Recently renovated or upgraded! While most of their product locations have remained unchanged, this location had a much needed appliance upgrade to all of their frozen or refrigerated perishables. It appears cleaner and more organized. I come to this location more often than the Culver one since it's less crowded and parking is easy to get in/out. It also helps that I can easily locate things since they are grouped in a way that makes sense, at least for me. From the entrance going right to left, it starts with frozen goods, fresh noodles, beverages, snacks, home goods, dry goods, sauces, canned goods, instant noodles & rice, frozen meals, pickled goods, meats and then produce.They have a bakery and ready to eat meals located on the right. We love their mango cake slices and sweet breads. The refrigerated section used to have sliced pig ears, but they don't have it anymore. They now sell them as braised pig ears as two whole pieces. Not bad, but requires a bit more effort to cut them up and season at home. Produce and fruit selection has always treated me well, but I'm not a fan of their deli/meat section. I bought some pork once and it had a very gamey flavor, so I just avoid altogether. I only buy frozen versions like the sliced lamb or the packaged bones for broths.Overall, I feel they are trying to up their game to compete with a number of H-Marts opening in the area haha.
Lori T.
i like this market a lot. i've been coming for many, many years and this visit was good too. i wish i knew more about the various items.we each had a 2 entree meal upon entering. the food was very tasty: orange chicken, bbq chicken, pork ribs and some bony pork and peppers served with the chow mein. can't beat it for $10 these days. we went to the bakery and enjoyed some samples and so ended up buying the egg tarts. delicious!next we went to the fish counter and waited to get a couple lobsters. next we had to go up front to pay and although many cashiers it took about 20 minutes. then back to the fish counter to get the lobsters steamed so another 20 minutes. why oh why is there no cashier at the fish counter!?!?while waiting i visited the produce and as everyone, kinda shocked at the prices. pea shoots looked terrible and we're $8. yam greens looked great and were $1.99. there is an organic section and most items were dried up and wilted. that was disappointing because i favor organic.so learned one thing: buy any fish being cooked first thing. then eat!everyone was helpful and nice! the store was very clean and the meats looked fresh and pricey.
Dale L.
Unimaginably unhelpful employees. Even given the language barrier, when I asked for help, they could have at least tried to respond to my question by asking someone else for assistance.The cashier spoke not a word to me, neither "hello" or at the end "thank you." All she said was, "Want a bag?" Period. Not another word, much less a smile!I left the store feeling ignored, invisible, and somehow as if I had intruded. Will not be returning, hopefully ever.
Carla D.
Prices were very reasonable to see food was very fresh and delicious once prepared!They have a wide variety a lot of items you don't normally see, and only unique to the Asian community .
Google user
The hot deli Chinese takout used to be quite delicious during the old Sam Woo/Pre-pandemic days when they even had pork belly stew with preserved vegetables. But today, parts of the skin on the shrimp dim sum was harder than a hard gummy bear, and parts of the orange chicken crust was crunchier than a kfc extra crispy!! Could only eat the insides of both. Fried rice was ok, but bland like the eggplant. Fried large shrimp decent as was the tiny pork dim sum. Oddly, chicken feet was the best tasting. Overall, very uneven cooking making parts unedible, and far off from what they used to serve.
Courtney H.
Grocery prices expensive here but that's probably Irvine for you. The cafeteria food is way too sweet especially the BBQ pork. Their pre-prepped food such as the steamed buns in the refrigerated section, near the pastry corner, is also way too sweet. Don't come here if you have a more traditional Asian palate and if you want better prices . I'm never coming here again .
David Chien
The hot deli Chinese takout used to be quite delicious during the old Sam Woo/Pre-pandemic days when they even had pork belly stew with preserved vegetables.But today, parts of the skin on the shrimp dim sum was harder than a hard gummy bear, and parts of the orange chicken crust was crunchier than a kfc extra crispy!! Could only eat the insides of both.Fried rice was ok, but bland like the eggplant. Fried large shrimp decent as was the tiny pork dim sum.Oddly, chicken feet was the best tasting.Overall, very uneven cooking making parts unedible, and far off from what they used to serve.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Kim N.
This is a great grocery store with great prices for all your Asian shopping needs. They have every ethnicity of Asian food which I love as it is a one stop shop. I did receive a snack box from their PR team and I got tot try so many amazing things!!! Details below and check out my video to see!Curry Mee noodles 10/10 creamy flavorful done to perfection Spicy Pea Crackers 10/10 soo delicious & addicting similar to frito bbq texture but a totally unique taste- not too spicy Salted Egg Salmon Skin 10/10 a staple in my house!! A great go to snack high in healthy fat! Strawberry Milk Candy 8/10 I liked the texture and the flavor but not something I would crave. Japanese Strawberry Chocolate KitKat 10/10 I love strawberry and I love KitKat and chocolate in general!Sailor Moon Pomelo Sparkling Water 8/10 super cute but nothing super unique about the flavor or taste Spicy Chili Crisp 8/10 really good solid! I love the crisps of garlic and the spice is just right. Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade 10/10 my favorite marinade!!! It's awesome for short ribs and then bbq on the grill Mizuho Chili Roasted Peanuts 5/10 I didn't like the aftertaste- it's like Szechwan spice and I'm not a fan of the tingly.
Tiffany H.
I came here to do some shopping for the lunar new year and it was crowded, as expected. I love the selection of fruits and vegetables as well as other grocery items. I'm always excited to see what's on sale for the week. I've been looking for thick sweet potato noodles (as found at hotpot places like Yin Tang and Show HotPot) and was so happy to find them here!The store also has a small food court with REALLY long lines on weekend mornings. We got the green onion pancake, some kind of bun, and a Purple Sticky Rice Roll. I thought the food was just okay - not sure if I would wait again.
Markus Ribbe
Excellent chinese breakfast! Great selection of a variety of dumplings, chinese donuts, sesame balls, soy milk and much more. Very reasonably priced. Highly recommended.
Stop for some breakfast. Not bad.... Had breakfast dim sum. Hot and cold items... better half and her sister were happy..... there for I'm happy ...
Eric S.
PSA: don't expect amazing service. This is an aisle that serves food. Dim sum, combos and the meats. If you want roast pork, roast duck or bbq pork then this is a good option in the area. Roast duck is tasty. I believe the half duck or whole duck is a good value. Roast pork is good when it's good, but as much as I want to order it here you have to look at the color of the pork. They over cook it a lot. Salted chicken when I'm looking to buy some protein. Don't let them forget the oil dipping sauce. They'll chop it into pieces if you'd like. That's the way I get it. Soy chicken is too salty for me. I guess if I eat it with white rice it would help balance out the saltiness. BBQ pork is good but make sure to look for the moist pieces. When I'm looking to eat protein this food bar works well for me.
Jim S.
Great quality of produce and dry goods, friendly staff, and their char siu and roast dick are delicious and well priced.
Joy T.
I ordered the sole fish 2 big ones from the Asian guy today. And he insisted to cut it. I like it whole but he still insisted to cut it anyways. So I said okay. I paid and excited ! I took it home. I was excited because my son really like the sole fish. Came to 99 Ranch Market Culver Irvine couple of times ago and they don't have it. When I opened my package, it was a different fish cut together. All mixture of fishes in my package. Like the ones they were selling on the counter. This is not right!!! I still remember the guy's face and will never let him fry my fish again. The Mexican amigos are better. It's a disappointment that Ive been a loyal customer and this thing happened. That guy switched my sole fish with the scrappy fish that he was fryjng!!!!
T. H.
***This is not a review of the market but of their take out food that is immediate to the left upon entering the store before crossing the registers. Unsure of what the specific name of their new takeout food counter is but it's clearly designated by the hanging duck or bbq spareribs. Now this can be a difficult place to order as can expect some language barrier and miscommunication but it's worth the effort to go outside of one's comfort zone to taste food from different places. I tried the char shiu combination that comes with a bbq pork that has a combination of a little fatty, a little sweet, and a lot of savory over a bed of hot rice and steamed vegetables. This isn't fancy food. This is comfort food. This is simplicity at its finest and it hits the mark. It can be a little pricey at $12-14 but it's a fair amount of food, the quality is solid, and will come away satisfied.
Recently renovated or upgraded! While most of their product locations have remained unchanged, this location had a much needed appliance upgrade to all of their frozen or refrigerated perishables. It appears cleaner and more organized. I come to this location more often than the Culver one since it's less crowded and parking is easy to get in/out. It also helps that I can easily locate things since they are grouped in a way that makes sense, at least for me. From the entrance going right to left, it starts with frozen goods, fresh noodles, beverages, snacks, home goods, dry goods, sauces, canned goods, instant noodles & rice, frozen meals, pickled goods, meats and then produce.They have a bakery and ready to eat meals located on the right. We love their mango cake slices and sweet breads. The refrigerated section used to have sliced pig ears, but they don't have it anymore. They now sell them as braised pig ears as two whole pieces. Not bad, but requires a bit more effort to cut them up and season at home. Produce and fruit selection has always treated me well, but I'm not a fan of their deli/meat section. I bought some pork once and it had a very gamey flavor, so I just avoid altogether. I only buy frozen versions like the sliced lamb or the packaged bones for broths.Overall, I feel they are trying to up their game to compete with a number of H-Marts opening in the area haha.
i like this market a lot. i've been coming for many, many years and this visit was good too. i wish i knew more about the various items.we each had a 2 entree meal upon entering. the food was very tasty: orange chicken, bbq chicken, pork ribs and some bony pork and peppers served with the chow mein. can't beat it for $10 these days. we went to the bakery and enjoyed some samples and so ended up buying the egg tarts. delicious!next we went to the fish counter and waited to get a couple lobsters. next we had to go up front to pay and although many cashiers it took about 20 minutes. then back to the fish counter to get the lobsters steamed so another 20 minutes. why oh why is there no cashier at the fish counter!?!?while waiting i visited the produce and as everyone, kinda shocked at the prices. pea shoots looked terrible and we're $8. yam greens looked great and were $1.99. there is an organic section and most items were dried up and wilted. that was disappointing because i favor organic.so learned one thing: buy any fish being cooked first thing. then eat!everyone was helpful and nice! the store was very clean and the meats looked fresh and pricey.
Unimaginably unhelpful employees. Even given the language barrier, when I asked for help, they could have at least tried to respond to my question by asking someone else for assistance.The cashier spoke not a word to me, neither "hello" or at the end "thank you." All she said was, "Want a bag?" Period. Not another word, much less a smile!I left the store feeling ignored, invisible, and somehow as if I had intruded. Will not be returning, hopefully ever.
Prices were very reasonable to see food was very fresh and delicious once prepared!They have a wide variety a lot of items you don't normally see, and only unique to the Asian community .
The hot deli Chinese takout used to be quite delicious during the old Sam Woo/Pre-pandemic days when they even had pork belly stew with preserved vegetables. But today, parts of the skin on the shrimp dim sum was harder than a hard gummy bear, and parts of the orange chicken crust was crunchier than a kfc extra crispy!! Could only eat the insides of both. Fried rice was ok, but bland like the eggplant. Fried large shrimp decent as was the tiny pork dim sum. Oddly, chicken feet was the best tasting. Overall, very uneven cooking making parts unedible, and far off from what they used to serve.
Grocery prices expensive here but that's probably Irvine for you. The cafeteria food is way too sweet especially the BBQ pork. Their pre-prepped food such as the steamed buns in the refrigerated section, near the pastry corner, is also way too sweet. Don't come here if you have a more traditional Asian palate and if you want better prices . I'm never coming here again .
The hot deli Chinese takout used to be quite delicious during the old Sam Woo/Pre-pandemic days when they even had pork belly stew with preserved vegetables.But today, parts of the skin on the shrimp dim sum was harder than a hard gummy bear, and parts of the orange chicken crust was crunchier than a kfc extra crispy!! Could only eat the insides of both.Fried rice was ok, but bland like the eggplant. Fried large shrimp decent as was the tiny pork dim sum.Oddly, chicken feet was the best tasting.Overall, very uneven cooking making parts unedible, and far off from what they used to serve.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
This is a great grocery store with great prices for all your Asian shopping needs. They have every ethnicity of Asian food which I love as it is a one stop shop. I did receive a snack box from their PR team and I got tot try so many amazing things!!! Details below and check out my video to see!Curry Mee noodles 10/10 creamy flavorful done to perfection Spicy Pea Crackers 10/10 soo delicious & addicting similar to frito bbq texture but a totally unique taste- not too spicy Salted Egg Salmon Skin 10/10 a staple in my house!! A great go to snack high in healthy fat! Strawberry Milk Candy 8/10 I liked the texture and the flavor but not something I would crave. Japanese Strawberry Chocolate KitKat 10/10 I love strawberry and I love KitKat and chocolate in general!Sailor Moon Pomelo Sparkling Water 8/10 super cute but nothing super unique about the flavor or taste Spicy Chili Crisp 8/10 really good solid! I love the crisps of garlic and the spice is just right. Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade 10/10 my favorite marinade!!! It's awesome for short ribs and then bbq on the grill Mizuho Chili Roasted Peanuts 5/10 I didn't like the aftertaste- it's like Szechwan spice and I'm not a fan of the tingly.
I came here to do some shopping for the lunar new year and it was crowded, as expected. I love the selection of fruits and vegetables as well as other grocery items. I'm always excited to see what's on sale for the week. I've been looking for thick sweet potato noodles (as found at hotpot places like Yin Tang and Show HotPot) and was so happy to find them here!The store also has a small food court with REALLY long lines on weekend mornings. We got the green onion pancake, some kind of bun, and a Purple Sticky Rice Roll. I thought the food was just okay - not sure if I would wait again.
Excellent chinese breakfast! Great selection of a variety of dumplings, chinese donuts, sesame balls, soy milk and much more. Very reasonably priced. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Stop for some breakfast. Not bad.... Had breakfast dim sum. Hot and cold items... better half and her sister were happy..... there for I'm happy ...
PSA: don't expect amazing service. This is an aisle that serves food. Dim sum, combos and the meats. If you want roast pork, roast duck or bbq pork then this is a good option in the area. Roast duck is tasty. I believe the half duck or whole duck is a good value. Roast pork is good when it's good, but as much as I want to order it here you have to look at the color of the pork. They over cook it a lot. Salted chicken when I'm looking to buy some protein. Don't let them forget the oil dipping sauce. They'll chop it into pieces if you'd like. That's the way I get it. Soy chicken is too salty for me. I guess if I eat it with white rice it would help balance out the saltiness. BBQ pork is good but make sure to look for the moist pieces. When I'm looking to eat protein this food bar works well for me.
Great quality of produce and dry goods, friendly staff, and their char siu and roast dick are delicious and well priced.
I ordered the sole fish 2 big ones from the Asian guy today. And he insisted to cut it. I like it whole but he still insisted to cut it anyways. So I said okay. I paid and excited ! I took it home. I was excited because my son really like the sole fish. Came to 99 Ranch Market Culver Irvine couple of times ago and they don't have it. When I opened my package, it was a different fish cut together. All mixture of fishes in my package. Like the ones they were selling on the counter. This is not right!!! I still remember the guy's face and will never let him fry my fish again. The Mexican amigos are better. It's a disappointment that Ive been a loyal customer and this thing happened. That guy switched my sole fish with the scrappy fish that he was fryjng!!!!
***This is not a review of the market but of their take out food that is immediate to the left upon entering the store before crossing the registers. Unsure of what the specific name of their new takeout food counter is but it's clearly designated by the hanging duck or bbq spareribs. Now this can be a difficult place to order as can expect some language barrier and miscommunication but it's worth the effort to go outside of one's comfort zone to taste food from different places. I tried the char shiu combination that comes with a bbq pork that has a combination of a little fatty, a little sweet, and a lot of savory over a bed of hot rice and steamed vegetables. This isn't fancy food. This is comfort food. This is simplicity at its finest and it hits the mark. It can be a little pricey at $12-14 but it's a fair amount of food, the quality is solid, and will come away satisfied.