At Colfax/Lansing (right between two memorable Mexican masterpieces - Real de Minas and Guadalajara…read moreBuffet) sits a similarly mighty maven of merchandise, from Myanmar in this case. Why don't we do a bit of culinary trekking at Asian & American Super Market? So, you're craving a touch of Burmese food, but don't have time to head all the way over to Taw Win or Urban Burma? Well, that's absolutely no problem at all - you see, A&ASM can help you out in several ways. Look - here is a handy kit containing the fermented tea leaves and other beany/seedy/etc, items needed for the palate-refreshing salad you probably know better as Laphet Thoke. Oh, you wanted something more substantial? Let's head to the back of the store. See? Here are canned versions of Ametha Si Byan (beef curry) and Ohno Kaukswe (coconut noodles) direct from the homeland for you to sample. (No, silly - the latter doesn't actually *contain* the noodles - that would just make a mushy mess). Wait, where did you go? Ah! I had a feeling you'd head to the front register, where, depending on the day, you can find such delights as Pe Palata (flatbread stuffed with vatana beans), Kyet Thun Gyaw (onion fritters) and Shwe Yin Aye (coconut milk/pandan jelly/sago/bread dessert). Are you full yet? [URP] But there's so much more to see up and down these aisles of course (I'm sure that probably goes without saying, but, well, here we are). Ooh, don't those durian segments look delicious? Stop that, you know you love them. Well, OK, what about a few Da Nyin Thee (jengkol beans) to put some shimmer on your stir-fried dishes? Mmmmmmm, I'll bet those rambutan are super juicy. And just look at these tempting jars of smoky Karen-style fish/chili sauces (Lar Say Paw and Saw Lay Pe, to be more specific). Or, try a link or two of plump beef sausage. (This, like many, many other items in the shop is Halal, as you may have guessed by the fact that the owners are members of the Rohingya community, who have traditionally lived near the border with Bangladesh and practiced Islam for centuries). All kinds of fresh produce can also be found here - for example, I've seen bamboo shoots, taro, and winged beans on various visits. But I don't want to give away all of A&ASM's secrets, so go see for yourself.

Lucky Stars is the perfect addition to this shopping complex- located behind Pho Duy towards the…read moreback left. They really pack a punch into a small space, and carry a huge variety of noodles, seasonings, produce, snacks, and canned goods. They have all of the Asian staples that you will need, and I recommend picking up some rice papers, noodles, MSG, Thai basil, canned lychees, and some fun chips while you're there. Amazing customer service, they accept credit card, and have boxes ready so you don't have to use or purchase a bag! The prices here are amazing, and far better than you'll find on the same goods at king Soopers!! If you're unfamiliar with Asian goods, I really recommend chatting with the owner. He is incredibly friendly and more than happy to offer suggestions!

Tucked into a stripmall on Lima Street (visible from Colfax Avenue), the cozy but well-stocked…read moreIwacu African Grocery has become a favorite with customers from Rwanda, Burundi, and further afield. Let's pop in and see what all the excitement is about. In both Kinyarwanda and Kirundi (official languages of Rwanda and Burundi respectively), Iwacu (pronounced "ee-WAH-choo") is roughly analogous to the French expression "chez nous" or "at our place". And indeed, the products offered herein can be a great help for you homecookers out there. A popular dish in this region is Kawunga (corn porridge) sided with Ibishyimbo (bean stew) - and Iwacu brings to you many varieties of both the former (dried corn kernels, white cornmeal, yellow cornmeal) and latter (red beans, white beans, black beans) to select from. Numerous other powdered grains (Ifu in the above two languages) can also be found such as Uburo (millet) and Amamera (sorghum). And you have to have some greens with your meal right? So why not give your protein and fiber levels even more of of a boost with Isombe (dried cassava leaves)? If you're in an indecisive mood on your visit, I'm sure the pleasant staff will be more than happy to offer culinary suggestions of their own. But did you really think Iwacu only offered a taste (so to speak) of a couple countries? Oh, please - let's see what else we can find. Since we're fairly close (in geographical terms) to Kenya, I'm not surprised to see multiple types of tea, as well as blends from two of the best known Kenyan spice distributors - Royco and Tropical Heat. Wow, those are some big bottles of peanuts from Cameroon, in several varieties - perfect for those snacking moments. Hmm, that's interesting - the republic of Guinea (not to be confused with Guinea-Bissau or Equatorial Guinea, both also in Africa) is all the way over on the other side of the continent, but Guinean palm oil can be found on these very shelves too. Who knew? Oops, time for a brief trip to Europe with some cans of Italian tomato sauce and slim bottles of Spanish sunflower oil. And to end things on a slightly sweet note. how about a nice big bag of Mandazi (Swahili donuts)? You can even get the recipe to make them here too! So make yourself right at home at Iwacu.

They are UPS hub. They stole my item. I went in to retrieve the item and the person said I wasn't…read morein their system. I showed him proof I was and then he began to make up stories. He said, "Oh, yeah, I remember now, someone else came in and took it. They said you permitted them to take the item. They had your ID. Which, wasn't true. No one knew my item was there but me. When I called UPS they said a person with an African-sounding name signed it over to themselves. If you look at Google reviews, this is common practice.