EXCLUSIVE
Top 10 Asian Grocery Shopping Destinations in Metro Atlanta
The mushrooming of Asian supermarkets has been a phenomenon along Buford Highway and it is fast spreading to the Pleasant Hill Road corridor in Gwinnett county. New investments in supermarkets targeting Asian shoppers are arriving in waves from other states. More new store openings are scheduled for openings in later part of 2009.
GAT is pleased to present this year's top 10 Asian grocery and supermarkets shopping destination in metro Atlanta. Our list of top 10 are selected on basis of: variety of ethnic selections offered to shoppers; quality and freshness of produces; cleanliness and safety; accessibility and location; and competitive prices.
Assi Plaza Supermarket
1291 Old Peachtree Road, NW, Suwanee, GA 30024 / 770.813.1500
1630 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth, GA 30096 / 770.921.4989
With the opening of its second stores in Duluth, Assi Plaza is fast capturing a larger share of metro Atlanta's Asian shoppers market with its competitive prices, quality, and fresh produces. Assi offers a wide variety of ethnic grocery items ranging from rice, noodles, sauces, vegetables, frozen items, fruits, poultry to seafood.
The new Duluth store is attempting to lure more Latino and South Asian-Indian shoppers with a large offering of dry goods, canned products, fruits, fish, and meat.
Assi offers its own house brand in dry goods and sauces. The quality is superior than branded items and often lower in prices.
Its fresh vegetable produce and fruits section are well stocked with Asian selections. You can find a wide variety from winter melons, yams, to dragon fruits at this section.
Both stores offers food courts serving Korean, Chinese, and Japanese fast food.
Plus: Wide selection of ethnic items; fresh and competitive prices.
Minuses: Dirty toilets.
Super H Mart
2550 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth, GA 30096 / Tel 678.543.4000
6335 Hwy 85, Riverdale, GA 30274 / Tel 678.435.0909
10820 Abbotts Bridge Road, Johns Creek, GA 30005 / Tel 678.317.0240
2700 Lawrenceville Suwanee Rd, NE, Suwanee, GA 30024 / Tel 770.932.9511
Super H Mart is a household name for many of metro Atlantan Asian shoppers -- it offers a wide selection of fresh produces, meat, seafood, canned & dry goods, and fruits.
Its aggressive drive and marketing to capture metro Atlanta's shoppers is paying dividend especially in this economic downturn. All locations are especially busy during the weekends. Shoppers from metro Atlanta and neighboring states such as Alabama and South Carolina are making their stops at Super H Marts.
Prices on some goods would vary at its four different stores. Best prices are usually found at the Pleasant Hill store.
Super H Mart opens four stores to date and the next store location is in Doraville, next to the former G.M. plant. Due to current economic slowdown, no firm date have been announced for the opening of this store.
Plus: Good selection of Asian items; fresh produces and fruits; reasonable prices.
Minuses: Congested on weekends.
Buford Highway Farmers Market
5600 Buford Highway, NE, Doraville, GA 30040 / 770.455.0625
After undergoing major renovations and rebranding, Buford Highway Farmers Market has the feel and ambiance of a Whole Food store. Goods are display on shiny racks and divided based on country of origins. The whole supermarket seems to feel wider and have more spaces.
Their strategy have shifted from targeting Asian shoppers to a wider range of international patrons including Latinos and European customers.
BHMM still offers a good selection of Asian products especially canned goods, sauces, dry goods, fresh vegetables, seafood, and fruits.
BHMM attracts a loyal following among its shoppers due to its convenient location –– located off I-285 and a short distance to several of its popular restaurants on Buford Highway.
With wide selections and reasonable prices, BHMM have a lot of loyal customers and it attracted
new ones in the past year.
Plus: Good prices. Fresh produce, fruits and seafood.
Minuses: Confusing signs in store.
Ming’s Food
5697 New Peachtree Road, Atlanta GA / Tel (770) 457-3883
A wholesaler of Asian and Chinese food items and you are actually paying wholesale prices. The drawback is the relative small size of the store. It offers only basic essentials such as sauces, condiments, and dry goods. Perfect place to shop if you're under a strict budget.
It is also a great place to pick up fresh soy milk and soy custard (tau foo fa).
Plus: Fresh and cheap.
Minuses: Limited offerings.
99 Ranch Market
5150 Buford Highway, Doraville, GA 30340 / 770.458.8899
An established supermarket that carry an assortment of Chinese staples ranging from frozen items, dry goods, fresh seafood, to Chinese medicines.
99 Ranch Market offers unique selection of Chinese teas, sauces, canned, dry goods, and vegetables for Chinese cooking that not readily available elsewhere.
A favorite shopping destination for Chinese immigrants.
This supermarket has vastly improved its cleanliness in the past year. No more strange foul odour from its seafood department. Lighting and quality of air in the building have also improved.
Plus: Reasonable prices with large variety of Chinese cooking staples.
Minuses: Parking space is limited on weekends. Cashiers are slow during peak business hours.
Atlanta Farmers Market
4166 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30345 / 404.325.3999
This market caters to Vietnamese, Chinese, and southeast Asian shoppers. Has a reputation for its fresh meat and seafood department. You can buy live seafood including fish and frogs.
You can also buy hard-to-find vegetables and exotic fruits here including pinescrew leaves and durians. Unique cooking herbs and spices are also readily available here.
Plus: Fresh meat department along with choices caters to Southeast Asian cooking.
Minuses: Limited parking on the weekends.
Hong Kong Supermarket
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30093 / 770.582.6800
Hong Kong Supermarket offers large selections of Asian food items ranging from fresh seafood, produces, meat, to dry goods. It also carry a large selection of Asian kitchen utensils and household items.
It is a popular destination for Vietnamese community as they carry a wide assortment that caters to their taste. Do not let the name fools you as the supermarket is owned by a Vietnamese owner.
Hong Kong Supermarket has a large food court serving Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai food.
Plus: Competitive prices.
Minuses: Difficult to find items as signage are poor.
Hoa Binh Seafood Market
4897 Buford Highway, Chamblee, GA 30341 / 770.457.3383
Popular among Vietnamese and Chinese shoppers as the store carry a wide variety of sauces, condiments, dry goods, noodles, and cooking utensils. It has a small produce section and a seafood counter. The store also has a corner selling freshly made BBQ meat, roast chicken & duck, and crispy suckling pig. This store carry hard to find sauces and condiments.
Plus: Unique selections.
Minus: Beware of expired and dated items. Pungent aroma in the store.
Oriental Market
5091 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30340 / 770.457.5666
Operated by a Thai couple, this mom and pop store offers items related to Thai and Southeast Asian cooking. It carry canned goods, sauces, condiments, spices, and herbs that are not readily available at other stores. Carry small amount of fresh pastry and baked goods prepared by housewives. The store has an inventory of Asian kitchen utensils and cooking tools such as coconut scraper and clay ovens.
Plus: Ethnic selection and easy access.
Minuses: Limited selections.
Patel Brothers
763 DeKalb Industrial Way, Decatur, GA 30033
Serving the South Asian community, this store has an assortment of curry spices, lentils, frozen food, snacks, teas, and dry goods. You will find everything you need for South Asian-Indian cooking at this store. Along with low prices, the goods are freshly stocked due to high turnover in sales. Check out the wide choices of Indian snacks such as murukus stored in large clay jars.
Plus: Low prices and wide selections.
Minuses: Crowded on the weekends and narrow aisles.
Worthy Mention:
DeKalb Farmers Market
3000 E. Ponce De Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030 / 404.377.6400
A wonderful place to shop for fresh fruits, produce, meat, seafood, cheeses and fresh pastry. Still an ideal place to shop for ethnic vegetables and fresh seafood despite the store has evolved to catering more mainstream customers.
Plus: Fresh and cheap.
Minus: Limited Asian selections.
Tomato Japanese Grocery
2086 Cobb Parkway, Smyrna, GA 30080 Tel 770-933-0108
A tiny supermarket that sells fresh sashimi grade fish, frozen Japanese food, rice, sauces, and dry goods from Japan. Japanese expatriates throng this place for ethnic ingredients.
Plus: Ethnic Japanese store.
Minus: Limited selection.
Manila Mart
6135 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross GA 30092 / Tel 770.451.4585
This ethnic store caters to metro Atlanta's Filipino community. Carry favorite Filipino dry goods and frozen items. It also serve as clearing house for shipping of large boxes to the Philippines.
Plus: Carry hard-to-find Filipino essentials.
Minus: Limited selection.