Great World Supermarket

I really enjoy Asian grocery stores and you’ll usually see me heading for the fresh vegetable section in a feeble attempt to learn more about Asian greens which are just so yummy when prepared by someone who knows what they are doing. Most Americans seem to be content with the vegetables they get with their main course protein dishes, yet, there is a varitable pantheon of mostly undiscovered wonderful vegetables to be found in an authentic Chinese restaurant and stores like Great World. Noodles in all kinds of varity are available to see and study as well. Don’t over look these stores when you are in any USA Chinatown as there is so much of interest and so much you can learn.

No one spoke English but it didn’t matter. I used google translate and showed my phone to one of the employees! It’s a fast-​paced in and out store. The price of their produce is very competitive. I’ll make this a regular stop on my way to Reading Terminal!

This place is consistently being restocked daily & they are not like other supermarkets where they put out all the older stuff first & hide the new stuff. The new stuff will become old stuff & look rotten!
They also work super fast. Although there are only 2 cash registers, they move faster than other markets with 3 or 4 lanes open.
It is small for a supermarket & really tight inside but the products are good & that’s all that matters for a supermarket.
They also have the cheapest cookies compared to other places.

The biggest adjustment I’ve had to deal with since moving to Philly from So Cal was having to go to multiple grocery stores /​marts in one grocery trip. Having been spoiled by the over-​abundance of 99 Ranch, H Mart, HK Markets and Shun Fat’s, it felt like a big chore to have to hit up different spots for fish, fruits, meats, pantry goods and vegetables. So my main goal prior to every trip has been trying to cut down the number of places I have to stop in per visit. That said, the following are the reasons why I always try to peak in here even if I didn’t need to:
— the FRESHEST ong choy grown in water: if you don’t know the difference, these are generally lighter in color and have stems with bigger perimeters (think boba straw vs regular straw). Once you cook it though, the difference stands out. These are so, So, SO tender, which you’ll notice right when you snap it into manageable sizes (I never cut them because it’s not necessary!), and they don’t have those super tough, chew-​y ends with threads of invincible fiber.
— great deals on fresh fruits and vegetables: though the price difference is usually marginal, their fruits and vegetables are consistently cheaper than other Asian supermarkets I frequent, such as Asia Supermarket.
— mangosteen, lingoberries, dragon fruit, star fruit, guava and other hard to find fruits (even for most of the rest of Chinatown) are seen regularly here
what else you will find here:
–limited but sufficient stock of pantry goods: cooking wine, sauces, soy sauces, vinegars are all here, the selection is obviously not as extensive as some other markets, but you’ll definitely be able to find the staples
–limited selection of frozen foods: these I have not surveyed beyond a glance since they consist mostly of frozen seafood and with Reading and Great Wall providing for all my seafood needs, I have not felt the urge to investigate
Note also that there’s no fresh fish or meats here, which is just as well, there are plenty of those within reach.

Not the biggest grocery store, but it does its job for me. I come here for my chinese veggies, and it’s always fresh and the prices are cheap.
Get yu choy, broccoli, baby bok choy, garlic (5 bulbs for a dollar or so), couple boxes of tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil and you have yourself a tasty healthy meal for under $ 2/​meal.