Zam Zam International Market now open in Tacoma with halal offerings
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When I was writing about Narrows Gyro and that restaurant’s rebranding earlier this year, owner Ziad Abusamha told me that a Middle Eastern grocery store would be opening soon on Tacoma Mall Boulevard. And now it’s open.
Welcome to ZamZam International Market, which debuted this spring in a small space tucked behind Peanut Sauce Thai. Find Zam Zam at 5003 Tacoma Mall Blvd. You’ll have to drive around the back of Peanut Sauce Thai to find the small store. There’s plenty of parking.
Inside, find a huge range of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean groceries. I found super premium basmati, which I have found tough to find locally (outside of online ordering), plus salted preserved olives, bulgur wheat, dried garbanzo beans, Mediterranean sweets and treats and an entire case filled with halal meat.
And that brings me to owner Abdul Bushra. He opened his store in Tacoma, specifically, he said because of a shortage of places to buy halal food. This is his first grocery store and he wanted me to be sure to pass along that, “We offer a wide variety of halal products. Meat, bread, chicken, sweets and lots and lots of items.”
If you shop at Zam Zam International Market any day of the week, make it Friday. That’s when he has a fresh offering of meat. By special order, shoppers can also order lamb, Iraqi bread and more.
Bushra’s grocery collection is unusual in that it covers a broad swath of ingredients that you can’t find under one roof anywhere else in Pierce County.
In the refrigerated section, the selection of Mediterranean style yogurt and cheese was dizzying, I’d never seen such a vast selection before under one roof in Pierce County.
And in addition to groceries, the market also offers kitchen implements, housewares, tea and coffee sets, hijabs, serving trays, Quran verses hangers and a wide range of items that Bushra imports from Turkey.
ZAM ZAM INTERNATIONAL MARKET
Where: 5003 Tacoma Mall Blvd, Tacoma
Phone: 253-245-4549
Web: http://zamzamwa.com/
A sign at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
A selection of halal lamb at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
More dairy at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. Another case is filled with butter and cheese, including salted/brined feta. 
A selection of packaged sweets at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
These cured olives can be found at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Rice, grains, canned goods and more at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Grains and beans at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Dried beans, farina and more at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Super premium basmati rice at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Canned sardines at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Spice selection at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Canned goods at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma. 
Find baklava, prepared by a regional bakery, is sold at the counter at Zam Zam International Market in Tacoma.
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