Go here for your Asian grocery needs! If you never been to a privately family owned Asian market. I want to warn you to not expect wide aisles, clean floors, etc. Do expect unusual smells, random products being sold. But, don't let this stop you from shopping here for groceries. The owner who was working the register was welcoming and nice. Everything here is inexpensive for the same food you can get elsewhere. Sometimes they have live crabs and clams, which is why I like coming here. There are many snacks, and they have other variety, so can't say I hated them. Overall: Small market, but well stocked. Seems to cater to mostly anyone, but everyone can come here for a varieties of food. You actually get decent service here compared to Tan-A! read more

There are tons of Vietnamese and even a Cambodian place to shop within about two or three blocks of each other in this area and most people are likely to go to the larger, "flashier" (outside appearances only, of course, lol) Tan-A that has a prime corner location at a busy intersection. However, service there is sometimes an absolute horror, that coming from someone who now lives in Miami (AKA the land of horrible service). You can actually go to a smaller place with helpful service that's literally walking distance away (but it's still more convenient to drive, nonetheless), and that place is Far East. Far East has everything you could possibly need for Southeast Asian cooking (and some staples for Chinese cooking) and although it's packed in a very tiny space, it's all there. The owners will not always hunt you down to see if you need help, but if they see you looking for something, they'll volunteer to help. They are friendly and they do speak English (and multiple Asian languages, too--Vietnamese and Chinese at minimum). The only reason to go to Tan A is if you need something Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc, because that type of thing is limited at Far East, but come to Far East first and give your money where it's appreciated. The down side of Far East is that it has that odd smell some Asian markets have and the organization is a bit out of whack. Also, the credit card minimum is very high, $20, double anywhere else. However, Far East has among the lowest prices. A great thing to know is that Fridays and Saturdays, they sell packaged specialty buns in the boxes on the shelves in the produce area. They have taro, barbecue, mung bean, and more, all for 95 cents each. I absolutely love the taro one, mmmm!! **Credit minimum is $20*** read more

Small Asian Grocery store as appose to Tan A just down the street. A smaller selection, however when you walk in the owner acknowledges you, and ask if he can help... I tell him what I am looking for and he gets me to the right spot. I wanted to take a photo of him cutting Pork Bellies, however he said "No". Oh, too bad as it would have looked good on Yelp. I will start coming here more often.... read more

This store is smaller and dingier than Tan-A, but I like it more. They're much nicer... and they take credit cards (with a $20 minimum). Just looking at my products upon checking out, the male cashier said, "Salamat." Of course, that made me smile. read more

Far East is right around the corner (and behind the nail supply shop) from Tan-A, and I'd recommend going here to get better service and better prices. Far East is much smaller than Tan-A, but carries just about everything you need to make your Vietnamese homecooked meal. If you're looking for a wider variety of snacks, you might need to go to Tan-A though. They do accept credit cards, but there's a $20 minimum, which isn't bad. I'm used to places not taking credit at all, so it's good to know that if I plan to buy more, they'll let me charge it. I've found that prices here are slightly cheaper and their veggies look fresher. They tend not to take them out of the boxes they came in, but that's all right with me! read more

This place is small but packed with goods and the staff is very friendly and helpful. There's all the standard items you'd expect in a market (fresh produce, meat, seafood, frozen and refrigerated items, canned goods, dry goods in boxes and bags, sauces and spices and teas galore, etc.), but also housewares and freshly-prepared foods. There's even a selection of pastries with a variety of tasty fillings, such as cream, taro, and other fruit. The inside is very cramped, as the small building is filled to the brim with items, and I saw a guy behind one of the counters chopping cuts of meat out in the open, plus cardboard boxes filled with ice containing unwrapped cuts of seafood and meat (including pigs' ears and what appears to be tripe), so if you're squeamish about raw meat and slightly dingy surroundings, this might not be the place for you. But the prices are great, and the produce (vegetables and fruit) is absolutely gorgeous and fresh, and you'll get much better service here than at Tan A. I just wish I had gone here with a recipe in mind, as wandering the aisles, while a fun pastime, was a rather overwhelming experience. I ended up leaving with a cream-filled sweet Vietnamese pastry (delicious), a lovely ripe mango, a small tin of jasmine tea recommended to me by a very nice employee, and a refrigerated cup of coconut juice with coconut slices at the bottom. I can see myself going here regularly for anything I need to cook Thai and Vietnamese dishes (once I learn how, of course). read more

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Based on the review, I have doubts that I went to the same grocery as all the other reviewers did. The place is kinda small, which is expected, but the clean and tidy part is a gross overstatement. In particular I have serious concern on their handling of raw meat. They are simply place un-refrigerated in containers on the floor. I'm sorry but no love from me. read more

The store itself was slightly dingy, but I didn't think much of it because I've seen way worse elsewhere. What I didn't expect was to find myself purchasing moldy noodles that were in a freezer I can only assume was at best being run at refrigerator temperatures. I purchased four packs of udon noodles and so far have found mold inside one of them. There was no use before date anywhere on the packaging which is pretty concerning. The tomatoes I also purchased, luckily, seem to be fine and a small houseware item I got as well seems to be totally okay and reasonably priced, hence the two star review rather than just one. If you go here, you just have to be more careful with what you're buying than I was and I'd highly recommend avoiding the noodles unless you're desperate like I was. read more

Small but with all the staples you would expect. I would shop here any day of the week over Tan-A. Polite help at the register and no screaming. read more

Such kind people! I'm use to going to tan a where nobody cares if you're there and you don't matter. Here everyone spoke and made sure I found everything I needed! And the custard bun is very tasty. read more

Far East - Custard and coconut and taro buns - International Grocery Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Good bye, A Tan, hello, Far East! Wonderful jumble of an asian market. I stopped in for the first time on a Sunday afternoon with a list of 5 or 6 hard to find Chinese items. The owner (or at least I think it was the owner) was eating his meal, but dropped everything (well, actually, he put it down!) to help me find my items, in a few cases directing me down an aisle, and in several cases getting the item for me. Honestly, going to A Tan is so unpleasant with the staff attitude that I was thrilled to find Far East. It is located easily within 1/4 of a mile - From 250/Broad, head south on HorsePen right where A Tan is. Go about 1/8 of mile and take a right just before the Chinese Restaurant and Viet. noodle place - it is on the right in a smallish building. Hellos, help, and thank you's. That's not so hard, now, is it?! read more

Don't waste your time with any other asian market in Richmond. The staff at Far East are friendly and knowledgeable. They speak many languages including English. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Weekends are very busy, so if you are a novice wait until the weekday when they can spend more time with you. read more

This store( maybe the manager)is rude and disrespectful. Did not expect it to be since I've been here multiples times. Just to include. He wouldn't even help us pick up our stuff( our hands were filled with items) he lied about prices since we bought it for much less than it was today. I wouldn't recommend this store. It's disgusting and very dirty, tight spaces, odd spells, etc. liked this store before but not anymore. Bye bye far east, this is not for me! read more

Favorite Asian store in Richmond. They are smaller than Tan A supermarket which means they dont have as much but they still have a good selection. The owners are nice. They've even picked up how to say "How are you" in Cambodian which is a plus in my eyes. It shows they care. I've been coming here since I was like 11? So this establishment has been here a very long time. They do take CC here but you have to buy $20 minimum. Something they will let you get by $2 or $3 shy of the minimum. I will continue coming here until they decide to close. Hopefully they dont :) read more

in richmond for just one afternoon and needed some asian staples & goodies before the new year. found this place and all it's yelp review glory. despite being a tiny store, there was so much variety in here. the workers are friendly, the prices are decent, and the store is clean & doesn't smell terrible. thankfully they accept credit cards because we were at another cash only store (didn't have cash) before we went here. it's funny that we found stuff at this store that cake from king george (just down the street from where we are). why can't we just have a decent market there!? anyway, i like this place and if you're in richmond to live or for a visit and in need of asian ingredients, go here and you will be more than pleased. read more

We came here after a horrible experience at Tan A...and this place is a million times better. The people are kind and helpful and more importantly it is clean and tidy! They have a large variety of products and many interesting things in the frozen section. This is our #1 choice of local Asian markets as of now! I only wish they had fresh fish and it would be perfect, but I am giving it 5 stars because it is exactly what it is meant to be. read more

Better source than Tan-A for a variety of items and cheaper too. Fresher basil, cilantro, and green onion. Friendly staff, they actually say hello and thank you unlike Tan-A. Take the time to wander around and you will be pleased. read more

We've shopped at Far East for 5 or so years now. I am always appreciative of their willingness to help. I have in past returned from trips to Asia with the chinese or vietnamese or whatever names for things scrawled on napkins or post-its or boarding passes and the staff at Far East have been able to help me find those special treats. Also, they seem to take special pleasure in the times our kids are with us, offering them lychees or other little fruits. Aside from the personal touch: Selection is good, quality is good, produce, meat, and seafood good, prices delightful. Best in area and almost always better than I can do online. Between Far East and Laxmi Palace, my Asian pantry shelves are well maintained read more

It's a great little shop of wonders. The owner and her son, which I assume was, were extremely kind. It could use a little bit more of a modern refurbish though. Still, I always come here to enjoy the sweets they have to offer. Their homemade treats are my favorite though. If I didn't live 30 minutes from there, I'd visit there every day. I do plan on being a regular in the future though. read more