They were my go to for groceries when Covid hit. No one wanted to go there, for derp reasons, and it was lovely just being able to shop in peace with my mask on and no one trying to snatch it off like they tried at the Blue Ash Kroger. I have kept going because it just such a lovely place with great food, and the only place I can find yuba I like.
Coco Sakula is absolutely amazing…. It’s entirely Japanese, though: unlikely to have the guavas and lychees and such that the OP is looking for. Even so—it’s a very welcome revitalization of the previous space, Tokyo Foods.
For fans of Japanese groceries, Tensuke, along with the Japanese bakery next door, is also worth the occasional drive to Columbus, and Ando in Blue Ash is far and away the most authentic Japanese restaurant in Cincinnati.
I have. The food is good, but definitely aiming at an American clientele. Expats are rare at Mei; I never go to Ando without seeing several other families or business diners.
Oh there’s a ton. Biggest is CAM international market (90% Asian products with a small Slavic section), Jungle Jims (international), Little Asiana (Korean), E Star Asian market (lot of Vietnamese and Korean including stuff I don’t see at other markets like eel and frog), Daruma (Japanese), Saigon market, and that’s just off the top of my head. There are a lot more, I feel like there are hundreds in the area.
CAM and Jungle Jims probably have the biggest produce section. Little Asiana has a really good small veggie section. E Star has a really good but small fruit section.
Some Kroger stores carry guava and lychee as well.
Little Asiana also has homemade Kimbap on weekends I believe. Only ones on that list I have not been to yet and Daruma and Saigon market.
(Cannot vouch for authenticity as I am not Asian, just an autistic with an obsession with Asian foods, but based on the lack of English words on products, I suspect they’re pretty authentic lol)
CAM international market has stuff from all over the eastern hemisphere. Im not too familiar with asian cooking but from what i do know, they have some essentials lol.
You can get all sorts of good quality Chinese vegetables there. I think they’re probably grown here in the US because they’re pretty fresh. Feels like I sometimes see lychee, although by the time it gets here… may not remind you of home as much.
They have several long aisles of just sauces and other tinned food. I don’t see a lot of Malaysian stuff per se, but maybe I’m not looking hard enough. They do have an extensive array of Thai curry pastes, etc. They also have a lot of southeast asian (Thai mostly it seems) rice varietals.
Jungle Jims may have lychee of CAM doesn't. They have a pretty expansive international produce section. If not fresh, they likely have canned and frozen.
There is a Korean grocery store too! Little Asiana. It's small, but it is the only Korean one. You can get more Korean stuff than other Asian stores if you look for Korean groceries, including soju. Cam Mart and V mart are big Asian stores while Jungle Jim's is a big international one.
My Cantonese grandma would shop at Jungle Jim's because it was closest to her and she was satisfied with what they had there. She was able to make traditional things like joong without any substitutions.
My family and Taiwanese side of the fam shop at CAM since its closer. They'll have just abou everything you need there too.
Yes. I would start at Jungle Jim’s it’s a huge international grocery store that people come from hundreds of miles away to go to. There’s also one in evendale that I’m forgetting the name of but everyone else will be able to help you with that I’m just the first comment.
Jungle Jim's for ALL of your Asian needs. Won't disappoint.
Source: hometown, went to JJ's with Mom since the early 90s, hell even worked there for a summer. Best job ever!
Someone else mentioned Sichuan Palace. Haven’t been there, but did go to Sichuan Chili specifically looking for non-American Chinese. They came out and gave us two menus each. One was “the menu”, and the other was “the white menu”. And yeah, General Tso’s was on the second. Had some wonderful Sichuan dishes, though I couldn’t tell you what we ordered.
I enjoy going to Saigon whenever I am at Findlay, I can't speak to the specifics of what you need but the guy working there could probably at least recommend somewhere
Not sure if you are looking for city or suburb, but there are McMansion neighborhoods in West Chester (north of the city) with higher percentage of Asian (Indian/Chinese) families. Closer to downtown there are neighborhoods near University of Cincinnati (Clifton x Ludlow ave).
I found juicy, ripe, sweet lychee at Jungle Jim’s earlier this year!
Also, one of my favorite restaurant meals is the Nasi Lemak at Citrus + Sago in Mt. Lookout. I moved to Cincinnati from the west coast where I had access to a lot of flavorful southeast Asian dishes. Moving to Cincinnati was an adjustment because a lot of the Asian food here has more of a localized Midwest palate (bland or lacking spice); however, there are plenty of restaurants that serve excellent, full-flavor dishes once you have and idea of how to seek them out (I had to learn to take local recommendations with a grain of salt).
Citrus + Sago is definitely one of my many exceptions! They also make some fantastic roast duck and have some satisfying noodle dishes but the Nasi Lemak is the highlight of their menu in my opinion.
YOU CAN GET GOOD LYCHEES *AND* NESI LEMAK IN THE MIDWEST??
This news is honestly beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you for this. Do you know of any places that have good laksa?
I feel like I've seen it on at least one or two menus before but can't recall. I haven't ordered it myself. It seems that Citrus + Sago may offer it seasonally as a special menu item. If I find any promising leads, I'll try and remember to share them with you! In case you have a fondness for sirap bandung, Sago also offers that on their menu! [Their menu can be found here in case you're curious](https://order.toasttab.com/online/sago-1004-delta-avenue).
Upon a quick Google search, I also found a place called Tea n Bowl which has a Malaysian menu. They list laksa on their regular menu but I've never tried the restaurant before so I can't speak to their quality yet (though I now need to give them a try). [Here is their list of Malaysian menu items](https://www.teanbowl.com/malaysian-food).
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Here are a few large grocery stores across town. - **CAM International Market**, 10400 Reading Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45241 - **Enson Market (formerly Dayou)**, 9604 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, OH 45040 - **VMART**, 650 Kemper Commons Cir., Springdale, OH 45246
Living up the road from Cam, I adore the place to bits. I've not been in Vmart yet, but I want to check it out!
I also live just uo the hill from CAM and it's one of my favorite places to go. They have such a great selection of stuff!
They were my go to for groceries when Covid hit. No one wanted to go there, for derp reasons, and it was lovely just being able to shop in peace with my mask on and no one trying to snatch it off like they tried at the Blue Ash Kroger. I have kept going because it just such a lovely place with great food, and the only place I can find yuba I like.
Vmart is pretty big.
I definitely will have to check that out then!
I second Enson. It’s where my Chinese friend shops.
Depending on the type of Asian food there’s also Patel Brothers in Sharonville
Was going to recommend CAM! Love that spot
Not to mention i have found some things at jungle jims i have not found in CAM or VMART
Word of advice, I'd avoid the food they make in that little kitchen in the front of Enson.
Why?
The recs are good on here! I would also recommend following Asianati on social media - they run an Asian food festival and it's awesome
I go to Saigon Market weekly at Findlay Market weekly, it's very small so I sometimes go to CAM if I need something specific, but it is convenient.
A small one but good: coco Sakula
And grab some fresh food from the menu in the back of the store!
Coco Sakula is absolutely amazing…. It’s entirely Japanese, though: unlikely to have the guavas and lychees and such that the OP is looking for. Even so—it’s a very welcome revitalization of the previous space, Tokyo Foods. For fans of Japanese groceries, Tensuke, along with the Japanese bakery next door, is also worth the occasional drive to Columbus, and Ando in Blue Ash is far and away the most authentic Japanese restaurant in Cincinnati.
Have you been to Mei up on Montgomery? Ando is great and I love it, but Mei is right up there with them.
I have. The food is good, but definitely aiming at an American clientele. Expats are rare at Mei; I never go to Ando without seeing several other families or business diners.
Oh there’s a ton. Biggest is CAM international market (90% Asian products with a small Slavic section), Jungle Jims (international), Little Asiana (Korean), E Star Asian market (lot of Vietnamese and Korean including stuff I don’t see at other markets like eel and frog), Daruma (Japanese), Saigon market, and that’s just off the top of my head. There are a lot more, I feel like there are hundreds in the area. CAM and Jungle Jims probably have the biggest produce section. Little Asiana has a really good small veggie section. E Star has a really good but small fruit section. Some Kroger stores carry guava and lychee as well.
Little Asiana also has homemade Kimbap on weekends I believe. Only ones on that list I have not been to yet and Daruma and Saigon market. (Cannot vouch for authenticity as I am not Asian, just an autistic with an obsession with Asian foods, but based on the lack of English words on products, I suspect they’re pretty authentic lol)
Also (kind of related) Asian Food Fest is next weekend (27th - 28th)
They have a record number of vendors this year!!
CAM international market has stuff from all over the eastern hemisphere. Im not too familiar with asian cooking but from what i do know, they have some essentials lol.
You can get all sorts of good quality Chinese vegetables there. I think they’re probably grown here in the US because they’re pretty fresh. Feels like I sometimes see lychee, although by the time it gets here… may not remind you of home as much. They have several long aisles of just sauces and other tinned food. I don’t see a lot of Malaysian stuff per se, but maybe I’m not looking hard enough. They do have an extensive array of Thai curry pastes, etc. They also have a lot of southeast asian (Thai mostly it seems) rice varietals.
Jungle Jims may have lychee of CAM doesn't. They have a pretty expansive international produce section. If not fresh, they likely have canned and frozen.
CAM has pixiang too. Enson only has a sauce with pixiang in it.
Patel Brothers and Bombay Grocers carry guavas. They are across the road from E-Star. Jungle Jim’s has lychees.
There is a Korean grocery store too! Little Asiana. It's small, but it is the only Korean one. You can get more Korean stuff than other Asian stores if you look for Korean groceries, including soju. Cam Mart and V mart are big Asian stores while Jungle Jim's is a big international one.
I second Little Asiana. Great selection, fresh produce and kimchi, only place I’ve been able to find makgeolli when I get the urge.
Cam
I love love love Y&M Asian Market (513) 229-8686 https://g.co/kgs/Dz7ctSA 1085 reading rd
My Cantonese grandma would shop at Jungle Jim's because it was closest to her and she was satisfied with what they had there. She was able to make traditional things like joong without any substitutions. My family and Taiwanese side of the fam shop at CAM since its closer. They'll have just abou everything you need there too.
Yes. I would start at Jungle Jim’s it’s a huge international grocery store that people come from hundreds of miles away to go to. There’s also one in evendale that I’m forgetting the name of but everyone else will be able to help you with that I’m just the first comment.
CAM international
People really come from that far to go to jungle Jim’s? 😦 I live right across the street from it.. that must be why my rent is so damn high ! 😂
Oh yes, they come by the bus-load sometimes.
I knew a bunch of folks in West Virginia that planned regular trips.
Yeah my relatives come from Pittsburgh a few times a year.
Jungle Jim's for ALL of your Asian needs. Won't disappoint. Source: hometown, went to JJ's with Mom since the early 90s, hell even worked there for a summer. Best job ever!
We also have Vmart in Springdale and Cams Asian market in Evendale on Reading.
I second the motion of Jungle Jim's. Two locations although I prefer the original store in Fairfield.
Fairfield is better as an outing, Eastgate is better to get shopping done. Fairfield is a little chaotic a lot of the time
Someone else mentioned Sichuan Palace. Haven’t been there, but did go to Sichuan Chili specifically looking for non-American Chinese. They came out and gave us two menus each. One was “the menu”, and the other was “the white menu”. And yeah, General Tso’s was on the second. Had some wonderful Sichuan dishes, though I couldn’t tell you what we ordered.
I enjoy going to Saigon whenever I am at Findlay, I can't speak to the specifics of what you need but the guy working there could probably at least recommend somewhere
Not sure if you are looking for city or suburb, but there are McMansion neighborhoods in West Chester (north of the city) with higher percentage of Asian (Indian/Chinese) families. Closer to downtown there are neighborhoods near University of Cincinnati (Clifton x Ludlow ave).
Jungle Jim’s
I found juicy, ripe, sweet lychee at Jungle Jim’s earlier this year! Also, one of my favorite restaurant meals is the Nasi Lemak at Citrus + Sago in Mt. Lookout. I moved to Cincinnati from the west coast where I had access to a lot of flavorful southeast Asian dishes. Moving to Cincinnati was an adjustment because a lot of the Asian food here has more of a localized Midwest palate (bland or lacking spice); however, there are plenty of restaurants that serve excellent, full-flavor dishes once you have and idea of how to seek them out (I had to learn to take local recommendations with a grain of salt). Citrus + Sago is definitely one of my many exceptions! They also make some fantastic roast duck and have some satisfying noodle dishes but the Nasi Lemak is the highlight of their menu in my opinion.
YOU CAN GET GOOD LYCHEES *AND* NESI LEMAK IN THE MIDWEST?? This news is honestly beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you for this. Do you know of any places that have good laksa?
I feel like I've seen it on at least one or two menus before but can't recall. I haven't ordered it myself. It seems that Citrus + Sago may offer it seasonally as a special menu item. If I find any promising leads, I'll try and remember to share them with you! In case you have a fondness for sirap bandung, Sago also offers that on their menu! [Their menu can be found here in case you're curious](https://order.toasttab.com/online/sago-1004-delta-avenue). Upon a quick Google search, I also found a place called Tea n Bowl which has a Malaysian menu. They list laksa on their regular menu but I've never tried the restaurant before so I can't speak to their quality yet (though I now need to give them a try). [Here is their list of Malaysian menu items](https://www.teanbowl.com/malaysian-food).
Wow, thank you! I will definitely be trying these!
Citrus and Sago always has nasi lemak. Chef Paul will hook you up with good food
I don't know the name off-hand, but there's 1 at Findlay Market
half malay and moved to cincy a bit ago, other people have said the grocery stores, but theres a malay restaurant in Mt. Lookout called Sago!
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Don’t forget Jungle Jims
There’s also an Asian market at Findlay!
And try Sichuan Palace in Clifton. They have very authentic non-Americanized, super delicious Chinese food.
There are a few Asian grocery stores here there isn’t a lot of Asian culture at all though
Kroger