The shop close to, and on the same side as the McDonalds drive through, but the new shop sign makes…read morethe shop harder to find as the shop looks closed, I think a led 'OPEN' sign is needed. The patrons are always friendly, and helpful. The shop provides groceries of English, Indian, East Euro, Turkish quite a mix, and getting a tin of Chickpea Chana Masala, to eat with rice or some naan...just lush. The store is like stepping into Dr Who's Tardis :-)

Nowadays it's very important to back the smaller stores as opposed to the larger, faceless…read moreorganisations (in my opinion anyway) and with the International Food Centre it couldn't be easier. Like the Sweet Mart in Easton this is a store that is all about the customer. They buy in only the best quality fruit and vegetables, for example, and sell it at reasonable and affordable prices. It's all organic and locally sourced where possible - stocked full of love and good energy. The Asian food section is immense with every type of spice and raw bean imaginable. It's a good place too to find adverts and posters for local and ethical happenings. A great store that comes highly recommended.

Being half Finnish I'm quite happy to see the recent emergence of Polish shops springing up all…read moreover Bristol. Finland may not be Eastern Europe but a lot of the smells and types of food are similar. Take the cooked meats for example or the different hams and sausages. In a glance you could see nice looking sausages for a couple of quid, or you could look closer and see memories of barbecues under the eternal Scandinavian sunshine - taste the oak smoked flavours and remember a far off home. The vast piles of beer and wine may also look like a stack of bargain booze to one customer, but to another they are thoughts and memories of times past and old friends. You see, shops like this strive very hard to stock specific products - in this case Polish. For those that don't know, they offer new tastes, smells and ideas. For those that know however, there's a wealth of old tastes, smells that remind you of houses, people and places forgotten, and memories. This is also a good place to find colourful cartons of multi-vegetable and high energy drinks, as well as notices for employment and accommodation with other foreign speakers.

Iranian Foods, Polish Foods, Bulgarian Foods, Slovenian Foods... Eastern European Foods!…read more Now, I have to say, I was a bit sceptical, before setting foot in here I imagined Eastern European food was like our food... excepts maybe a bit warmer! You know, like goulash (is that spelt correctley?)... But no, I was wrong! My eyes were opened to the delights that our country just can't offer. Worth a pop in if you want to top up the old kitchen cupboards with some random tasty delights that your friends can't compete with!

Another shop catering for the Eastern European community has sprung up here and as per I am glad to…read moresee its arrival. These are shops that focus on independent, personal retail. The fruit and vegetables are fresh, as is the meat and the dairy. The sweets and chocolates are unique, different and exciting. The promotions and offers are not sent down by a head office but made by the workers themselves, hand written on chalk boards. This shop is no exception. I pick up fruit here daily and am always treated to some pleasant conversation and a smile. The enormous range of pickled goods does little to whet my appetite but is fascinating nonetheless, as are the gigantic (if thus a little rude?) sausages in the fridge. The beer is mostly Polish as are the spirits. Variety is, as we know, the spice of life. This shop then is very spicy indeed.

This is a goldmine of quality spices, fresh produces and Asian dried goods. The staff are friendly…read moreand the prices extraordinarily good for the quality and quantity. If the don't have what you want, you don't need it. A truly valuable (and educational) resource for any cook.

Like Kin Yip Hon's chinese supermarket (see previous review) Wai Yee Hong is a stupendous supplier…read moreof all things chinese! From easter Drinks (get yourself loaded up on Saki) to Wok's of all shapes and sizes, and I haven't even mentioned the food yet! But before I get to the food, for those who prefer the eastern methods of healing to our bog-standard western approaches there is a great selection of tonics, and general 'wellbeing' herbs and tonic type things (it's all very precise with me!) And now the food! Well, in a nutshell... to much to comprehend! I never thought I would see so much foriegn writing in one dose in my life, make sure you know what you are after, and check before you but (even though there are guidlines it might not be quite what you were hoping for)

A paradise of Chinese shopping, this supermarket contains just about everything oriental you could…read moreever want. It's not just restricted to Chinese produce either, this is a whole pan-Asian experience. The other glorious thing is that it's all so damn cheap. Even if you're not exclusively seeking oriental ingredients, you can pick up useful basics at a respectable price indeed. It's a little way out of the city and not particularly close to any train station (regrettably), however it does neighbour the Eastville retail lot containing an enormous and very, very cheap Tesco. So if you're after good value eats, make sure you head way out East.

I really like the Eastern Chinese Supermarket, which is just down the road from the Millennium…read moreStadium and bus and railway stations. I visit here reasonably often as its next door to The China Supermarket. Despite being considerably smaller than its neighbour, it is well stocked in orderly rows, and tends to be more colourful. It is often busier too. There's always a smattering of people milling around lending the place a breezy vibe. I think that they come here, like I do, for the fresh produce, as it's of a really high quality, and the range is exceptional. Ling, one of the owners, is often serving behind the counter. She's really friendly, and more than happy to point you in the right direction, if you are in a rush. The prices tend to be slightly higher here, but despite the scale of China Supermarket, the Eastern Chinese Supermarket stocks a number of things that you can't buy next door. I recommend that you set aside an afternoon and visit both stores, buying something from each! Heaven!

If you're Chinese and wondering where you can get what you need to do some proper home-cooking in…read moreWales, look no further. I've learned how to cook a bunch of traditional Chinese dishes from my grandma, but was legitimately afraid that I wouldn't be able to find any of the sauces in Wales (unless I ordered online for extortionate prices). After a quick search, I found Rachel W.'s review for Eastern Chinese Supermarket and returned home with a huge haul of materials that I'd never thought I'd find! ~ Atmosphere: To be honest, it's a pretty small and dingy shop. I can imagine that if you're here and you don't know exactly what you're looking for, it may be difficult to manage. ~ Customer Service: I was served by a middle-aged Mandarin woman and when I couldn't find tian mian jiang, she was very helpful with pointing me in the right direction. She also helped me double-bag all my purchases when I didn't even ask! --- I thought the prices were fair for what I got, but to be honest I haven't been to any other Chinese grocers to compare. Even if it is a bit more pricey, I don't feel by much though as it was all affordable and cheaper than if you would order offline. I'm well happy about my visit to Eastern Chinese Supermarket and left giddy and excited that I could put all my grandma's recipes to actual use now!

This well stocked shop is packed with curiosities (curious to a Westerners eyes at least). Produce…read moreranges from red tofu in an eathenware jar to frozen dim sum pastry and an array of functional and decorative kitchenware. A lot of the food is labelled in both English and Chinese, those goods which aren't labelled in English can be translated by one of the friendly staff and unfamiliar food stuffs explained. Most of the ingredients here are really cheap compared to supermarkets. The dried nuts, beans and fruit are particularly good value and I often buy my wolf berries here. Man Fung also stock a fantastic selection of Sake (rice wine), which I am rather partial to. Top tip: Good place to get presents for your foody friends, as a lot of the packaging is beautiful and the produce unusual. Man Fung Store is open Monday-Sunday late.

A small but well-stocked Chinese supermarket, split across two rooms so if you glance in the window…read moreyou'll think it's only half the size it actually is. I pop here all the time for cooking sauces, it has a great range and is generally a bit cheaper, as well as having a more interesting range, than somewhere like Tesco. There are a lot of snack and novelty items- Pocky (biscuit sticks with different flavours of chocolate on- very nice with coffee), all sorts of different nuts and strange seaweed snacks. You can buy things like noodles in bulk. To be honest I would personally avoid some of the frozen meats here, especially the seafood stuff- not because I think it's dodgy, but because a lot of the stuff stocked here doesn't have any English cooking instructions on it and I'd be scared of poisoning myself by cooking something wrongly but that's just me being cowardly. As long as you're not a coward, and you like Chinese food, then this is a great place to get what you need for Chinese cooking at home. Enjoy.

Very handy for me as I live in Swindon centre. It is situated in Brunel Plaza, which is as central…read moreas you can get. The shop itself doesn't look particularly pleasing but is a fair size and has all the essentials. Queuing up and paying seems to take a while, but I realised the other day that they have tills at both ends of the store and you can pay at the cigarette counter if you are in a rush. They have the baskets which also turn into little trolleys, so its not a problem if you're buying heavy goods, although carrying them back to your car might be. There is no supermarket customer car park, although there is a car park just outside and a place where people can pick up at the back. You can use your nectar cards here as with any sainsbury's which is definitely an added bonus. Very convenient shop in central location and has all the essentials.

Scruffy and dated this store is in desperate need of a revamp. Yes it has a great location but the…read moreinternal design is really poor. Understaffed and basic stock collection. I could not do a weekly shop here but for no frills top ups its fine.

Probably a good thing that I waited until most of the renovation was completed as I was going to…read morerate this Tesco a lot lower. However, the renovation is great! It always seems really busy, even later at night so clearly the size and the renovation were much needed. This Tesco has a Giraffe attached to it as well as a cafe upstairs. So if it takes you all day to get through this massive store, you have some options for lunch/dinner. This really is a one-stop shop: kitchen supplies, office supplies, toys, clothes (upstairs), toiletries, and of course food. They have a lovely selection of bakery items, the new deli and meat counters look great. I also really like their foreign foods section. At a lot of stores you get a shelf or two with just a couple of items, but here you get large sections with a large selection of items. Of course the American section caught my (and Mr. Snarky's) eye and while some of the items I have never bought in the states and am a bit disappointed that that is what is being exported to other countries around the world, there are a number of items that I am excited about. In fact, I plan to make Mr. Snarky a Thanksgiving meal and there are a number of items in the section that will make that possible! There is just loads and loads of selection and chances are, if you cannot find it elsewhere, come here. I will say that it does sometimes get quite crowded with lots of customers plus the carts the staff use to stock shelves, making it a little more difficult to navigate the store. And check out is a bit chaotic, but if you have a Tesco Club Card, they do have a 'Scan As You Go' option so you don't have to wait in the queue. They also have a few cash machines and there is a petrol station as well. While I enjoy farmers markets, this Tesco does appeal to my American supermarket side!

Tesco have quite a few stores in Swindon, including smaller ones that only stock a limited range…read moreand one in the town centre. This one is however the biggest Tesco is Swindon. it stocks a large range of food and also a large range of clothes, including Florence and Fred. They also have a good selection of DVD's, games, electrical items such as cameras and TV's. There is an escalator to go up to the first floor, that you can even take your trolley on. I like Tesco because you can get clubcard points there, to use of days out vouchers. There is a big car park, with plenty of space and in the carpark are recycling facilites for bottles, cans etc.