings, etc. There is even Incaparina... for all those malnourished North American children, I guess.

There's Inca Kola, which would be nice to wash down some homemade chaufa de pollo. And they have a variety of maltas in the Caribbean section for people on the wagon and nursing mothers. Again, this is the place I stock up on Ting.

There is a huge aisle of Goya products. It's actually pretty amazing. The Old Man says Goya is the world's largest food producer though. So, I guess it makes sense. Goya seems to make anything you can think of. There are a lot of different seasonings and canned beans.

There are instant noodles from just about every place you can imagine - Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil - you name it! There are also a ton of different types of tofu scattered in various locations around the store.

There are all kinds of gadgets and appliances from around the world. They even had a little hotplate I'd think would be great for shabu shabu and hotpot at home. They even had hotplates with metal pots attached. There was this plantain press I thought was interesting. I don't ever make tostones though.

This jar of shito was in the Caribbean section. I assumed it was misplaced because no English-speaker is going to eat something called shito. It made me laugh and I had to google it. It's a Ghanian condiment. 

There is every Indian spice you can think of. Several different kinds of rose water from all Middle Eastern destinations. Chilies galore. There are cheeses from random places in Eastern Europe. All in all, Saraga is just a great place.

However, be aware some things are stale. I would assume because there are not enough "ethnic peoples" in Indianapolis to eat all the food this grocery store offers.