Same as the prior review but I noticed I forgot to mention: They don't just carry Asian foods! You can get a small selection of Middle Eastern foods, as well, especially in the frozen section. So if you want to take a culinary world tour without having to go to multiple grocery stores Asian Midway Foods has you covered! read more

Better than I expected in Madison Wisconsin. Great selection of Asian foods. They had everything I wanted. Only negatives are somewhat of an off putting odor and cashier did not speak much English, read more

Great selection at a great price! I like that they do have your "normal" grocery items as well, makes a shopping trip a little easier if you only want to make one stop. You will definitely find anything specific you're looking for, for a recipe. May need to adjust your eyeballs though to find it, there is a lot of product so can be overwhelming. read more

Third time here. It's a small Chinese grocery but probably considered big in Madison. Can't say the produce are the freshest but it's the Midwest. The owner also owns the Asian Sweet Bakery so there are assorted pastries in a box for $4 which isn't not bad. Each bread is usually $1.50. Got a few cooking sauces and there was a $5 minimum on using credit card. read more

I've been going to Asian Midway Foods for about 6 months now for fresh Asian vegetables. The store is conveniently located near Brittingham Park and has a good selection of dry and fresh produce. I usually go for the fresh bok choy or yu choy. The vegetables that I have gotten have been of good quality and are at an affordable price ($2-3 per bag which lasts a good number of days). You do need to thoroughly wash the veggies as they are not rinsed/throughly rinsed beforehand and may contain dirt. There is $5 minimum in order to use credit card there. Overall, the store has been great at providing affordable fresh veggies and I've had good experiences purchasing produce. read more

My boyfriend and I have been wanting to make a Gaeng Som curry soup for the longest time but wrote it off because we thought we wouldn't be able to find the ingredients. After checking all the Asian markets in Madison, this is the only one that carries everything we were looking for and other favorite ingredients including grachai, Thai Sator bean, and my favorite soy milk. I was also impressed by their selection of meats -- the Laotian sausages and smoked pork were perfect in a stew! I'll definitely be coming back for more! read more

Asian Midway was one of the first Asian grocery stores that I visited when I first moved out here to Madison, and it's honestly got a little bit of everything. It's located downtown near the UW-Madison campus but it's a bit of walk. Luckily, there's a parking lot and relatively easy to turn in from both directions since it's in the corner street. I do agree with others that there is a bit of a strange odor, but that could be because it's an enclosed store without good ventilation. Perhaps it's also a little cramped too, since they do pack a good mix of Asian and American groceries. It's perfect for picking up some snacks and snacks. During my last visit here, I grabbed some seaweed, shrimp chips and Aloe drinks. There's also a wide variety of fish balls for hot pot in a fridge by the back corner that I've previously gotten. Along with fresh vegetables by the left side of the store. Since the cashier is right by the one and only exit and entrance, its convenient to gather everything you've got around the store and then head on out to check out. read more

Asian Midway Foods - Outside - Grocery Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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This store owner is very dishonest! The red bean pancake already moldy, showed her the picture and she said why didn't I bring items back, I told her I live an hour 20 minutes from Madison but she said she can refund me the $ only if I bring the items back. How ridiculous is that!? I'm not keeping that moldy thing in my freezer until I go Madison. read more

Asian Midway Foods - Moldy red bean pancake - Grocery Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I love coming here for my monthly Asian snack fix! That have new owners now, the same folks that own Sweet Asian Bakery also owns the grocery store which is a welcoming change since now the bakery selection is hugely vast. I picked up three assortment of buns for $2.99. I've always gotten the freshest vegetables here. Some are cheaper than Woodmans... Woodmans! For example, grapes here were $1.89/lb whereas Woodmans wanted $3.99/lb! If you're feeling adventurous say, to organize your own hot pot party, they sell a dozen different varieties of frozen fish balls! They carry all the needs for your traditional Asian household. Bring a friend, come explore this gem of a grocery store. Credit cards accepted! read more

Asian Midway Foods - Bakery selection - Grocery Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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50 pound bags of rice. Freshly baked mung bean buns. Cheap and bizarre produce. Check it. read more

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I first started frequenting Chinese groceries in the early 90's in Minneapolis, MN, because that's where my Chinese Doctor had his practice. There are some incredible grocery stores and pharmacies there, and in other large cities. Compared to those, Asian Midway foods would earn 3 stars from me. That said, this is Madison. The store offers a decent selection of Asian foods. It's in a poorer part of Madison and that is reflected by the clientele and the condition of the store, itself. But, why are you reading this? Probably because you need something that only a Chinese grocery would likely be able to offer. Or, perhaps you are just curious. You should definitely come here. I buy teas, treats, and Chinese Medicine here. The staff have always been friendly and helpful. You'll get a decent sense of the types of things you'd find at larger, more established stores. I can't speak much for the actual grocery selection because I haven't done any grocery shopping here. Will update when I have time to check them out more. read more

Asian Midway Foods - Yummy pearl green tea and Gan Mao Ling - Grocery Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

As soon as I walked in, I felt like I was back in my hometown and immediately felt less home sick. The last city I lived in had a decent amount of East Asian Grocery Stores/Markets but only one of them had some produce. This place has a whole aisle of fresh produce, meats, and some seafood. Nothing was frozen except maybe the shrimp. The meat is super cheap and fresh. Lots of options down every aisle and super busy. Lots of selection for rice too which is why I originally stopped at this store. Looking forward to shopping here at least once a week for some groceries. Cheaper produce and meat makes me a happy customer. :) read more

Maybe it's cause I'm not from here and we have a different standard for Asian grocery stores but the smell here was discouraging enough for me from wanting to even step in this store. To those defending the smell, we have family that own Asian grocery stores and yes, there usually is a type of "smell" that correlates to Asian grocery stores, but this store hits the highest mark of pungent. I could barely shop for more than a few minutes without having to hold my breath. This place needs ventilation. There is no need to defend that. You know it does. Maybe it's the size of the shop but it needs a lot of bit of freshening up to do. Now for products and prices? Expensive and slim pickings for ingredients and products. We lived in Hawaii known for expensive goods and they are right up there on price for a lot of their stuff. Really wish they had better inventory. I was only able to grab two items out of ten things that I needed. My review is based off of going to different grocery stores from more than ten different states. While they did have a decent selection for veggies, the selection of other ingredients were slim. But I guess if this was the only store that had the ingredient you needed then you would really have to rely on them. read more

For the love of God please someone add some type of ventilation.. I could barely stand to be in there long enough to even look around. The smell was so bad and this is even through a mask!! There is no way that it should be this bad. Slight fish smell maybe but this is more of a rotting corpse. It has so much potential, but not with the way it's smells. HUGE turn off to buy food from there. read more

This place is awful it smells terrible got live. Fish just sitting out with live crabs and another meat,the fish case needs to be just thrown away this place needs to be inspected every week and closed down emptied out washed down sweep and moped the floor , I would rather starve to death then eat out of this place inspectors should be on their way there right now, read more

+1 star for having frozen dumplings. +1 star for having a wide selection of Asian spices and sauces. +1 star for having indistinguishable parts of animals that make most people queasy. +1 star for having real Asian noodles. +1 star for having Pocky. Seriously, THEY HAVE POCKY! read more

Well stocked, friendly staff, all packed into a manageable space -- the layout can take some time to learn, and you'd better be able to recognize fresh produce without labels, but there's nothing else like it in the area. read more

My go to place for vegetables (when the seasonal markets don't cut it). Whenever seasonably possible, the produce here is local and fresh. When it's not seasonably possible, the produce here is hit-or-miss. The biggest reason for getting produce here -- it is cheap. While Copp's is asking 80 cents for a lemon, you can count on quarter lemons here. They carry a large variety of Asian fruits/veggies but also fill in some for the Latino market (plantains, scotch bonnet peppers, etc). Besides having the obvious ethnic spread (chinese/thai/fillipino/korean), there are also small sections dedicated to foods from Britain (marmite, lucozade), the Caribbean (jerk), Mexico (mole, tortillas), and the Mediterranean (grape leaves). It's fun just to browse the joint. The bustle on a Saturday is fun (or borderline overwhelming). The asian, college, and nearby low-income-housing communities converge on the place. read more

I am always in a love-hate relationship with Asian Midway. On the one hand, I love its convenient central location and cheap prices; on the other hand, it smell! Yes, it really smells. The fresh vegetables do not always have the best quality. I have bought bad vegetables without paying enough attention. As long as there is no walking distance Asian groceries from UW campus, Asian MIdway will live on. People just do not have choices. We need more competition in this area. If you have a car, I suggest you go to Yue Wah on South Park, Garden Asia (Allen/University), or A-Mart and JP fresh market near west towne mall. They are all better than Asian Midway in terms of food quality and shopping environment. read more

I remember coming here over 10 years ago and was struck by the odd smells that hits you-part cleaning supply, part sweet with a little dash of funk. And sure enough, the same smell hit me again when I stopped in last week. It is a great place to pick up anything and everything you could ever want in an Asian market. True, I probably don't know three quarters of the things for sale but love walking through the aisles to explore. read more

Asian Midway Foods may not look like much, but it offers a wide selection of Asian groceries, especially for a grocery store in the Midwest. Sure, it has its drawbacks (crowded, perhaps less-than-spotless interior), but in Madison it can't be beat for convenience and selection. The owner, who is originally from Hong Kong, is friendly and helpful. Although they don't take credit cards, they've always taken my personal checks. read more

Asian Midway Foods - Grocery Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Amazing oriental grocery store in a mid-size town. If you need that odd ingredient for your oriental recipe, chance are Asian Midway Foods has got it. This is one of those hole-in-the-wall joints that you drive past daily, but if you don't explore it, you'll have truly missed out. There's an excellent selection of produce and meat at very reasonable price (cheaper than the chain stores like Cubs or Copps). Don't like the clutter interior fool you, the veggies and meats are very fresh (and local). read more

I love the prices and selection of Asian snacks i used to grow up with. It's always exciting to go there and see what's for the week. The only thing to say about this store is they never clean the darn place. it smells and filthy inside. It doesn't look like the place get cleaned very often. Some of the snacks are left out in the open space and some and sometimes, they don't even have utensils to pick up the items so I have seen people using her hands to get what they want. This store is very convenient and love the prices and selections but it needs a major make over. It's shame our Asian grocery stores have to be like this. read more

Compared to similar grocery stores in the area, Asian Midway has a less diverse international selection and is a little more cramped and disorganized. However, they have superior diversity if you're interested specifically in the east asian region. Some things I could find here that were difficult to find elsewhere: mixed grain instant cereals, knotted dried seaweed, knotted dried tofu skin, fresh fried gluten, fish tofu bar, fermented steamed rice cake (in the bakery section), and frozen vietnamese beef and pork meatballs. Bonus points for carrying red snapper on ice, yucca, and ñame, ingredients not exclusive or native to east asia, but important nonetheless for my kitchen. Impulse buys include green apple mentos and cherry-flavored Hi-Chews! Their dried and frozen sections are competitively priced, and while the selection is limited, their produce pricing and quality rivals Woodman's. read more

This place is okay as far as Asian grocery stores go- for a town the size of Madison. Big frozen section and live crabs sometimes. Too much focus on gen merc items like mops, garbage bags, etc. Has a very pleasant (read:"authentic") aroma. Cash only :/ read more

The only Asian market in Madison. Good location 'cos it's right down town. Good price too. Re to someone else's review earlier, they accepted credit cards now. I'm glad that they have a store like this for such a small town like Madison. read more

To those complaining about the smell: Midway Asian has its smells because it's full of fresh food. The selection here is simply incredible. The fresh vegetables and fruits are the cheapest in town, and many of their tropical fruits simply cannot be found anywhere else. They sell dragon fruit, lychee, jack fruit (sometimes), cactus fruit ($0.99/lb!), rambutan, longan, mangoes, papaya, etc, etc, etc, etc. They also have lots of interesting tofu and fresh miso pastes. If you live in Madison and love to cook, then you must stop in here for a little culinary adventure that won't break the bank. [/cliche] read more

Weird hybrid of American bodega and Asian grocery store. Midway is about 2/3 Asian grocery store and 1/3 corner store (Kraft singles and Bugles). The store is best for packaged products, as the meat options are limited and the produce is hit or miss. Prices are on par with other Asian grocery stores in the area. Overall, I don't mind going to Midway but there are other Asian grocery stores in the area that I prefer. read more

I love getting my Asian goods here about every other month. Perhaps in the last year I have frequented Asian Midway less but only due to there being new Westside Asian grocers, which are great and easy to access. Midway has everything I need - produce, grocery, fish, meat, offal, noodle/rice products. The frozen area also has some fun goodies (i.e. thinly cut meat, dumpling, bun, fish ball, seafood). They do seem to keep things fresh; I have never had an issue. Particularly fresh is the produce, and it is seriously affordable. In general, I buy three grocery bags worth of food and it's approximately $20-$30. My favorite steals compared to other grocers include Thai chilies, scotch bonnets, mint, fish, every type of noodle, vinegars, and an occasional dragon fruit. Of course I don't limit myself there...but these are great deals. To those who speak to the smell...eh, it's part of the experience. All Asian markets I've been in have a unique and somewhat comforting smell, including in Asia; Midway has their own. As with most Asian market that is thriving, one must be rather to-the-point and decisional during rush hour (i.e. dive in for your Thai basil and dive back out). If you haven't been, this is a must in Madison whether you want to spend 10 minutes or an hour. read more

Good selection of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Filipino, and other Asian ethnic groceries (as well as a Latino section) in this small supermarket. You can find your durian, noodles, longiniza, coconut juice, and whatever your heart's desires here, including western foods. There's a large refrigerated aisle of tea, fruit, and soy drinks, butchery, canned and packaged goods, vegetable section, and frozen foods. Midway is cash-only, so leave your credit card and checks at home. read more

This morning (9/3) I went to this market and I was not satisfied. The fact is that I was getting the line to pay, there was one person in front of me, and then a woman appeared in line behind me. This woman speaks Chinese to the cashier. When the person before me finished paying, the cashier called the woman behind me to pay, without saying sorry. The other woman happily went up without even apologizing. I was very annoyed by the behavior of these two women and I said "I get in line before you", the lady said, "oh, sorry". When it was my turn to pay, I told the cashier, "You shouldn't do that anymore". The cashier replied, "that woman didn't have time". Oh, I did not know what to say, ..... I know this cashier is from your market. I was about to say "what about my time?", but stopped. Instead, I said, you should tell me a word, that would be ok. However, you did not. I left and was thinking whether I should go to this market again or not. read more

Straight up legit Asian market! I knew it was legit the moment I walked in because all legit Asian markets have that same fishy smell with a hint of durian. MMM SMELLS LIKE HOME TO THIS GUY. If you can't stand the smell, I can't stand you. At Midway, I can get everything I need to make pho, find normal-priced coconut water, soy sauce, sriracha, and fish sauce, buy my 50 lb bag of jasmine rice (got that rice cooker on 24/7, yo), and get my Pocky fix. MMM! I didn't notice dented canned foods, but if I did, hey, I wouldn't mind because I know my Asian food has to be imported from a galaxy/continent far, far away. Boo to anyone who doesn't understand that most Asian markets are organized by country product and boo to anyone who thinks that all Asian countries are China and therefore call Asian markets "Chinese groceries." read more

Even though the smell of this place bothers me, I still give it 5 stars. Coming from Asia(HK/Taiwan), I can't really find everything I want in American supermarket, certainly not with the same price. Even in Copps vege can get more-than-necessarily expensive in my standard, also not the type I like. Here I can find most ingredients I cook for the real Asian food we eat at home. The price is pretty reasonable, especially price of vegetable is really good. It's substantially cheaper compared to American supermarkets. Bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, tofu, leafy vegetable, are much cheaper compared to ones in American groceries. (I really couldn't believe my eyes when I see the price tags in American grocery shops for those items) I wouldn't recommend people getting seafood here because they all look very un-fresh, and maybe that's why it smells so bad (in HK or Taiwan we have open markets, but here it's indoors, where there's no way smell goes anywhere, unless it's fresh enough) Another advantage is, it's close to school enough I don't have to drive. I read some reviews saying it's not enough variety or so. I've been to Asian markets in Chicago and those I've been to aren't that much more impressive either, if the price much higher. To me this market is good enough, and it really impresses me they can import so many items from Asia. Beware, though, that you may feel offended by some workers there. Even though the boss seems nice and cashiers are mostly ok/on the friendly side, some men at the back counter can be quite "inconsiderate" or even rude to their customers. They reload things/ hand signal you with blank face and let you wait forever. I lived in HK before and here they seem to be much tamer version of HK market. However if you are born and raised Americans, you may be shocked. read more

Asian Midway Foods store is accused by the DNR of selling illegally processed Asian Carp. (Lee Newspapers 9/24/20) This is illegal because the carp is a destructive invasive species that will devastate our native species fish and destroy our fisheries. The owners of this store have been accused of selling whole fish that could have been alive. This is very serious because they could get into lakes and do irreparable harm to the ecosystem. read more

Very bad experience. I have bought one Chinese souce which gone bad and they just argue and do not want to return money. read more

Asian Midway Foods - Very bad experience. I am a Chinese living Madison for 3 years and have never seen so mean chinese people. - Grocery Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Let me preface this review by saying I love Asian markets (Pacific Produce is where it's at!) - mostly for the incredibly inexpensive fresh ingredients one can find - this grocery is no exception - very inexpensive fresh stuff. However, there are some issues here...the fish is basically laying out with a small amount of ice..yeah enormous shrimp are at $12 a pound but the conditions they are *maybe* kept in (no service anywhere to let me ask/smell product...) made me think more than twice about everything else in the place... There are tons of multi-national ingredients here other than Chinese (Mexican, Middle-eastern, Thai, Korean), but nothing has an expiration date. My fella' got some beer here (point special tall boys) and was all sorts of excited abut the price until he tasted it - skunky... Essentially from what I saw...and the fact that beer cannot be trusted here...selection means nothing if I don't have the peace of mind to taste anything... read more

I think Sunday is the best day to go because when we went recently (on a Sunday), we found so many workers bringing out fresh produce. The meat and fish looked fresh, and it was bustling with people who seemed to know the Sunday secret. That being said... it can still be intimidating for a newbie. And, in response to another post, it does smell. BUT, I feel like all Asian markets smell. Is that weird? I go there for rice, produce, and sauces. I bought a legit can of hummus for $1.25. I bought 10 heads of baby bok choy for $2. I bought 6 heads at Hyvee and spent $8. You can buy 5 lbs. of long grain rice for $2.50. You can also get Chinese broccoli and lychee... awesome stuff. Like Woodman's in the sense that it can seem sketch at times, but the value is excellent. read more

Compared to all the Asian grocery stores I've been to in larger cities, this definitely has just as wide a selection. I'll bet you can find all ingredients for any Asian recipe here. One of my favorite places to go in Madison to get fresh produce (second only to Farmer's Market). Check out the frozen section especially for wontons. Fresh deli and bakery items are delivered daily--must try the stuffed steamed buns! read more

Go here to find curry paste, coconut milk, obscure vegetables, and tons of other ingredients that will either be difficult to find in a standard grocery store or much much much cheaper. The store is difficult to navigate, the cans and bags of food are often dusty and sometimes dented, and the prices are pasted on with those old manual price tags-- but you certainly can't beat the price or selection if you know what you are looking for! read more

I don't feel like I have the expertise to adequately review an Asian food store, but something about this place is so very cool. The solid wall of aromas will hit you like a cold carp to the face when you walk in the door, but give it a few minutes and you'll adjust. Then you can just spend time perusing the wide range of products, mainly Asian but plenty of standard things too. Live crabs in a tank in the back, and I think there were live ones also in a basket on the floor, claws rubber banded shut. The place is a bit chaotic, but the service staff and clientele were both very polite and friendly. I found the treasure I was seeking here: pretty china miso bowls for only $1.79 each. I also found curry leaves for future Indian dinners. The unique olfactory bouquet of the place will cling to you and your garments for awhile after you leave, but it will be worth it. read more