Muang Lao Market

This is an amazing market! We just got back from Thailand and wanted to make some of the food we learned to cook there. Found this spot on Unilocal and the reviews were totally right. They had everything we needed– kaffir lime leaves, galanga, thai chilis, all sorts of curry pastes, etc… Prices were great and they were very friendly and helped us find all the items we needed. We will definitely be coming back.

They sell seasonal FRESH Sour Fruits here! Be sure to call them to find out what the have in stock or expecting to get that week. You can also find Lao & Thai herbs, spices, vegetable, snacks, and all sorts of goods here.

This is a very small family-​owned Lao grocery store. I live in Scripps Ranch and I take the time to drive over here to get all my curry needs. They have the kaffir line leaves, Thai basil, and an awesome selection of currie pastes to choose from. I’ve came here twice with the intent of making Khao Poon, panang curry, and red curry. Every time I went, I was able to get every «unique» Asian ingredient that was needed in the recipe. The family who owns this establishment are super sweet. They’ve helped me out of the two times I’ve went and if they didn’t have a specific item, they would suggest/​recommend a substitute. I love this place, my mom does too, haha, because of how nice and helpful the family is. The prices are very reasonable. Let’s just say for the majority of the ingredients in recipes for panang curry and khao poon costed about $ 12 here. Awesome place!

My girlfriend and I have been to this store several times. Each time we were welcomed warmly and sincerely. If you don’t want to buy a plane ticket to Thailand, this is a great alternative! Good place to buy boba and other specialty items nearly impossible to find otherwise. Part of the charm is its bare bones affordability. Another part is the owners: they’re very helpful and kind. On this recent visit, upon our inquiry, they walked us through some of the ingredients for making spring rolls, and even advised us to put certain items back that would not be suitable.
Nearby businesses are also super neat– the shopping area is like a miniature Thailand!

For Thai or Laotian ingredients, pretty hard to beat. The gentleman behind the counter was very friendly and helped us find everything for the recipe.

WOW
What a great little Thai Market. Went there looking for some good thai curry paste and wasn’t disappointed. They had a great selection of everything you could want to make great thai dishes. The owners were so nice and helpful at showing me where everything I ask for was in the store.
It’s a small shop with allot packed into it, even has some Asian pots and pans and dishes. Fresh Asian Limes and Lime leaves, ginger and lemon grass.
The prices are very reasonable. Bought allot of curry paste, some fresh limes, soup stock, fresh lime leaves, and more, and it was right at $ 30.00.
I’ll be returning to this little gem again over and over again for sure.

Cute little family owned store. Cheap prices but good quality stuff, especially if you’re looking for southeast asian ingredients.
It’s small and cramped, but they have so much goods and manage to still keep it orderly and neat. You can also find American snacks and drinks here.

When you do not feel like dealing with the crowded parking lot and store at 99 Ranch Market and need items such as fresh Kaffir Lime Leaf or a good Prik Khing paste — this is your place. It’s a little mom and pop market with a friendly smile. I was happy to find it and plan to support them when I need «Thai» items for home cooking. :)

Typical asian market tucked away at one end of a strip mall.
Located in a sketchy neighborhood.
Very nice and helpful employees there, although I guess it may have helped I had someone with me who could speak the language
Small store, but tons of stock here at fair and reasonable prices
Nice litte place.
3 stars

This is a small store, but I can get fresh kaffir lime leaves.
Everything is cheap and can get everything!!!

I’m used to the bigger stores since I don’t live in sd… but I had to take my sister there who lives in temecula, to get some herbal remedies… First thing I noticed was the smell of the store… It smelled like someone was making some fermented fish. lol… store is small, but people are really nice… I was really impressed with how much fresh herbs they had… which was really surprising since it was such a small store… they don’t have fresh meat, and pretty much everything else was frozen…

cute little market/​general store/​thingi
OMG!!! They have the taste of nirvana cocoaloe juice for $ 1, which makes it an instant win in my book (it’s like 1.79 at Sprouts/​Henrys) its oh so delicious! *ahem* But to the more important stuuuuff:
— it smells fantastic in there; like your asian friends house when they’re making food that they’re about to feed you with
— the prices rock; I didn’t really need to buy anything when I was there because I had been grocery shopping beforehand but I felt retarded for buying ingredients elsewhere
— the customer service is awesome, it’s a small shop so you can pretty much ask them any questions and they’ll answer
— cuuuute store :)
— oh-​and if you need steamers/​mashers/​giant pots/​etc. they have them there for awesome prices too. yup! okay, I think that’s it! oh and they have rice cakes and springs rolls and stuff that are ready to eat! the guy at the counter said the best time to go is 11:30 in the morning when it’s all fresh and stuff

I am on a quest to learn to make Thai food since it is sooooo… good. This market was great as they had an abundance of fresh ingredients as well as many others including curry paste, tamarind and all kinds of sauces! I bought some vegetables like Yard long beans and apple aubergine or the Thai name: Makheua. The owners, from Laos, Thailand, were very kind and helpful! Additionally, you can’t beat the prices. For approximately $ 26 (I kinda went crazy) I got about 17 items which I will put to good use:) I highly recommend this market, not only for the great prices and friendly people, but also to expand your horizons in developing your own repertoire of «keeper» recipes. I will be making Gai Tom Kha Soup and Pad Thai — once I’ve successfully made them (crossed fingers)! I will post the recipes…

Small market tucked away in a strip mall. This market is alright with me because it has the right ingridients to make some Thai dishes. Small? Yes, but that’s okay because you won’t be left wandering the aisles looking for a specific ingridient.

Ok, I’m about to pee my pants since I’ve had to pee before I even left on my trek to find this place, but I have to Unilocal it! It’s just that fantastic!
This place is effing AMAZING!
omg. wtf. lol.
No, seriously though, it’s spectacular… every (Thai, Indian, Vietnamese) ingredient you thought you’d never find anywhere near South Park is here. From fresh lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai basil, to panang and mamasan curry paste, tamarind, canned mangosteen and everything in between!
Not only that, it’s all on the cheap!!! Forget the spendy asian-​mega-​marts in Clairemont. Ranch 99, Nijiya, Zion, eat your hearts out!!! I spent 24.69 and got most of the ingredients to make the following for 6 people:
Pad Thai
Mamasan Curry
Panang Curry
Pad See Ew
I even got a bottle of that sweet chili sauce, which I eat on top of just about anything.
Run by a Laotian family for the past 20 years, this place could really use a bit of your business. So, get off your tush!
Stop ordering sub-​par Thai take out just so you can Unilocal about it, and get down to Muang Lao right now!
Like my mama always said, «This food is crap, we can make it better at home.»

I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Seriously.
It may not be the cleanest place in the world, but when you’re looking for some Southeast Asian ingredients that you can’t find anywhere else, this is definitely the place to look.
Check out the candy isle, they’ve got some old time faves. From lemon candies with weird pop art on the packages to candied plums!