Not sure what took me so long to review this. I worked in the area when this and Mayflower were one of the first two things built in the whole area. Typical Ranch 99 with crazy crowds. They have all sorts of cool weird drinks though, prepared foods, live seafood and an eclectic alcohol section. $2800 for a bottle of Hennesy Richard, Louis XVII, Silver Oak (both Anderson and Napa Valley), Opus One, and Phelps. Kinda interesting for a mass Asian market. read more

IMO this Ranch 99 is the most well kept. It is clean from the outside in. When you walk in, there is a dim sum area where you can dine in or take to-go. Their candy selection is awesome. But my favorite aisle is the soups/noodles. I always walk out spending at least $10 of noodles - and if you know, that is added up to a lot of noodles. I know it's bad... but come on. Broke college student over here. I can't say anything about the workers here though because we all honestly just mind our own business and just stare at each other. read more

99 Ranch Market - Mi goreng in a cup? Omg.....this must be heaven. - Seafood Markets Near Me - Milpitas, California

See all

My bro and I went here for lunch once. We went to the place of the store where you get to pick out Chinese take out items that you can either eat in their "dining room" or take home. I went with the Orange flavored chick. I found a fishbone in it, and thought nothing of it. The next day, I felt super frikkin' sick, I got food poisoning. Yuck. I'm never eating at that place ever again! I think they just pile the new food over the old food. I'm only complaining about the foodcourt place cause it made me really really sick. If it didn't, i'd give this place a 5 star rating. read more

Stopped in to pick up a bag of Oysters for my BBQ and boy did I almost throw up when I chucked an Oyster... One of my guests did ! So embarrassing. These Oysters were closed too and under Fresh water. Not sure what happened here but I went to complain to the store seafood manager and apparently he was "to busy" to talk with me.. I then asked to speak with the Store manager and told him my story... He seemed like he could give a shit ! I didn't want to go back to the store since I was already drinking.. probably would have gave them a piece of my mind ! Either way health dept. was notified... Never go there !!! unless you like throwing up.. read more

While I usually go to the one in Cupertino, I came here about two weeks ago and was really impressed: it's bigger, cleaner, fresher, and I think it might even be a bit cheaper. I also like how they have more selection of meats (I don't recall seeing things like skirt steak at Cupertino). And, while it doesn't seem like it's an everyday thing, the bakery at the Milpitas location seems to be doing buy 3 get 1 free on buns still, while the Cupertino location stopped because of rising costs, or so I was told. read more

Asian supermarket with a decent: 1. Chinese BBQ Deli 2. Dim Sum Buffet 3. Normal Asian Buffet 4. Chinese-style Noodle Shop ___ What I like it for: 1. Rice Porridge 2. Dim Sum cravings without having to deal with pointing to things 3. Roast Duck cravings that don't involve ducks with no meat I think it's pretty good and worth a trip when a craving hits and you don't want to deal with stuff. Great idea for American holidays too because they are open when other restaurants are not! Also - they have groceries and stuff so you can stock up on stuff thats hard to find elsewhere. read more

99 Ranch Market is our go-to Asian market. It's huge and has a lot of variety to offer as far as veggies, meats, sea foods and drinks are concerned. They also have a food-to-go or eat-in area to the far right hand side of the building. I couldn't say their staff is overly friendly or accomodating but, we don't expect that with true Asian businesses. Sad, but true. If anyone knows of a friendly Asian local grocer, please let us know. At 99 Ranch, we just get in, get what we need and get out. Our bags are usually full of soybean and green tea drinks, tons of veggies and sometimes, some meat or sweets. Be really careful with the meats you buy there. All-in-all, even though we have a smaller Asian grocer right across the street from us, we still prefer 99 Ranch. Might see ya there! read more

Ranch is your typical Asian Market...A plethora of Asian products, a bakery, alcohol, herb and a fast food counter inside. Of course you cant forget the fishmonger station. I found nothing outstanding about this facility, Although its probably one of the better kept Ranch markets. I don't have anything negative to say bout this place either. I do have a suggestion...avoid the Dim Sum from the fast food counter...oily, bland and just poorly made. This is SO NOT the place to get Dim Sum. Also be a bit mindful in the parking lot...um you know the sterotype read more

Mixed feelings about this one. Great -- Very well stocked. Usually I feel like I go to supermarkets and there's 1 thing I'm still looking for at the end. This one I was able to find everything and all the produce was fresh and clean. Some deli counter specialties are cheap and good (i.e. rice rolls and spareribs entree for 3.65, pan fry ho fun, etc). Huge parking lot Near other asian businesses and eateries Right off the highway! Ehh -- Not the cheapest Chinese market. Service is hella slow at the to-go counter, and there were about 2 people in line. If you're looking to get something at the dim sum counter, a few of us were flagging people down for long enough to be done with having lunch. Speaking of the dim sum counter -- NOT cheap for the quality. While each dim sum item is large, the price is close to a buck an item (I believe it's 2.55 for 3 types, and that being 3 items of 3 types) and it's not the freshest, or at least by 2PM some dumplings have gotten kinda dry. Sad! read more

I bought a soy sauce chicken today. After I picked the chicken, he weighed it. He took the chicken to the back cutting board and chopped up the chicken. I did not know until I got home that he left out the feet, neck, and head. This place is a scam!!! read more

This is the most impressive 99 Ranch I've been too. Particularly the live seafood section. We came in here just to grab some beers before dinner an Pepper Lunch a few doors down. The cold beer section is right next to the live seafood dept and their seafood dept blows all of So Cal's 99's outta the water! A bag of two dozen live oysters for $16.99! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/99-ranch-market-milpitas?select=Po3J9uMrseaJSfONOMQdIg#uOnNYn5XEamjOZx-Uq0XWA I hope they actually are alive still. Lobster, spot prawns, crabs! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/99-ranch-market-milpitas?select=Po3J9uMrseaJSfONOMQdIg#NvaWd0jph4kQlONrIpem4Q Live conch?! On the west coast?! for $5.99/lb? They are $9.99 to 12.99 in Redondo beach! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/99-ranch-market-milpitas?select=Po3J9uMrseaJSfONOMQdIg#NHUxyhir_k0ZjVJYaE-0jw Kicking crawfish, ready to fight, for $5.99/lb. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/99-ranch-market-milpitas?select=Po3J9uMrseaJSfONOMQdIg#zdcowUlguQX6orYhV7bq0A OMG Chilean Seabass for $11.99/lb. I think that might be illegal. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/99-ranch-market-milpitas?select=Po3J9uMrseaJSfONOMQdIg#tuOrM1Hxtc4IfNZKLzvHrQ In addition, they had an extensive self serve hot food section, that included beef tendon (the one I frequent in Anaheim is always out :( ), and actual people eating their food. The one even in Rowland Heights (the original?) hardly has people eating from their food court. The only minus was sushi/sashimi selection was lacking. They don't carry uni, and liquor dept only has high end stuff. read more

See all

I haven't been here for more than 8 years, and this branch has the biggest space for an Asian grocery, butcher, produce, hot deli and bakery shops all-in-1. This store has a lot more variety, clean & more organized. I really like shopping here because the aisles are wider, and customer service is top notch. They are friendly and treat you like you are a regular. Their hot deli is self serve like regular dishes and dim sum. You can order congee and noodle soups either with egg noodles, rice vermicelli & rice noodles. The food served here is decent but not great. But this grocery is top notch- just gives tou more choices while shopping. read more

This reviw is for the food cashier at the 99 Ranch in Miplitas. The lady is a robot with no express or showing any sign of being human whatsoever. The only sign of life is the blue/green eye shadows she had on. Yes it is you the one with the bright blue/green eye shawdows. If you can remember to put your makeup on, proving you are not a robot, then come to work with some customer service face on. No one owes you money here, we are all paying customers who put money in your paycheck. I get better customer service at Taco Bells than here with you. !!! Yes you, the one with bright blue/gree eye shadows. From a non-chicanos to another non-chicanos, you will not go far or anywhere with that attitude. So be nice to your customers always !!! read more

This place has horrible quality food at the little dining area. If you love the taste of food poisoning go ahead and head over to the little area where they have "fresh food" (fried rice, chow mein, fried fish, fried chicken, etc.) I highly suggest going here during lunch if you want the freshest quality. Usually during the mornings or late afternoons this foods been sitting out for a while and the tray line area is filthy and not constantly being cleaned. The little dining area where you go and eat what you bought is always packed with people. They're starting to have a little ant problem. The bathroom has ants. The place where the shell fish are has ants. read more

99 Ranch Market - Seafood Markets Near Me - Milpitas, California

Go to the Deli section with food. FOOD: All you can fill up food, based on what size box you have. Great deal, as you can try all kinds of food, all in 1 box. SUPERMARKET: Carries mostly all kinds of Asian products you need, as well as local products. Although, local product prices would be usually higher than your local grocery store. Only the Asian food, the fruits, veggies are lower than your local grocery stores. PARKING: Always packed, crazier on weekends. ENVIRONMENT: Ok. Acceptable. read more

99 Ranch Market - food to go - Seafood Markets Near Me - Milpitas, California

Extremely rude staff at seafood counter. My wife and i were trying to buy some fresh fish, steak cut and we asked the person at the counter if he can cut it into thinner slices. We have been there multiple times and they normally do it. This guy kept saying NO to anything we asked. Looks like he knew only that one word in english. He was looking at us as if he was entitled to reject anything we ask. We just cancelled the order and walked out of the place. Never going back there again. read more

This establishment, like other 99 Ranches, sells Asian groceries. It resembles many of the other branches in Southern California (and the other Northern California ones I visited), but with a slightly larger cafeteria section. This 99 Ranch has a section devoted to Daiso-like stuff on the left side. It is bigger (or at least seems bigger) than the aisles that housewares are usually placed in. Just like the Southern California locations, the entrance of each aisle is crowded with boxes. 1 cart and barely one pedestrian can fit through the entrance of each aisle. In the case of this branch, the cases of merchandise physically compose the aisle divider on the rightmost aisle between two refrigerators. Usually the cases of merchandise are sale items. I saw one of the items (pudding) that was supposed to be kept frozen placed in a refrigerator that was not cold enough for it and it was growing mold. I was unhappy over that because I wanted the item, but I didn't want to risk getting poisoned by the improperly stored product. The cashiers are quiet, but we still have to interact with them. read more

99 Ranch Market - Celebrating 30 years of freshness. - Seafood Markets Near Me - Milpitas, California

wow, this ranch 99 went downhill over time. I bought shrimp, mackerel and squid luckily I can use it for bait. ( hope the crabs do't complain. Ive been to Nijia, Mitsua, Santo, and Hmart and I got quality ingredients for human consumption. I wish i could say the same for ranch. Fish department stinks and really dirty and poor selection. Well at least my checker at emd was nice. Went this week just for bait and i was surprised it was even worse. This IS the worse location! I went to R99 on Wolfe rd. and on Lundy. They were a bit cleaner and staff was friendlier. WAKE UP RANCH 99 CORPORATE!!! read more

Asian supermarket with tons of products. The reason for a low rating is I bought rice here about a two years ago and it was full of bugs. I am never buying rice here again, the bugs probably spread through all the bags. Prices seem relatively more expensive. read more

more food selection compare to most Chinese supermarket nearby Since this is a Chinese Supermarket, don't expect the staff to be helpful. The most annoying thing i find is the reward program, you can use it to buy cooked-food that they have ready by the side of store. You can also use it to buy BREAD; this is the annoying part because you can only buy ranch 99 bread and not SOGO bread, but they mix them together in the same section, so when you get to the check out they will tell you COUPON can't be used on certain bread. An absolutely waste of time. read more

Cashiers don't bag the items for customers. When I asked the cashier to bag the item, she says "you need to bag the items yourself". Avoid.... read more

They follow city's policy & let customers to keep distance from each other. Good place for shopping

I've been shopping here for about 10 years and it's always a good experience. Here is why: 1) I love the mammoth produce section with an array of Asian produce that "Western:" grocery stores don't carry. I've started a practice of trying one new fruit or Vegetable from around the world each week and it often comes from here. I've discovered some new favorites. 2) The fresh fish selection is great. I'm glad to see some live fish (including crawdads, oysters, etc) and sashimi quality fillets, scallops, along with seafood and seaweed salads. They usually have most of the common sushi makings including tuna, salmon, octopus, mackerel, red caviar and yellowtail. Things have always been very fresh. 3) There are great supplies for Asian dishes of all kinds, Whether you want Nori, Dark Sesame Oil, Curry Powder or Rice Noodles, you will find them here. They also have an impressive selection of kitchen appliances, cookware and serveware. 4) I feel prices are fair and I know the turnover is high, so product is fresh. And with this type of food, you can eat much healthier and cheaper if you prepare it yourself. So 99 Ranch is my go-to Asian Market. read more

This is my favorite Asian grocery store. The seafood selection is amazing. White People: if you've been buying your seafood at Safeway, Lucky, Food Maxx or any other white grocery store, well, I was once like you and there is a better way. Those stores have the saddest seafood anywhere. You can probably get fresher fish at McDonalds. Of the 20 or so Asian grocery stores I've shopped at, from San Jose up to Richmond and a few in the peninsula, this is the best one for seafood. (If you know of a better seafood selection in the south bay, will you please let me know?) Be warned, White People, the seafood here isn't frozen and hermetically sealed behind glass, this seafood is very fresh, mostly alive and stored in open saltwater/freshwater tanks. You can smell the freshness of the seafood. I love looking at their seafood, still swimming, clawing or being lazy like all good shellfish do. For live seafood, some of my favorites here are: oysters, clams, mussels, tilapia, crabs and of course, lobster. I always say that good seafood is like a kiss from the ocean, so whatever is the equivalent of a smell-kiss is what you get while shopping here. When you eat it at home is when you get the real kiss. They have an excellent produce selection that puts most American grocery stores to shame. They have a bunch of stuff you've never seen before, if you're not Asian. I've tried a ton of fresh fruits that I never saw in those other grocery stores. Dragon fruit? Durian? Starfruit? Jackfruit? Lychee? Rambutan? Have you tried these? My mom never served these to me. (BTW, stay away from that durian.) That's just fruits but their veggies are also top-notch. (Stay away from any garlic from China too. It's just....nasty. How is it possible to ship something from the other side of the planet and it's still cheaper than locally grown garlic??? Well, it's possible and it tastes like crap.) Check out the tropical ice cream flavors. Magnolia brand makes a bunch of ice cream flavors that my parents never gave me. I'm still mad at them for this! My favorite flavor is shrimp ice cream. JUST KIDDING! There is no shrimp ice cream. My favorite is the mango ice cream. They have other flavors like ube (purple sweet potato), corn, avocado (no joke), Thai tea, green tea and halo-halo. Start with the mango. Skip the corn. I'll usually pick up something that looks interesting from the bakery and it usually is tasty. I've never had any of the hot food so I can't comment about it. It sure looks good though! Someday I'll get one of those ducks hanging in the window. Also, I never spend much time in the middle aisles because I don't know what that stuff is. American products like Coke, chips and canned foods are expensive here, but you shouldn't be eating those anyways. The healthiest foods are from the perimeter of any grocery store. (The cold aisles.) Why not give them 5 stars? Because you're driving and parking your car in the most dangerous place in the world to drive; an Asian shopping center. Buckle up! read more

Total FRAUD alert!! This review is for the roast duck vendor at this store. I seriously do not appreciate being deceived. When I say, "I want that roast duck" and point to the one I want, I expect to have that same duck when I get home. I'm not an idiot! The roast duck should be hot when I get home, not ice cold. How is it possible that when I see the duck hanging there it was steaming hot and when I bring it home I can see the duck has been refrigerated (meaning that fat stuff that solidifies when it's been refrigerated)? Only logical explanation is that my duck was switched behind that ridiculous metal cover surrounding the butcher block. Furthermore, my aunt recently went there to buy a duck, hoping her experience will be better, so I told her to keep an eye on her duck the whole time and make sure it was the same one as promised. She stared at the duck cutter at exactly everything he was doing and guess what, he flipped out and said, "I'm not going to switch your duck! So you can stop looking." Really?!? What a douche bag! She didn't even mention about the switching part, he just assumed that's why she was keeping an eye on everything. WOW! If you're guilty of something dude, you sure act it. Advice: Go somewhere else. Sorry this place has to make other roast duck vendors look bad. read more

This is a Taiwanese grocery store. They sell mostly Asian products. This place is clean, and this place has coupons. It also has a deli. Service is eh since they innore you. The deli area has better service. Pros: Food Fish Clean Deli Coupons Safe Parking Large Cons: They sell rabbit! Bad service read more

99 Ranch Market - Seafood Markets Near Me - Milpitas, California

Not recommended at all. Had very bad experience there. Not professional seafood department and check out department.

whooeee! The parking lot of the plaza that this 99 Ranch lives in is CRAZY... and populated with Asian drivers (of which I am one, so I can criticize). We finally stalked a driver to get his spot, which was wedged between TWO badly parked cars. Sigh. But no stars removed for the lack of skills of the parkers. This 99 Ranch is one of the biggest I've explored and nestled in an also giant plaza with many offerings -- bakeries, jewelery stores, restaurants, banks. You name it, this plaza has probably got it. It reminds me again of how I'd like a 99 Ranch closer to Walnut Creek; though I've heard rumors for months of one opening in Concord, I've seen nary a sight of it. Alas, for my son, this 99 Ranch's BBQ pork and hot food section was closed when we strolled in late on a Sunday evening; he'd wanted some BBQ pork to go. We were too far from home on a hot day to consider doing serious grocery shopping, but we did find some of the Japanese "marble soda" for the road as well as some snackies. 99 Ranch, pls open a 99 Ranch in CocoCounty! read more

Places like this makes me ashamed of my people. All the bad stereotypes come true as soon as you drive into the parking lot. The parking situation is really bad and it really does seem like all Asians are bad drivers. Once you're in the market, it's totally crowded and people will push you away with their carts, baskets, strollers, etc. One lady kept pushing her stroller on my feel until I finally said "Yes! that is my foot that your pushing the stroller on.... AGAIN!" Even then I don't think she fully understood me. Your experience may very depending on when you go. BTW: it's "99 Ranch..." NOT "Ranch 99." Doesn't make any sense to me either. read more

This is an asian market. Keep that in mind so don't grade the cleanliness and service as if it were an American grocery store. I've never had a problem with parking except when you come during the weekday lunch hour because Cisco workers swarm this plaza. They recently started carrying products from Daiso! Unlike Daiso which is usually priced at $1.50, they charge for $1.75 so there is a slight premium. This location has been recently renovated and it looks much better. This has always been one of the nicer markets: no fishy smell; employees can actually speak English; and the aisles are actually wide enough for two carts. The bakery offers buy 3 get one free for the pastries at night. I would avoid the hot foods section because it always gives me a stomachache; think Mr. Chau's quality. Seafood section will gut, de-scale, and fry your fish free. You can get such good deals on seafood! I don't know how you can justify paying $8.99/lb for wild shrimp from Whole Foods and get the same shrimp for $2.99/lb at 99. It's not like it's organic if it's wild caught... I come here pretty regularly and am very happy with the continued improvements. read more

Not all Ranch 99's are created equally. The one in Cupertino caters mainly to Chinese goods. This Ranch 99 seems to be a tad more inclusive for the heavily Filipino population of Milpitas. With this, they have a few more things that other Ranch 99s don't have. Products like fresh longanisa and tocino and pork blood. You know. The basics of Filipino food. I went in after dim sum at Mayflower on a Sunday, and I was a little overwhelmed by the number of folks grocery shopping. Not only were their carts packed, they also are not afraid of running your a** over if you get in their way. See, the Asian driving ethic translates even over to grocery shopping. Kill or be killed. read more

Updated on April 28, 2008 I've downgraded my 4 stars review to 2 stars because my favorite dish, the Hong Kong style shrimp wonton soup, no longer tastes the same. Apparently, the nine-finger man no longer works there. The shrimp wontons themselves are still decent. But the noodles taste sugarly sweet, it just tasted funny. Definitely not Hong Kong style. I ordered the wonton noodle soup with beef brisket today. Top of the bowl was covered with a layer of floating bits of fat, not very appetitizing. Everyone knows beef brisket is fatty, but the cook is supposed to remove the fat before serving. Since the fats float in the broth, they can be skimmed off easily if the cook does his job. It is a sad day for me to find that one of my favorite place for wonton is no good anymore. ===== original review ======== Was 4 stars. This review is for Hong Kong style shrimp wonton noodle soup from the hot deli in this supermarket. It is NOT for the market itself. Also this review applies to the Milpitas branch only because the noodle is not served in another branch. IMO, the Hong Kong style shrimp filled Wonton soup here is the best in the South Bay. One problem with this place is the inconsistency. When you see the 9-finger man cooking, the meal is best. When he is not around, quality is not always good. He wraps the wonton right there just next to the stove. I notice that he prepares an extra tray of wontons when he plans on a vacation. The wontons are the freshest when he is there. You can order only wonton soup (with 10 wontons and some veggi in a broth). Or you can order wonton noodle soup (5 wontons, some veggi and Hong Kong style wheat noodles in a broth.) Or you can order the wonton noodle soup with one other topping (soy sauce chicken, roast duck, cha siu BBQ pork, or braised beef brisket.) I usually order the noodle with the beef brisket. The wonton noodle soup reminds me of those from Hong Kong. Very authentic with a big piece of shrimp in the middle. I didn't give 5 stars for a few things that I don't like: 1. the inconsistency. When another worker is at the stove, your noodle and veggi is often over-cooked. I'd like the noodle Hong Kong style with it barely cooked so the crunchiness of the noodle is preserved. I am happy whenever I see the nine-finger man. 2. the broth is too peppery. To most Hong Kong noodle eaters, the broth is there just to keep the noodle moist. I don't drink the broth at all. So the extra pepper does not bother me too much. If he cuts down the pepper, it would be perfect. 3. the price went up almost a dollar recently. It is not cheap anymore. But authentic Hong Kong style shrimp wonton noodle is hard to find in the South Bay, so I will still be a loyal customer until I find something better. read more

I used to drive my grandmother here just so she could buy fried tilapia. I was glad she bought it here and didn't fry it herself. I never knew how bad that stuff smelled until I smelled it on someone else. How many years of my childhood gone by where I was the one that smelled like fish? Thank you Ranch 99. Holy sh*t. It's called 99 Ranch? You mean, for 10+ years, I have been calling this stank-ass store Ranch 99, and I was wrong? Anyways, I would have to drive my grandmother home with fried tilapia and roll the windows down it smelled so bad. The parking lot is extremely easy to navigate, especially on the weekdays during lunch hours. The parking situation during lunch on weekdays is so calming, you won't ever find yourself getting mad or irate over other people's driving. That last paragraph was a total lie. If you want to overpay for food, this is the spot to go. Granted, it's a lot cleaner than other stores nearby (Ocean SuperMarket, Lion's), but that comes at a price. They still all smell the same. read more

Review is from a recent visit to the food court at this 99 Ranch in Milpitas Square. With info armed from Yelpers Joe & A.J, I Speedy Gonzalez'd over the 237 to McCarthy recently during lunch, in the hopes of experiencing the wonders of the freshly made Hong Kong style shrimp won tons, and seeing the 9 finger man in action (making won tons that is....) Sadly this was not my day. The 9 finger man wasn't there, and got this other 10 finger dude instead, so I knew I was going to be in for a less than spectacular ride. I ordered cha siu won ton noodles, just to kick it up a notch. Instead of pork, I requested chicken cha siu. Thanks to Eric W for this out of box recommendation and prep! The first few bites were great, and I recommend this too, but you should get it on the side or to go. Once the cha siu hits the won ton noodle broth, it loses a lot of flavor. The broth was also not very good or flavorful, a bit watered down. It is obviously not like the kind in Hong Kong where it is prepared well in advance, with fish, shrimp, dried shrimp and other ingredients. The noodles were terrible! Well they were cooked well, but they were stock egg noodles from the refrigerator. Didn't have that lush golden egg color, but were more on the darker brown side, as if they were almost wheat based. Chewy yes, but no flavor. Heck I'd request some windex or ammonia and dunk it into the mix just to make it taste more authentic. The won tons were decent. There were indeed plump shirmp inside,but weren't as juicy as I had hoped. But for the area, it could be the "best" compared to Won Kee if they have it, or Chez Mayflower (which is not saying much). There was supposed to be some pork or pork fat inside, but it tasted more like grounded fish paste. Then again it was the 10 digit man and not the niner dude. I didn't feel it politically appropriate to ask the chef on duty if his coworker was around. There was a sign advertising two things on the wall: 1) Lee Kum Kee apparently came out with a new sauce called Heung Tsoe Sui See Dzup or should we say Ciltanro Swiss/Sweet Sauce. There's a chain of cafes (the business is over a century old) in Hong Kong called Tai Ping Koon. http://www.taipingkoon.com/emen.html . One of their signature dishes was soy sauce chicken wings. The story is that British expat customers/government officials back during the Colonial rule came in to dine and were served this dish which then had no name. They marvelled at the sugary taste, depth, texture, and shouted praises, including "SWEET!" which meant what it did at the time, as opposed to "hella fresh" or "dude!". The chef did not understand English very well, also a bit hard of hearing, and thought they said "Swiss", thus soy sauce chicken wings because Swiss Sauce Chicken Wings. This eventually resulted in the unavoidable crossover of using this Swiss Sauce for dry stir frying beef chow fun that the restaurant is famous for. This flavor/cooking is experiencing a revival these days. 2) So now the mediocre cheap food court 99 Ranch is trying their hand on Swiss Sauce dishes, including their version of the Swiss Sauce beef chow fun, and a Swiss Sauce chicken dish. Not so sure I want to try 2). I'll give this place another try if the 9 finger dude is here. Otherwise it is Ay Chung time. read more

Possibly the nicest 99 Ranch in the Bay Area! Very clean (though definitely not as clean as Mitsuwa), nicely lighted, and has an a la carte food stand and Sogo Bakery (meh, it's okay). If you're smelling the "fish smell" in markets, it usually means that the seafood isn't that fresh. Prices are for being in the Silicon Vally next to Cisco. Man, where are the teacher discounts? I don't work for Google or Apple, alright? :( read more

What really is there to review about a grocery store? Let me see. Ranch 99 is a Chinese grocery store. Their selection on other Asian grocery items (Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese) are somewhat limited. I can still find my miso paste here but If I am looking for a particular brand I will go to Mitsuwa instead. Finding parking could be a daunting task. Whatever you do, avoid shopping here around lunch hour any day of the week. Parking on the weekend is easy if you come here after 2pm (preferably after 3pm). Just wait until everyone finished their dim sum lunch. You probably won't get a spot right in front of the grocery but at least you don't have to circle the block for 10-15 minutes. Their regular non-Asian items are actually better priced than other groceries in the area. read more

I went to 99 Ranch with my brothers and in-law to buy a feast of good food for Mother's Day. That'd be my sis-in-law, the rest of us are just leeches latching on to some good food. Now I'm not too big of a fan of 99 Ranch in general, mainly because the seafood section smells like a whore house.... ahem, or so people tell me. But what I do like about it is this place is huge and sells all kinds of neat stuff, whether you want gyoza, or tocino, or shrimp with heads on, or plum wine, or kalbi meat, you name it, if its Asian, this place must have it. Myself, I generally prefer nice, smallish, clean smelling Asian markets, like Suruki's -- the kind that smells fresh like those strip club girls in Vegas. But for those days that you just want a lot of variety on the cheap, head on over to the Ranch. Your every need will be satisfied. read more

In as much as I love this market, I hesitate when it comes to shopping here. When I'm shopping at Ranch 99, I marvel at the abundance of Asian items that are hard to find elsewhere at other markets. I loved the fried talapia - thinking of it makes me drool. The produce is wonderful and I can find everything I need to satisfy my Filipino cravings. Prices are generally reasonable and the store is cleaner than most Asian markets. It does get crazy here at times - so go at your own risk. Trying to find a parking spot during peak hours can be hazardous to your health and could increase your car insurance rates. Lines can be long - and if you cherish your personal space, you may feel violated at times. So - it depends on how desperately I want something do I decide to venture into this store. Timing is everything if you want a pleasant shopping experience. read more

This Ranch 99 is much better compare to the Ranch99s down south. The selections are much greater, and the stations for 3-items seems to be much better too. I see a great selections of Chinese products and seafoods. Everything a typical ranch99 carry in South Cal, this place carrys it and than more. I only did a quick drop by when I visited my mom in the bayarea, but from a quick visit I can tell this is an excellent location to shop. read more

Being a bit older and wiser these days, I now realize why my parents shopped at these stanky Oriental markets...the prices are awesome and the produce is great quality compared to those big name grocery stores... I live right behind Safeway and it is just so convenient to walk over and get what I need whenever I want, especially since they're open 24hrs (definitely cannot beat that!). But the prices these days are very important to me. I will admit that 99 Ranch is missing some of the few essential things that I need like flavored yogurt and sliced wheat bread. But this place is great when I want to get produce, fish, poultry and all the other major grocery-like things I usually pay an arm & a leg for at Safeway. The downside about shopping here is the parking as well. I usually come straight after work and the parking hasn't been that bad. As far as the smell, yes it's fishy, but believe it or not I've smelled worst. It's a bit messy, but again...I've seen worst! Out of all the other Oriental Markets in the south bay, I would have to say the Milpitas location isn't that bad. Figure this much, if I can deal with it...so can you! read more