A Practical Grocery Shopping Guide for Newcomers and Asian Families in Canada

Moving to Metro Vancouver from another country means adjusting to many parts of everyday life, and grocery shopping is one of them.

At first, newcomers may naturally visit large Canadian grocery stores such as Costco, Walmart, Real Canadian Superstore, and Save-On-Foods. These stores are useful for everyday groceries such as milk, bread, eggs, meat, vegetables, household supplies, and packaged foods.

However, if you regularly cook Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, or other Asian food, Asian supermarkets can make life much easier.

You may be looking for kimchi, gochujang, doenjang, tofu, rice cakes, Korean ramen, Asian vegetables, seafood, thinly sliced meat, fish sauce, rice noodles, curry ingredients, dumplings, hot-pot products, or specialty sauces.

Fortunately, Metro Vancouver has a wide variety of Asian supermarkets.

Some stores focus more heavily on Korean groceries. Others carry a huge selection of Chinese and broader Asian foods. Some are particularly useful for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cooking.

This guide introduces several Asian grocery stores that I find useful in Metro Vancouver, especially H Mart, Hannam Supermarket, T&T Supermarket, and 88 Supermarket.

Rather than simply ranking them, I want to explain what each store is useful for, what kinds of products you can expect to find, and how I personally use these supermarkets in everyday life.

For me, grocery shopping is not just another household task.

Walking through a supermarket, discovering ingredients, looking at different foods, and thinking about what I can cook actually gives me a sense of relaxation.

In a busy week, simply looking around a grocery store can feel surprisingly healing.

1. Asian Grocery Shopping in Metro Vancouver

One of the advantages of living in Metro Vancouver is the diversity of its food culture.

You can find ingredients for Korean BBQ, Chinese hot pot, Japanese curry, Vietnamese pho, Thai soups, dumplings, noodles, seafood dishes, and many other Asian meals without having to travel very far.

However, you do not need to find one supermarket that sells absolutely everything.

I have found that it is much more practical to use different stores for different purposes.

For example, I may visit a Korean supermarket when I need Korean sauces, kimchi, ramen, vegetables, side dishes, or Korean-style meat.

If I want to see a broader selection of Asian food, I may visit T&T.

When I want to make Vietnamese or Thai dishes, 88 Supermarket can be especially useful because I can find ingredients there that are well suited to Southeast Asian cooking.

This is why the question should not really be:

“Which Asian supermarket is the best?”

A better question is:

“Which supermarket is best for what I want to cook today?”

2. T&T Supermarket — A Busy One-Stop Asian Grocery Store

T&T Supermarket is one of the most recognizable Asian supermarket chains in Metro Vancouver.

It has strong Chinese roots, and when I visit T&T, one of the first things I notice is how busy it can be.

There are often many shoppers, especially during popular shopping times.

For me, that busy atmosphere reflects one of T&T’s biggest strengths: variety.

T&T is a place where you can find a wide selection of Chinese food as well as products from many other Asian cuisines.

Depending on the store, shoppers may find:

Chinese groceries
Korean products
Japanese products
Southeast Asian ingredients
Asian vegetables
Rice
Noodles
Tofu
Dumplings
Hot-pot ingredients
Meat
Seafood
Frozen foods
Snacks
Bakery products
Ready-to-eat meals

One area I particularly enjoy looking at is the bakery and prepared-food section.

There are many kinds of bread, cakes, snacks, and Asian-style baked products, so even if I am not planning to buy something specific, I often find myself looking around.

T&T is also useful when you want several different kinds of Asian food in one shopping trip.

For example, one family member may want Korean ramen, another may want Chinese dumplings, and someone else may be interested in Japanese snacks or Southeast Asian sauces.

You may be able to find all of those things in the same store.

From my experience, T&T feels almost like an Asian food marketplace rather than a supermarket focused on only one country.

That is one reason it attracts so many shoppers.

However, because there are so many choices, it can also be easy to buy more than you originally planned.

I try to enjoy looking around while still remembering what I actually came to buy.

3. H Mart — One of My Favorite Korean Grocery Stores

H Mart is one of the supermarkets I personally prefer most.

For Korean food, it is extremely convenient.

When I want ingredients that feel familiar to Korean cooking, H Mart is often one of the first places I think of.

You can commonly find products such as:

Kimchi
Gochujang
Doenjang
Korean soy sauce
Sesame oil
Korean ramen
Rice
Seaweed
Rice cakes
Dumplings
Frozen foods
Korean snacks
Tofu
Korean vegetables
Meat
Seafood
Korean BBQ ingredients
Side dishes
Prepared foods

One reason I like H Mart is that it often has promotions and discounted items.

For a family that cooks Korean food regularly, these sales can be useful because many of the same products are purchased again and again.

Rice, vegetables, meat, ramen, tofu, seafood, sauces, and frozen foods are good examples.

I also like having several brands to choose from.

In a mainstream Canadian supermarket, you might find only one or two Korean sauces or ramen options.

At H Mart, there is usually much more variety.

For me, this makes shopping more enjoyable because I can compare familiar products rather than simply buying whatever single option is available.

H Mart is also useful for Korean BBQ.

Thinly sliced meat, mushrooms, lettuce, ssamjang, garlic, sesame oil, and side dishes can often be purchased during the same shopping trip.

This makes it easier to prepare Korean meals without having to visit several different stores.

4. Hannam Supermarket — Another Korean Market I Really Like

Hannam Supermarket is another one of my favorite grocery stores in Metro Vancouver.

Like H Mart, it is an excellent place for Korean food.

I personally enjoy shopping at both rather than choosing only one.

That is because their promotions can be different.

One week, H Mart may have a better deal on a particular product.

Another week, Hannam may have a promotion that is more attractive.

For this reason, checking weekly advertisements can be a practical way to save money.

Hannam offers many Korean grocery categories, including:

Rice
Kimchi
Ramen
Sauces
Korean vegetables
Meat
Seafood
Frozen foods
Snacks
Side dishes
Prepared foods
Household items

For people living around the North Road area, having both H Mart and Hannam nearby can be especially convenient.

You do not necessarily need to decide which one is permanently better.

Instead, compare what each store has that week.

Personally, I like both stores because they make Korean cooking in Canada much easier.

There is also something comforting about seeing familiar foods, brands, snacks, vegetables, sauces, and side dishes while living outside Korea.

That feeling is part of why grocery shopping at Korean supermarkets can be more than simply buying food.

It can also provide a sense of familiarity.

5. 88 Supermarket — Where I Shop for Vietnamese and Thai Ingredients

88 Supermarket has a very different role in my grocery routine.

When I want to cook Vietnamese or Thai food, this is one of the places I like to visit.

The store is especially useful for Southeast Asian ingredients.

Shoppers may find products such as:

Vietnamese ingredients
Chinese groceries
Filipino products
Thai ingredients
Rice
Rice noodles
Fish sauce
Asian sauces
Herbs
Vegetables
Fresh meat
Seafood
Frozen foods
Spices
International groceries

Personally, I often visit 88 Supermarket when I want to make dishes such as Vietnamese pho or Tom Yum soup.

For Vietnamese pho, there are several ingredients that can be easier to find at an Asian supermarket that carries Southeast Asian products.

Rice noodles, fish sauce, herbs, spices, sauces, and other ingredients can often be found in one place.

The same is true when I make Tom Yum.

Rather than trying to find every specialty ingredient separately at a mainstream Canadian grocery store, I can look for many of them at 88 Supermarket.

For me, this is what makes 88 Supermarket useful.

H Mart and Hannam are my preferred stores for Korean cooking.

T&T is excellent when I want a broad Asian selection.

And 88 Supermarket is particularly helpful when I want to cook Vietnamese or Thai food.

Each store serves a different purpose.

6. Other Asian Markets Worth Knowing

H Mart, Hannam, T&T, and 88 Supermarket are useful starting points, but Metro Vancouver has many other Asian grocery options.

Depending on where you live, smaller local supermarkets may actually be more convenient.

Sungiven Foods

Sungiven Foods is another Asian-oriented supermarket option in Metro Vancouver.

It offers produce, seafood, meat, grains, packaged groceries, snacks, and many Asian ingredients.

For shoppers who want Asian foods combined with more general grocery shopping, it can be worth exploring.

Market Ribbon

Market Ribbon in Burnaby is another option for Korean and Asian grocery products.

Smaller markets like this can be convenient when you want a few specific ingredients without visiting a very large supermarket.

Local Neighborhood Markets

Metro Vancouver also has many independent Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Japanese, and other Asian grocery stores.

These smaller stores should not be ignored.

Sometimes the most practical supermarket is simply the one that is close to your home and has the products you regularly use.

7. My Personal Shopping Style

Over time, I have learned that I do not need to choose just one Asian supermarket.

Different stores work better for different foods.

For Korean groceries, H Mart and Hannam are the stores I prefer most.

I enjoy checking their promotions and seeing what is discounted.

If I want a huge range of Asian products and prepared food, T&T is interesting because there are so many choices.

It is often crowded, but there is also a lot to see.

For Vietnamese and Thai cooking, I like visiting 88 Supermarket.

When I am preparing pho or Tom Yum, I often look there for the ingredients I need.

For me, visiting supermarkets is also a small form of relaxation.

I enjoy walking through the aisles, looking at ingredients, seeing new products, comparing foods, and thinking about what I might cook for my family.

Sometimes I go into a supermarket with a shopping list.

Sometimes simply walking around and looking at food makes me feel better.

Living in another country can make familiar ingredients and foods feel even more meaningful.

A package of ramen, a familiar sauce, a Korean snack, or vegetables used in a favorite dish can remind you of home.

That is one of the reasons Asian grocery stores have become an enjoyable part of my everyday life in Metro Vancouver.

8. Which Asian Supermarket Should You Choose?

There is no single answer.

A practical comparison looks more like this:

What You Need	Stores to Consider
Korean groceries	H Mart, Hannam
Korean BBQ ingredients	H Mart, Hannam
Broad Asian grocery selection	T&T
Chinese groceries	T&T, Sungiven and local markets
Vietnamese ingredients	88 Supermarket
Thai cooking ingredients	88 Supermarket, T&T
Pho ingredients	88 Supermarket, T&T
Hot-pot ingredients	T&T, H Mart, Hannam
Asian bakery and prepared foods	T&T, H Mart
Weekly Korean grocery deals	Compare H Mart and Hannam flyers
Neighborhood shopping	Local Asian grocery stores

This is not a ranking.

It is simply a starting point.

Your own best choice will depend on what you cook, where you live, transportation, current sales, and household size.

9. How to Save Money at Asian Grocery Stores

Asian supermarkets can offer excellent selections, but shopping strategically is still important.

Check Weekly Promotions

This is especially useful at stores such as H Mart and Hannam.

I personally like that both stores regularly offer discounted products.

Instead of automatically shopping at the same place every week, check what is on sale.

Meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, ramen, rice, tofu, frozen products, and snacks are all categories worth comparing.

Compare the Same Product Between Stores

If you regularly buy the same brands of ramen, sauce, rice, or frozen food, you will gradually learn what a normal price looks like.

That makes it easier to recognize a genuine promotion.

Compare Unit Prices

Large packages can appear cheaper, but always compare the actual unit price.

Look at:

Price per kilogram

Price per 100 grams

Price per litre

Price per item

This is particularly important when comparing Asian supermarkets with Costco.

Do Not Buy Too Much Just Because It Is on Sale

A discount only saves money when you actually use the food.

This is especially important for fresh produce, meat, seafood, and very large packages.

10. Asian Supermarket vs Costco vs Mainstream Grocery Stores

I do not think families need to buy everything from Asian supermarkets.

Different stores can serve different purposes.

Asian supermarkets are especially useful for:

Kimchi
Korean sauces
Asian vegetables
Tofu
Rice noodles
Ramen
Dumplings
Asian seafood
Thinly sliced meat
Hot-pot ingredients
Southeast Asian sauces
Asian snacks
Specialty frozen foods

Costco can be useful for larger quantities of products such as:

Meat
Eggs
Cooking oil
Some rice
Frozen foods
Household supplies

Mainstream grocery stores may be convenient for:

Milk
Bread
Cereal
Eggs
Fruit
Western vegetables
Household basics
Weekly sale items

Instead of asking which supermarket is cheapest overall, compare specific products.

That approach is much more useful.

11. Asian Grocery Shopping by Area

Coquitlam and North Road

The North Road area is especially useful for Korean grocery shopping.

H Mart and Hannam are both located in this general area, making it convenient for shoppers to compare products and promotions.

This is one reason the area is particularly attractive to people who frequently buy Korean groceries.

Burnaby

Burnaby offers several Asian grocery options.

North Road is useful for Korean food, while Metrotown, Kingsway, and other parts of Burnaby offer larger Asian supermarkets and neighborhood markets.

Vancouver

Vancouver has Asian grocery stores across several neighborhoods.

You can find Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and other specialty supermarkets depending on which part of the city you visit.

Richmond

Richmond is particularly well known for its large variety of Asian businesses and food shopping.

For people who enjoy exploring Asian groceries, Richmond can be a destination in itself.

You can find major supermarkets as well as smaller specialty stores.

Surrey and Langley

Asian grocery choices have also expanded into Surrey, Langley, and other communities.

People living farther east in Metro Vancouver do not necessarily need to travel into Vancouver or Richmond every time they want Asian groceries.

12. Grocery Shopping Tips for Newcomers to Canada

For newcomers, grocery shopping can initially feel complicated.

Prices may seem high.

Brands may be unfamiliar.

Package sizes are different.

You may not know which supermarket has the ingredients you need.

The easiest solution is to start locally.

Find one Asian supermarket near your home.

Then identify another store for comparison.

After a few months, you will gradually learn which stores work best for your household.

A practical routine might eventually become:

Asian supermarket + mainstream grocery store + occasional Costco trip.

There is no need to force yourself to buy everything in one place.

13. Remember Transportation Costs

Living in Metro Vancouver also means thinking about distance.

A product may be cheaper at another supermarket, but that does not necessarily mean making a special trip is worth it.

Think about:

Driving distance
Fuel
Parking
Traffic
SkyTrain access
Bus access
Travel time
Total savings

If you save $2 on a product but spend extra time and fuel driving across the city, it may not actually be a better deal.

Convenience has value too.

Frequently Asked Questions About Asian Grocery Stores in Metro Vancouver

What is the best Asian grocery store in Metro Vancouver?

There is no single best store for everyone.

For Korean groceries, H Mart and Hannam are excellent places to compare.

For a large selection of Chinese and other Asian foods, T&T is a useful choice.

For Vietnamese and Southeast Asian ingredients, 88 Supermarket is worth visiting.

The best store depends on what you want to cook.

Where can I buy Korean groceries in Metro Vancouver?

H Mart and Hannam are two of the most useful Korean-focused supermarkets.

There are also smaller Korean grocery stores throughout Metro Vancouver.

For people living around Coquitlam and Burnaby, the North Road area is particularly convenient for Korean grocery shopping.

Which do I prefer, H Mart or Hannam?

Personally, I like both.

They are the two Asian supermarkets I prefer most for Korean food.

Both carry a wide variety of Korean groceries, and I also like checking their promotions.

Instead of choosing only one permanently, I find it useful to see what each store has on sale.

Is H Mart cheaper than Hannam?

Not necessarily.

Prices depend on the product and current promotion.

One store may have cheaper meat this week while another has a better deal on rice, vegetables, ramen, or seafood.

Comparing weekly sales is usually more useful than declaring one store permanently cheaper.

Is T&T only for Chinese food?

No.

T&T has strong Chinese roots, but it carries a much broader variety of Asian foods.

You can often find Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Southeast Asian groceries, along with bakery products, seafood, meat, vegetables, frozen foods, and prepared meals.

Why is T&T often so busy?

Large T&T locations offer a wide range of groceries and prepared foods, so they can attract many shoppers.

From my own experience, T&T can feel very crowded, particularly during busy shopping periods.

At the same time, the large selection is part of what makes the store interesting to explore.

Where can I buy ingredients for Vietnamese pho?

88 Supermarket is one of the places I personally use when I want to make Vietnamese pho.

You can look for rice noodles, sauces, fish sauce, herbs, spices, vegetables, and other Southeast Asian ingredients.

T&T and Vietnamese specialty markets may also carry many of these products.

Where can I buy ingredients for Tom Yum soup?

I often check 88 Supermarket when preparing Tom Yum because it carries many Southeast Asian ingredients.

Depending on availability, you may find Thai sauces, herbs, spices, seafood, mushrooms, and other ingredients used in Thai cooking.

T&T and other Southeast Asian markets can also be worth checking.

Where can I buy Korean BBQ ingredients?

H Mart and Hannam are good places to start.

Look for thinly sliced beef or pork, ssamjang, sesame oil, garlic, lettuce, mushrooms, kimchi, and Korean side dishes.

Where can I buy hot-pot ingredients?

T&T, H Mart, Hannam, 88 Supermarket, and other Asian supermarkets can carry hot-pot products.

Common items include sliced meat, fish balls, tofu, dumplings, mushrooms, noodles, vegetables, seafood, and soup bases.

Are Asian supermarkets cheaper than Costco?

Not always.

Asian supermarkets may offer a better selection of specialty products, while Costco may provide good value on certain bulk items.

Compare the price per kilogram, litre, or unit.

Should newcomers shop at only one grocery store?

Probably not.

Many families combine several stores.

For example, you might visit H Mart or Hannam for Korean groceries, 88 Supermarket for Southeast Asian ingredients, T&T for broader Asian products, and Costco or another mainstream supermarket for bulk and everyday items.

How can I save money on Asian groceries?

Check weekly promotions, compare prices between supermarkets, watch unit prices, avoid overbuying, and purchase larger packages only when your household will actually use them.

Are Asian grocery stores good for people who do not cook Asian food?

Yes.

Asian supermarkets can still be interesting for fresh produce, seafood, bakery products, snacks, frozen foods, prepared meals, noodles, sauces, and ingredients that may be difficult to find elsewhere.

They can also be enjoyable places to discover unfamiliar foods.

Is visiting Asian supermarkets worth it for newcomers?

Yes, especially if Asian food is an important part of your household’s diet.

But it can also be part of discovering Metro Vancouver.

For me personally, visiting supermarkets is something I genuinely enjoy.

Looking at different foods, finding familiar ingredients, discovering new products, and imagining what I can cook gives me a feeling of relaxation.

Sometimes grocery shopping itself feels like a small form of healing.

Final Thoughts

Metro Vancouver offers an excellent variety of Asian grocery stores.

T&T is one of the places I visit when I want a large selection of Chinese and other Asian foods. It can be very busy, but there is so much to explore—from groceries and seafood to bakery products and prepared meals.

H Mart and Hannam are personally my favorite supermarkets for Korean groceries.

I enjoy their wide Korean food selection, and I especially appreciate being able to check frequent promotions and discounted products.

When I want to cook Vietnamese or Thai food, 88 Supermarket serves a different purpose.

Ingredients for dishes such as Vietnamese pho and Tom Yum are among the things I look for there.

Over time, I have realized that I do not need one supermarket to be the “best.”

Each store has a role.

T&T gives me variety.

H Mart and Hannam give me familiar Korean foods and good opportunities to compare promotions.

88 Supermarket helps me explore Vietnamese, Thai, and other Southeast Asian cooking.

And perhaps the most personal part of grocery shopping is simply that I enjoy it.

Walking through supermarket aisles, looking at food, finding familiar ingredients, discovering something new, and thinking about the next meal gives me a small sense of happiness and relaxation.

For some people, grocery shopping is only another chore.

For me, it can be a little bit of healing in everyday life.

That is also one of the pleasures of living in Metro Vancouver: food from many different cultures is never very far away.

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Best Asian Grocery Stores in Metro Vancouver: H Mart, Hannam, T&T, 88 Supermarket and More