Nice Marukai located in one of the small hubs around Little Tokyo. I've been visiting this place…read morefor years, but because of the distance/drive it is very few and far between to when I see it. They have a wide selection of items. And if all of the restaurants in the surrounding area are out of your budget, you can always come here for a quick bite. My only gripe is that the store is pretty tight and therefore feels a bit claustrophobic/cluttered even though it's actually pretty orderly.

LOVE MARUKAI for always giving back to the community...Childrens' Day and Little Tokyo SPARKLE…read moreclean-up! THANK YOU, MEGAN, for your Assistance!. Great seeing Manager Melissa, as well!! You'll LOVE SHOPPING THERE!!

This is a great grocery store if you are looking for Armenian or other international products. It's…read morefairly small but somehow has a great selection. I would even say one of the best selections I have seen of Armenian products, even compared to stores that are several times its size. Prices are also completely normal and everyone in the store seemed nice. One of my favorite grocery stores in the area. They do not have produce but there is a separate produce store next door.

Glendale, CA We…read moreenjoy visiting this little market for finding unique items you won't find at your typical grocery store. Most items are specialty items, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or Eastern European. They carry imported chocolates, nuts a huge section of preserves. They have freshly roasted coffee that smells amazing we've never bought it as of yet. Their bread selection is quite nice with all local bakeries making dark Rye bread and other Middle Eastern style breads. The yogurt selection is varied and lovely, they even carry glass jars of Strauss Bulgarian style yogurt and a wide selection of labneh. Fresh feta in deli section also is great as well as unique Middle Eastern and Eastern European meats. We also purchase imported sparkling water, they have a nice refrigerated cooler near the registers, there are several brands we have come to like. From what I remember, there is no produce here, mostly dry, shelf stable and refrigerated goods.

This is a Thai Costco like wholesale store near LA Chinatown and walking distance from the LA Metro…read morestation. There is no membership required to shop here. You will find a large selection of Thai groceries in this cavernous warehouse store. Though sizing will vary as some items are too big and intended more for restaurants. Some of the reasonable size items I bought here include instant Thai tea, wonton noodles and Thai-Chinese sausages. The store has also a nice selection of prepared Thai foods and there is a stand outside that sells Thai coconut pancakes on weekends. Checkout here is rather slow, but acceptable given the difficulty of finding such a large assortment of Thai groceries in one location.

This is the Asian restaurant Costco. You can find a lot of Asian grocery items such as rice,…read morespices, condiments, seafood, meats, vegetables, cooking equipment, dishes and even restaurant supplies such as menu covers, receipts, pens, etc. For example, if you love boba and you want to make it at home yourself, you can get all the fixings here. If you meal prep and you need meal prep containers and are spending more than $1/container, get it here. If you have a big family and you want to buy your items in bulk, come here. It's more like a warehouse so don't expect a Crate & Barrel environment. Some might judge but trust me, it's the same stuff you'll find at other stores but will cost you 2-10x more. Anyway, bottom line is if you don't mind a little dust and want to save money, make a trip here and make sure you have space in your trunk so you can make your trip worthwhile. Don't come here just for a bag of straws. You might as well go to Pavillions. But yes, I'll come back when I need a refill on supplies.

Oasis in the concrete jungle that is known as Little Tokyo…read more Whenever we're in this plaza for hanging out and shopping purposes, or for an event (pop up at Little Akihabara), or for any other amount of various reasons we keep popping up back at Little Tokyo, Nijiya is a welcome stop to grab a quick packaged snack or, the most common thing we do, grab an ice cold refrigerated drink. It's in the heart of the Japanese Village Plaza and it can get PACKED, especially since it's in the midst of all the activities (little stage area and some seating right in front). It's always a huge welcome to go in here and feel the AC BLASTING in the summer. It can get VERY packed and cramped in here especially with everyone visiting too, but the cashiers are efficient and the prices are decent. They have the standard affair you can find at most Japanese markets as it's not the biggest one out there (I'm a biased Tokyo Central girl if I have to say anything), but it works in a pinch, especially if you don't want to go all the way to the mall or to Weller Court. And once in awhile you find random gems in the drinks, snacks, or candies section.

I had a very disappointing experience at the Maeda-en sample station on Father's Day, this past…read moreSunday. I was excited to try the ice cream because they had a yuzu flavor that caught my eye. My 8-year-old and I stood patiently at the sample station for about three minutes, politely asking to try a couple of flavors. Unfortunately, the older woman working the booth completely ignored us while she focused on selling to another customer, even offering him multiple flavors he hadn't requested. During that time, I politely asked several times for the samples my son and I wanted to try, but we continued to be overlooked. The final straw was when another customer walked up and was helped immediately, despite us having been waiting there the entire time. I calmly told her that I had asked five times already. Instead of apologizing, she snapped, "There are customers!" I explained that I understood, but that I had been standing there patiently and had simply been overlooked. My son was standing right in front of her the entire time, so it's hard to understand how she kept ignoring us. She then rudely told me that I wasn't the only customer and that I needed to wait. At that point, I said it was okay--I didn't need the sample anymore and wouldn't be buying anything. Her response was, "That's okay. That's your loss!" I have reached out to Maeda-In's corporate office to let them know the experience. They were incredibly sweet and apologetic about this experience and kindly explained they didn't have a "demo" that day so she was a store employee. However, she did take down info and will be escalating to upper management to let them know that the store hired a lady that was rude to customers who are representing their product.

when you are looking for those hard to find ingredients Bangluck Market Hollywood is the place to…read morego, so sad that the Sherman Way location is no longer there

The discovery of this place was because of dining at Sanamluang next door years ago. Mom went in…read moreand found a a specific meat product not available at our local supermarket. And she made something amazingly delicious out of it! Fast forward a few years later, we were blocks away when I reminded her about this place. She asked if we can make a stop so she can make that same dish again. (She mentioned Hubbers might have made a request for it.) I was curious enough to go in this time. I expected it to be crowded because Sanamluang is incredibly popular. We were lucky to find the only open parking spot which happened to be right up front. This place is deceiving! Looks like a no nonsense place looking from the outside but it's pretty big once you get inside! They even have a seafood and meat section at the back. They'll also clean and fry in-store purchase fish. I did notice that most of their products are pricier compared to other Asian markets. I didn't have the need for any, so I came out empty handed. But Mom got the cut of meat she needed to make us dinner this week! Okay first stop (for me.) Being far from home, not sure when I'd come back... if the need comes up and I happen to be around, maybe...?

This morning, I went to the market early and was looking for a specific cut of meat. I noticed a…read moreshort, older Korean man with gray hair standing by the meat section, so I asked him about the pork cut I wanted. I felt a wave of fear as if he might hit me. He told me they don't sell that cut here and suggested another one instead. I was considering buying the cut he mentioned, so I asked if the two cuts tasted very different. Then he trembled his lips and angrily said, "I told you, we don't have that here! Don't talk about things we don't sell!" His eyes were filled with anger. I can't tell if he has anger management issues or feels inadequate, but if he's going to treat customers like that, he should just stay inside and cut meat! His glaring eyes completely ruined my morning.I really hope they provide better training for their staff. Just because he's older, does he think he can treat customers poorly? Is this the only Korean Market in LA?

Terrible, from expired or near expiring items on display and on sale, to poor produce, to nasty…read moreprepared Korean food. Used to frequently buy while living in LA but lately come by only have business and errands. Times hqve changed and the owner went greedy. For few months have observed the weekly specials on Korean site and visited the market. Found the items on sale, mostly children's cookies and snacks, refrigerated items like Korean sausages made from pork, bean pastes, etc are either expired or near expiration. From kimchi to side dishes, they are gross. Used to have Korean middle aged women doing the food prep and cooking but now it is all non-Koreans doing the "Three Stooges" act behind the counter. No help, no assistance, useless. Making a disgrace to Korean food. Not that the place looks any cleaner. No wonder the business is better at California Market even though typically it is a buck or two more. Meat, seafood, produce, and prepared food are better quality, the items are better displayed and looks cleaner.