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!

02-11-20 We came here during our trip to San Francisco…read more There's a lot of dried herbs and other interesting items but we came in here for the dried, preserved plums. Pretty good stuff, unfortunately they do not provide samples so you have to just try and hopefully you can come back and get some more or your favorites. If you buy 10 pre-packed preserve plums, they give you a free one. They were not pushy here but they don't speak much English so it was hard to get information about items we were asking about. Anyway, still a good place to visit if you are into the preserved fruits.

I'm fortunate enough to be able to travel for a living, so I am very grateful for that…read more Whenever I'm in San Francisco, I usually go to China town to buy some ancient Chinese secrets. Okay they are not really secrets, but they could be! I get some of my herbal and tea remedy at Nam Hai. They have jars of teas that can be bought from ounces to pounds. On my last visit, I bought Siberian Rose Detox tea for beautiful skin, Lavender Tea to promote restful sleep, Bitter Tea for detoxing the blood and liver and a beautiful blooming flower tea for positive energy. Pretty much everything we consume in the western world has oil, fat and grease. This is the reason why the western world is full of ailments such as diabetes, and high cholesterol. Knowledge is the key to preventing them, so I try not to consume anything that will give me cellulite. If I do, I drink tons of hot tea to help with the digestion and detoxification. Nan Hai is a great place to buy them.

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.

My dad told me about this place about buying fresh tofu better than prepackaged tofu you buy in the…read moresupermarkets. I kept calling him crazy for many years. Well I finally decided to stop in and check out this tiny, unassuming store front that normally people will passby without a second look . Ok so I stepped in. Nice and clean atmosphere with no one there except me on Monday 10am . Just me and storekeeper. It was like a slow moving western as I was in one corner and he in the other. For anyone coming here that do not speak Chinese Mandarin, get your Google Translator out. I should have used it but didn't think about it because I thought I could get by. Umm not in this case. The struggle was real as he knew no English and I knew no Chinese. lol what a mismatch. As I was struggling with words tofu and pointing to tofu in glass case, I think he finally figured out what I wanted when I said 50 cents one. . I said I wanted 6 pieces and motioned 6 with my fingers. I paid cash and it was a successful transaction. Phew what a relief! So when I went home to cook the firm tofu, wow! It was really fresh tasting and soft texture! Ok I must admit dad was right. Father knows best in this case. And yes I would go back and take out my Google Translate and used how to use both the voice version and text version to see which is easier to use.

Great spot to grab fresh and fried tofu in bulk! Stopped here on my way back to Fresno since I…read morehaven't found anything like this spot local to me.

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.

Quick stop at San Francisco Chinatown, during this recent weekend trip and needed to buy the some…read moreAsian goods, the kine I don't see back home on Oahu. hehe. Luckily my other half happen to find a parking spot right in front of Golden Way. I had plans to go to the other store, I went last time but this works out perfect. The jumbo dried shrimp right in front of store caught my eyes. Stopped by real quick and got everything I needed, wish I could grab more but I had to limit myself since I didn't bring an extra luggagge. Golden Way, a great name, Lets go shop the Golden Way, reminds me of a store here at Chinatown, although very small cramped store it's very organized. Owner does a great job at storing everything and making use of all the spaces. Lots of Asian products here but no fresh produce or frozen products . Credit cards accepted as well, which is great! I ended up using my credit card for my entire purchase since usually cash is preferred in Chinatown. My co-worker wanted a specific soy sauce but no luck in finding it. What did I end up buying here at Golden Way, a LB of jumbo dried shrimp ( I think it was $24. or 25. lb) dried salted fish, dried scallops, long rice noods, pickled veggies, siracha, sauces, condensed milk, preserved eggs. Why on some of the products, Prices actually lower here. The only thing I wish Golden Way does is have prices on some of products, I had to ask how much?! The owner is nice & patient with me. I will be back again! I can't wait to use all those goodies, it made it safely back to Oahu.

Located in a busy area of Chinatown on Jackson St, Tung Shing Trading Co is a nice little shop full…read moreof traditional Chinese herbs, medicine, and specialty items. There is a wide selection of dried herbs and items that can be paid for my weight. The workers are helpful in suggesting the right items for you in case the over abundance of options can be a bit overwhelming.

There are not many Supermarkets on Mission street in San Francisco. When I mean Supermarket I am…read morenot talking about some corner-store action. I am talking about Supermarket with a parking lot and an entire seafood and meat market and lots of aisles of food like a Safeway size Supermarket . Living in 8 different San Francisco neighborhoods and where this Supermarket is located you know where to go to shop for groceries. There is one which has lots of Asian foods along with USA products and Latin American products. It is known as MOM or the Manila Oriental Market on Mission street. On a Mission street stroll on the corner of Trumbull and on Mission street there is a Supermarket for your drink and food needs. Inside the Manila Oriental Market there are foods from the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Taiwan and other Asian countries. You will find a fish market loaded with lots of seafood like shrimp. They have fish balls from Taiwan. It also has lots of sauces like banana sauce and duck sauce. You will also find juicy Manila Mangoes. This place also has lots of imported chips from all over Asia. They also have a meat department with meats from all over the Latin America. This place also has imported alcohol from China and also noodles from Vietnam. Plan to visit MOM( Manila Oriental Market) soon. Groceries availability is so" fundamental"some foods like durian for me is a bit "experimental" but a lot of these imports are"intergovernmental" and are sold in San Francisco at the Market called "Manila Oriental " A good place to get food that's hella" Nom Nom "from the Philippines, Taiwan , and "Guam" to Thailand and "Vietnam" it's located on Mission street it's called Manila Oriental Market but I call it by its acronym "MOM"

It's really convenient to have a local Asian market so close to home. Growing up in San Francisco,…read moreI'm familiar with many Asian markets in the city. Before this one opened, I usually shopped at Pacific Supermarket on Alemany, and I still prefer the Daly City (Westborough) location overall. That said, I often come here simply because it's closer and more convenient. There's nothing out of the ordinary for an Asian market, but it has all the essentials you need to make a good home-cooked meal. They have both fish and meat counters, which I appreciate, and the prices are decent. I also enjoy browsing the fresh produce section -- there's a good variety of greens like bok choy, spinach, and other staples. One thing I would love to see is fresh soy milk and fresh chow fun noodles. That's one of the reasons I enjoy shopping at May Wah on Clement Street, and having those items here would really elevate this market. Overall, it's a solid neighborhood spot that I'm glad to have nearby, especially when I want to shop locally and quickly.

store is pretty clean and price is good too. they need to change the playlist of 80s songs…read moreimmediately.

Everything looks and smells fresh. They even cook dishes, for take-out from their culture so that…read moreyou can experience what you may purchase. I have been cooking my whole life, I had no sisters and my mother passed when I was 11, making me the cook being the eldest child. They have always been warm and friendly towards me, being that it is a very tight squeeze for my wheel chair. It is a warm family type establishment. There is ample parking.