Hours posted online completely wrong! Drove an hour to get here and they were closed for another 2 hours. Update: Store is supposed to open 12:30, it's been over 15mins and still not open. How are we supposed to pick up our UPS packages and shop if the owner won't show up? read more

I love the New Oriental Food Store... They are very friendly and always willing to help you find what you are looking for... Everyone is treated with respect...they make you feel like your part of their family... The prices are very reasonable... I highly recommend this store read more

Very nice market in the East Village with all the essentials. The owner answered our questions as we were looking for things. Convenient location if you are in the area doing other shopping, dining or exploring. read more

This is such a cute shop!!! I came across this shop after our friends told us about it. For all my Asians and people that love Asian food this is your place to go. They have tons of options from fresh produce to frozen. They even have Indian groceries which totally caught my off guard, usually I have to drive all the way to west Des Moines for my groceries. Family owned! Street parking. For me the prices were reasonable as there are not much options around here. Check them out! read more

I can not say I would agree with their name, thus let us just agree that they sell Asian goods and groceries. Their shelves have the basics from Lee Kum Kee sauces to Kikkoman Soy Sauces. Rice basics and other dry goods also adorn the shelves along with other dried vegetables, and seasonings. You may also find in their freezers dried salted and regular fishes. There is also octopus if you look more carefully. Package dumplings/potstickers can also adorn the freezer section. You will also find many Thai market items and this is probably because the market has a certain Thai influence. Iowa's Asian population has really boomed since 2001 and there is no surprise we can get both dried goods and fresh Asian vegetables here now read more

Wonderful store PACKED with canned, bottled, frozen and fresh food items. And if you are looking for beautiful dishware or cooking utensils they have that too! Saki and beer as well. The owner is lovely to converse with, and will help you with whatever you are looking for. I was overwhelmed in the soy sauce selections and she educated me on the various brands/types. Take your time strolling the aisles, ask questions, and you might end up cooking something new tonight. read more

This is an East Side jewel...Near the DM Capital on Grand Avenue, Street front parking in front is available to access the Treasures inside. I shop for needed goods for asian catered dishes and then end up with a pile of my own; pork belly from the freezer, Beef and Pork jerky in the handmade case, sweets, rice, green tea all authentic and at honest prices. The host is always helpfull and kind...True asian market feel and always stocked for any dish recipe you are crafting...Stop in and brows the isles, you will find something unique. read more

See all

Produce from abroad and local premade delights like plantain chips! If you are lucky Grandma will be there. Give her two thumbs up and ask her if you need Anything! Buy something you have never heard of before and pick up an international sauce for your stir fry! They have rice cookers for sale... A lot of them! read more

The New Oriental Food Store was a surprising find in Des Moines. There are bigger stores in the region, but this store is pretty cool. It is a small convenience store. The location of the store and its set up make it an Asian Bodega of sorts. The prices were pretty reasonable. They were retail prices commensurate with a convenience store. They had a pretty good selection of items and if they did not exist, many of these items would have to be obtained from other, more far flung places. If you are in the area and looking to score some Asian food products, this is a good place to start. read more

I really don't understand the reviewer who says these prices are high? I shop here regularly because the things I need like sauces for Asian cooking and fruits/vegetables are *so* inexpensive compared to the Oriental foods sections in American grocery stores. Additionaly I can get ingredients that would be considered "gourmet" elsewhere. I buy ox tail, whole tillapia. squid and ducks for my foodie cooking needs. It can be a little intimidating because many of the items are not in English. The woman who runs this is far from the "bitch" another reviewer called her. She is Lao and doesn't speak English as her first language (though she does well enough). While her culture means she speaks a little abruptly she is *super* helpful every time I need to find something. We have amusing exchanges while we try to understand each other. She also regularly gives me (unsolicited) cooking tips and recipes. She is very sweet. read more

This is one of those glorious times when I go in with a short list and come out with a huge selection of items! First, upon entering I was greeted immediately and asked if they could help me with anything. I received the same offer two more times during my visit. They have a great selection of items from many areas of the world. I found what I was looking for and then found many things besides. I was impressed with the fun bottle cans of drinks. The bottom is a clear, bottle material and the top is a tin soda can like opening. They have a wide variety of seafood items and quite a few vegetables that are hard to come by at any standard grocery store in town. They have an impressive variety of curries and related items. I think their quantity of sauces is unparalleled. The only two bad things were the store isn't laid out very intuitively. It's like two stores were made into one and there's a freezer section in each...with some overlap of foods in each section. The other was their tiny supply of Filipino foods. read more

I visited this store this afternoon. The lady at the register gave me a friendly "hello" when I walked in. I felt free to browse around and ended up buying a bunch of stuff for a pretty good price. The store was clean, organized, and the service was friendly. I was even given advice on the dish I was buying ingredients for! I honestly don't understand the negative review here, wherein the reviewer called the cashier/owner a "bitch". That seems extremely harsh and childish. Especially when all the other reviews, including mine, say otherwise. I was given great, friendly service while I was there today. The prices are great - they are comparable to other Asian markets. The variety is awesome. There were some fresh items as well - I got some deep fried pastries that the vendor just brought in while I was in the store. Really delicious and fresh. Also got some fresh pork jerky that a different vendor just brought in - extremely good. I will definitely stop by again when I'm in the East Village neighborhood. They had every single thing I needed for my (kinda) obscure dish. I was impressed. read more

Store was completely empty when I decided to check it out. The only person that appeared working was an Asian lady. She saw me but didn't greet me; however, she wasn't rude or anything in my opinion. I liked that it wasn't some watered down, puny Asian market. The store's stocked with staples that you'd find at any 99 Ranch. The offerings run the gamut from fresh blood cubes to frozen whole frogs. My boyfriend's been craving Japanese ramen so I was hoping to surprise him with some, but I couldn't find any packages unfortunately. They have plenty of udon, egg noodles, etc. though. I spied a few things like my beloved Jufran, siopaos, and packets of hi-chews. If I ever have to move to Des Moines at least I know I won't be stranded without some familiar, comfort foods. Everything was organized and clean. All perishable items looked fresh. Prices seemed fair enough. read more

DOWNTOWN PRICES. DOWNTOWN ATTITUDE....The owner (cashier lady) is one rude, mean lady....with no cause or reason either. Even with her bad attitude, I still continued to offer my patronage at this store. On early out days at work, I'd always try to swing by here in time to buy some sesame balls before they run out for the day. I packed up 8 sesame balls in the paper sack they provide and proceeded to the register to pay. The owner dropped the sack of sesame balls causing half of the contents to roll on the ground and charged me for them claiming she still had to make money off it, despite the fact that it was she who caused the a accident. I was a little irritated by that encounter, yet still continued to shop there. On a separate occasion I purchased Calpico yogurt drink (delicious, if you've ever had it) and had massive food poisoning after taking just a few sips. I am very diligent in looking at expiration dates on food products, but this one happened to slip by me. Blame it on the hot weather, or my thirst. Anyway, after going through food poisoning for the first time in my life, the Calpico I purchased here was the culprit. The product had expired in October, but was still in their fridge/inventory the following May, when I purchased it. I would've given this place ZERO stars, if allowed. read more

I've been shopping here for 20 years ever since returning from a trip to Thailand. I love the compactness of the store. There is an amazing number or Ramen products to try out. Cheap shallots. Nice frozen Japanese sumai. And many other foods to explore. When I come with a recipe or questions the proprietress is always happy to help me find what I need in addition to suggesting modifications and even her own recipes. Be sure to ask the proprietress for her special ginseng options. The produce is variable but I always start my shopping here. read more

This is my neighborhood Asian market, but I would definitely travel to shop here, if needed. The staff (owners?) are always very friendly and helpful. I pretty much always buy the same things (sticky rice, veggies, jerky and spring rolls). They also have great prepared noodle dishes that are super cheap and convenient for a lunch on the go. Don't miss the egg rolls in the warmer in the back room, you have to get one (or two); you won't regret it. read more

I stopped in here a couple of times when I was in the area to see what they had to offer. This place is much smaller than the larger Asian stores Double Dragon and C-Fresh. Their staff is friendly and their items appear to be fresh. There's not too much I can say about this place other than it is more convenient to go to the bigger Asian stores if travel time is okay for you. read more

I go here every time I'm in Des Moines. The lady running the register is usually kind of busy and can seem rude but will help you if you ask her. The older lady, Grandma as she calls herself, is super friendly and helpful!! There is quite a variety of things and most prices are pretty decent. Reading the previous reviews seem like a totally different experience from any time I've ever been there, and I have been there probably 10 times in the last year. read more

New Oriental Food Store is a great place to get groceries! I usually come here if other Asian grocers don't have certain items in stock I'm looking for and they usually have what I'm looking for here. Another great thing about this place is that things are a lot more organized/clean, and the items are a lot fresher (especially in the freezer section.) They also have a section where you can buy premade foods, including eggrolls, banh mi, and fried bananas etc. The only downside is that you need to spend $10 minimum to use a credit card. read more

Smaller, more limited selection than C Fresh, but if you are in east village it's convenient.

Love this store - so convenient plus, super delish Spring Rolls - four huge ones for $5 - can't beat that! Bought a gorgeous indoor/outdoor rug for under $36. Today, bought Spring Rolls, 1/2lb of jasmine tea, an infuser, and a package of yummy coconut cookies all for $13. Fresh herbs, dried spices, noodles, frozen foods - so much goodness here! read more

Very nice lady directed me to the exact spot of the item I was looking for. Super sweet. Obviously family operated, you see this is "theirs". Store was clean and organized. I could spend all day in there finding new things to try. read more