Tsai Grocery is next door to Godaiko Japanese Restaurant in Ann Arbor. My husband and I stopped into the market after leaving the restaurant, just to check it out. The store is a decent size, and there seemed to be a good variety of items. Although we didn't make a purchase, we saw many items we enjoy. If we lived in the Ann Arbor area, we would probably frequent this store. read more

Tsai Grocery - International Grocery Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Does the trick for an area Asian grocery store! Clean and well stocked with the basics. Fresh produce section is small but always has at least a few good veggies and herbs, and seasonal fruit. Mostly freezer/pantry goods. All the Asian sauces you might need, a large selection of snacks and candies, alcohol, specialty dried ingredients and spices. Ramen, noodles, rice, dumplings, they have it all! Also have a selection of home wares (cooking/eating dishes, skincare stuff, etc). The only thing I think that's really missing here compared to other Asian grocery options is meat and seafood. They have a small selection in the freezers. Overall clean store and I usually can find what I need. read more

Small Asian market, with enough selection for variety. Nice if you need something Asian and in the neighborhood.

Tsai Grocery is one of the best Asian grocery stores in the Ann Arbor area. The place has a Western vibe, and is very clean, without the usual odors you find in such establishments. Originally owned by the Tsai family from Taiwan for many years, until it was sold to a family from Thailand, this store has gotten better over the past 30 years they have been at the Oak Valley Centre just off I-94. Tsai Grocery's primary focus was originally on Chinese and Japanese goods. However, since the new owners purchased the place, this sphere has been expanded to include Korean, Philippine, and Thai products. That being said, they carry a full line of Kikkoman, Kimlan, and Yamasa cooking products and sauces that would make anyone who loves the taste of soy sauce happy. For those of you who love chewing gum from Japan, Tsai Grocery carries Lotte in the "Blueberry" and "Ume" flavors. Anyone who remembers Adams Sour Gum from the 1970s or 1980s, will love these vibrant flavors. In addition, they also carry Marukawa bubble gum, which comes in an assortment of flavors. Last but not least, if you like chopsticks, Tsai Grocery carries a complete assortment of Japanese Washi lacquered, and Chinese wooden varieties. read more

Tsai Grocery - Tsai Grocery storefront. - International Grocery Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Tsai is no 168 or Hmart, but it gets the job done. They have an expansive variety from Japanese to Thai to Chinese & from alcohol (sake, Japanese beer, etc.) to asian snacks & candy to seasonings/sauces. 99% of the time, I'm able to find exactly what I need for home cookin'. There's a small fresh produce section that carries the staple veggies like Napa, beansprouts, daikon radish, leafy greens like bok choy & others greens I don't quite recognize as well as fresh aromatics like ginger, garlic scape, chinese chives, lemongrass etc. It also has an extensive frozen section with desserts like tang yuan, frozen hot pot fixings (meat, fishballs, etc.), noodles, dumpling wrappers. They used to stock weekly fresh breads & pastries from a 3rd party (from Chicago I believe) but since COVID, I haven't seen any. As I mentioned in my Godaiko review -- it's the same owners (Tsai+Godaiko). $10 min for credit card use. read more

A friend recommended Tsai Grocery so stopped in. The variety of Asian foods is great, and their selections of noodles and tea are outstanding. I found a soup mix that I used to get on the west coast but haven't seen here. I bought an assortment of items and left the store with a heavy bag. When I got home, I realized that I had left a second bag in the store. I called and left a message, and when I got back to the store 2 days later, they had stored it in the refrigerator (because I had some drinks in there) and gave it to me. I was not expecting this, and it shows what good people run this store. I will definitely be back! read more

Great Asian grocery store! Lots of delicious Japanese products are available which I appreciate. I've been going to Tsai for years and will always be a loyal customer!! read more

This WAS one of my preferred Asian stores until I was refused a refund for the rice that had worms and moths. I bought the 25 lb bag of rice in March. I noticed that the last two containers from this bag had worms and moths. When I took the infested rice WITH my receipt, the cashier just pointed to a sign that said, "No refunds on rice, noodles, tofu and produce". I asked when this was posted since there was no date on the sign. The cashier simply said, "long time, long time". WTH? First of all, if you can't guarantee the quality, then don't sell it! Secondly, there isn't much left after "rice, noodles, tofu and produce". Just post clearly and often that you don't give refunds! Rice is very expensive. I won't have bought it there if I thought the quality was guaranteed. Needless to say, I won't be back. Is this common problem elsewhere? read more

I have officially checked our every single Asian market in the area. Sped through this store and noticed that the prices were higher than others in the area. On the products you are saving $$ on, the cost is negligible with a ~$.10 difference, while the more expensive items are up to $1 higher. This isn't my favorite Asian market in the area, so probably won't be back. The store was clean and organized, didn't look at the produce much. Siracha is $2.99, there's another grocery store in the area that had it for $2.49. read more

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A good place to go for your Asian necessities! Some of the stuff is overpriced relative to metropolitan cities but that is not to be unexpected. However a good portion of things are also in line. They have a pretty expansive frozen section as well. I would buy the frozen dumplings but a bit hesitant about the meats. Overall a great location for those without a car! read more

This small market is clean, well-organized, and stocks the better Asian food brands. Their loose leaf and bagged tea selection is unmatched in the Ann Arbor area. Tsai has a nice selection of high-end rices in various sizes. They need to start stocking Koda Farms Kohuko Rose Heirloom Varietal Rice (the best medium grain rice) Yes, there are bigger and probably closer Asian grocery stores but they cannot match the quality, brands, and service. Not the cheapest, but the best. I put my money where my mouth is and come here often. Cheapskates: Pro Tip: Check out the clearance rolling shelves. There are a lot of heavily discounted food and drinks here! Enjoy! They carry fresh sashimi grade salmon and tuna in blocks! Best selection on the weekends! Win! read more

Tsai Grocery - Fresh fish heads for sale! - International Grocery Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

This is the ONLY place in this area that I have been able to find sushi grade fish to 'roll my own' at home. I love the variety and am especially excited to have found Hong Kong style noodles in the ridge case and wonton noodles. great place to explore for new ingredients and get your usual favorite, like Korean rice cake! yumm! Minimum $10 purchase for credit cards. They have a great selection of ktichenwares too. read more

Since its close to my house, I go there for msic. items that I need. They carry mainly Japanese products, but they also carry other Asian food product lines - Chinese, Korean, etc. They sell Kimchi as well. I typically buy tofu from Tsai, it gets delivered every Wednesday. For less than $2.50, you get about 8 or so tofu blocks. Just change the water every other day to extend the life of the tofu. I also udon noodles, sauces and have bought Tuna before. They have prepared foods for sale, you'll find california rolls on a regular basis. This is one of my 3 stores that I visit when I need stuff for home. read more

Finding fresh and reliable Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korea, Indonesian, Taiwanese) product these days are tough in general, but when you're in Michigan, and small mom and pop markets are scattered all throughout the state, it makes it harder to find everything that you need. However, since I love to explore new cities and driving in general, I don't mind. :) Enter the scene: Tsai Grocery. I learned about this place a few years ago prior to moving to MI from CA. My brother in law briefly mentioned about this place, but he couldn't pinpoint the name of it. Luckily, I was able to find it. To sum up a lot of what people say about this place, yes, it's pretty clean to the naked eye and things are relatively organized. However, as with a lot of Asian markets around here, most of their product offerings are of the processed, packaged stuff and some of their fresh produce is questionable. The reason why I say this is due to the fact that the staff who stocks them normally don't use gloves, just their bare hands. Ick. :/ One thing to mention though - the old wife's biscuit is pretty tasty. Of course, it is sourced and shipped from NY area, so you have to be diligent about choosing one that isn't old or stale. What I normally get here: Hokto mushrooms - they are pretty fresh most of the time and priced at $1.99 a pack, they are among the cheapest that I've found around the Ann Arbor area and even in Metro Detroit. Non-GMO Miso Paste - Tsai's carries a good variety of miso paste, ranging from your dashi red paste to the white shiro one. I always get the one that is non-gmo, whether organic or not. Hakubaku organic somen/udon/soba - Priced at about $2.29 a pack, they are a little bit more expensive compared to the regular box noodles you can find in their noodle section, but I find these to have a better texture, and most importantly, no sodium added! Those are the main staples that I grab from here from time to time. Others that are worth getting are their Japanese rice crackers, chili paste, sesame cooking oils, spices, Indonesian sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis). I wouldn't bother with buying their bulk rice as it is too expensive. Overall, this is a good no-frills small market that specializes mostly in Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean goods. Staff are blah, and if you can look pass that, you will be happy here. :) read more

This is a good grocery store. But when I went in today, an employee was unloading groceries onto the shelves without a mask on, singing loudly. When I asked him if he usually worked here without a mask, he said, "Yeah. What do you want?" We are in the middle of a surge of COVID in this state, and the governor has issued an order that people wear masks in public places. This is stupid, dangerous behavior that shows complete disregard for the safety of customers. I won't be shopping here again, and I hope you don't either. read more

This place *would* get a 4-star review from me based on cleanliness and variety of Asian foods you can find here (the Sriracha, nuoc mam, soy sauce, and tofu are sooo much cheaper than in normal grocery stores). And the cashier dude whom I usually see at the front is cool and helpful. But it's a week until Chinese New Year and this place doesn't carry hong bao (red envelopes)?!?!? read more

I like this grocery store, they carry many things I can't find anywhere else, except Amazon, and I'd rather support a local business than Amazon. The staff is really nice. read more

This is probably my favorite Asian grocery store in the area. While it does not have the selection of Hua Xing in Washtenaw, it typically has the majority of my required purchases. The store itself is well lit and clean. People working there are friendly, albeit on the quiet side. No hassle shopping for sure, if you need help, just ask, they're not likely to offer it out themselves. Again, this place has most of your staples- big bags of rice, condiments, soups, sauces/mixes, etc... They also have a bunch of imported goods (like tea sets and rice cookers) which seem a bit on the pricey side, but that really isn't the reason I go there. They also sell a limited amount of pre-made food like seaweed salad, entrees, and sushi rolls (california and spicy california). The food is made at Godaiko (which is connected to the store), so if you like the food there, you'll like it here too, and a fraction of the cost. OVERALL= a quality joint. I have yet to have a need that cannot be found here. Depending on how crazy of an ingredient/item you need, you're more than likely to find it here. CELEBRITY RATING- George Takei read more

Fairly small place. They play background Asian pop. Pretty bright and clean for an Asian grocery store. Got me some thai sweet chili sauce from here. They have a manager's special/rack with expired cans and random shampoos. Cheap, but questionable. read more

Always find what I need at a great price. Small store but clean and packed full of Fabolous finds! I make a trip to Ann Arbor just to go here. read more

This is my favorite Asian grocery store in the Ann Arbor area. The store is well-lit, very clean, and items are well organized and seem to have good turnover...overall a very Western-feeling grocery. They stock lots of Japanese items, a goodly amount of Chinese, some Thai, and a small selection of Vietnamese ingredients. Good assortment of frozen and refrigerated foods - but the fresh noodle selection is quite poor *sigh* I really like the fact that this market does not have tanks/cages full of turtles and other animals...always makes me feel terrible to see turtles/rabbits alive at a market waiting to be eaten (I know, all meat was alive at some point...I just choose not to eat rabbit - I have 2 at home, or turtles as I support a tortoise/turtle captive breeding program). Fish tanks don't bother me so much as long as the tanks are spotlessly clean, the fish aren't crowded together, and there isn't a rancid or fishy smell. The staff are quite nice and helpful too. read more

This once was my go to Asian grocery but multi times since COVID hit they have some staff not wearing mask around customers. The first time it happened I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but after seeing their unmasked staff in the store a second time I will not be coming back. It shouldn't be too much to ask for a store to take these precautions during a pandemic. read more

I have been going to Tsai Grocery since the days when it was an import shop called Sing Tong, heavy in gifts and trinkets, and located in Maple Village shopping center. Over the years it has only gotten better: First, it moved to Oak Valley Mall and changed the name, added more fresh produce, fresh, dried & frozen seafood, foods from even more Asian cuisines such as Thai and Filipino, and later expanded into the adjoining suite to offer a second room full of noodles, huge bags of rice and Asian toiletries. A great place to get all the ingredients to make your own Asian food at home. If you have a lot of questions and need help, you probably won't get it from the disinterested staff, but they sure do have a great variety of items. read more

Great find. We just moved to the area and couldn't be happier to find a place that carries Thai ingredients!

This is one of two Asian grocery stores in Ann Arbor. Might I comment, Tsai Grocery is the better of the two grocery stores in terms of cleanliness and variety of Asian foods. This store also carries sashimi quality fish. On a whim, my then boyfriend and I bought delicious mackerel, tuna, and salmon and sliced the fish and placed it on a bed of shredded white Japanese radish, which the store also carries. The quality of the fresh fish was superb for being in a land-locked college town, far far far away from the big cities. Once I got my Asian grocery store fix, I drove across the street to Meijers to pick up my American groceries. This was a very convenient arrangement to get my groceries in a single trip. read more

Love this market. Huge aisles stocked with my favorites from Japan, Singapore, Korea, and China -- I can't get enough of the Asian delights, Spices, beverages, and food! Like most local Asian markets it offers freshly made sushi, although, they could offer a better selection, unlike most Asian markets they carry Hippo Pastries!! The sushi and fish are fresh and delicious. Good selection of veggies. I second Janelle on the fresh tofu! An Ann Arbor version of Noble Fish and One World. Still want to try the sushi joint next door, Godaiko, but first on my list is Yotsuba! read more

Very convenient location and easy to get to, since it is right across the street from Meijer. They have a variety of items, a lot them Japanese and Chinese. They often sell hard-to-find items like wintermelon, bittermellon, daikon, etc. They even have some asian bakeries, as well as a small section for asian cookware. The rice in bulk is a bit too pricey, as I've found better deals at places like Walmart for jasmine rice. They accept credit cards, including American Express, but not debit cards. The minimum spend is $10. Overall, the place is very clean, but organization is not perfect. I've noticed that there are two places where you can find red beans, as well as different places where you can find dumplings and noodles, so items are all over the place. Why not organize the place better? During the academic year, I have been a regular guest on the weekends and the produce was nice and fresh. However, I have been visiting on the weekdays and I am quite disappointed. They leave out old vegetables, and you can see most of them are visibly *rotten* on the shelves. Not removing the rotten vegetables seems like laziness, and it looks horrible. I would be willing to revise my review if the store management decides to dramatically improve quality control. Lastly, I've had a few instances where the workers are in the back and they do not notice that people are lining up to check out, and nobody is at the cash register. I've waited as long as 15 minutes because of this problem. read more

Just a quick note to say I was here today and saw 3 staff people and many customers. Everyone was wearing a mask.

This is one of the few asian groceries that I would shop at in the Metro Detroit area. They're one of the cleanest ones around (and without the fishy smell!), but even they are not above the occasional expired products. Unfortunate, but I'll take what I can get. Just always read the labels, and if the labels don't have expiration dates on them, then curse and wish bad things for unethical manufacturers. Tsai Grocery occasionally carries some vegetarian products including fakin jerky and frozen faux ham which is greatly appreciated. Their prices are on the higher side, but I'm more than willing to pay the premium for the cleanliness. read more

I am only writing a review because I want to point out that they sell sushi grade fish for a reasonable price. If you're making sushi, it is pretty hard to find sushi grade fish. I just moved to Ann Arbor so I am still not too familiar with the area. The fish market in downtown Ann Arbor sells sushi grade tuna for about $45 per pound. At this grocery store, you can get it for $26 per pound. That is significantly cheaper and the quality is great. The fish is NOT place out for you to pick. If you want to get sushi grade fish, you'll have to ask one of the employees to get it for you. They store their fish in their own refrigerator in the back. You'll want to ask them for the price and let them know how many pounds of fish you want. They also cut the fish into nice perfect squares for you! The fish looks beautiful. I ordered sushi grade tuna and salmon. We made sushi with it. Everybody felt fine the day after. This will be my main spot for sushi grade fish. I highly recommend coming here. The employees here are also very nice and helpful! This grocery store is great if you need your Asian sauce, snacks, frozen packaged goods, etc. I saw that they had some Vietnamese goods in a whole section of the freezer! This is not a great grocery store for produce since your selection is limited. Quality of produce is still good. Although the store is small, it is very clean and organized. read more

Outstanding place! You can find a great variety of ingredients for Asiatic cuisine! The prices are reasonable based on the principle that almost everything it's imported. Good space and very well organized. read more

Bought old rice here and they would not return. Rice smelled like the plastic bag it was in and then same smell was in the cooked rice. Yuck! Said they are a small business and cannot afford to return items. Also they make you spend $10 in order to use your debit card. This is awful customer service and treatment. read more

Upon reading reviews I tried to make sure I checked all expiration dates on my visit but after leaving I still had an expired item, so do be weary of dates on items. But the selection is amazing, the prices are very cheap, and the experience was great. It was easy to navigate and most foods were labeled in English as well, just check the nutrition info on the back and it should tell you what it is if it's not otherwise clearly labeled. I can only find vegetarian ramen at Asian grocery stores these days so I stopped in to get some and I also got some produce, dumplings, snacks, and drinks. I wish the produce was dated but it's pretty easy to tell if it's still good. There's also very good parking. This is the first Asian grocery store I've tried in Ann Arbor and I am very satisfied. read more

This place has a good selection of Japanese snacks, especially stuffed mochi. It's clean, well-stocked, and the cashier (always the same woman) is friendly and helpful. The location is nice because it is across the road from Meijer. read more

I get my Asian grocery here because it costs a tad less than Kroger and Meijer and other Asian marts around AA/Ypsi. I go to Meijer right across the road for my other grocery needs. Bok choy here is usually ~$1 for a decent sized bag. I get my curry powder here as well. The workers are super nice. I was looking for an item they currently did not have in stock, but gave me their business card to call and check so I don't have to make another trip if it's not available. Props! read more

On the last three consecutive trips over the last 6 months, I have inadvertently picked up groceries that were being sold past expiration date - some by MORE THAN A YEAR!!!!!!!! The food quality is absolutely TERRIBLE, expired, and a public health hazard. Once, the meat freezer was dysfunctional, and meat juices were running all over the floor. I HOPE they threw out all that meat and didn't just let it re-freeze! PLEASE DO YOUR SHOPPING ELSEWHERE! I recommend Way 1 on Plymouth Rd. or Hua Xing Grocery off Washtenaw in Ypsilanti. It will be worth the extra drive. read more

I absolutely love this place! It is the first asian market where I have been able to find Ome Boshi Chazuke! The hours are great, the staff is super nice and friendly and welcoming, and the selection is fantastic. It's clean and doesn't smell bad which is saying a lot for asian markets. This is the best asian market washtenaw county pretty much. :) Thanks Tsai for the amazing selection. read more

Hua Xing is where I go for the majority of my Asian grocery needs, but Tsai is where I go when I specifically need Japanese ingredients. If you need okonomiyaki sauce or hayashi sauce (I used to import mine from California), two of the few things that Hua Xing doesn't carry, Tsai's where you want to go. They offer Japanese bread, canned coffee, pastries, fresh sushi and lots of snacks. Overall, Tsai is probably my favorite of the Asian markets in the area to shop at, just in terms of atmosphere. As you can see from other reviews, their selection certainly isn't limited to Japanese products, it's just what I usually go there for. read more

I've got one word for you...Black Sesame Paste. Okay that's three words but one product and enough reason for this place to exist. I frequent this place to stock up on certain Japanese (and the occasional Chinese) foodstuff. Tea, seaweed salad, Calpis, goji berries, Kasugai gummis, etc. Asian food market with a new updated checkout system that makes shopping there even easier. read more

Watch out for expiration date! 50% of food and snacks I looked into were either expired or have no "best by" date! When I talked to the employee, she was very indifferent and told me to let other store workers find out themselves! When I checked out she basically gave me the eye meaning "go away"! For the health of other people please forward this message and check carefully their expiration date! read more