This was my first time in an Asian market as I have never prepared Asian food or do I really ever eat it. But I was definitely curious and my son who lives in Philadelphia sometimes shops here. It seemed massive to me, and there were so many things I had no idea what they were. The only thing I bought were several different types of cookies, which I liked a lot. They were made with mung beans! Something I'd like to point out is that the the ladies bathroom was absolutely filthy! Something disturbing I saw that I wished I could unsee was a large pair of tongs hung over the filthy wastepaper basket. All I could think of was a kitchen employee needed to use the bathroom, and placed the tongs there while she did her business. But was she going to wash those when she got back to the kitchen or just use them without washing? Such a gross, unsightly thing to see! read more

I usually don't like grocery shopping especially where the fresh meat/fish section is because it's a lot of time smelly and sometimes even messy!! Over the weekend I and my mother happened to be in the area so we stopped by this market to buy some fresh vegetables for me. I of course had to check out the meat/fish section. Wow!! It was clean and the odor was there but at the very minimum that my sensitive nose could barely detect! The vegetables are very fresh and the lines were fast! I was told by mom that the cashier was not rude when I saw that she was loud and yanked an item from my mother's hand. Maybe that's how the line moved quick?!!! According to my mother that's just her culture, she wasnt rude. Okay?! Wow. Whatever culture that is, maybe she should read my review and maybe try to calm down and also lower her voice a bit then she would be awesome! So after all the cleanliness and freshness of course it came with a price! It's more expensive than most other grocery stores from South Philly to North Philly according to my mother (of course since I rarely do grocery shopping!) and also my cousin that I happened to run into her that day. read more

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I stopped in over the winter break to explore this market because I saw they carry May Wah Vegetarian ingredients. For those who don't know May Wah makes a vast array of vegetarian and vegan mock meat products. When I scoped out the market I found that they also carry Nature's Soy a philly based vegetarian/mock meat company. This is located in the fridge section. They also have a wide selection of canned mock meats. I'm most excited to try the mock shrimp from May Wah. The May Wah stuff is over in the freezer department so don't get discouraged when you don't see it near the Nature's Soy/Tofu section (kind of near produce). The produce section was nice and I was able to grab some avocados for $1 (not the best price but beats my local Acme). I also picked up a huge thing of seaweed wraps to make some vegetarian sushi. I only removed a star because there is a strong fish smell from the fish section but overall this place is great and I will be back. read more

Well stocked Asian supermarket, including dinnerware and kitchen accessories. Live fish, fresh meats and fowl. The Roasted duck is delicious and fairly priced. Staff is not helpful and can be rude at best...doesn't stop me from shopping there. read more

One of the nicer Asian markets in Philly proper, although there are very good H Marts out in the Northeast and Elkins Park. The place is large, well lit, and stocked with all those things that have never been heard of by the Acmes and Giants of the world. Need a regional chili sauce from Chongqing? They have a variety of them. Want thin noodles from Thailand? Just ask for it. Jonezing for sweet pea leaves for that special garlic recipe? Yup. It's there. Need fresh fish for your father-in-law? The red snapper is right off the boat. The prices can be erratic, and sometimes the aisles are so overloaded with goods that two carts can't pass each other, but if that really bothers you, you probably never went to the markets in any town in Asia. That's just the way it is. Sell by dates important to you? It may be better to just close your eyes. Staff is very helpful and multilingual. They even have a small apothecary to save you the trip to the herb shops in Chinatown. Even had Wood Lock Oil. read more

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I have to agree wit hthe prior review. Vietnam, china, korea, japan, laos, cambodia, philipines, thailand, indonesia, etc. it has it all. lots of fruit, vegetables, books, phonecards, soda, packaged noodels, sauces, sweets, rice, medicine, pots, pans, rice cookers. you name it its probably there. fresh fish, crabs, frogs (???) freshwater eel, salmon, roe, you name it, if its a type of fish they have it. want fresh anchovies, you got it. cash only. read more

1st Oriental Supermarket - oriental supermarket - International Grocery Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Larger market with a parking lot. They have a fish and meat department. Large vegetable and fruit selection. Other reviewer's have mentioned that there is a smell, however I find this is pretty typical of any Asian market. They also sell freshly cooked duck/chicken/pork at the front of the store. They also carry a selection of fresh bakery items. Not your typical American market so expect to come here for the grocery selection and not necessarily be treated like royalty. People shopping here are typically rushing to get home and may run you over to save a few minutes read more

1st Oriental Supermarket - International Grocery Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is the first time visiting this place and my first impression is that this is an Asian supermarket with fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, dry and cooked foods. The products focus seems to be more Vietnamese than Chinese. We stocked up on Pho noodles, Tom Yum paste and other items that we normally do not see in an Asian supermarket in NYC. This is great one stop place for our needs but unfortunately it is too far away from NYC. But we will definitely visit the place when we are in town. read more

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For the last few months my bf and I have been coming here on a biweekly basis to stock up on our groceries and you cannot beat the deals here! When we cook it tends to be Chinese food and you can find everything you need here. I love Asian veggies and there's a large selection, i.e. various Bok Choys, snow pea leaves, Chinese water spinach, etc.. One can also find meat for extremely reasonable prices, both packaged ones or ones from the butcher. There's a seafood area with lots of fish varieties, oysters/clams (not sure how fresh these are since I haven't tried them), and lobsters (and other things swimming in tanks). Besides Chinese food ingredients, they also sell things one would need for Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, and other Asian cuisine cooking. I'm constantly impressed by how many things they carry in this store! If you spend enough (I forget the cut off, $20 or $40?) the cashier will ask you at the end of ringing you up "would you like soy sauce, cookies, coffee?" or whatever free items are up for grabs on that day. Also there's a big parking lot which makes shopping here so much easier than going to Chinatown and having to lug heavy bags on a long trek home. read more

1st Oriental Supermarket - Legit meat/fish counter - International Grocery Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This has been my go-to asian supermarket for 8+ years, only because I live in the area and they have parking. The prices are great especially for the fresh produce. I have noticed the quality of the produce, meat and seafood has dropped in the last few years. They never have enough registers open and the lines move SLOW. Avoid register 1 at all cost. The cashier with the short hair and glasses stationed there is not friendly! read more

Great place to find everything asian...except for maybe korean (I have to head to North Philly for this) Everything here is priced pretty reasonable and for the most part fresh. I have seen some pretty nasty looking fruits here (overly riped), but in general, it's pretty decent. They always have tons of different types of veggies too, esp the asian kinds I can't seem to find anywhere else. My husband loves going into the snack isle. There are really good asian chips and cookies here. Crab chips, coconut butter cookies, shrimp chips, etc etc. Yum!!! Also, they do sell tons of different types of rice. This is the only place I tend to buy rice from. Oh, and lets not forget about the roast pig and duck area! Mmmm, drooling just thinking about it. For the pork, you can ask for a specific spot of the pig so if you like fat, you can request it, or if you like mainly meat and skin (like me) i make sure I tell them. They are more than happy to do it for you. read more

Best of a bad bunch but I shop here a lot. I'm not sure why every Asian market looks disorganized, and smells off. I have yet to see one that is otherwise. All that being said, I find all my Asian food needs more then satisfied at a very reasonable price. Where else can you buy live frogs and turtles not as pets but to eat! PS I don't eat them. Really! read more

This may be my go to supermarket for Asian groceries. The aisles are clean and organized. I was able to find some of the lesser known items (relative to American tastes) like kimchee and roasted seaweed. The lady at the checkout was not busy so she waved me over to her lane instead of me standing in a longer one. I'll have to come back and check out the produce as that was not on my list this time around. read more

I know everything more expensive nowadays, but this place seems more so than expected, no wonder I see more Asian people visit Hmart than here, they are losing customers, read more

"You Know You're White When..." ...You recognize nary a single product on offer. ...You cannot reasonably improv a single recipe based on any of the available ingredients. ...You giggle with excitement over the endless varieties of prepacked buns, frozen potstickers, and related pink fringe tooth-pickery. ...You review the photos and captions I've supplied WHICH I INSIST YOU DO and experience the sweet rush of acid reflux. ...You reassess your heretofore iron-clad interest in "authentic" cuisine. Plus four stars for sheer variety, selection and price. Minus one star for abundant filth. read more

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We were put off by the smell and in and out in less than 10 minutes with nothing in our hands. Let me start by saying I'm Asian. Glad we got that out of the way. We usually go to Assi Plaza or H Mart, both great stores with an awesome selection. But we happened to drive by this place so thought to give it a try. The smell of seafood that's off made me sick to the stomach. As a matter of fact, we were there to buy seafood so it was a major turnoff. We will stick to our usual Asian grocery stores. read more

There's a good variety of food in here... 70 or 80 brands of noodles. I got sleepy trying to decide what to get. And it's true that the prices are low. That was cool. (I got 2 bags of noodles, 2 sauces, a spice, and some breadcrumbs for $15) What bothered me was this... There are boxes on the floor and maybe a handtruck nearby... boxes of things soon to be stocked on the shelves. They were in every aisle and I didn't pay them any mind in particular as I tried to decipher so many different things. I got to the middle of one aisle and noticed a box that was empty. All the others I'd seen were still unopened or just closed. But this one... this one was empty... except for the mouse turds in it. Whatever was on that shelf was sitting right ON TOP of those turds a few moments ago and shelves are so densely packed it could've been ANYTHING! Ecghk! That was my cue to exit. I used to work in a market and there's a lot more action behind the scenes than people think, but this was out in the open. BTW, I think I know what happened to all those old baskets from the Safeways and Shop N Bags that shut down in the early 90's... I think you're getting ahead of me, but YUP. Could be the same ones here. They were absolutely caked up with dirt. I'm talking wedding caked up... Aside from that... there are some interesting photos for this place supplied by Dan R. and Dan F. I too stumbled upon the pig uterises and I was thinking, shouldn't they be called uteri instead? "Hey man, whadduya got there? Snackin on some fried uteri." PRO-TIP: I don't care if it's grown in the dirt, don't put your raw vegetables in those baskets. DON'T. read more

I can't think of any better place in Philly for my Asian grocery shopping. Definitely the best Asian grocery store in Philly with the most complete product offering from fresh produce, meat (+meat parts, if you know what I mean), fish, frozen goods, country-specific staples (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, man did I miss anything?). They also have BBQed cha siu prepared on the spot and baked goods from a Chinatown bakery. And if your bill totals above $30, the cashiers would give you a free gift. I've gotten things like cookies, soy milk, soy sauce, fish oil, eggs read more

This is the best Asian Market in South Philadelphia. It's further from my house than Viet Huong, but I often find myself making the extra trek because: It's less expensive (Viet Huong is already cheap, this place is cheaper!) The produce seems to be in better condition You can get pickled carrot/daikon salad already made and pickled here It's less crowded The aisles are wider It's generally cleaner If you're looking for difficult-to-find Vietnamese herbs, you can find them here or at Viet Huong... I've yet to find anywhere else in Philly to get them. read more

This is my favorite Asian Suppermarket in the city! This place is huge and has everything your probably looking for. From cooking pots to live frogs, they have it all! Fresh produce, fresh meats, seafood, spices, noddles, rice, and a huge frozen section with everything from lychee ice cream to frozen fish. Expect to pay cheaper prices than most markets in the city. If your feeling adventurous pick up a Durian fruit in the produce isle for a change from your American diet. read more

While the produce and seafood quality and selection isn't as good as Oregon Market, 1st Oriental Supermarket has some items that I just can't seem to find elsewhere in Philly. That's what keeps me coming back. Here are the items in case you are frustrated running around the city looking for them as well: 1. Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves - You can find them in the produce refrigerated section on the wall. Go in the store and take a right. As of this week they were 1.49 for a bag with about 10 leaves in it. This is an essential ingredient of Thai cooking. The only other place I know to get them in the area is the Little Thai Market in Reading Terminal, but they are often sold out. 2. Thai Pickled Radish - Go all the way to the back of the store. They're below the area where they're selling fish/meat in boxes. There are several different varieties. Score! This will make your Pad Thai really tasty. They have all the other things you could expect to find at an Asian Market. They do take cards, but there is a minimum charge of $10 for credit card and $5 for debit cards. So, if you're spending less than that, bring some cash! read more

I bought a mandolin slicer for $16. The box is printed in Russian, and the slicer is orange and glittery. I haven't used it yet, but I can't think of anywhere else I can go to buy an orange glittery mandolin slicer for $16. As others have mentioned, the place is freaking huge and has anything and everything you can imagine. There's a whole aisle of noodles, a whole aisle of sauces, a whole aisle of wacky snacks, and on and on. I haven't bought the meat or fish so I can't say anything about that. I've bought plenty of produce here. I'm sure there is nothing organic about any of it, but it's cheap and decent quality. Boyfriend picked up a boatload of kiwis for dehydrating. He paid next to nothing, and they were delicious. Also hilarious: the shopping carts from every other store in the city, plus a few that have their own name on it. read more

I think I've found my new favorite asian market! I actually give Oriental Supermarket 4.5 stars, because I like it a little better than Hung Vuong Super Market, which is about 5 blocks west of this place on Washington St. Ok, so why is this place great? Well, like Hung Vuong Super Market, this place has everything I want in an asian market. What I think makes it 0.5 star better than Hung Vuong is that it's cleaner, and items are better organized and easier to locate (good luck getting an employee to help you find an item). It also has larger produce, fish/meat, and frozen foods sections compared to Hung Vuong. Prices are generally the same, but I have noticed a few items that cost slightly more at Oriental Market. But, with everything so cheap, you really won't notice a difference. First time visitors: Beware. Because this place is behind some buildings that share the same parking lot, it's not very visible from Washington Street. But, it's there! If you're heading west on Washington St. from 5th Street, it's the shopping center right before you hit 6th Street on the left. You may need to abandon your aversion of getting lost, take a leap of faith, and just turn into one of the parking lots. Don't worry, you'll know when you find it -- the "Oriental Supermarket" sign is pretty obnoxiously big ... and when you see it, you know you've found the Holy Grail of asian markets in Philly. Take a moment and savor that accomplishment. read more

One time I unwittingly moved to a place where Asian cooking supplies were hard to come by...and oh what a blow when I realized, too late! I'm shaking my head, remembering the taste of that bitter pill... I spent roughly a year and a half hissing, "This is NOT Thai food!" Possibly peoples' collars were grabbed... I spent a year and a half without ready access to many ingredients which had become fundamental staples of my cooking stylins. That's some real weak sauce. Living in NYC, living in Northern Virginia, I had come to take for granted the sheer abundance of H Marts, or places like the Eden Center, full of so many shops to explore. Yeah, a puny aisle dedicated to La Choy products and their ilk just will never, ever do. I need sambal oelek! I need Huy Fong sriracha! Cough up those kaffir lime leaves, stalks of lemongrass, bunches of Thai Basil... I need to spend an inordinate amount of time analyzing lanes of sauces and condiments and noodles and on and on. I do enjoy my trips to the market, alright...eyeballing the fish and the frogs and the hanging lacquered-shining BBQ ducks... I offer a supportive yell for the Viet-centric stretch of Washington Avenue! Another extra-supportive yell for 1st Oriental Supermarket! It isn't gigantico, but it has the variety. It's pretty well organized and brimming with products and produce both foreign and familiar and I can appreciate that. To date it is my go-to destination for all my tasty Asian essentials. read more

It's a very clean store with fast checkout lines. They have great deals on their wide selection of produce. The best deal to be found here is on Tofu. You can even get a 6 pound prepackaged container of Tofu for only $3.50! I also found this is the easiest Asian Market to park a car at in the city. The only thing holding me back on giving them 5 stars is a really wish there wasn't a limit on using a credit card. read more

Not the best Asian grocery store I've ever been to, but it's got all the basics -- noodles, tea, seasonings, etc. The produce was ok, I prefer Hong Vuong just a few blocks away. Meat wasn't great. The frozen food section was very disappointing - not many varieties of dumplings and such. The bakery is very sad and not particularly clean looking (even by Asian grocery store standards). Also, people keep mentioning something about a free giftie with your purchase, but I've spent a fair amount of money here and never gotten one. Lame. read more

Ok so I've never bought meat or fish here but I am still giving it 5 stars. It's really close to my house. They have a huge selection. You can normally complete your shopping trip for under 15 bucks, with a ton of stuff. They have the freshest cilantro ever, not to mention aisles upon aisles of things in jars that I want to use to cook with. Love this place. read more

This is definitely the place to go if you're looking to stock up on Asian ingredients. I had a tofu veggie stir fry in mind, and was able to find everything I needed plus a few extra things just for fun. My dish turned out great, and I still have lots of fun ingredients left over. The aisles are pretty wide, and I really didn't have any trouble finding anything. The jarred section is a little overwhelming, but fun to explore. I didn't get a chance to really check out the frozen foods, but next time I will. Bonus for having a large parking lot. read more

Great place for cheap exotic produce and almost any Asian ingredient you can think of! My go to spot for all my produce and fun new exciting things to try! I wish people were more non Asian friendly but I guess that comes with the territory. Overall great finds! read more

1st Oriental Supermarket - Great buys! - International Grocery Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

First, the reviews on this page need to be consolidated with the three extant reviews for the "FIRST Oriental Supermarket, INC" which is of course the same place. Any easy way of getting that to happen? This place is awesome. Cherries for $2.50 a pound. I don't care if they're not organic, all right? And they have all sorts of ingredients that you can use for non-asian cuisine. I didn't find simple white, pearl onions in the Italian market ANYWHERE, but I found them there. They have super cheap leeks, which I love. I couldn't find a single ice cube tray at Target, and IKEA only had heart and star shapes, but here I finally found a normal goddamn ice cube tray. I'll probably never buy a whole durian or a jackfruit but I just think it's cool to know that I could if I wanted. But I did get some FRESH MANGOSTEENS, which were a revelation. For those of you who haven't tried a mangosteen I urge you to get out there now to buy a few. They have live fish and every conceivable kind of asian product. I didn't see any galangal but I probably didn't look in the right place and I hope to get some to make some authentic curry. I'll return to buy fermented shrimp paste to make a certain filipino dish. And I plan to do some more general shopping there as well. read more

The selections were good and prices were pretty good too! My issue came with checking out. My friend tried buying about 26$ worth of stuff and for some reason her card declined and she told the cashier she would be back momentarily to pay and went to the atm. I watched the cashier place the bag behind the counter. When she got back in line the cashier claimed someone came and put it all back, which I saw no one do anything of the sort as i stood at the end of the register near the bagging area the whole time. We wound up leaving because my friend didn't want to argue and it was to much stuff to go refind. read more

This is a great Asian super market. They may have any possible foreign Asian ingredient you maybe looking for. They were never a let down for me. This market has fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh and package meat, ramen and variety of noodles, spices, snacks, and all your Asian heart may desire. I like their roast duck alot too. Definitely recommend. read more

We randomly ended up here trying to get to Geno's but we decided to stop here. It was huge! There were a lot of variety of different foods (patries, fish, frozen food, moon cakes, fruits, etc) It was also really cheap. We couldn't buy anything because we weren't from the area and I wish there was this store in the DC area. Prices were really cheap and lots of varieties they also had DUCK! awesome! read more