That certainly goes for Asian cuisine – Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Thai Pakistani… – you name it, we’ve got it. But did you also know that we’ve got some pretty bloomin’ epic Asian supermarkets selling all the ingredients that you need to make it? While this is by no means an exhaustive list – there are far too many brilliant ones in our beloved capital to name here – here’s our rundown of the best Asian supermarkets in London for you to explore:
Table Of Contents
Chinese supermarkets in London
1. Loon Fung Supermarket
Kicking off this list of the best Asian supermarkets in London is Long Fung Supermarket. If you’re looking for a new marinade or just some general inspiration on how to jazz up your homemade Chinese cuisine, then these gargantuan Chinese supermarkets will do the trick. Established back in 1965 with a motto of ‘for the Chinese in you’, this legendary spot has everything from noodles to fresh fish, meats, vegetables, frozen dumplings, exotic fruit and an incredible array of impressive snacks that’ll practically guarantee you’re the most popular person in the office. Or wherever you are, come to mind.
As well as endless Chinese fare, they also stock a plethora of goodies from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan and Korea. They also count five stores around London to their name, for extra convenience!
📍Find out where your nearest Loon Fung Supermarket is here.
2. SeeWoo Supermarket
When London’s Chinatown was in its infancy all the way back in 1975, SeeWoo Supermarket first opened its doors. Ever since, it has been instrumental in helping to shape and develop the area, and has supplied its wares to a huge variety of London’s Chinese restaurants over the years.
Nowadays it’s a sprawling Asian supermarket that occupies two floors and four different units, selling everything you can imagine from China and surrounding countries – including Vietnam and Korea. Come for a browse but don’t be surprised if you end up staying for longer than you anticipated!
📍You’ll find SeeWoo Supermarket at 18-20 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
3. New Loon Moon Supermarket
Another Chinatown staple here, Gerrard Street’s New Loon Moon Supermarket has over 3500 products in store from across the entire Far East, stocking products from Thailand, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar too.
Spread across three floors, they’re now the largest supermarket in the whole of Chinatown and sell everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to spices, sauces, noodles, spring rolls and dumplings – perfect for all your Chinese cooking needs! They even wholesale supply almost every major supermarket in the UK – that’s how big they are! New Loon has also been frequented by some famous faces over the years – chefs Sophie Grigson, Jamie Oliver, John Torode and Ching He Huang have all paid the supermarket a visit – even HRH Prince Charles has been here!
📍You’ll find New Loon Moon Supermarket at 9A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 5PN.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
4. Tian Tian Market
Next up on this list of the best Asian supermarkets in London is Tian Tian Market, a small London chain of vast and modern spots designed to create an ‘everyday lifestyle one-stop shop’ for shoppers all across London. Founded back in 2016 and decked out in contemporary East Asian decor, they specialise mainly in Chinese fare and have over 10,000 products on sale. They also stock products from over 25 Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, among plenty of others. Set aside some time when you visit, because you may find yourself sticking around for a lot longer than you thought you would.
Tian Tian recently opened their first West London store over in Ealing, meaning they now have eight stores scattered around our city. No matter where you are, there’s sure to be a branch near you to keep you stocked up with mochi, noodles, dumplings, and much more.
📍You’ll find Tian Tian Market in various locations across London. You can find out more here.
Korean supermarkets in London
5. Oseyo
Next on this list of Asian supermarkets in London is a favourite among many. With a tagline stating ‘Seoul comes to London’, this beloved spot is the largest Korean supermarket in the UK – some might even say it’s the ‘OG’. Its focus is on bringing a huge variety of Korean foods, toys, stationery, houseware, and electronics to customers wherever they’re shopping in town.
There are multiple branches of this great store all over London – including in Camden, Soho, Angel and Hammersmith – and there are more in the pipeline so keep your eyes peeled for wherever they might pop up!
📍You’ll find Oseyo at various locations across London. You can find out more here.
6. Seoul Plaza
With locations in Tottenham Court Road and Golders Green – and a headquarters in ‘K-Town’ (AKA New Malden) of course – Seoul Plaza is a pretty good bet if you’re looking to shop for authentic Korean goods. They can often be found under the name Korea Foods, so don’t be confused if you think you’ve turned up at the wrong place!
Open since 1999, they stock everything here from kimchi to shrimp crackers and gyoza dumplings to all the moreish snacks you could ever want. Plus, it’s not just about Korean food – they also offer Chinese and Vietnamese food to boot. Better bring a large shopping bag…
📍You’ll find Seoul Plaza at various locations across London. You can find out more here.
Japanese supermarkets in London
7. Japan Centre
As the name suggests, Japan Centre is about all things Japan. In fact, when their OG Leicester Square spot opened it offered the largest selection of authentic Japanese food, drink and lifestyle products in all of Europe.
From well-known Japanese kitchen staples including rice and noodles, to freshly baked goods, manga, matcha and sake, this is the one-stop Japanese stop to come to when you’re in London. There are over 3,000 products on sale throughout the store for all your Japanese cooking needs, and they also offer recipes that you can follow on their website.
Over the years they’ve expanded to a number of stores dotted about the city – including Japan Centre Ichiba in Stratford Westfield – but the Leicester Square branch is their flagship store. The team behind Japan Centre also run Ramen Yokocho and Shoryu Ramen – some of the best ramen restaurants in London. They’re ideal spots to head after a day of shopping your way through Japanese confectionary for a steaming bowl of hearty ramen?
📍You’ll find Japan Centre at various locations across London. You can find out more here.
Thai supermarkets in London
8. Muay Supermarket
Though it offers an eclectic mix of other ingredients from all across the Far East, Muay Supermarket is the place in town to come if you’re looking for Thai food. They sell everything here from fresh curry paste to home-made chilli pickle sauces, and layered cake to crunchy bamboo shoot tips for all your Thai cooking needs.
Adventurous folks can even get their hands on fresh pig’s blood or galangal roots at this mighty Asian supermarket – so why not try and get creative, hey?!
📍You’ll find Muay Thai Supermarket at 8a Hogarth Road, London, SW5 0PT.
🚇 Nearest station is Earl’s Court.
9. Thai Smile
Situated far out west in Latimer Road, Thai Smile sells all the Thai food you could ever want to get your hands on – including jasmine rice, fermented fish sauce and salted crabs – as well as some Chinese, Japanese and Malaysian stuff too.
This friendly spot (it’s in the name!) sells popular brands like Aroy-D and Chao Koh coconut milk, and they also stock Thai wine and whiskey, chocolate bars, recipe books, magazines, and even Thai computer keyboards!
📍You’ll find Thai Smile at 283-287 King Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9NH.
🚇 Nearest stations are Latimer Road and Hammersmith.
Vietnamese supermarkets in London
10. Longdan
Who doesn’t love Vietnamese food? Well, good news for your dear reader – Longdan is full to the brim with it. They have six stores situated across London – in Shoreditch, Lewisham, Leyton, Camden, Kingston Upon Thames, and Elephant and Castle. It’s a great bet for Vietnamese produce wherever you are in town.
You can get pretty much anything and everything you want here. A crate of Saigon beer? Check! That mouthwatering sauce you had that one time in Halong Bay? Check! Go and see for yourself and see what you can rustle up.
📍You’ll find Longdan at various locations across London. You can find out more here.
11. Huy Minh Supermarket
It should come as no surprise that Hackney has the lion’s share of Vietnamese supermarkets, given its proximity to an array of Vietnamese restaurants dotted about Kingsland Road in Hoxton. Huy Minh Supermarket is one such place. Decked out with endless shelves of produce, this Mare Street stalwart in London Fields is a good bet if you’re looking to whip up your own phở or bánh mì.
You’ll find a myriad of different fruits, vegetables and herbs including rau ngót and cải cúc here, as well as countless other items. Go on – challenge your inner MasterChef.
📍You’ll find Huy Minh Supermarket at 185 Mare Street E8 3QE.
🚇 Nearest station is London Fields.
Indian supermarkets in London
12. Quality Foods
We ain’t short of fantastic Indian restaurants in London, but did you also know that we’ve got some of the best Indian supermarkets outside of India too? Ok, so that may be hard to prove, but they’re bloody good in any case.
While there are some pretty incredible ones in Tooting, Beckton and Kingsbury, Quality Foods in Southall was always going to make it onto this list of the best Asian restaurants in London due to its sheer size. The gargantuan place is billed as ‘the UK’s leading Asian supermarket’, and ‘the home of Indian groceries’. Sounds pretty good to us. If you’re not this far west don’t worry – they’ve also got a store out east in Ilford too as well as in Hayes and Hounslow.
📍You’ll find Quality Foods at various locations across London. You can find out more here.
13. Sathyam Supermarket
Another solid addition to this list of the best Asian supermarkets in London, Lewisham’s Sathyam Supermarket is a real Aladdin’s Cave of Indian treasures – this writer can attest! Here you’ll find everything from fresh vegetables to frozen chapatis and all manner of sweet treats and spices, and helpful staff are on hand to help you with whatever you may need.
They also cater to many different regions of India, so you’ll be able to find ingredients sourced from Kerala in the far south all the way to Himachal Pradesh. If you find yourself north of the river, head to their Ilford branch to stock up!
📍You’ll find Sathyam Supermarket at 18-24 Lee High Road, London, SE13 5PT and 2-3, Central Parade, Ley St, Newbury Park, Ilford IG2 7DE.
🚇 Nearest stations are Lewisham and Newbury Park.
Bangladeshi supermarkets in London
14. Taj Stores
Celeb chef Jamie Oliver has said that Taj Stores is one of his favourite shops in London, and we can’t argue with him if we’re honest. A Bangladeshi-owned, family-run business, Taj Stores is ‘London’s longest-running Asian greengrocer’ according to the owners. Established all the way back in 1936, it first opened on nearby Buxton Lane before moving onto Brick Lane, where it has remained ever since.
They stock all manner of things – from a vast selection of exquisite spices to pulses and even household objects – and there’s food from all over the world. Bangladesh, India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Greece, Lebanon, Jamaica – you name it, it’s here! They’ve also got a butcher in store, meaning you can buy all your food supplies from one place. Pretty handy if we say so ourselves.
📍You’ll find Taj Stores at 112 Brick Lane, London, E1 6RL.
🚇 Nearest station is Aldgate East.
Sri Lankan supermarkets in London
15. New South Harrow Food and Wine
Northolt Road in Harrow is chock-a-block full with Sri Lankan and Tamil grocers, takeaway shops and restaurants, and is the place to come if you’re looking to find Sri Lankan produce in London.
While all the Asian supermarkets and shops around here are pretty damn good, our pick would be New South Harrow Food and Wine. It’s the area’s largest Sri Lankan supermarket and has been around since 1997. It’s a treasure trove of goodies, and it’s hard not to imagine yourself actually in Sri Lanka when you’re wandering around here.
Almost everything under the sun is sold here – from dried fish to palmyrah cream and red rice to treacle. And they’ve even got a takeaway counter so you can reward yourself post-shop.
📍You’ll find New South Harrow Food and Wine at 234–236 Northolt Road, South Harrow, Harrow, HA2 8DU.
🚇 Nearest station is South Harrow.
So there you have it – a roundup of the best Asian supermarkets in London. If you’re looking to rustle up a feast from the East, then you’re well and truly set here!