Happy Mart is one of my favourite Asian grocery stores in Adelaide. It stocks predominantly Korean…read moreproducts, but some Japanese and Chinese staple items (mostly for cooking) are available. In addition to groceries, there are also cooking utensils, soaps and other miscellaneous items imported from Korea. The best thing about Happy Mart is their frozen and refrigerated goods. They have a large range of thinly sliced beef, chicken and pork (and I mean paper thin!) that can't be found at your regular supermarket or butcher. These frozen meats are perfect for Bulgolgi or Japanese hot-pot meals at home, and I can say with confidence that these meats are fresh and delicious. They also have an abundance of frozen foods such as dumplings that are also suitable for vegetarian diets. And, believe it or not, they have an entire fridge dedicated solely to kimchi! As opposed to the more substantial foods, there is also a variety of Korean cup noodles, snack foods and sweets, as well as Korean soft drinks, teas and even rice wines. Best of all, it's dirt cheap! The staff here is always friendly, and sometimes will even throw in some free goodies with your purchase. Another great reason to shop at Happy Mart!

This is like candy shop for those who lived in Malaysia / Singapore before. Excellent customer…read moreservice and best part of all, they ensure the stock is filled all the time. They also listen to any concerns and demands from customer on their preferences of brands to bring in the items accordingly.

OK Supermarket is one of the oldest Asian grocery stores in the area, and caters to all kinds of…read moreAsian cuisine; including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, Malay and Singaporean products. What sets this grocery store apart from the others is: firstly, the incredible variety of different foods they have in store and; secondly, the fresh vegetables they stock for use in Asian cooking. When you first walk into the store, you'll notice that the entire front area of the shop is occupied by large tables displaying a variety of vegetables, roots and other ingredients. Best of all, it all appears to be very fresh. The thing I really like about this shop is that, in addition to an assortment of Asian foods, they also have a huge range of cooking utensils at the back of the shop. There are hundreds of wooden steamers and other utensils ideal for Asian cooking, which is convenient if you happen to require any of those things in order to turn your groceries into an oriental delight for dinner.

Ok, I know it seems rather silly to be writing about a giant supermarket that nobody will miss if…read morethey ever enter chinatown, but this one holds special significance to me and used to me a nightly haunt for me whenever I was up late at uni and needed a place to walk around or just restock on red bull and chips in the middle of the night. The only supermarket in town that opens again after midnight, it was like a beacon of hope for all those international students who had come to Adelaide not realizing that most places closed at 5pm and there was literally nowhere to go at night in order to shop. It has gotten better since back in those days, with shops opening up to 7pm or 7:30pm I think along Rundle Street, but back then, you'd go to Coles in chinatown after 12 and you'd see mostly asian people walking through the aisles, not necessarily to buy anything, but just to walk amongst potentially purchasable goods. I'm not one to judge, as I used to be one of them and really do appreciate Coles giving me a place I could go to in the middle of the night. Since moving away from the city, I have found an IGA near my place that never closes. Still, first's will always be firsts, and the chinatown Coles will always hold a special place in my heart that no other supermarket can replace.

The Coles on Grote St is so handy for me, because after I do my shopping around the markets, I can…read morealso stop by and pick up some supermarket brands in one trip, like soap, vegemite, you know. You can enter either from Grote St or from the inside markets, to save you walking all the way around. Apart from the fact that I see everyone here, from old friends to old teachers, what makes this Coles great is that it sells things like imported gelatine, Korean wafers, and other international brands. Being on the brink of Chinatown probably explains why it stocks these amazing creations. Additionally, the staff are always friendly and cheerful, and ready to help. My shopping experiences have been nothing but pleasant here. Oh, and did I mention that they're open from midnight, Mondays to Saturdays? How convenient for all you nocturnal folk!

I originally thought that this Fruit & Veg store would have a pretty tough time being set up right…read morenext to Foodland. But, it seems like they do alright. They always have a couple of customers despite being quite small. I think their customers are very much the locals. The quality of the fruit and veg here is good. Actually, slightly better than Foodland next door. So, that might explain the customers. I have purchased fruit here and it's been fresh and tasty. The staff here are always very friendly. But, I sometimes wonder whether they have more people rostered on than what they need? It's never that busy that they need three people working. It's a very small store. My only concern about this store is the variety. I think that if you are going to be a great Fruit & Veg store you should stock items that are a little more ethnic and unusual. Especially if your neighbour is a supermarket that does not stock unusual veggies. Last time I visited here I was on the search for Thai Basil, which I actually don't think that is so unusual. Foodland didn't stock it, so I naturally thought the Fruit & Veg store next door would sell it. But, no they didn't. In fact, the herb selection was quite small. Oh well.. maybe some food for thought for the owner. Despite the lack of variety, this is still a good fruit and veg store in Magill.

This place had an excellent selection of Chinese baked goods and ramen, as well as snacks, but…read morecritically missing dried mango!

Everybody needs a local late night supermarket and the Marion IGA Foodland is a good one. The thing…read moreabout many smaller, late night supermarkets is that things can often be overpriced so if you run out of something late at night you end up paying a fortune for it. Not so here. The majority of their product is reasonably priced. You can grab a litre of milk for $1.25. Other positives about Marion Foodland IGA include the fact they have lots of staff in the store at any given time which means not too much waiting at checkouts. You know that annoying wait at late night supermarkets where only one person is on the checkout and there are ten people line up - not so here. Parking is always easy here and they have a good selection of deli products. Their bakery section is quite small but adequate and the fruit and veg section is pretty good too. If you have a late night emergency and live in the Marion area, I recommend this supermarket.

This is a handy supermarket. I don't have much good to say about supermarkets, I feel like they've…read morerun many good businesses into the ground. IGA has a very community-oriented marketing slant, but I still prefer to shop at smaller, more specialised outlets like butchers and small greengrocers. That said, this place is very convenient if you're in the area, the prices of most of the stuff is pretty competitive and the staff seem a bit friendlier than other supermarkets.

I'll come out and admit, I'm a little turned on by a packed display of meat and antipasto offerings…read morein a chilled glass cabinet and this was what made me first fall for the City East IGA. Combine that with a consistently well stocked fruit and veg cabinet, fresh Kitchenhand Salads and Prepacked Gluten Free meals by Enzos this place is my go-to supermarket if I have had "one of those weekends," and haven't gotten a chance to go to Foodland. It's open late - even at the time of the evening when you're just starting to decide you might want a little bit of late night chocolate or gelati - this place will cater for you. I'm a big fan of their falafels which they get from Abdul's Kitchen but sometimes these are not as fresh as I would like. Even better is that this IGA has some of the friendliest staff around, particularly for check out chicks!

I used to live very close to this little independent grocer, so would stop in to pick up odd bits…read moreand pieces. I preferred to do most of my shopping at the Central Markets, as it was vastly cheaper, but they aren't open every day. Which brings me to the big winning point of IGAs, including this one. Opening hours. Despite their slightly higher prices, they manage to compete by being open later at night on weekdays and weekends. Each IGA is slightly different, and this one is quite vastly different to the IGA at the other end of Hutt St. This one is on the up-market side, stocking a wide range of gourmet products. The City East deli stocks a range of cakes, pastas, salads, quiches and antipasto. In the fridges you can pick up pre-made meals from a range of local producers. I used to keep my eye on the discount fridge, where deli products went to die. The fruit and veg section isn't awful, but pricier than most. There is a rudimentary few aisles of basic home needs like toilet paper and light bulbs. Next to the regular tinned veg and pasta section is a little stand with fancier Italian products - nice sauces and egg pastas. In the icecream freezer you'll find the Maggie Beer range. Not a bad supermarket all round, and I'm sure it hits the target market of young professionals or wealthier types living in the city.

It's got a little bit of everything...half the shop is vitamins, minerals and suppliments which…read moretakes up a smaller portion and the other is bulk goods. They have buckets and buckets of serve yourself whole food ingredients like: unbleached flour, wholemeal flour, lentils, dried beans, polenta, cereals, carob and the list goes on. All health food stores have a certain aroma, perhaps it's the honey or the tea I don't know, all the aromas mix but it does say 'I'm healthy stuff'. Garlic powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee all pantry essentials and essential oils, ear candles and heaps more stuff. Oh...and NUTS lots of 'em! Detox Diets ie Lemon Detox (which I purchased a while ago but haven't tried yet!). Skincare products, books on various health topics, yes and more. They have a really good website and be sure to look in the recipe section for ideas and if you into Gluten Free cooking, definitely have look :-)

Uh-may-zing! There's…read morethree stores worth of intuitively laid out health foods. The staff understand what vegans can and can't eat and they even recommend recipes and cooking techniques. Example: I needed a run of black beans and they'd run out. The lady taught me that I should really buy raw/dried beans and cook my own. So I walked out with a large collection of dried beans, soaked them, cooked them and they're now in the freezer waiting to be used. The organic fruit and veg selection is great, there's a zillion different kinds of tofu and tempeh and all the bulk grains you can imagine. I seriously love shopping here, it's the highlight of my grocery shopping experience.