Wow...Wow... Â All I can say is I can't believe I didn't stop in sooner. Â I've been in town for 4 years and just discovered World Harvest.
The owner and staff are very welcoming and helpful, which shows that they take pride in their business. Â There is a very extensive selection of food from all over the world, with a delicious looking deli/cheese selection as well. Â I was able to find an Eastern European bread that I've been looking for, a great looking frozen Indian dish, and my favorite French biscuits, all in one trip. Â Unlike some other places, this store is clean and well organized. Â I really look forward to coming back again.
i like world harvest. Â i don't love it. Â they have amazing baklava. Â i mean... uh.maze.ing. Â i could eat it all day long. Â
however, if you get the deli food... it's just... meh.  i got a couple falafel sandwiches that were promptly heated  up in a microwave.  the hummus has a strange flavor that i can't put my finger on.  i haven't eaten tuna in about 25 years, but honestly, this hummus tasted like tuna smells.  just kinda strange. i don't prefer it over other places in town.  i certainly wouldn't go out of my way to get it.
the selection in this store is overwhelming. Â any AND every kind of ethnic or health food is contained on these shelves. Â if you can't find it somewhere else, you can probably find it here. Â there is a wide selection of spices and dried beans and spices. Â lots of gluten free alternatives for pasta and flour. Â i was surprised by how many raw vegan things there were, actually. Â however, one raw bar was almost $5, and even, raw "boutique" prices... $5 is kind of steep. Â lots of things in here are on the expensive side.
i would come in again if i need something unique that i couldn't find anywhere else, but this would not be my dedicated shopping site. Â the service is super nice, though.
I really like the selection of unique foods that this place has. It also has some great gluten-free options. I love the variety of chocolates, beans, oils, candies, etc.
However, I've bought some things here that have been disappointing to say the least. Once I bought a rice mix and then when I opened it, I was dismayed to find several dead worms and larvae in it. Yuck! I also bought a can of coconut milk and opened it and it was as thick as mud and very sour. Obviously well past its prime.
That really irks me. Some of the products have been sitting on the shelves for god knows how many years. Decades possibly. They need to have a more professional attitude and throw out all the expired food.
If I lived in Champaign, I would be in trouble. Â World Harvest is amazing. Â Take every single ethnic market you can find and put them all together. Â Add an olive bar, artisan cheeses, fresh baked breads, and all of the worldly chocolate you can handle (including kinder chocolate and Mozart balls) and you have World Harvest. Â They not only have spices and dry noodles, but a large selection of frozen ethnic foods, a wall of balsamic vinegars and olive (as well as other) oils, ad did I mention the chocolates?
They also had a bulk nut and dried fruit selection to choose from. Â Jordan Almonds scare me... but I digress.
The bakery items looked freshly made, and the staff was very friendly. Â They will let you try any of the deli, cheese, or olive selections before you purchase.
The freshest Feta cheese. The hugest selection of Thai and Indian grocery items. Nice/pretty/intelligent/ethnic/artsy girls behind the counter who elaborately answer every single dumb question that I invent about olives or cheese. This place makes dreams come true! I LOVE you World Harvest Foods!
Review Source:This is a really neat store to browse, and if you're looking for a specialty ingredient you'll probably find it here. Â However, consider other options before you actually buy something. Â It's almost definitely cheaper elsewhere. Â If you don't feel like shopping around or stopping at multiple stores to get what you need, just be aware that you're paying extra for the convenience of a one-stop-shop. Â Also, check expiration dates. Â I forgot to do so last time I shopped here, and ended up with some lovely stale food. Â I do like to stop here and buy a few things as an occasional indulgence, but in general it's just too expensive.
Their halva is fantastic, though--seriously, the best.
I love World Harvest! They have a huge selection of stuff, but I most often go here for a handful of things:
-Falafel sandwiches
-Cheese. For a given type of cheese, it is usually cheaper here than the grocery store, and of course the selection is far superior.
-Halal meats, but especially sausage. Italian sausage, soujuk, and merguez are all usually available here.
-Olives
The staff is really helpful and will answer any questions about their huge and sometimes bewildering selection.
World Harvest is definitely my favorite import/specialty foods store in C-U. The staff is super friendly, the place is clean, and the prices are generally pretty reasonable.
And the cheese...mmmm...the cheese. They have an awesome selection of cheeses, all of which they're happy to let you sample. Most importantly, they have Lurpak (a popular brand of Danish butter). Mmmmmm....butter.
This place has stuff I can't get anywhere else and even has some gluten free flours & pastas.
I came here looking for Besan (chickpea flour) and walked out with $30 in chocolate & olive oil in addition to the flour I was looking for.
I have been back a couple more times for cheese and french soda.
I love that I can get food I miss from my travels!
While I certainly appreciated the variety of ethnic food that World Harvest offers, I was very disturbed to find two small dead worms on a box of Spanish rice I was about to buy (at first I thought it was two grains of rice which made me even more disturbed). That is just not acceptable for a grocery store. If you are going there, be sure to look over all of your items before purchasing.
Review Source:I love this place. Â They have expanded and it just keeps getting better. Â They have a wide assortment of international foods, especially Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern. Â They have a great selection of olive oils, pasta, tea, jellies and jams, condiments, and candies. Â Saturday is cheese and olive tasting and they have a wonderful selection of both. Â Prices are very reasonable and the quality is high. Â The owner, Mohammed, is a very friendly, kind, gracious, helpful man who is a pleasure to know. Â I can't say enough good things about this store and its owner. Â Go there. Â Walk the aisles. Â Sample the cheese and olives. Â Stock your cart or basket with a wide array of goodies. Â You will become a regular just as I have.
Review Source:I do not want Sriracha sauce. Â I need sriracha sauce. Â Also baklava, organic chocolate, gouda with basil and garlic and maybe some ginger beer. Â All of which World Harvest is more than prepared to sell me. Â
They have a nice selection of the yuppie luxury items I'd expect in such a store - olive oil, mustard, chocolate, dried pasta, etc. Â Basically everything I'd think of as "contraband" if there was a war on. Â And while I can't speak for 100% of the store-made goods, I will say that the cashew baklava is mighty fine stuff. Â Plus, the prices on all of it seem very reasonable.
I took off a star because... I'm a snob. Â Because I want more. Â I'd like a bigger cheese selection with more of a display and some fois gras. Â Not that kibbi isn't also excellent, but I'd like you to indulge my stuffwhitepeoplelike attitude just a tad bit more please. Â The store could also stand to have a couple hundred more square feet, perhaps filled with a nice wine selection. Â There really aren't enough places to buy a decent Malbec in this town, maybe this place could be one?
All in all, an excellent establishment that I will never be able to just walk past. Â Surely one piece of baklava can't hurt me.
This place reminds me of this insane NYC spice store with every spice in the world. It's overwhelming! Aisle after aisle of spices! All kinds of rices, jams, etc. I bought some Greek mountain tea that I've been wanting to try. This store should be in Chicago, or one like it.
If you are driving by Champaign, this place is worth a pit stop. It's always fun to just look at food crap.
I like world harvest. I go there for cheese, chocolate, pita bread, grains, jam ... that kind of stuff. And its good. They have many things you cannot find elsewhere. However, they WILL sell you rotten food. We bought goat cheese on "sale" that was 3 weeks past the sell by date. And I found worms in the rice once. Right there on the shelf with all the other foods. Kind of off-putting. I told the management and they argued that the cheese was totally fine. Um ... maybe, but 3 weeks past the date? They said, "oh yea, totally fine." Unacceptable to receive no compassion for the fact that they sold me 3 week old cheese. Update: the cheese is still on the shelf a week later. A month old. Is that even legal?
Two years ago, I would have also given this a 5-star rating. Today, just 2. Just stop selling rotten foods. It's THAT easy.
And don't eat the falafel sandwich either. Its soggy and gross.
World Harvest is a little gem of a business in Champaign. They have such a diverse and complete variety of products from around the world, including ethnic foods, teas, jams, oils, spices, seeds, nuts, sweets, confectioneries, cheeses, meats, and even beauty products, it's definitely worth a visit.
The owner is friendly, and he also owns Istanbul mediterranean restaurant in Champaign at the Crossing, which is a fresh and delightful winner of a business. It seems everything he is doing, he is doing right.
I love this place! Â Upon my move to Urbana from Boston, I immediately went to World Harvest. Â They have absolutely every odd ingredient I've looked for there. Â They have Castelvetrano olives, which I thought would be impossible to find in CU. Â Lots of delicious cheeses, which they will always let you try before you buy. Â Sometimes they give away free chocolate! Â What more could you want?
Review Source:As I sit here finishing my very fresh schaumküsse, I reflect on how awesome this store really is, and how lucky we are to have such great owners who really listen to what their patrons want!
In fact, just a few months ago they did not have schaumküsse (and I had not really remembered them carrying it prior to this moment). I knew this because I asked the owner. Only a few weeks later I came in and there they were! It seems that since then they have started keeping them in stock non-stop. Thus, this is the best international store in Champaign-Urbana.
I'm not going to repeat what the other reviewers have said about the selection and the great cheeses and the tasty halal/kosher local meats -- it's all true.
The place also has all kinds of cool cosmetics and grooming products from other countries. They have several different kinds of henna, powdered and in tubes, ranging from poor quality to good quality. They have some cool Islamic items like tooth cleaning materials made from traditional miswak, fancy imported dates, and Arab keffiyeh scarves. They have this aromatic Lebanese soap made from olives and imported oils and tinctures I had never heard of before. It's really cool. And omg it's cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap!
They have a wonderful selection of cheeses, especially Western European styles. Another strong point is the chocolate... they even the hard-to-find Callebaut baking chocolate.
Their selection of olive oil, balsamic and sherry vinegars is unmatched.
The only (mild) disappointment I have is that they don't have fresh, locally-baked flatbreads, like you see in similar places in larger cities.
Just when I thought I'd seen all of the international food stores in the Champaign area, I found World Harvest! The employees were courteous and very helpful! When I asked for a special mexican dessert that I've only found in my home town, I was surprised when the owner came out and asked me if I would bring the wrapper of the dessert so that he could try to have it ordered! I was also fascinated by the variety of foods, drinks, sauces, chocolate, you-name-it. They even have a lot of organic items. I definately recommend shopping here!
Review Source:Shopping here is a joy. So many international-type food stores are focused on one country or region at the expense of all others. This place has everything. EVERYTHING. The cheeses! the cookies! the spices! the strange canned foods from around the world! Plus, halal meats and everything. Oh what fun.
Review Source:This store is CU's foodie mecca and for good reason- it  has everything! Primarily tailored for the needs of international students and former city-dwellers, this is the place to get everything from ghee to chevre. Only here can I indulge my desire for German Kinder chocolate, Dutch Roka cheese crispies, Middle Eastern Zaatar, and Norwegian lingonberries. They also have a good selection of local foods from nearby farms and bakeries. Prices are far more reasonable than big stores like Cost Plus World Market or similar Chicago stores.
For gifts or gourmet food, this is the best place in CU!
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