The Maine Agenda › Eat in Maine
Where to Find International and Specialty Groceries in Greater Portland, Maine
Greater Portland eats better than a city this size has any right to, and a lot of that comes from immigrant and refugee families who opened small markets to feed their own communities first and everyone else second. The big chains have caught up a little, and Hannaford will now sell you a jar of gochujang and a bag of basmati. But the fish sauce is the wrong brand, the spice aisle is a rumor, and the halal counter does not exist. The real ingredients are in a handful of owner-run markets scattered along Congress Street, Washington Avenue, and out on Brighton Ave, and almost nobody has written down which store is for which job. Search for an international grocery here and you get a wall of Yelp lists, half of them pointing at stores that closed. So here is the honest, current version: where locals actually shop for the ingredients the supermarket does not carry, and what each place is genuinely for.
One thing before the list. These are small businesses run by families, not chains with a corporate hours page. Posted hours drift, especially around holidays and religious observances, so call before you make a special trip. Most take EBT and several handle WIC, which matters, and cash is always welcome. Match the pantry you are stocking to the right store and you will not waste a Saturday driving around.
Hong Kong Market: The Asian Pantry, Deep and Complete
If you cook Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, or Japanese food at home, this is the anchor store, and it has been for years. Hong Kong Market sits at 945 to 947 Congress Street in Portland and is open seven days a week from 9 to 7, which alone puts it ahead of every store on this list for reliability. It stocks what the others do not: a real wall of rice and noodles, sauces and seasonings by the case, fresh Asian produce like bok choy and daikon and Thai eggplant, a seafood and meat counter, dim sum and pastries, loose teas, and a back section of medicines, herbs, and incense. It accepts major credit cards, cash, and food stamps, but no checks.
The move here is to go with a recipe in hand and buy the specific brand it calls for, because they carry the specific brand. This is where you find the doubanjiang, the right dark soy, the frozen dumpling wrappers, and the produce that turns a decent stir-fry into the real thing. Nothing else in Greater Portland covers the Asian pantry this completely.
Masala Mahal: South Asian Spices and the First Indian Grocery in Maine
For Indian and Pakistani cooking, there is one obvious answer, and it is worth the drive to South Portland. Masala Mahal, in the Southside Plaza at 798 Main Street on Route 1, bills itself as the first Indian grocery store in Maine, and it stocks the things you genuinely cannot find anywhere else in the state: whole and ground spices, masalas and curry mixes, dals and lentils by the variety, ghee and cooking oils, pickles and chutneys, flours, rice, and a freezer of ready-to-eat halal dishes for the nights you do not want to cook. Hours run Monday 4 to 7, Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 7, and Sunday 11 to 6, so it is closed most of Monday.
Know its one limit going in: Masala Mahal carries frozen halal items but not a fresh meat counter. For fresh halal meat you want the St. John Street and Forest Avenue cluster below. For everything in the dry-goods and spice half of an Indian kitchen, this is the store.
L'Africana Market and African Supermarket: African and Global Staples
Portland has one of the larger African immigrant communities in New England, and two markets serve it well. L'Africana Market, a Black-owned shop at 570 Brighton Avenue, Suite C3, has been open since 2018 and stocks traditional foods, grains, and spices drawn from across Africa along with Middle Eastern, South American, and Asian staples. Its hours are Monday through Friday 10 to 8, Saturday 9 to 8, and closed Sunday. This is the place for cassava flour, palm oil, egusi, scotch bonnets, and the cuts and grains that West and East African recipes assume you already have.
Closer to the peninsula, African Supermarket at 44 Washington Avenue keeps long daily hours, roughly 9 to 9, and carries African foodstuffs alongside fabrics, clothing, and hair products, which is common in these markets and useful to know if you are looking for more than dinner. It opened a second Portland location on Forest Avenue in 2025. Between the two, most of the African-cooking pantry is covered, and the honest advice is to call ahead for anything specific because stock on imported staples moves in waves.
La Bodega Latina: Latin American and Caribbean
For Latin American, Central American, and Caribbean ingredients, La Bodega Latina at 863 Congress Street is the neighborhood store, open Monday through Saturday 8 to 9 and Sunday 9 to 8, which is the most generous schedule on this list. It carries staples from across Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa: masa and dried chiles, plantains, Goya and Maseca lines, Latin cheeses and sausages, and the snacks and drinks you grew up with or want to try. It also runs the practical services these markets often anchor, including money transfers, check cashing, and WIC and EBT. If a recipe calls for something the supermarket files under a sad two-foot "Hispanic foods" shelf, this is where it actually lives.
Halal Meat and Middle Eastern: The St. John Street and Forest Avenue Cluster
Fresh halal meat is the one thing none of the stores above specialize in, and it has its own small cluster. Halaal Market at 269 St. John Street and Makkah Market at 34 Vannah Avenue, just off Forest Avenue, both serve Portland's Muslim community with halal groceries, and East Africa Halaal Meat is the go-to name locals give for a fresh halal meat counter. These are small shops without real websites, so treat any posted hours as approximate and call first, especially around Friday prayers and religious holidays when schedules shift. If you want cut-to-order or specialty meat beyond what these carry, our guide to butcher shops and meat markets in Greater Portland covers the working butchers who will cut to your spec.
How to Shop These Markets Without Wasting a Trip
Bring the recipe, not a vague plan. These stores reward specificity: they have the one brand of tamarind paste or the exact chile you need, but you have to know what you are looking for. Bring cash even though most take cards, since the smallest shops sometimes have a card minimum. Go early in the week for the freshest imported produce, which tends to arrive on delivery days and sell through by the weekend. And do not expect a chain's consistency. Part of what you are buying is a family's judgment about what their community wants this month, which is exactly why the food is better than the supermarket version. If you are new to Portland and figuring out where the food scenes cluster, our Portland food neighborhoods guide maps the Washington Avenue and Congress Street corridors these markets sit on, and the farmers markets guide covers the local-produce side of the same kitchen.
FAQ
What is the best international grocery store in Portland, Maine?
There is no single best one, because each covers a different cuisine. Hong Kong Market at 945 to 947 Congress Street is the deepest Asian grocery and the most reliably open, seven days a week from 9 to 7. Masala Mahal in South Portland is the only full Indian and Pakistani grocery in the state. For African, Latin, and halal ingredients you want L'Africana Market, La Bodega Latina, and the St. John Street halal cluster respectively.
Where can I buy Indian groceries and spices near Portland, Maine?
Masala Mahal, at 798 Main Street on Route 1 in South Portland, is the first and main Indian grocery store in Maine. It carries whole and ground spices, masalas, lentils, ghee, flours, rice, pickles, and frozen ready-to-eat halal dishes. It is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 7, Sunday 11 to 6, and Monday only 4 to 7, and it stocks frozen halal items but not a fresh meat counter.
Where do I find halal meat in Greater Portland, Maine?
Fresh halal meat is concentrated in a small cluster around St. John Street and Forest Avenue, including Halaal Market at 269 St. John Street, Makkah Market at 34 Vannah Avenue off Forest Avenue, and the shop locals call East Africa Halaal Meat. These are small owner-run stores without websites, so call ahead to confirm hours before going.
Which Portland markets carry African ingredients?
L'Africana Market at 570 Brighton Avenue, Suite C3, open since 2018, and African Supermarket at 44 Washington Avenue are the two main African grocers, carrying staples like cassava flour, palm oil, egusi, and scotch bonnets along with global goods. African Supermarket added a second Portland location on Forest Avenue in 2025.
Where can I buy Latin American and Caribbean groceries in Portland?
La Bodega Latina at 863 Congress Street carries Latin American, Central American, and Caribbean staples including masa, dried chiles, plantains, Latin cheeses, and sausages, and it also offers money transfers, check cashing, WIC, and EBT. It is open Monday through Saturday 8 to 9 and Sunday 9 to 8.
Do international grocery stores in Portland accept EBT and WIC?
Many do. Hong Kong Market accepts food stamps along with major credit cards and cash, and La Bodega Latina accepts both WIC and EBT and runs money-transfer and check-cashing services. Payment policies vary by store and the smallest shops may prefer cash or set a card minimum, so it is worth carrying some cash.
Are these stores open on Sundays and holidays?
It varies. Hong Kong Market and La Bodega Latina are open seven days a week, while L'Africana Market is closed Sundays and Masala Mahal keeps limited Monday hours. All of these are family-run businesses whose schedules shift around holidays and religious observances, so call before a special trip rather than trusting a listing.