Great selection of spices ,foods ,prices, noodles ,oriental produce, desserts , oriental tea sets and gifts ,Large selection and helpful staff .many advantages specialty desserts Ive been going there 26 years my daughter's there iften read more

I've had really mixed experiences here. Sometimes, I find food that is wonderful and hard to-to-find, for very good prices. However, they aren't very friendly and sometimes I feel like they don't especially like having customers in the store. I also bought some tteokbokki from the refrigerated section that I discovered were covered in mold when I got them home. They told me I could not get a refund, which was disappointing. I don't buy anything "perishable" from this store anymore for that reason. And I try not to take the stand-offishness of the folks who work there personally. They really do have a good selection of products. The parking lot is awful, and if there are more than four or five cars parked there, it can be really tough to maneuver in and out of the parking spots. read more

I'm 100% Chinese, I speak to the employees in Chinese and they only respond to me in English. WTF, I guess I'm from the wrong part of China. There dumplings are fire tho. read more

Went back in today to find some instant dashi but they don't carry it but they do carry the kombu to make the broth. There's a butcher there who can cut what you need if they have it. Also purchases under $20 must be cash. read more

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The main problem with this location is the parking and access. The parking lot is so small that sometimes I have to park at a neighbouring shopping plaza and walk over. Being disabled, this is disappointing. Also, they will only accept bank cards if you spend over their minimum amount. However, the staff is very cordial and helpful. Selection is very good. Besides the parking and card issues, it's a good destination for your Asian food shopping. read more

For Chinese grocery, this is as good as you're going to get in Columbia. As far as I know, there's only two Chinese grocery stores and this one is much better, despite being smaller. There's also some Korean grocery stores over on Decker Blvd, but if you're shopping at "Asian 88" (it's what the Chinese community refers to this store as), chances are they're a bit of a drive to get to. The reason I come to this one is because the vegetables here are a lot fresher, so it makes this little grocery store almost a one stop shop (I still need to make a trip to the neighboring Aldi or the Kroger that's down the street), but that's okay since they're so close to each other. I personally love their selection of coffee and teas. They carry my favorite Vinacafe 3 in 1 instant coffee mix at a reasonable price, too (i.e. similar price to Walmart). I swear my blood is 1/3 caffeine! I also notice that the prices here really aren't all that much higher than a large Asian grocery chain. I did some comparison shopping awhile back when I went to Grand Asia Market in Stallings, NC. Everything I compared was a couple cents more expensive but that's about it. Definitely recommend this grocery store. Oh, and credit cards accepted only for orders $20 and over. read more

A Chinese grocery store. The owner(s) looks like earlier immigrant from South China who speaks Mandarin and Cantonese, and of course English. It has almost everything that a typical Chinese grocery has but just in a smaller scale. The store clerks are friendly and helpful. Because of it's small, the shelfs are crowded. But I found what I'm looking for on this trip. I recommend this Asian grocery store. read more

88 Oriental Market - Spicy sesame oil - Grocery Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Although I heard many comments about this store needing better quality service, selling food products does not show production or expiration dates. The experience I had with this place lately, was still way beyond my imagination. I bought two bags of corn from them and found out it smelled strange, and tasted sour after boiling them, they were bad quality and not edible, then I checked the wrapping bags, and none of them showed production or expiration dates. I went back to the store and talked to them to solve the problem. One of the female cashiers started shaking her head continuously even before I finished talking, then started yelling at me with a rude and nasty attitude: "No return, no exchange" (pointed at the text at the bottom of the receipt), "Don't compare us with Costco, we are a small business, we are not responsible for the products we sell...". I was stunned and disgusted by her "speech" and "courtesy", and told her "Just do whatever you can then". In the end, she only exchanged the unopened bag of corn with another product. There was also a man in the store just standing behind her, witnessing the whole conversation. However, he didn't do anything to better solve the problem. I do not recommend this store at all. read more

Owners and employees are pretty rude. I have been there several times. Compare to other Asian markets, such as Korean market, the other Chinese market, This one really needs to raise its service better. They treat their customers without patience, and the whole store always gives you a mass impression. The product assortment is alright, but I bought some expired sauce once, and broken eggs, too far to return. read more

The one scathing review from Quill B. in 2009 should not deter you from offering this place your business. I find the staff to be accomodating and friendly. I usually stop in when I'm feeling like whipping up a batch of panang or mussaman curry. They also have killer prices on baby bok choy, ginger, tumeric, shiitake and tree ear mushrooms, fried tofu, etc. Many of the things you simply cannot find elsewhere are offered here and for minimal pricing! Some other items to try are their udon and pho noodle mixes, dried exotic herbs and mushrooms, frozen potstickers, and mochi icecream. They also have cheap dishes, glassware, rice makers, teapots and tiny cute keychains at the checkout! Working my way through this place is like taking a little safari. I love it. read more

88 Oriental Market - My shopping trip was complete when I scored this awesome keychain. Everyone geeks out when they see it! - Grocery Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I adore this shop. It is charming, has a lot of options for such a small place, good prices, and the staff are always so sweet and helpful. Love their produce and can't beat the sauces. On my way there now as a matter of fact. read more

I visited this store because it was recommended to me. Parking is really bad since there is only six spots that are not clearly marked so don't park where you will get blocked in. When I walked in I was meet with some disapproving looks from employees, I think I was the wrong kind of Asian mix for them. Looking around I noted moldy veggies, items with no price, and a freezer section with sweets and fish in the same compartment. The freezer must have been going through a defrost cycle and had a steady stream of water dripping onto the food. The freezer felt cool inside and maybe not quite freezing. Also, rude customers, not that this is something the store can control but it is a cultural thing. Like I said, I'm not their kind of Asian. Buyers beware, especially if you don't know what you are buying, check the expiration date and if it is missing don't buy it, don't get anything from their freezer, check the produce carefully. read more

well stocked, many hard to find items ordering NO MSG chicken broth soup starter for me. Helpful prices good Charlotte super G is sky high prices here reasonable. I liked it. read more

Finally found an Asian market with hard to find ingredients. Well organized, clean with friendly staff who went out of their way to help me. Good prices. Really nice they are even open on Sunday- great for people like me who work full time. Highly recommend. read more

I was very happy with my shopping trip here. They have everything you need to cook any Asian dishes. I found all my spices and then some. The prices were fantastic for large bags. I found ginger honey tea...which I only purchased from 14 Carrot Health Food in the past... at a fraction of the cost. These are not fancy stores...if thats what you're looking for... but the shelves are packed with everything a home chef/cook could need. I was treated well and have no complaints whatsoever. read more

Really good selection of oriental and some island food. You can find frozen reef fish and Japanese mackerel sometimes. They sell some stuff cheaper by the case, such as ramen and drinks. read more

Don't trust anything from their freezers. They keep their frozen meats with their frozen ice cream, and I had to return ice cream once because it had been melted and re-frozen...I wonder what kind of diseases are festering in their frozen pork buns. The guy at the counter tried to refuse to refund me for clearly spoiled products, and he offered to replace it instead. I was fine with this, but when he brought out the replacement product and opened it up to show me how wrong I was, it was spoiled too! His face went red and instead of showing some humility for trying to sell me a bad product TWICE, he tried to refuse the refund altogether. At this point I became angry and insisted on the refund. He grudgingly pushed it into my hand and repeated "Don't ever come back to my store again." I urge the rest of you to take his advice and stay the hell away from this place. When you're running a small store, you can't afford to have both rude (cheating) customer service and bad products -- if it weren't for his monopoly on Asian goods in the area, he'd have been forced out of the market long ago. Someone open another "Oriental" store in this area and shut this joke of a store down. Even if you can stomach rude clerks, my bet is you can't stomach spoiled goods. read more

I beg to differ with the previous comment. I am a regular shopper at this store and the service is great. Sometimes it gets hetic but most of the time it is good. The previous comment mentioned about the store having meats? They don't sell meats first of all. Please don't place false information. It is a small store and of course there are going to be problems. I have a few minor problems myself but I expected them. When you walk into a small market you don't expect perfection. Unlike when you walk into Kroger or Walmart. Many people expect more from smaller markets, it never has made sense to me. Again, I would like to say that this is a great store with plenty of variety. I find better prices here than at a bigger market. For instance, some markets sell fresh ginger for 4.99 per pound but there it is only 1.99 per pound. read more

Mostly rude Asians. Seems like they don't want white people in their store. Not my first visit. Changed prices on produce in front of my face. Tried to increase the price and I said no and left. read more

Went in for the first time looking for ingredients to make pho and to buy some Japanese snacks. I was glad to see the veggies so fresh and neatly organized. There are a lot of pho noodles to choose from which is a plus lol i will definitely go back to get those green tea kit kats:))) read more

I would give it a minus star if possible. I have been to many asian stores, and I have been to this one twice. The worst. Items are not labelled, price is missing in most items. Your will have to continually ask the price. I agree with the other reviewers that that the meat or frozen section is extremely dodgy! The wrapping has come out of food but still for sale. I am surprised the place has not been cited by the health dept. The vegetables are generally wilted. The store close to where I like so I would love to return but I won't. The owner is rude and extremely unhelpful, and acts like you are irritating him if you ask for something. Most certainly, the business exists due to lack of competition around. read more

Good selection of goods and very friendly salesperson. I see in some of the reviews, they seem to expect a "spic & span" grocery store like many of the stores in the US. This is an Asian market, it will be different. Typically they are full of smells you're not used to and somewhat crowded. This store is no exception. It was crowded but only because they had so many different products-not a bad thing! I will definitely be back. read more

3 different employees were eating (even during checkout at the counter). More things need to be labeled and priced. I had to ask for prices for several items. Overall they had everything I was looking for. Just wishing things were more organized. read more

I can't believe it took me so long to get to this store. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and the prices. The store is well organized. Of course, I don't know what everything is, which is why I need to take someone with me to read the labels, but I like the challenge of trying different things. Thanks to my new Chinese friends, I am feeling fearless as one of their newer customers. read more