Where are the best Japanese (or to a lesser extent, pan-East Asian) markets in Washington, DC (and its environs)?
I have been so far to:
Daruma in Bethesda, MD, Hinata in Bethesda, MD
Maxim's in Rockville, some place at the Eden Center in Falls Church (huge Vietnamese complex), and one scroungy place in DC's "Chinatown" near the big gate, on the north side of that street
DH
Jul 31, 04, 11:41 pm
Where are the best Japanese (or to a lesser extent, pan-East Asian) markets in Washington, DC (and its environs)?
I have been so far to:
Daruma in Bethesda, MD, Hinata in Bethesda, MD
Maxim's in Rockville, some place at the Eden Center in Falls Church (huge Vietnamese complex), and one scroungy place in DC's "Chinatown" near the big gate, on the north side of that street
Unlike NYC, you are not going to find big Japanese supermarkets in DC area but there are several Korean supermarkets though. They all carry significant amount of Japanese selections.
Virginia Locations -
Han Ah Reum (http://www.hanahreum.com/eng/index_eng.html) (703) 573-6300
8103 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 21222
Super H Mart (http://www.hanahreum.com/eng/index_eng.html) (703) 273-0570
10780 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030
Lotte Plaza (703) 352-8989
3250 Old Lee Highway, VA 22030
Grand Mart (703) 266-2220
5900 Centreville Crest Lane, VA, 22020
Grand Mart (703) 941-1177
6255 Little River Turnpke, Alexandria, VA 22312
Grand Mart (301) 527-6980
221 Muddy Branch Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Grand Mart (301) 528-9800
12851 Clopper Road, Germantown MD 20874
P.S. I left out several but small (compare to above stores) Korean grocery stores...
blueDC
Aug 3, 04, 1:41 pm
...and one scroungy place in DC's "Chinatown" near the big gate, on the north side of that street
Da Hua :)
I'm a big fan of Eden Center and Han Ah Reum.
tide
Aug 3, 04, 2:16 pm
There is another Japanese store in Rockville, MD: Maruichi (1045 Rockville Pike). Next to the Taiga book store. There is a great Japanese restaurant downstairs that serves authentic home-cooked Japanese food. Not the pseudo sushi-teppanyaki "americanized" stuff.
In NoVa, try Naniwa (6730 Curran St., McLean).
If you are looking for Japanese stores, the above (plus Daruma) are it. There's a lot of stuff that you can only get at a Japanese store that the Han Ah Reums and Grandmarts won't carry. We make bi-weekly trip to stock up.
Besides the Cantonese Maxims in Rockville (good roast pork), there is another Chinese/Taiwanese grocery store behind it - Kam San. Both are crowded on weekends because they are among the few real Chinese grocery stores in Mont. County.
Tad's Broiled Steaks
Aug 4, 04, 8:39 am
Thanks for the responses...to deviate just a scoche though, I have heard and read that Rockville, MD (and to a lesser extent, McLean, VA) is the new "Chinatown" for DC and its environs. Long story short, last year, for a class my friend and I wrote a report on the history of DC's Chinatown, and how today there really isn't one, save a couple of restaurants and grocery stores. In fact, in one market, where there was once a refrigerated section is now filled with seemingly worn sandals and pans, although the place does have a good selection of digestives. In any event, I was in Rockville a few months ago to eat at Bob' Noodle 66, or something like that, near Maxim's actually. There is also a Japanese candy store that serves such treats as dried squid and crystallized ginger. Back to my original point in this message, has any DC/suburban DC resident noticed this trent, that Rockville and McLean are the new Chinatowns?
I'm not necessarily making a point, rather just trying to be informative. Thanks again.
blueDC
Aug 4, 04, 10:50 am
Asians, like the other races before them, have been slowly and steadily migrating out of the cities and populating the suburbs. There are only about 15,000 (2.7%) Asians in DC proper compared to more than 11% in Montgomery County and 10% in Fairfax County (both of which have a million people each).
DC's Chinatown still has its fair share of markets and restaurants but there are way more business that sport a sign in chinese characters (Starbucks, Fuddruckers, MCI Center, CVS) than there are chinese businesses. In that sense, DC Chinatown is more a historical preservation than it is a cultural concentration. There are definitely pockets of Korean (Annandale) and Vietnamese (Eden Center) businesses in the suburbs and I would not be surprised if there are similar concentrations of Chinese businesses in the abovementioned counties as well.
The ethnic neighborhoods change so fast that it's sometimes surprising to discover that certain areas have become Little "___" without much fanfare. Just today, the Washington Post wrote an article about Kenilworth Ave (inside the Beltway) being Little Mexico. Who knew? :)
Tad's Broiled Steaks
Aug 4, 04, 10:31 pm
Asians, like the other races before them, have been slowly and steadily migrating out of the cities and populating the suburbs. There are only about 15,000 (2.7%) Asians in DC proper compared to more than 11% in Montgomery County and 10% in Fairfax County (both of which have a million people each).
DC's Chinatown still has its fair share of markets and restaurants but there are way more business that sport a sign in chinese characters (Starbucks, Fuddruckers, MCI Center, CVS) than there are chinese businesses. In that sense, DC Chinatown is more a historical preservation than it is a cultural concentration. There are definitely pockets of Korean (Annandale) and Vietnamese (Eden Center) businesses in the suburbs and I would not be surprised if there are similar concentrations of Chinese businesses in the abovementioned counties as well.
The ethnic neighborhoods change so fast that it's sometimes surprising to discover that certain areas have become Little "___" without much fanfare. Just today, the Washington Post wrote an article about Kenilworth Ave (inside the Beltway) being Little Mexico. Who knew? :)
Continuing with what blueDC said, even though I am not in DC year-round, I am there for college and enjoy taking trips out to the suburbs to check out pockets of ethnic markets and restaurants. I was just amazed at what was offered in Wheaton, MD (besides one LONG escalator at the Metro station!). I went with my roommate and we were looking for mainly Southeast Asian supermarkets to buy jackfruit chips (oh so tasty), and found not only Indonesian and Filipino ones, but also Kosher delis (a decent-sized Jewish population there as far as I know), restaurants with Thai, West African and El Salvadorean, Japanese, etc...quite a diverse area, much more so than I thought! In addition, when I get the chance, I enjoy trekking out on the orange line to East Falls Church station, then walking up past the Eden Market (Vietnamese) on Leesburg Pike for a while until I reach Mount of Olive Arab market, with some good but costly Middle Eastern desserts. Good times, if you feel like taking a good walk and crossing "continental divides" within thirty minutes.