I didn't know about the historical significance of this market until I read about it in the nearby…read moreTenderloin Museum (review: http://bit.ly/2pMwOjA) and how it was and continues to be an essential business for the local Southeast Asian populace who started pouring into the embattled area since the 1970's. You would think the Cambodian proprietors would have expanded their space by now, but no, San Francisco real estate being what it is, the market remains a claustrophobic space where they maximize every square inch with produce and other goods native to that part of the world. You will be on sensory overload. The unique inventory includes jars of pickled eggplant and peppercorns (photo: http://bit.ly/2J1RagV), cans of grass jelly and fruit cocktail (photo: http://bit.ly/2J4epH6), and bunches of plantains (photo: http://bit.ly/2GCdIqm). It's in the deepest part of the 'Loin, so be cautious getting over here, but if you're intent on creating an authentic Thai dinner, I can't think of a market less likely not to have that particular ingredient you desperately need like kaffir lime leaves, fresh galangal, and mangosteens. The staff is also really nice and helpful here, and there's certainly no mistaking this business for the fashion-forward Meraki Market a few blocks away.

Fantastic market for SE Asian ingredients. Thai soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, many types of fish and…read moreoyster sauces, fresh Holy basil and galangal, this place has it all! Bring cash. Don't be too freaked out by the neighborhood, it's all worth it to support this 35+ year old market and make some delicious food. UPDATE: Many years later, still the same; still amazing! Through the pandemic, through the changing neighborhood, the Battambang Market is still my go to place for SE Asian ingredients and fresh produce. Even with the H-mart now in town, this is still the only place you can find fresh holy basil and fresh green peppercorns. Also, love the ladies who work here! Very sweet every one of them!

Walking around San Francisco you will run into a few pleasant surprises. San Francisco is always…read morefull of surprises which makes it a unique city. Although it feels comfortable with familiarity with some common spots there is always room for spontaneous things appear out of nowhere in SF. Shopping in the city you will find stores with many different goods. I found a grocery store in Chinatown sells alcohol such as wine and whiskey along of tea from China. It's located on Stockton street and it's called Golden Way Trading Company. On a Summer stroll almost Fall I landed on Stockton ( not the city) street at the Golden Way Trading Company. Inside you will discover lots of different items such as mushrooms and noodles ( not Angel Hair) along with different sauces. They have everything from canned Ovaltine to canned Pho broth. You will also find an aisle of liquor ranging from cognac to red wine. This place has many ingredients like corn and others to make breakfast , lunch, and dinner. This is a place worth checking out and especially if you are on a liquor run in Chinatown in SF. San Francisco has an interesting food and grocery "scene" and at the Golden Way Trading Company that sells tea that's "green" and some with or with or without "caffeine" and you can find anything from a bottle of cognac to a can of "Ovaltine" Walking around in SF things happen "spontaneous" you run into a bunch characters on social media in SF with an "alias"and some occurrences that happen in SF "simultaneous "and this all goes down and happens in a 7 by 7 square mile "radius"

I needed some chili oil asap and didn't want to wait on a delivery from Weee! or Yami plus have to…read moremeet a minimum spend threshold, so I explored the Chinatown supermarkets and ended up here after a couple other options didn't yield results. They have a lot of options in stock here, so I loaded up on spicy chili crisp, chiu chow style chili crisp oil, and some mala red oil chili sauce by the classic Lee Kum Kee brand. I also bought a bag of chewy 陈皮糖 chénpí táng that I saw next to the cash register while I was at it. Altogether after the 3% credit card fee, my total came to $18.08. Such a bargain, I will be back.

This is the best store I've ever been to shop with my Chinese Herbs, fish maw, red dates and…read moreprepared soup herbs! Be honest, compares with other similar stores , here's more comfortable and more hearty! Especially the price , so even I live in Gilroy, I absolutely love to drive up to SF town to buy what I Need ! Highly recommend!

People working in there was helpful. I was looking for sunflower seeds to buy. There seem to be an…read moreabundant amount of herb and soup packages to buy. Not sure about the price point compared to other herbal stores in the area.

Sun Sun Trading is a bigger version of itself just a few doors down the block. the bigger space…read moreallows them to better showcase their goods: -ginseng, american ginseng -dried seafood, dried veggies, dried roots/herbs -chinese meds -candies, cookies -groceries, canned, dried buys: loquat "cough syrup"-3.99 -seems cheaper, maybe a smaller bottle -good for catching early stages of a cough before a cough actually appears. notes: -Sun Sun deserves 4 stars for neatness, roominess, ease of shopping -not sure of pricing competiveness.

My Chinese aunts go crazy here. Get all the Chinese herbs and exotic dried seafood here!…read moreThey have $1000/pound dried sea cucumbers here.

AVOID coming here. Scam family own business. Comes in with a Chinese herb formula told me it's…read moregoing to be 6$ a batch but when I came to pick it up, another lady recalculated my formula and now its 10$ a batch. What in a world is this nonsense! I'd understand if it's going to be a dollar or so off but no, its a FOUR dollar difference. Never coming back here, theres 2 other herbal shops on the same block that's probably more trustworthy.

This store carries Chinese herbs , Chinese medicines , and stuff like that . I love that they carry…read moremilk herbal candy ... it's tastes SO good ! At first I thought it sounded kind of weird and when I first popped it into my mouth , I thought it was kinda weird but later on the candy started bursting with flavor and I fell in love with it ! It's basically herbal drops with some milky flavor which sounds weird but tastes awesome .

Half year ago, my herbal doctor recommended me to buy herbs in Ellision. It's a neat herbal store…read morewith a huge selection of herbs and patterned medicine. Their herbs are clean, with good quality, yet with reasonable price! These mean a lot to a herbal store, if you ever bought any herbs before.. Almost every time when I went there, it has a lot of customers; their stuffs are sincere, always very busy packing the formulas with care, yet as time goes by, you will find them are very friendly and helpful! Last week, I need to process some herbs, they asked me waited for a few minutes until they finished their jobs on hands; then a tall guy helped me grind the medicine into very fine powers. Hope they keep up a good work! Thumbs up to Ellision!

I went in there optimistic; but after I approached the cashier asking questions, didn't receive…read moreguidance on any of the items in the store. He came off as rude. I should of taken an interpreter. I just purchased 2 teas; Immunity and Women's Treasure Soups. I will Google how to prepare them, as there are no instructions.

The Pros: Massive Variety: Truly a "one-stop shop" for tea…read moreenthusiasts. Low Pressure: The staff greeted me and then stayed hands-off until I had questions. The Price: Easily some of the best values in the city. The Con: Sealed Packaging: Everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags. Because of the sealing, you can't smell the tea before buying. I'd love to see them implement scent jars in the future to help with the selection process. Neutral Observations In-House Packaging: All the tea is packaged identically in 1lb bags, which suggests they likely process and bag everything in-house. Labeling: I didn't notice any specific organic labels on the packaging, though I didn't explicitly ask. If this is a deal breaker, you may want to ask. Review If you're looking for a genuine loose leaf tea source -- your search ends here. I stumbled upon this place after endless online searching (blogs, search engines, etc) and it was well worth the effort! Just a heads-up on navigation: G-Maps is slightly off. If you rely solely on that, you'll be a few doors down. Look for the Volvo mechanics and the shop is located just on the other side. The exterior is unassuming, no windows, just a sandwich board on the sidewalk and a door. Looking inside it's a bit of a mysterious vibe, you'll see a stairway to the left and a hallway ahead. Go for it. Ignore the single pane glass, bank-teller-style window to your right (which directs you to the main door) and just head in. Also, keep an eye on the clock because, per the phone tree, they close for lunch from 12:30 to 1:00. I arrived right after 1pm and was able to park right in front. There was also plenty of other parking spot around at that time. IDK why, but before walking in, my imagination had prepared me for an old-world San Francisco opium den. I was thinking there was going to be this lingering aromatic smoke, plush floor pillows, people lounging, sipping tea, and the soft, ambient melodies of an upscale spa. I had also pictured rows of heavy, whiskey-style wooden barrels overflowing with loose leaf tea, topped with clear lids and metal scoops. The reality is much more utilitarian. This is not a den or a spa. It's clean, straightforward, and focused entirely on their product. The selection is robust and incredibly diverse. While they claim "wholesale to the public", I can't verify the industry margins, but I can tell you the prices are very good for the quality you receive. The employee greeted me and then stayed hands-off while I browsed, which I appreciated. When I did ask specifics, they had basic foundational knowledge. Honestly with the diversity and sheer quantity of products offered, it would take forever to earn a Tea Master badge. No harm no foul. The only real bummer here is that everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags, so there is no way to smell the product. I'd really appreciate scent jars in front of the bags. Since they seem to be doing the packaging in-house anyway, it makes me wonder why they haven't set aside a small amount of each batch for scent jars. It wouldn't require a change in their supply chain, just a few ounces and a glass jar to help customers navigate that massive variety. That aside, I absolutely loved this place. I've been searching for a spot like this for a long time. I'm just glad I finally found it. If you're at all interested in loose leaf tea, I'd suggest giving these folks an honest try.

I needed dried lavender for simple syrup and ice cream and found this place online. Prices are very…read moreaffordable and they have so many options! I'm not able to post all my photos but this is some of what they offer! Will definitely come back.

Good place if you're looking for Chinese ingredients like dried scallops, shrimps and other dried…read moregoods. I don't even know the English translation for many of their items, but they're well stocked on items you'd find in traditional Cantonese soups. It's a pretty small place, but the workers were helpful. They even gave helpful suggestions on how to prepare soups using some of their ingredients. That was an unexpected and nice bonus!

They carry the original Kam Wo Char which is surprisingly hard to find. There's lots of mediators…read moreelsewhere. But J & J carries the real tea.