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.

Love this place! The owner and team are super nice and really know their stuff. I just let them…read morepick out my herbal teas for me--no recipe needed--and they always get it right. Can't wait to come back!

This doctor's prescriptions helped my medical condition and gave me pain relief without using…read moreKaiser's recommendations of taking Advil every 6 hrs.

The store lady is friendly. The doctor is professional and transparent about dosage, price, etc. I…read morewill definitely come back.

Came here with my acupuncturist's recommendations written out in Yin Pin. (Chinese written in…read moreEnglish letters) The herbalist translated for himself on the paper, and was able to take my order, and tell me how much it would be per bag. I got three bags worth and am happily boiling my herbs now. It's not always easy to get around in Chinatown when you don't speak the languages, so I'm relieved to know I have found a friendly and reliable source.

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.

Bought a quarter pound of ginseng here and the woman who helped me was helpful. I didn't know what…read morekind of ginseng to get but she was patient with going through the different kinds that they had in store. She picked out a few of the longer ginsengs for me and offered to cut them up. She even sealed it in a bag which is perfect because it was meant to be a gift. I also bought a box of Ginseng Korean Tea. They have quite a lot of herbs and medicines here that you can buy per pound. I would definitely make the trek up here again.

Usually don't write reviews for others but this is for my dad since he doesn't use Yelp. My dad…read morecame in with my sister today to buy herbs for my mom. After the purchase, my dad didn't know how to prepare the medication and asked for help but he was ignored and brushed away. My sister saw this and got really upset and got bitchy (lack of a better word), with them and thats what got their attention but they were still rude. My sister asked how long do you boil the herbs for and they said, "Well obviously not for over a hour". Well duh but how LONG? that answer doesn't help at all. Why bother saying that. I wouldn't recommend coming here as this isn't the only herbal medicine shop in chinatown. Both my dad and sister speak Chinese, so language was not an issue.

They've been closed for a while, but it looks like they're opened again!…read more Kind of like a mini H-Mart or Ranch 99, lots of unique and cool asian snacks. A little jam packed when it's crowded but they sometimes give out gifts if you buy over a certain amount.

Folks here are super helpful and there's a good variety of snacks as well as different cooking…read moresauces! We were able to pick-up different kinds of cookies and wafers for Christmas gifts. You do have to walk down a set of stairs and the aisles may be slightly narrow. Recommend stopping by if you are looking for unique specialty items as the nearby grocery stores are quite limited in space and stock. Bring cash!

Great quality store w great quality ingredients. A large selection too. My favorite purchase was…read morethe laksa noodles for $10. People there are very friendly and the store is very clean. It's not too busy either. Parking can be hard however.

Cool little local Chinese dried goods store...specializing in dried tea, herbs and seafood…read more Ironically, I buy one fresh item here...their fresh ginger. I've never seen such plump fresh ginger at reasonable prices! On average, the fresh ginger is about $0.88-0.89/lb....amazingly good prices! I use it for tea, water infusions, soup, and cooking! Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and has antiseptic properties as well...good for boosting the immune system! The staff is great and very helpful. My pup loves stopping by to say hi even when we aren't shopping there, too! Koko gives it four paws up!

This is the best place to buy ginseng, period! The owners are very helpful and courteous. They will…read moreeven custom pack your hand picked ginseng to make a great presentation. Highly recommended.

I have been purchasing high quality tea from this company for a couple of years. It is a clean,…read moreneat, well organized shop with helpful staff. The prices are very competitive and better then the places that entice you with tastings. Do not expect to converse much with the staff since they speak Mandarin and little English.... but then it is about the tea, and who could be a better source for fine Chinese tea then an established Chinese owned company.