I don't know why but walking in here makes me instantly happy, which I know is odd about a grocery store. The smell of the place is just wonderful. I love the seafood, produce and meat departments. They have things you never find at local grocery stores. The people are always friendly. This trip I got a couple of fish and they give you so many options for cleaning and breaking the fish down. I love the customization and service. I highly recommend shopping here. read more

Look, this is not a fancy market like H Mart or Uwajimaya. You don't come here for gleaming floors and the Ellenos yogurt stand. You come here for a no-frills Asian market supermarket experience: affordable and good. Bok choy and other greens come in big bags suited for family dinner. The veg quality is really great - no sad, limp veg here! This weekend, I saw that you can buy mangoes - the really sweet yellow cultivar - BY THE CASE for a very reasonable price. 79 cent avocados, 33 cent green onions. Seriously. You can buy any and all parts of the chicken (some of it's organic, too!). Meat prices are on par with or cheaper than Safeway but you can get things like goat, ground pork, Korean-style spare ribs, and pork belly here. They will even prepare your fish for you. They have a decent variety of different ingredients but only carry a few brands of each, e.g. there is only one type of gochujang and maybe just over ten options for kimchi. No matter, I have always found what I need and I find the curated selection cuts way down on decision fatigue. They DO carry the important stuff, like all the flavors of Laoganma, the best hot condiment in the world, and a respectable selection of instant noodles (they have ice type Samyang!). You get the best selection in the daytime because they don't always get around to restocking shelves. Whatever gochujang they have on the floor is sold out by the evening and sometimes bins of veg are sold through, too. Sundays are busy but they do sample out dumplings! I don't mind, honestly. We make the 20-minute drive every month to re-up on sauces and veg and I always walk out with a stock of food that would cost about $20-30 more at other places. read more

It may not be as clean as Seafood City but it is the next best thing closer to my residence. This has been our regular go-to Asian market since immigrating to the US. Smaller Asian convenience stores are noticeably pricier as expected but we all appreciate that they (big or small) all bring us closer to home. We hope they keep this branch open and if this review helps, so be it! read more

Great Chinese market. The prices here are much better than markets like H-Mart of Oaktree. I came here to pick up food for a hot pot party and they had a varied selection of fish/beef balls. In fact, in the seafood section, they have a dedicated section the fish balls. I also got the packets of chow-fun and it was super fresh. I could tell because after I came home, I peeled it and it came apart really easily. he fruits and vegetables are really affordable too. I had trouble trying to find a specific sauce and the grocer was so helpful. He went out of the way to help me, stopping what he was doing to walk me over to the specific section. The meat section smells though. If you go over to the beef section, it smells incredibly bad. I get that they were butchering a cow right behind the counter but man oh man, it stank really bad... like poop. I don't get why American grocery stores don't have this problem. Perhaps it might be that the meat is extra fresh at Ranch 99. I'd definitely come back though. Just hold your breath as you walk through the meat aisle and breath from your mouth. read more

Growing up, I'd been to many an Asian market. Ranch 99 is an excellent choice when you don't want to make the drive to South center to go to Seafood City. It has all of the things you'd expect, a good selection of produce, meats and seafood all at reasonable prices, and some you will be hard-pressed to find at your local Safeway. It's a great place to pick up everything you need to make lumpia and pancit in one stop, so it wins the day foe me. read more

This is my favorite place to buy groceries!!! Probably because it's Taiwanese-owned... Anyway, they have a lot of vegetables, fruits and random Asian snacks and drinks. They basically have everything that I would crave. I spent about ten years in Taiwan and I can definitely get my fix at 99 Ranch. They also have a variety of seafood to choose from. I've learned to cook fish so I can buy fresh fish from the seafood section in the future. There are also lots of instan noodles to choose from... some of my faves are Indomie, Shin Cup and the MaMa noodles. So convenient! Everything is reasonably priced as well! But I wouldn't buy their American products here, they're a bit overpriced (e.g. sodas, Campbell's soups, etc...) Just go to Safeway for these. The location of the supermarket is great too because it's next to T&T Restaurant as well as Pochi's... plus it's right on Aurora Ave in Edmonds. I love this place! It's really busy on the weekends and the lines can get really long so I'd recommend going on week nights if possible. read more

Great place to get a variety of asian food! The quality of some items are a bit questionable though--I bought frozen fish balls and they didn't taste or look like they normally do. Their prices do run a bit high compared to other asian markets but I guess that's what we get for living in the city. read more

Big fan - great prices, almost as inexpensive as downtown International district. Good selection of veggies and products you cant find anywhere else; and of course about half what you'd pay at Safeway/Fred Meyer for ordinary asian things like soy, rice vinegar, chili sauce, bamboo shoots, etc. Love coming in to see whats 'on sale' you can find some great bargains. IMO Better than Waji's (far away/price) and H-Mart (price). I'm a regular for sure! Parking lot is small and mobs at lunch. read more

Rude cashiers who always throw your fruits and vegetables that you've careful selected. Low quality of fruits, they're always spoiled inside. I don't trust buying fruits at this place. The cashiers always upset me. You're greeted by 2 homeless people with their overfed dogs at the front entrance. I'm avoiding this terrible market! read more

Basically, the only game in town for a Chinese market, so, I guess they don't have to provide great service. I asked the butcher if they had pork butt. He laughed at me and walked away, I guess because he didn't understand English and didn't want to bother with me. read more

This is actually just a question, but does anyone know if this location takes Apple Pay at all??? Everytime I come here however I always find what I'm looking for and the staff is very helpful and friendly. read more

After over 10 years of grocery shopping here, not much has changed. The place can certainly use a face-lift. However, this is still a good place to pick up sauces, spices, seafood and dry goods. Parking is always a challenge especially on weekends. Staff have become less friendly through the years, but like I said, they still carry a wide variety of Asian staples. read more

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Always enjoy their fresh fish, especially when they clean it for you. Choose from 5 options: 1 - clean only 2 - clean and tail off 3 - clean and 4 - steak (no, it's not a transformation of your fish into meat. It's the process of slices the fish into portions) 5 - regular fry 6 - crispy fry. The assumption is that these services are cumulative. In other words, if you chose 6, services 1 through 5 are also included. In addition to their wide variety of fish, they also offer live fish. Other shell fish are crab, lobster, geoduck, oysters and numerous other seasonal like sea urchin. This is my go-to stop for all fresh seafood. As far as produce, many Asian types can be found. The variety is unparalleled here! read more

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I have shopped here over the years for seafood. Recently, I was purchasing lobsters and did not like the selection that the female worker bagged for me without showing or asking if they were acceptable. I told her that I wanted 1 different lobster. This woman proceeded to argue with me and refused to get another lobster for several minutes while more customers waited. She wasted more time arguing rather than just doing what a customer asked. I have worked in retail and customer service; and, I have never taken out my personal aggressions on a customer. A male worker finally intervened and selected 2 lobsters and presented them to me before handing them to the female to bag. I believe she still bagged the one that I did not want. Aside from the fact that one cashier was coughing all over place during a pandemic; and I had to ask the cashier to hand me the groceries that she placed far from my reach before I paid, I still made the purchase after two bad interactions with staff. The customer service has always been marginal at best, but I figured that subpar service may have something to do with my skin color. Now, I cannot continue to shop at this store or spend another dime here. read more

"No return"!!!!! We bought five boxes of moon cakes on Friday, but found out two of them were not made with natural ingredients. So we took those two boxes to 99 Ranch Market for return the following Tuesday. The woman at customer service refused to accept returns even though the packages were still factory sealed and we had the receipt. She was very rude and claimed that everyone should have read the receipt and knew all sales were final. We had shopped in 99 Ranch Market since it's opening, and we had never returned anything so we did not know about their "all sales are final" policy. Please think twice before you purchase anything from this store since you will not be able to return it. read more

I've been here once but they were out of taro leaves. I asked one of the employees if they have any left and he told me they are sold out. I was very disappointed. I planned to make my own pork laulau. I bought some vegetables while I was there but I go to Uwajimaya in Bellevue to buy frozen pork laulau since they run out of taro leaves. If I am in the area I will return. read more

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There is work to be done here... the shelves are not always stocked... the pace is not kept clean enough... other than that, good pricing and ok selection... I prefer the Asian Food Market a little further away. read more

I have been shopping at the Edmonds since they first opened. But I have stopped doing so and took my business to H Mart and WinCo. This review will be on the food court only. I will review their groceries in a separate review. Their food court has steadily declined to a point where the food is just inedible, yet the price has only gone up. Seriously? Leftover BBQ duck and/or chicken being reworked into the "dishes". It is DISGUSTING! Not a single decent dish, but they want you to pay 11 bucks for it. Keep this up, I do not see this store operating for much longer. Here is an advice to management, since I want you guys to do well. How about put more heart and investment into your food court? If you have great food, it ATTRACTS potential people to shop at your supermarket. E.g. Costco offers very cheap prices in their food court, it brought them more business. It just feels like the owner of this location is trying to squeeze every last penny of profit out of the customers at the expense of the future profitability of this location. read more

This store has thing that you just can't find in wasp corporate stores. The prices are okay and i have always been impressed with the selections , (low, mid, top end), prices. read more

This is the worst company i have ever heard first of all this is been stolen kids about 3 times and managers never care second of all we were getting the crabs and we have to wait there about 30 Minutes! There is getting more and more crying over 2018 and 2019 And last the checkout stand have one open and every one was there so we had to stand there for 1 hour last they no dont give bags and have to buy it fir about 20 dollars at the food court this is no pork ears even dough i loved pig ears chinese new year is coming Guys don't go there on Feb 5 2019 You will have to stand there for 3 hours and the price is going to be upper PLEASE WONT GO THERE WITH YOUR CHILD! read more

Two times i bought fresh chow mein from this place and it turned out to be spoiled and sour. Another time i tried to buy their heneiken beer but noticed that expiration date was 6 months pass. I tried to tell this to one of their cashiers but they seem to just shrug it off. Another time i bought some bak choy to stir fry and found a slug inside it crawling around. I also tried their roast duck at their bbq place. The duck didnt have much meat on it and was quite dry. I also ask the person if they packed me any sauce to go with it and they just gave me one small pack of soy sauce and one pack of plum sauce for my whole duck. They are suppose to provide the sauce thats made from the drippings of the roast duck instead of giving you these packaged ones. Overall, i would not recommend this place unless you want ramen noodles or maybe a fried fish. Someone need to quality check this place because it seems they are just cutting corners. read more

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FREE-FISH-FRYING/STEAMING-SERVICE SEAFOOD UPDATE: They steam crabs for free, too, before 8 pm! You might already know this. I kind of knew this, just never tried it. I was already a habitual abuser (@ least once a week) of their complimentary fish cleaning and fry service (pompano, golden pomfret, tilapia, catfish, milkfish, and mackerel being my top faves), but had never tried out the live dungeness crab idea. The tank is huge. I didn't pick mine out, and trusted them...OK, maybe i am lying, but i was too passive aggressive to argue. The crabs looked feisty enough, and felt heavy, and after i gave them a quick love-rub as they sat on the scale i trusted they were good for eating. Poor dears! $4.95 a lb is the rate as of this 2010 July. Not bad when you don't have to bother with your own steaming. The service is sometimes brisk and surly from the Chinese(?) seafood manager, and often more flirty and friendly from the Hispanic(?) co-workers, but it's only because things are busy as hell back there and he is a man who is direct and wants to know what you need when you need, it or move on to the next person. The language barriers here are pretty daunting and isolating to the English-only speaker, so you are going to be on your own if you come with a lot of questions. It can either be frustrating or fun to learn...depending on how far you've had to come or your mood (i live close-by and get off on this type of craziness, so it's totally my bag!). Anyway. They gave me my little red ticket for my order and i waited ten minutes (standard) for my steam service (they don't deep-fry crab here...although, can you imagine if they DID?). Well..i came back about 20 after shopping, and grabbed my warm foil packet. Be careful! The crabs emit a lot of brownish juice (yum, i swear) and they don't tie the bags, so keep it upright until checkout. Then tie it securely. WHEN YOU GET HOME: *PLEASE NOTE. They did not clean my crab. Actually, i have gone back for crabs several times, and each time, i am glad they do not. You know why? TOMALLEY (AKA THE "hepatopancreas"). http://www.costaricatourguide.org/hd/index.php?t=Tomalley This is always discarded when you get your crab cleaned at some ridiculously-priced restaurant or supermarket. It's the mustardy and purple-colored liver, and tastes like candy. Why some people throw it out blows me away and renders them half-witted. Don't rob yourself. And THE "CRAB BUTTER"... Oh my god, scoop it right out of that crab's skull like the delicate white custard out of a soft-boiled egg. It's almost like beginner's uni! Some info on it is on this page, as well as info on how to pick out a good dungie: http://www.montereyfish.com/seafood/dungenesscrab.htm All that juice that comes out is great to mop up with some hot, buttery toast. Yummmmm, i want another crab from my Ranch 99! I love you, i love you, i love you! Also...don't forget to buy some king oyster mushrooms here. You won't get your giant earth phalli anywhere else in Edmonds! And pick up some cheap gai lan or i will punch you! *joy read more

Fair warning, this place is not an actual ranch. There will be no cowboys sitting around the fire telling stories of the trail. There will be no low country shows or dixieland songbirds spinning yarn with their old-timey voices. No, my friend, you will not find these things at 99 Ranch Market. What you will find is a pretty awesome selection of incredibly priced seafood and produce. I have heard that sometimes the meat selection can look a little like a George Romero film, but that is all hearsay and has not been my experience. Still, like with many ethnic stores, you might occasionally find something that should not be there. I would say you may as well consider this part of the adventure. You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and sometimes getting a little salmonella. It gives you character (unless you're very young or very old, in which case it could possibly kill you.) The greatest thing about the seafood at the Ranch (let's call it that, because that sounds quaint) is the ability to have them fry the living hell out of any seafood you buy. You point to it and, assuming you're there during a time the fryer is on, you can have it put in a big vat of oil. That will probably cook out any parasites or other misfit bacteria that would dare do your poor constitution harm. There is also a "hot bar" near the entrance that is *very* different than your typical Whole Paycheck. Sorry, you will probably not see the 20/30-something hotties that are willing to pay $15 for a piece of chicken and a scoop of lentils here. No, please only go to the Ranch's hot bar if both your appetite and constitution are strong. It probably would help to have a strong will as well. Try something you might not have otherwise put in your mouth. Tell your own stories of how you faced your fears at the Ranch and overcame them. Be a hero. Be a legend. read more

This place is an absolute clusterfuck, especially on weekends. The cashier lines almost always stretch to the middle of each aisle. I've easily spent 20 minutes just in line before it was even my turn. Never again. The Chinese staff are rude, unfriendly, and unhelpful. I preer to spend my money at Boo Han across the street. read more

As a Chinese who's grown up with irascible parents screaming at me in Chinglish - WHAT'S WRONG WITH FISH BALLS WITH SHRIMP EGG...you eat ..NOW...$5.99 for mochi balls? I make them cheaper....Ranch 99 is the kind of place that allows me to relive those sweet memories over and over again. It's as if the image of my mother re-appears in the dead-eyed fish seafood display or that hanging roast duck. Though Chinese, the place is massive and stocked with a variety *other Asian* foods - an impressive display of miso stock, frozen leaves for wrapping exotic pseudo-tamale-type objects, and an impressive display of hot sauces. A few days before the new year, the produce section was pretty picked over. Was also surprised at the meat display, as there didn't seem to be as much variety of different cuts of meats (ie. Beef short ribs, more selection for the sukiyaki) as I'd hoped. All the meats were from frozen, not fresh, though on that particular day there were fresh wild caught scallops at very reasonable prices. As with many other Chinese groceries, there was an extensive selection of frozen seafood, with the most impressive being the freshly made (frozen) fish balls with shrimp roe, fish balls filled with meat (Taiwanese style) - all suitable for the Taiwanese hot pot. There were even frozen FISH BALLS WITH CHEESE filling, which ...as it turns out...is as gross as it sounds. Just like it is with dating, when going to a Chinese grocery store, stick with the fish balls that you know and not the ones that sound exciting and new. Both will make you nauseous.. read more

Best place to get Asian produces and fresh Seafood outside of Chinatown. The prices are reasonable and the store is always almost clean. However, they need to work on their customer service, those bitches at the cashier are not very nice and they take forever to check you out, on top of that if you are not Chinese they will just talk shit in front of your face. I said this because I am not Chinese but went there with a friend who is half black and half Chinese, he told me so. read more

We are blessed in Seattle to have Asian markets in many neighborhoods. Uwajimaya's is the local classic, but I urge you to check out Ranch as well if in the north end. PRODUCE: Very affordable, excellent selection of all types, but especially Asian greens and other veggies. Usually good prices on a variety of mushrooms too. Fruit selection is satisfying, especially for tropical varieties. SEAFOOD: Fabulous selection, very decent prices, and when you buy whole fish, they'll not only clean them up for you (scale and behead if you like), but fillet or fry them as well. There is also a prepackaged fresh sashimi section for at-home sushi chefs with the prime cuts. MEAT: Another wide selection of all sorts of meats. Many cuisines of Asia are borne of the practice of not wasting any of the animal, and that is reflected here. Very competitive prices again. DRY GOODS: A varied and well-stocked rice aisle, sauce aisles to leave your head spinning, lots of dry noodles, seasonings, condiments, and Asian snacks. Don't buy your mainstream groceries here (like soda, mayo, breakfast cereal, or the like), as they are more competitively priced at your local super-grocer. HOUSE/KITCHEN WARES: A nice aisle with woks, lids, utensils, those great big plastic bowls you see in pho restaurants or your auntie's house, cheap packages of chopsticks, and plastic bins and strainers--many in sizes and for purposes I have yet to discover. OTHER THINGS: The cafeteria on the side is affordable, but hit or miss with quality. The frozen foods area has lots of great foods to try from many cuisines: frozen green onion pancakes, a variety of potsticker flavors and brands that eventually leaves you confused if you contemplate them too long, and mochi, Mochi, MOCHIIIII! (I like mochi.) All in all, much more affordable than Uwajimaya, and definitely tailored more toward the local Asian community. Come if you genuinely enjoy cooking Asian food and are experiencing the same recession that I am. Go to Uwaji's if you are looking for a more mainstream Asian market experience or can't make it this far north. read more

Most of my reviews in the past month have been funny but not useful. I've been reviewing things that aren't businesses or are closed. Why? Elite 2008 is coming up!! Have I lost my mind? No, I am going to do what everyone else does this time of year: blame it on the holidays. After spending all day on Amazon finishing up my Christmas shopping, I checked out Yelp. I was inspired by Fearless Leader Michelle B.'s review to check out the Ranch 99 next to my place. Their selection is just amazing. Here is a list of some things good and bad I found here. Quail eggs, duck eggs, pig brain, pig spleen, beef hearts, live crab and lobster, canned lychees, durian (!), all types of sweet bean rolls, an entire aisle of tea (some of which may have included psychadelic ingredients based on the label designs and colors), two aisles of sake and beer. In other words, everything but the kitchen sink*. So, there you have it, if you are looking for exotic food, drink, and items which claim to be meat, make sure you head to Ranch. Some of the things they sell here may haunt your dreams, but most of it will make you ecstatic that this place exists. *I didn't check the discounted material aisle, they may have had a kitchen sink or two lying around somewhere. UPDATE 1/2/08: Crisis averted! ELITE 2008, BABY!! read more

If I liked fish, and any decent amount of Asian food, and could actually cook decent Asian food, I'd probably spend every penny I have at Ranch Market, AND I'd probably get what could only be classified as a "crap-ton" of stuff for my pennies. Ranch Market has everything you could ever need for Asian cooking and at, literally, unbeatable prices. It's so cheap. The fish selection is AMAZING and they have an entire aisle devoted to just fish balls. The produce is incredibly cheap, and I got a green bell pepper there once that was the size of my entire head. although i don't know what half that stuff is in the store (I grew up in a small town and haven't tried a lot of Asian food!) I do know they have things you just can't find anywhere else in the area, like bitter melon. Yea, if might be terribly bitter, but the Okinawans eat it like it's candy and they have notoriously long lives. Coincidence? Me thinks not! Anyway, there are a few staple items I can get here like rice, milk, fruits and veggies and it's usually half what I'd pay at the regular grocery store. I definitely recommend this place for anyone who knows how to get their cook on and loves Asian cooking because they will definitely have everything you need. read more

As a child I was exposed to many types of cuisine thanks to the crazy melting pot that makes up my family (Russian, Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Japanese, and Mexican, for starters). As a result, I've grown to love tons of random and sometimes hard-to-find ingredients and candies - most of which can be found here! My father's family all came from Holland so of course I was raised on De Ruijter chocolate hail, melted just slightly with butter inside a warm and flakey croissant.....sorry started drooling a bit there. Anyhow, I practically cried with joy when I saw milk chocolate hail at 99 Ranch Market as it has become more and more difficult to find, as well as more expensive. They unfortunately do not have my beloved milk chocolate flakes, but I usually pick up a box or two of the hail along with my favorite Japanese gummi candies, good ol' Rooster sauce, some fresh produce, and a new kind of biscuit or bread from the bakery section to try. I enjoy wandering the aisles for awhile as I don't mind trying something new. ...But minus two stars because of the horrible lines and slow service, as well as the feeling that the place isn't as clean and sanitary as it should be. Oh and like I said - they don't have my chocolate flakes. The hail is good, but I want some freaking chocolate FLAKES! read more

I like their selection of vegetables and fruits, but their meats are notoriously bad here. I'm not sure if it's the way they package and store the meats or if they're selling meats past expiration, but I've gotten bad meat from them before several times. Only after I get home and start preparing, I notice the meat smells rotten. Again, this is not once, but several times. Looking at the meats in their drawers, you can tell some of them are starting to brown. I do come here for vegetables and packaged sauces, but I'm very very careful and screen everything when I buy from here. read more

This grocery store is my life-line. Normally, I don't sing the praises of chain stores but I'll make an exception for Ranch 99. I make my weekly perishable grocery run here because the price of the produce and fish is the cheapest around. The selection is usually pretty fresh and extensive. You can get a huge fennel bulb for less than $3! Also, if you are cooking Chinese food, this may be your only source of veggies, spices and sauces unique to Chinese cuisine. The fact that it is a chain helps keep the prices of said sauces reasonable and comparable to prices in SF. It's nice to not have to pay specialty food prices because of the lack of competition around here. H-Mart, down the way, is geared toward Korean cuisine. Like most grocery stores, they are really busy on the weekends, so go on a weekday to avoid lines. They have a bakery and prepared food section, it's ok, nothing special. Try to ignore the hired guys that stand outside, waiting to collect carts, they are always whistling at women, I've wanted to punch 'em in the face a few times. read more

I used to live in Irvine and there were two 99 Ranch stores within a close radius. I always looked forward to going there for produce or my "buy 'n' fry." So, when I saw there is a 99 Ranch up here, it felt like home again. I couldn't have been more wrong! It has familiar products, but it just doesn't *feel* like 99 Ranch. It wasn't packed from wall to wall with shoppers, doesn't smell like fish... and where is the coconut toast? Nowhere to be found! The bakery overall was totally lacking. I'd rather make the trek to Seafood City at Southcenter when I'm missing home... and my "buy 'n' fry." read more

Right off Highway 99 and not far from I-5. Has Asian restaurants outside of this supermarket. Also large variety of meat, seafood, and produce items! This place gets really busy especially during weekends. Mandarin, Cantonese, and English speaking staff. read more

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I was going to give Ranch 99 four stars and then I couldn't really explain why, so you know what, five stars it is! An Edmonds native, growing up we always had to venture to hole-in-the-wall Korean grocery stores over the Lynnwood/Edmonds area to find cheap produce and ingredients that my mom loves but can't find at your regular Albertsons or QFC. Uwaijimaya is too far to go on a regular basis, and too expensive. Thank God that Ranch 99 (who my mom likes to point out is owned by Taiwanese people...) opened. It's the mecca for all things that are loved by my frugal mom, and therefore me, the one who eats her cooking. Fresh vegetables flown in from Taiwan - you bet! Cheap prices too that can't be beat anywhere else. You want a fish? Go straight to the back, pick one out and order it to be cleaned, boned, and fried at your choosing. I was ready to eat it in the car on the way home. There's also a lunchbox/deli (is that what you would call it? I don't really know) where you pay for a box and fit as much as you can from the selection of fried goods, dim sum items, etc. My mom prides herself on her "technique" which basically includes squashing everything so that she can fit as much as she can in the box. I love her. On top of all that goodness, I think that Ranch 99 is very friendly for anyone that walks in through their doors. There are English translations on essentially every item, something that is rare throughout the local Korean grocery stores. read more

What you need? Fresh mango from Hawaii? Frozen lumpia to fry up in a jiffy? Calamansi? Honey cake? 25 varieties of seaweed? 50 brands of rice? Mochiko? What I could get in my grocery store in Hawaii, I cannot get at Safeway, Whole Foods, or Central Market (okay, sometimes at Central Market). But, if I need a bunch of stuff, I head north to 99 Ranch Market. Goods are often cheaper than Uwajimaya and the selection is equivalent (of course, it depends on exactly what you're looking for). Tip #1 - Try not to go there on the weekends. The parking lot is full and often a clustercuss of activity (people double parked for no apparent reason, inducing fender benders, parking trollers, etc.). Or, consider parking on the side of the building. I find that quicker sometimes. Tip #2 - Let go of your attachment to personal space during peak shopping times. I avoid the produce section during busy times. I can't get my cart through because people are standing (not moving in the aisles). While I'm waiting my turn to get my cart through, about three people are trying to get around me (because my politeness has no meaning for them). At which point, I shift my body and block them completely, ask what they think they're doing, and tell them to get out of my way (true story). Oh, and I've asked people to take two steps back when I'm in the check out line. Tip #3 - If you are looking for something and you're not quite sure what it is, it helps to do your research ahead of time because customer service varies. At times, I see people trying to get assistance from staff members to find an item they need for a recipe and such. Sometimes those interactions are fulfilling but I've seen quite a few that are not. Staff can sometimes be brusque because they're busy or because they don't know the item you're talking about. It's just not a "touch-feely" customer service kind of place. I love having access to the store since I live in North Seattle. It's nice to have the option of going up north as it's pretty much the same travel for me to go to downtown. Solid 4-stars. read more

Selection & Price = OK: Live Seafood selection + quality = GREAT (keep in mind Costco's "on ice" selection is cheaper) Meat selection + quality = not great, several times got meat with questionable color when cut open (best meats are at Double DD Meats). Asian veggies + fruits = just OK. Mainly Chinese selection. The "BBQ Chop Shop" has some tasty duck & buns. The pre-heated food deli is OK for a quick cheap eat, but is super salty+greasy (MSG heavy). Customer Service = Poor Horrible CS at the bakery and registers, absolutely HORRIBLE (I got better CS at Walmart). A while ago management put a sign on the registers to remind CS something like, "greet, smile, eye contact" - fail - those signs aren't there anymore. Ask the stock-person a question, and he/she might understand your language. Local Competition: H-Mart is the closest direct competitor for Asian grocery. H-Mart has better customer service, huge selection, sampling days, and close enough prices. I'm happy that Ranch 99 is there, but I prefer H-Mart Ranch 99 recommended for live seafood. read more

Overall: Good lord - how could I have missed this place before? I really have to thank Marissa S. for informing me about this place! Ok, I've found my idea of an Oriental food store heaven at last! Ok 99 Ranch Market is still missing some of the things I would love to have, but their range of fresh produce, quality and prices are amazing! The parking situation is excellent and there's a relatively large-ish complex here - including shops for hairs & nails, ornaments, gold/watches and gifts etc. On entering the store there's a huge produce selection - I was quite blown away by this, it's somewhat comparable to the Redmond Whole Foods in size (not price). The fresh produce section is pretty, neat, tidy and clean. Everything is amazingly cheap - for example, 2 lbs of choi sum is ONLY $1.59! The items ranged from simple every day fresh produce such as apples, grapes, bananas, kiwis to boxes of 6 Keitt mangoes for $6.99 (shame they weren't Alphonsos), fresh herbs including lemon grass. The meat section included goat, lamb, pork, chicken, beef as well as tripe, beef tongue, chicken feet and other things that some people would be squeamish about, me, I was glad to see them. The fish section was well stocked with a variety of pre-packed fish/shellfish as well as fresh crabs/shellfish you can pick yourself; they also have a free fish frying service if you want it. Amongst other things they have oodles of noodles, rice, pickles, fishballs/cakes, miso paste, salted whole duck, tofu, fermented tofu, dried cuttlefish, dried mushrooms, candies, chips, jars and jars of sauces - ones I couldn't even find in Uwajimaya (such as my beloved X.O. sauce - whoohoo). Other stuff included frozen dim sum, cookies, cereals, jams/preserves, honey, party ware, milk, eggs and alcohol etc. I love this place because it's more Chinese influenced and this enabled me to stock up on all my Chinese condiments not found in Uwajimaya. They also have a hot eatery with a huge range of ready cooked food (quite a lot of it is deep fried). A whole roasted duck is only $12.79 and crispy pork is $6.99/lb - both looked delicious. There's also a bakery, but the items didn't look too appetizing and we walked off with only 2 walnut cookies for $2.19. This is a great one stop shop for everything and we'd definitely return. The only bad point for us is that it's a bit of a drive to get here - so we'd be back maybe once every 6-8 weeks to stock up on sauces/noodles/rice etc, other than that - it is highly recommended! read more

99 Ranch Market - 99 Ranch Market, Edmonds (taken from www.99ranch.com) - International Grocery Near Me - Edmonds, Washington

This chinese supermarket is a chain, located in many cities throughout the US. Pretty standard as far as asian supermarkets go but the great thing about 99 Ranch is it's seafood section....Always a good selection of fish and live seafood...excellent prices (I've seen the live lobster at times as cheap as $10.99/lb.) BUT...THEY WILL COOK IT FOR FREE!!!! That's right...for NO EXTRA CHARGE they will clean and either steam, fry or crispy fry your selection...last week I got a 2 1/2lb petrale sole beautifully fried (it was a BIG fish!) for $6.00!!! Can't beat that!!! read more

I got my birthday cake here the other day. I ordered a mango moose cake, but when I cut into it, it was a different flavor. The issue was resolved the next day, but it was the inconvenience of having to go back. The cake art looked fine, I could have gone with out the Valentine's ribbon because I hate Valentine's. Fresh fruit topped the cake. Oh yes, I came during a Friday afternoon and it was packed. When I was talking to customer service, some old Asian lady was pushing me out of the way. Not the fault of the store, but I wonder if the rest of the customers could be as rude, every man for himself. read more