Japan Centre is an unique visit for any Japanese culture and cuisine enthusiast in London (was…read moresurprised to find it). This emporium feels like a slice of Tokyo, offering a massive selection of authentic groceries, specialty ingredients, and even unique kitchenware and stationery that you won't find in a standard supermarket. The variety of ready-to-eat options is impressive--from fresh sushi and bento boxes to delicious matcha croissants and mochi doughnuts. It's a great spot to grab a quick, lunch or pick up high-quality snacks and pantry staples. Whether you're there to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere and frequent cultural events, it's a fantastic experience in the heart of Leicester Square!

Although I didn't go to the main area, wanted to share my experience at Tokyo Onigiri which is on…read morethe corner and ground floor of this center. It's a small and efficient space that specializes in freshly made onigiri. There's a small bar counter to sit and face the street but it's easy to grab and go also. They have a machine to help dispense and sell cold Japanese drinks as well! I got multiple onigiri and ordering was quick and so was the service.

Seewoo now does delivery across London of essential Asian groceries!…read moreThe full product list is on their website. Be careful, there are two Seewoo websites, so make sure you're on the right one. I've now ordered twice, and while I'm grateful to be able to get delivery, they are not a fully slick service so there might be the following issues: 1) When you email the order, you have to wait for them to call back to give you a delivery date. This could be days/up to a week later. And it has to be delivered the next day after they call you to take payment 2) I had an order come a day later than was given 3) I've had items missing from my order, some charged and some not 4) I've had an item expiring 4 days before my delivery date, and another expiring the same day. 5) They cannot process refunds at this point, the only thing they can do is after COVID lockdown is over, you have to visit the shop in Chinatown with your invoices and complaint, and they will sort it out there. So if you're willing to accept the above, then this is a great way to get some Asian groceries delivered directly to your door.

Seewoo is one of the Chinese supermarkets off the beaten track in Chinatown. It's located on Lisle…read moreStreet, which runs parallel to the main drag of Gerrard Street. If you spot a traffic jam on Lisle Street, you've probably found the store - there are usually trucks unloading outside, which blocks up the narrow street. That's quite apt as the aisles inside are also quite narrow and the place can become quite crowded if there are lots of people inside. It has the usual mix of fresh and canned/preserved Asian goods. I don't shop here often and find it a little hard to navigate. The range isn't bad though it's not as comprehensive as some of the bigger supermarkets. However, as it's off the beaten path, sometimes you can find something here which is sold out elsewhere. So you may see me at Seewoo!

I bet SON 7 always come here to get SOJU, Makgolli and…read moreKimchee. There will be more visits from SON because of his winning . Pride of

A really fine little korean supermarket…read more All your staples. Best thing is the lunchboxes; sweet n sour pork, sweet chili chicken, fried anchovies, kimchi, mochi etc all at super cheap prices - between £2 and £5. And they have K-pop!

Although not the biggest supermarket in Chinatown, I still tend to come here for my Chinese food…read moreshopping. They achieved a small measure of fame when they were featured on one of Jamie Oliver's cookery programs a few years ago. In fact, some of the best stuff is outside in the fruit and veg section. They tend to have a good selection of tropical fruits when they're in season. You can find trays of rambutan, mangosteens, mangoes and langsat. It's also an opportunity for you to come up close with a whole jackfruit and the infamous durian. It's the green spiky football sized fruit that is the notorious taste test as to whether you've truly embraced south east Asian food! You can buy the edible part in trays inside the supermarket - the soft flesh surrounding the inedible seeds smells strong and aromatic and tastes like custard but much sweeter and stronger. A tip for shoppers is that you can find trays of durian in the chilled cabinets at the back of the shop as well as by the tills. You can find the usual array of tinned goods, bottles of sauces, rows upon rows of instant noodles (Maggi are my favourite brand) and savoury and sweet snacks in the front of the store. Down some steps in the back are the chilled and frozen cabinets containing chlled edible goods as well as the cooking utensils. The queues have got much better since the introduction of more tills with barcode scanners. For those new to Chinese cuisine, I recommend some of the trays of sweet biscuits at the front of the shop or some sticky rice from the chilled cabinet. Perhaps a cook in sauce from the back of the shop that will beat anything out of a jar from Tesco. If you're feeling adventurous, try some thousand year old eggs or make your own wontons with some pastry wrappers from the chilled cabinets. However, my major tip is to try some mangosteens or rambutans when they're in season - they knock fruits from temperate climates for 6. Have fun!

New Loon Moon Supermarket is a small grocery store in Chinatown. It is a great little shop and it…read morehas most of the things you need to cook a Chinese dinner. If you walk to the back of the shop there are chopsticks, knives, woks and other cooking utensils. If you are a first time Chinese cook it's not a bad idea to pick up a few things to help prepare your meal. In addition to the cooking items you'll find a small selection of pre-packaged vegetables and a large variety of canned goods. The shop also has lots of Chinese sweets. They are brightly coloured and packaged, I've never had them, but I've been awfully tempted. New Loon Moon Supermarket is the perfect size for the first time Chinese cook. The size makes it easy to get around without feeling overwhelmed and the prices won't burn a hole in your wallet.

Love this convenience store! They have the best options for when you're traveling. They have them…read moreat the Airport and Train Stations. Look for the £6 meal deal. A main, snack, and a drink. They have amazing cookies and love the M&S brand Swiss chocolate! Way cheaper than buying anything on your flight!

Perfect spot for late night snacks, fresh fruit, milk, candies and the other quick things you may…read moreneed. Decent prices and friendly staff. Very close to our hotel and open late is a plus.

I like Sainsbury's Central. It's a fabulous format for a supermarket to fit into a smaller urban…read morefootprint. Their focus here is clearly on apartment ("flat" in Brit-speak) dwellers who have limited kitchen space and limited storage. For example, the packages of kitchen paper and toilet ("loo") rolls are in smaller quantities than the pallet-sized ones you generally find at full size shops. Large selection of pre-made "heat-and-eat" items, ranging from a full Indian meal with starters, mains and sides to whole roasted chickens. This Sainsbury's has a solid produce section with all the major items and the veggies all looked quite fresh. Sandwiches and salads and drinks and chips all up on display for a quick grab-and-go. I imagine this place gets quite busy during the lunch hours on work days.

As a lot of people might know, Sainsbury's is iconic. This specific store though was perfect and…read morebetter than others, the aisles are nicely set up, everything felt like it sort of made sense. The staff were lovely and would help with anything, I'm not used to this Sainsbury's as it was my first time coming but I know for sure I will be coming back. Staff actually have a clue what they are doing unlike some other Sainsbury branches. This shop has everything and I would shop here everyday if I could. I have medically diagnosed social anxiety and don't go out a lot, but you could approach staff slowly and speak to them as little as you want and they still would know exactly what you need. Overall if I could I would give this place infinity stars.

It's called K-Mart like the one-stop shop I know from the US, but it's an asian grocery store! They…read morecarry chinese, korean, thai, etc (don't want to leave anyone out and I can't remember all the places they listed on the front window) There's a huge selection of those famously creative asian beverages, fresh produce, baked goods, freshly prepared sushi (they deliver for free), frozen foods, sauces, and packaged snackfoods. It's true I couldn't read everything on the packaging and I probably looked as out of place as I felt, but the people running the place were really nice and didn't laugh at my strange variety of purchases. Great selection for a relatively small grocery store.

I don't live close to a K-Mart and also don't drive, so I've mostly ordered groceries for delivery…read more(through http://www.kmart-uk.com/), which worked fine the first few times I ordered from them. However, I will no longer be patronizing this business after this most recent experience, which was absolutely horrendous. This time I submitted an order for about GBP 50 worth of groceries, which is typically delivered the next day, and specifically requested on the order form for the delivery to be made after 4pm (so that I could be home to accept the delivery). However, several days pass without delivery or contact from their end, so after about a week I try both calling and emailing them (at the address on their website: info@hankookfood.com) to no avail. Finally, I get a text message from their end (presumably from the delivery guy) asking (at 11am) if they can make the delivery that day (at 4pm). I respond that that won't be possible, but the following day will be OK. They respond that they're not sure what their schedule will be like then so they'll contact me again later. The next day, they text me (at 11am) asking if they can deliver within the next couple of hours (at 1pm; keep in mind that I specifically requested delivery after 4pm on my order form). I respond that I work during the week so that time won't be possible, and that (for this reason) I requested delivery after 4pm. They respond that there is no evening delivery (which is false, since they delivered at least 4 previous orders for me during the evening) and proceed to tell me that the delay in delivery is my fault because they keep calling me and not getting through (also false; worth noting, too, that despite these alleged multiple calls they've left zero voicemails). Here are the last two text messages they sent me, verbatim (from number +44 07919 277 573, FYI): - Korean (in Revised Romanization): [gandanhan baesongeul we geureokge mot batneunji gunggeumhamnida. bujaejung jeonhwaga gereokge manheundaedo we jeonhwa hantong an haessneunjido ihaega an doemnida.] - English translation: 'I wonder why you're so unable to receive a simple delivery. I really can't understand why you didn't call back a number from which you received so many missed calls.' (Note: There are no missed calls. Also, even if there were, who calls back random numbers they don't recognize?) - Korean: [dasineun sikijimaseyo. dasi sikimyeon nimeun gaesseuregiga doeneungeonika. (sic)] - English translation: 'Don't order from us again. If you order from us again, you're dog sh*t.' I kid you not. This business is off its rocker (or at least the delivery guy is...). Anyway, even though it's a bit less convenient and more expensive I think I'll be getting my Korean groceries from the Centre Point Food Store in Bloomsbury. They are nice over there and don't call you 'dog sh*t'. :)

Stopped here on my last day in London to score snacks for the flight home + try a few dainties that…read moreI hadn't seen before while out and about. The selection of take away sandwiches, snacks, baked goods and desserts was very good. Some of my favorite purchases were: 2 slice box of treacle pie, raspberry Eaton mess cup, white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies, and a bag of crumpets. Good place for visitors to stock up on some British classics all in one central location.

I was absolutely chuffed when I landed inside this M&S last Sunday. With double or triple the…read moreselection of the Cowcross outpost I typically frequent, I wandered the many aisles of this much larger store in awe. I fell victim to the clotted cream rice pudding yet again and also found some decent pasta sauce that became a lifesaver in a particularly bad episode of hangry (hungry becomes angry.) The simply food bit in the name is quite accurate so don't go coming here in search of detergent, mops or the like (though the greeting card selection was intriguing!)