Big John's PFI
Big John's PFI
Still more panforte as well as panettone and amaretti
All the cheese!
Panforte
Goulibeur's Broye du Poitou, the most amazing French butter cookie I have ever tasted. Get it now!
food
outside
More panforte
Feta and olive menu with prices
Last visit was 2020. Time to get more bulk Herbes de Provence and wander the shop (3/24/24)
Hmmm no name gianduja chocolates, miss the availability of the good stuff back at original site. (12/30/20)
Staring at some chocolate bar varieties (5/10/22)
Small batches of various flour by %protein content for that pasta maker, bread, and/or pastry baker (8/21/20)
Signage by checkout registers (1/8/22)
Assorted items for a gift box (1/8/22)
drink
menu
interior
Bought 5 total of these platters on sale. For family or work colleagues? ($4.99 each, 8/21/20)
Interior by entrance (5/10/22)
Staring at fancy butter (5/10/22)
Tins of French candies (8/21/20)
Michele S.
Nov 27, 2023
PFI is a unique store for Seattle, as you will find many Italian items that are otherwise hard to find here. For that reason I would give it 5 stars, but this was my first back to PFI in the years since they moved, and I was a little disappointed by the sterility of the new space. It didn't quite feel like adventure of the old space. Nevertheless, this is a must visit place, especially if you grew up Italian American on the east coast where a lot of these items are more common (Hello Lupini beans and La Florentine torrone!) Great selection of meats, cheeses, dried pasta, cakes, candies and other delights. If you are entertaining, this is a smart place to put on your shopping list. Service is helpful if you ask. Parking is available in a garage under the building.
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Anne C.
Dec 27, 2022
Every time I go here, I'm more and more enamored of the goodies that can be found at Big John's PFI. Reasonably priced castelvetrano olives in bulk - both pitted and whole? Picholine olives? Greek olives? Soooo many choices and well priced too. Fennel salami? yes! Amazing walnut leaf-wrapped pecorino? Delicious!Came here before the holidays to look for panforte for a dear relative who loves this chewy, nutty, fruit and honey Italian dessert - and they had so many possible options. They also had torrone, panettone, pandoro, gianduiotti - all things on my personal holiday shopping list. And I couldn't resist picking up some calissons, some pate de fruits, and cassis syrup for New Year's kir royales. And a bag of Kolsvart Swedish Fish that was elderflower-flavored and pike shaped.I also come here for my favorite Hengstenberg German pickles, French mustard, and a 5 kilo bag of Italian "00" pizza flour. They also have many specialty flours in bulk, a huge variety of malt balls, that divisive (either you love it or you don't) salted black licorice, bulk spices, and so much more. The only con: parking is extremely difficult and some things are seasonal, so, patience and timing is sometimes required.
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Bonnie L.
Nov 18, 2022
My go to local shop for chocolates, pastas, and cheeses! This place is walking distance from our apartment, which makes it dangerous considering they have lots of yummy chocolate brands. The staff are nice and you can get authentic and excellent quality products that you won't normally get from your grocery store. One thing I have to say is that since these products are authentic, do expect them to be on the pricier side. I would pay $13-$14 for a high quality vanilla extract and I'm happy to do so. As for their pastas, they have a lot of varieties, even the hard-to-find tagliatelle (tried to find it at my local Safeway and couldn't).If you need to find international products that you couldn't find anywhere else and want to support a small and local business, visit here!
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Alana K.
Jun 1, 2023
It's so easy to spend way too much money here. It's like Target or Costco: you go in for just one item and come out a full basket and $100+ later... But every time it's a treat! Looking to put together an enviable cheese plate, charcuterie board, or picnic basket? Big John's PFI has exactly what you need to make an impression! Excellent international wine selection that won't break the bank, reasonably priced bulk olives, and incredible cheeses clearly indicating cow/sheep/goat and including taste profile. Plus the staff is always happy to offer samples of cheeses you're deciding between. Their minimum for cheese and olives is 1/4 pound, but I'm honestly fine with that. Others have complained about parking, but I've never really had a problem in their cozy underground garage. Maybe the trick is to go later in the day. Or maybe it's just my parking luck. Anyway, Big John's is my happy place!
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Othon H.
Dec 13, 2021
If you're looking for a specific Italian or European good, this is one of your better chances to find it. Especially if you're looking for fine cheeses. Wine selection is okay, meats are okay, but specialty imported candies and cheeses are where Big John's shines. Not low-quality, low-price items.But, if you're just browsing or looking for something generally, the extremely cramped parking lot, narrow but heavily trafficked store, and high prices (they're specialty importers, so they're reasonable for that category of good) should scare you away. Know what you're looking for before venturing in.
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Brenna H.
Dec 4, 2022
My friend took me here for the first time and wow! They have an underground parking lot which is handy since parking can be hard to find sometimes in the downtown/central area. The store was just beyond fabulous! They have specialities from all over the world. As a vegan and a baker, I was able to find so many special things, including my favorite chocolates Valrhona and Callebeaut! I got so much! I can't wait to go back for the holidays and see what type of special holiday stuff they have. I also purchased some cool drink mixes for my neighbors- bitters, etc, and gingerbread mix!
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Misha G.
Jun 27, 2024
My Italian friend has been a fan of PFI for years. She finally sent me there to pick up a few supplies for a party she was catering on my behalf. Unfortunately I wanted to ( and did) buy many more (potentially) unnecessary things while I was there. They really have so many tempting imports from various countries. They carry a puff pastry that is not Pepperidge Farms, and once you use it you may never go back to the regular store bought ones. Service was wonderful, and free parking in their garage.
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Basil P.
Feb 24, 2024
Located near the international district/Chinatown in Seattle.This place carries a difficult to find fish roe called Tarama, used to make a Greek dip called Taramasalata. I have not been able to find this fish roe at most international markets and it is very expensive to purchase online.Excellent selection of imported, European cheeses, olive oil, tahini etc.They do not have hard liquor at this time, however, such as Ouzo.There is convenient parking for the store.The service is excellent. The staff even offered my mother a chair, as she waited for me to finish shopping.
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JoEllen H.
May 25, 2024
If you are a cook and love Italian food this is the place you've been looking for! They have all of the important imports for your perfect meal. The employees are so helpful and even give you extra tips for preparing your feast. I definitely will be back again! Thank you so much
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Annalisa C.
Feb 3, 2024
Good place for hard to find gourmet ingredients. Has a great olive and cheese counter, though I can't say I peruse it too much. My only quibble is that moving to their current location meant that their merchandise footprint was reduced. There's definitely a few things I used to be able to find at their former location that didn't survive the move. Ah well. Still glad to have somewhere I can get specialty French, Italian, and German ingredients. They still carry Dutch licorice too, so that's something.
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