Looking for Chinese/Asian Supermarket close to Alameda
I moved from South Bay to San Francisco and now to Alameda in the last two years, thanks for remote working arrangements. In Alameda I have yet to find a good go-to grocery store for my weekly, or more frequently, produce shopping. I like farmers markets and love Berkeley Bowl, but one thing I've yet to find a good, well stocked Chinese grocery store. If anyone is familiar with south bay, my favorite store was Marina Food in Cupertino. I'm looking for a good balance of fresh Chinese/Asian produce, seafood, pantry items, preferably in a safe neighborhood and not too insanely hard to find parking. I recently went to a supermarket in San Leandro and wasn't completely happy with their selections (too many aisles of cans and bottles, not enough seafood), not to mention the service was below sub-par.
I know there is a decent Chinese population in the area, so there must be a good supermarket somewhere!
Parent Replies
Oakland Chinatown is the obvious place. Lots of stores and markets. You should be able to find almost anything you want.
If your definition of "safe" doesn't include Chinatown, then Ranch 99 in El Cerrito has all your suburban necessities like easy parking.
We live in Alameda and we go to New Sang Chong in San Leandro (at Marina), and also FoodNet. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, so we actually shuttle between both/either of them to get what we need, depending on what we are shopping for. Of the two, FoodNet is cleaner and less chaotic, but has less selection. If we want something specific, or if we are in the area already, we go to Ranch 99 in Dublin for Chinese groceries, H Mart in San Jose or in the city, or Koreana Plaza in Oakland for Korean groceries, and Nijiya Market in San Mateo or the city for Japanese products. There is no one-stop place, we have found. BUT...if you really hate driving, consider Weee! which is an Asian grocery home delivery service. Their produce is actually quite good and their selection is large.
Koreana Plaza in Oakland has a decent selection, though their produce and goods skew more Korean than Chinese. They have a parking lot that always has spots, plus numerous security guards, so I always feel safe parking my car there. IMHO the neighborhood is perfectly safe during the day (I used to live a block or two away). This is too far from Alameda, but 99 Ranch in El Cerrito probably has everything you're looking for. But I'm sure there must be something like 99 Ranch closer to where you are! Hopefully other neighbors will come through. Wishing you the best of luck.
Korean Plaza in Oakland on Telegraph at 23rd. I stock up there a couple of times a year and they have lots of fresh/frozen seafood.
There are a few organic items, too.
I just moved to Alameda from Oakland and I still shop at Koreana Plaza Market in Oakland off Telegraph. It has a parking lot and security so its easier to get to then other markets in Chinatown unless you’re on foot. Its clean and has a good selection of produce, meat, some seafood, and plenty of pantry staples. They also have a small bakery and prepared food. It’s mainly Korean, but they have all kinds of Asian items so I’m sure you’ll find Chinese vegetables there.
Agreed, lots of great options in Oakland Chinatown (and also check out the Old Oakland farmers' market if you're able to, since it has several vendors specializing in vegetables common in Chinese and Asian cooking). Plus Yuen Hop for fresh noodles. Street parking in Chinatown can be a PITA, but some stores have parking lots (or head further north to Koreana Plaza, which is an amazing Korean grocery but stocks many other staples and has a staffed parking lot). If you can go during the week, it's much better than the weekends.
Asian products at Koreana Plaza in Telegraph Av, Oakland. They have parking…
East Oakland has some Asian markets and better parking than Chinatown. Try Sun Hop Fat at 501 E 12th St. For seafood, Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley (1220 San Pablo) is quite good. They have groceries, too (leaning more Japanese than Chinese) but I mostly used them specifically for fish, so I can't speak to their selection.
99 Ranch in (technically) Richmond, on the southern border of El Cerrito. Large seafood counter and prepared foods as well. It's inside the Pacific East Mall, which has a bunch of Asian eateries, too – Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Sichuan, Cantonese dim sum, bakery, etc. Big parking lot. Google says it's a 20-minute-ish drive from Alameda w/o traffic ...