Sun Chong Grocery store located along Hotel Street. Awesome store, they pretty much have everything you'd need for Chinese cooking. They also have a huge selection of Chinese treats and fresh produce. During the seasons they carry seasonal items like New Years Gau (Chinese steamed Mochi) and the candied fruits and nuts. During the "Harvest Moon " festival they sell Moon Cakes . Today, they had Lychee's from Hilo a seasonal treat. Family owned and operated. Fast, friendly, and very knowledgeable. If you can't find something just ask they know where it is. Highly recommended read more

Sun Chong Grocery - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Two sisters, Shirley Ing and Ann Sung, immigrated to HI from Guangdong, China to join their father after their mother died. They took over Sun Chong Grocery in 1983 from an uncle who had started the business a few years prior and are still the current owners today. After Ann's daughter, Louisa, completed her college education in SFO with a major in business, she returned to HI to help her mom with the business. Family members of the two sisters help out as needed. Located on Hotel St in Honolulu's Chinatown, Sun Chong Grocery is known as an international grocery and importer specializing in Asian goods, preserved fruits, dried goods, and various specialty ingredients. Its diverse inventory includes: * Snacks: toong mai (puffed rice), fried pork skins, pumpkin seeds, haw flakes. * Candies: li hing lemon gummy bears; hard candy (Lucky candy, coconut, and many more); White Rabbit. * Preserved seeds: cracked seed, rock salt plum, football olives, lemon peel, lots more. * Cultural goods: eco-friendly tote bags of local designs, tea towels, Chinese New Year red envelopes/candied fruits/gau. * Specialty items: dried seafood (fish maw, abalone, cuttlefish, squid, Hokkaido dried scallop); herbal products (po chai pills, Chinese medicine); Chinese cooking (snow fungus, mushrooms, dried shrimp, raw peanuts, jujubes, canned goods, sauces, soup mixes, preserved duck egg); seasonal fresh produce (lychee, longan, dragonfruit, mangoes, strawberries, peaches); Chinese teas. I usually go to another grocer about a block away on Maunakea St mainly for convenience, but its inventory is limited. If they don't have what I'm looking for, I then go to Sun Chong, knowing that they will have it with a slightly higher price; however, they are located on a bus lane only, so must walk a little to get there. Staff is bilingual, with Louisa speaking and understanding perfect English. They assist Chinese nationals with English translations and vice versa. They also have been very accommodating when asked if they carry a specific item or have provided suggestions if they do not have the item. If I'm not familiar with the item, they have explained how to use it. For example, making jai for Chinese New Year requires many Chinese-based ingredients, and they have all the ingredients displayed at the front and will explain to customers how to make the jai. There are posters and tote bags that show pictures of the ingredients. I usually go to Sun Chong for their preserved seeds, candies, and snacks. They have a good variety of items that can go into favor bags which I sometimes make. Once I was looking for sweet whole seed in a wrapper and asked one of the sisters if they had any. As I'm used to the one with the seed in it, I was surprised that the sister said that they also carried the seedless one, which I selected! I also look for preserved seeds and dried fruits for snacking, and staff will bring out many varieties that I have not seen before. I like that Sun Chong make their own lemon peel flakes and li hing powder and mix them into gummy candies, preserved seeds, and dried fruits (lilikoi, bittermelon, mango). When I asked about mixing the li hing powder and lemon peel flakes, the sister offered to make a mixture for me; I don't her it wasn't necessary, knowing that they were busy. But it was a nice gesture of them to do that. Their mixture of li hing powder and lemon peel flakes with gummies and dried fruits are delicious and so addictive! Sun Chong is the go-to for the seasonal sweet Hilo-grown Kaimana lychee for the past 20 years. They bring in 1,000 lbs of lychee per week from May to June which sell out quickly. (That was my source of lychees for many years until this guy started selling them out of his truck in a parking lot across the HI Kai Costco near my home.) The store interior is filled with so many items that there is a lot of clutter, with things stacked up to the brim and overflowing. It's hard to find what you're looking for, so it's easier to ask, and staff knows exactly where they are. And there is a friendly orange family cat that roams in the store. Perhaps this defines the uniqueness and ambiance that make Sun Chong so charming. Hours of operation are Mon to Sat 8a to 4p and Sun 8a to 2p. Look for the store's red awning. Metered parking on side streets and also in nearby municipal lots. No curbside pickup in front of the store, as cars are not allowed on this bus-only street. They also offer online shopping. Sun Chong is an amazing store where you can find authentic traditional Chinese and local Hawaiian flavors, hard-to-find items, and local favorites for gift-giving! Lots of treasures that you can find here! Support local! read more

Sun Chong Grocery - Candies - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Lots to see and buy at Sun Chong Grocery, plus a charming mascot! Here's my usual spot for buying preserved fruits such as dried lemon rings and "cracked seed"). SCG is located in Chinatown on Hotel Street. A former colleague introduced me to SCG where he shops for ingredients to make his big batch of jai since he's the jai master for his extended ohana. If you're stumped, just ask. They will quickly tell you if they have it and locate it for you. read more

Sun Chong Grocery - Mascot, with big meow, very friendly ginger cat - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Lunar New Year goodies... As it was approaching I decided to give Chinatown a peek on this particular Sunday since parking is free as well so roaming around would be easy and less stressful to check the meter. Once place that I didn't give a though until Nadine gave me the Chinatown tour and this was the place for me...well they already have me at their cutest totes that I already have an enjoy but many of the snacks and treats to help celebrate and embrace the upcoming Lunar New Year from Gau, Lucky Candy and the cutest Lucky Candy Box is all found here. The vibe here isn't as over the top that many places are trying to overstimulate with the huge event and just bring what we're all looking for and the lady was so sweet and kind as I kept finding one item after another and the unique items found only here are what made it special and I grabbed it up as I only know what the usual items are but other than the trinkets and plushies the food that represents the culture is found here and know where to go every single year to do so. Thank you! read more

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Looking for Li Hung Mui powder and they had it. Lots of different candy's and other imported products read more

Sun Chong Grocery - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Wet lemon peel, li hing miu, rock salt plum, footballs... IYKYK ;) This is a place to get 'um! (My mouth is watering as I type this! ) It never ceases to amaze me how the workers can find stuff in this store... and quickly! I was looking for footballs, so I asked a worker and she gestured to a pile of cracked seeds near the door. "It's over there by the door." I looked and looked, to no avail. Then when she was free, she came over, in 3 seconds, looked under a pile, and located what I was looking for. Even for other stuff, they were seemingly buried or hiding somewhere in the (organized?) clutter, and boom! No problem, they know what they have or don't have, and if got, where to look! Really glad places like these continue to keep traditions going. Sure reminds of my young days where I used to always buy the 25 cent Yick Lung seeds and eat them in the car going home!! read more

Sun Chong Grocery - Today's haul p: yum! - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Shirley and Anna are the hardest working people, and the most honest I've ever met. Their product's quality is the best!

Shop worker yelled at my mom and asked if she was deaf. We were browsing the Chinatown area and walked into the store at about 4:50pm. The door was wide open and the storefront looked still put together so we didn't think anything of it. My mom stepped in first, picked up a product while in the entryway and examined it. One lady said something indiscernible, so we didn't even think she was talking to us. Seconds later, the other lady asserts herself saying, "ARE YOU DEAF?! SHE'S ASKING IF YOU NEED HELP WITH SOMETHING. WE''RE CLOSED, GO HOME!" It all happened so quickly and aggressively that we couldn't even formulate a response--we just left. Closed or not, that's not how you treat any potential customer. This was different than the stereotypical brevity of Asian customer service. It was rude and uncalled for. We're appalled and disgusted. read more

My sister was looking for a store that sold spicy dried lemon. I was like, huh? Anywho, she found this store. We parked in an underground parking lot, which happened to be a 2-minute walk from the store. How lucky! This store looks like a hot mess from the outside because it literally has bags and bags and bags of dried foods, fruits, teas, crackseed and many other items that I've never seen before. The older Chinese aunty was very helpful. She answered all questions, which were mostly "What is this/that?". She even gave us samples of some the dried abalone and smoked tako. We found everything we needed + snacks we didn't need and happily left $100 poorer lol. read more

Great little store. I found the dried seafood foods I was looking for. They lots of seeds and snacks also to choose from.

yummy.. everything is always soo good . got my chinese candy this time also . thank you

Looking for that hard to find chinese ingredient or product you cannot find anywhere else on Oahu? Chances are that Sun Chong might have it. This is one super packed store with a variety of chinese/asian dry goods and snacks. They also have very hard to find dried foods used in many traditional asian cuisines. Since the store is so packed, it is little difficult browsing the aisles but I think that what make this place fun to visit. read more

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I would leave zero stars if I could. There was an old lady sitting by the door weighing the lychee that people were buying. I was taking pics on the outside of the store for my Yelp review and was going to buy the lychees after, since she was helping other customers. I wanted to take pics on the inside of the store as well. She kind of stood in my way and asked if I needed help. I told her I wanted to look around. She yelled at me that I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the inside of the store. I knew that wasn't true because other people have taken pics inside the store and she could have told me nicely. I told her ok and put my phone away. I walked in and there was a younger woman on the inside taking the lychees off the stems. I asked her about how many lychees were in a pound. I was trying to gauge how many I needed as I was going to buy some for my parents and they would only eat three to four pieces each. Lychees don't really keep. After a few days in the fridge they turn brown and have this funny taste. She gave me this irritated look and sarcastically said she wasn't sure how many were in a pound and that they only put it on the scale. They sell lychees all day long and they don't know approximately how many lychees are in a pound??!! I left without buying anything. These people are rude as hell because they thought that I wasn't going to buy anything. I'm sure their tone would have been different if I told them up front that I wanted 10 pounds. read more

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There's something to be said about great customer service! And I am so happy I found this little Chinese grocery store called - Sun Chong Grocery in Chinatown. I normally don't venture into Chinatown very often as the area really has gone downhill within the last 20 years or so, but what motivated me to swing by in Chinatown was "LYCHEE"!!! After seeing my Yelp buddies - Bruddah Dan O. & da FAMOUS Auntie- Nadine C. post their lychee pics, I had to make my way down to Chinatown for lychee, as I've been a fan of lychee since I was a little kid. My first stop for lychee was to go to Sing Cheong Yuan bakery for lychee, as that's where my Yelp buddies had gone to pick up their lychee. When I got to Sing Cheong Yuan bakery to look for lychee, it was apparent that they had sold out already, as I didn't see any lychee at all. Feeling a little deflated on what I came here for, I decided to take a short stroll around the Chinatown area when I came across this little grocery store. Sure, there were probably a lot of other places that sold lychee in Chinatown, but what stood out for me was the friendly service I received from this nice lady, and upon completing my mission and buying my lychee, I thanked "auntie" for her help, and she in turned thanked me for my business, and wished me to return soon! Besides selling lychee (that they import from Hilo) Sun Chong Grocery sells an array of other Asian dry goods. I didn't have time to walk around the store today, but perhaps on my return I will see what else kinds off stuff that they sell here. So happy that I got my lychee! read more

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Everyone here is actually nice. Not like a Chinese Restaurant. They have stuff not every grocery store sells. She let me taste fresh jujubes couple weeks ago which I think are dates. read more

If you want to find a variety of dried preserved goods, including seeds, fruits, vegetables, seafood, etc., this is the place to go. After buying their seedless cherry seeds at an expo/fair, I finally found them. Located in Chinatown, they have the best tasting seedless cherry dried fruit that I have tried, that is reasonably priced. They either sell by weight or prepackaged. Sometimes they sell certain prepackaged items for less if you buy 2 or more. At that time, the candied dried coconut was on sale, so I bought 2. Service - lady was really nice, patiently waiting for me to browse through the store, and they have discounts on certain same packaged items. Parking is all metered, along the street or in parking complexes. read more

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Must visit in Chinatown. Teas Candied fruits/vegetables Crack seed Dried seafood And more read more

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Won't haggle with me! But oh my their Kaimana lychee from Hilo are so good - big, red, juicy and plump. Their lychee looks better than what other places carry. I think they probably pick and choose and repackage the lychee themselves. The lady wasn't the friendliest, and she would not budge with her price being firm with 7.99 per pound. But because her fruits are so good, I would still go back and buy them. Lol. read more

Wow, talk about filling your store to the brim! Sun Chong Grocery appears to have A LOT of item, but it's not quite a "one-stop shop." The main "groceries" Sun Chong offers are an abundance of dried fruits, crack seed, and candies. There's also a nice variety of teas, Chinese herbs, and dried seafood, especially fish maw. They also have the chillest cat! Every time I go, the cat will find me and rub against my legs and follow me around lol. Sun Chong Grocery is located along Hotel Street, next to Jimmy's Produce. On this visit, we were looking to buy some dried fish maw. Not many stores offers as much variety as Sun Chong. For the whole dried fish maw, they range from $199 to $999 per pound--the bigger, the more expensive. They're light, so you can buy many pieces and not even hit 1/5 of a pound. When it's Longan season, Sun Chong will always have Big Island longan. I grabbed some really big, fresh ones, and they were very fresh and sweet. The staff here are usually nice and friendly, and helpful in finding what you're looking for because you might have difficulties finding it in the store. Overall, Sun Chong Grocery is a unique specialty store in Chinatown as it offers the most variety in Chinese dried fruits, snacks, and candies, and dried fish maw. As well as fresh longan! Friendly, helpful staff. And a cool cat! read more

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Got my jai ingredients here for Chinese new year. They conveniently put the ingredients all outside in the front of the store: bean sticks, wood ears, dried lily pods, red nam yue, white nam you, gluten puffs, dried shiitake mushrooms, gingko nuts, dried oysters, dried fat choy etc. so you don't have to ask or enter the store. IYKYK. I just had to pick up the rest of the fresh ingredients, the won bok, baby corn, carrots and snow peas elsewhere around the corner at the Kekaulike Market Place. It was almost 3 pm so I had to scramble to get my produce before they closed, the marketplace not Sun Chong). The woman at Sun Chong is always helpful and you will inevitably need her help to get any esoteric ingredient because the store is packed to the gills and she will need to retrieve it for you. Chinese is preferred but if you don't add speak, she speaks English. They were dried ingredients were fresh (a paradox, I know) and the woman will ask if you need any of the essential ingredients and may even give you some cooking advice if you ask. Prices are a little steep by east coast standards but it's Chinese new year and Hawaii after all. She seems to carry everything, just ask. read more

I found this store by chance. don't let all the goods on the sidewalk scare you! This is just one of the few places I visit when I visit Chinatown. They have just about everything and anything you will ever be looking for! From Dried veggies, seafood, candies galore, gummies (yummy for the tummy), crack seed, I promise walk through the store and you will be amazed and what you can find! The ladies in the store are nice and very helpful. And if you don't like going Chinatown because of the parking and you're like me, you just want the li hing gummis, you can follow Sun Chong at pop ups, they do fairs as well as Nordstrom pop ups! Do support local business! Btw, their brown sugar ginger candy is yummy and they also carry my childhood jelly candy! read more

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If you're looking for Chinese spices and dried goods, Sun Chong Grocery is a great place to find them! The store itself can be intimidating, stuffed from floor to ceiling with various boxes and packages, but the workers are helpful and can easily locate what you're looking for. I came here looking for smaller sized packets of cloves, star anise, fermented black beans, and sichuan chili flakes. Other stores were selling these items but in huge amounts, and I only needed a few ounces of each. They had all of them except the chili flakes which is pretty good. The lady helping me was really efficient and polite, she knew exactly where each item was. Overall I will definitely return if I need any more Chinese spices/dried goods as their selection was some of the best I've seen out of all the stores in the area and their worker was really helpful. read more

I came here for one thing only - lemon peel gummy bears. After Thomas O. selected it as his favorite in a blind taste test, I just had to try it. I drove down to chinatown on a saturday afternoon near closing time, and a lady near the entrance greeted me and asked what I was looking for. I told her I was interested in their lemon peel gummy bears, and she comes back with a handful of different variations of lemon peel and li hing gummies. They were 4 for $20, so I picked 4 and was on my way. Very quick and easy process, and I didn't even have to enter the store! Looking for one of the best li hing and lemon peel gummies? Come down and check them out! read more

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Support small local business! Love the dried fruits and various snacks and candies. Especially love li-hing plum sour patch kids for an unique spin on a popular sweet. They have dried guava and li-hing powder as well as an array of Hawaiian snacks and crack seeds. There's also lemon peel that's tasty too. Perfect spot to get treats for friends and families as souvenirs. You can order online for curbside pickup. read more

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This store is the best for asian snacks and packaged goods. I stopped coming here for a while because around covid time they stopped letting people walk around in the store and you could only tell them what you wanted at the entrance but Im a browser so that didnt work for me. BUT recently i went to china town and noticed people walking around in there so i finally started going again. They have probably the hugest selection of crack seed stuff and now they have a massive variety of the li hing and lemon peel candies. read more

Summertime in Hawaii! For me, that means several things- but most of all, Lychee! Yes these ono-licious little white globes of sweet refreshment bring back so many childhood memories of newspaper spread out over the dinner table, shucking the shells, and devouring their sweet white flesh with family! So sticky but so good! Definitely one of the things that mark the start of summer! First found out about Sun Chong Grocery from Yeeps like Jo Y & Lyla D last summer. Now it's a regular stop for crack seed, dried fruit, spices like star anise & 5-spice, raw peanuts, and of course lychee! Municipal parking is nearby, so it's an easy in and out to pick up what I'm looking for. When I brought some lychee to my Mom's house, she asked me where I picked them up. When I told her, she said, her, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother shopped there. Really cool to think 4 generations of my family have patronized Sun Chong! Definitely will repeat, recommend, and stop by when lychee is in season! #supportlocal! read more

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Good seeds- great prices!! Also other groceries & neatly organized! Just need to get through the streets of Maunakea! read more

My parents have been customers of Sun Chong for over 30 yrs mainly purchasing supplies for our old restaurant. Most recently my father had quality issues with a product purchased and called the shop to let them know. He was asked to bring the product back to the store but was not issued a refund. Product in question was only $5. Given history it's unfortunate that a refund was not issued and my father walked away feeling disrespected. Sun Chong needs to remember that their business has been built off the backs of Chinese immigrants. Chinatown is a small community and it's disheartening to read how a lot of customers have had great customer service but my 86 year old Chinese speaking father did not. I don't care about the $5 but what bothers me the most is the disrespect my father experienced. I wrote to them to see if we could handle this privately but no response. read more

I'm such a fan of this female owned local shop! Not only do they have the best li hing/lemon peel gummies, they provide the BEST customer service. I sent them a DM when they came out with their lychees/market totes, and got a reply right away. They offered to hold one for me (I was going on a trip), but I couldn't wait and decided to swing by RIGHT BEFORE my flight to pick up a tote. I even got a bag of their Hilo lychees while I was there. If you need crackseed, fresh local fruits, or those gummies, look no further than Sun Chong. Love supporting this business. They take care of their customers, work really hard, and are just the nicest! read more

My favorite grocery store in Chinatown! So much variety and best tasting lemon peel gummies! read more

Sun Chong Grocery - Kaimana lychees in season! - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Its Lychee Season!! I've been here twice in a week to by Hilo lychees. Ever since the summer of last year I've been coming to china town for lychee and I know this is the spot ! Since living in town, I only come to this place for Big Kamaina lychee. But I have noticed that lychee prices are always going up ! It is 6.99 a pound. It does suck to have to see the prices go up but I understand its local farmers and the owners of sun Chong need to be making some profit. The last time I came I bought a smaller bag and a little extra for 20$. This time I bought a 4 pound bag for 30$. Its worth it! I love lychee and since there is only one season out of the year I appreciate eating them. They also have all kinds of dried seafood, crack seed, and lemon peel/ lihing gummies! I haven't really bought anything else from the store but they have such a variety of things. Im sure I will be back for more . read more

Sun Chong Grocery - Hilo Lychee - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is one of my favorite crack seed stores on the island. I love the dried lihing lemon, lemon peel and pickled mango here. It's about $9 for a generous bag, which is reasonable nowadays. They are also famous for their lihing lemon peel gummy bears and a seasonal rotation of fruit, like lychees and mangoes. I've also bought some very nice oolong tea from them from China. They don't seem to have Taiwanese teas, which is a bummer. read more

Sun Chong Grocery - My favorites: pickled mango, cherry seed, lemon peel & lihing dried lemon - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

THE best stop in Chinatown. All sorts of crack seed goodies here! And lemon peel snacks! And dried fish! And FRESH HILO KAIMANA LYCHEE in the summer by the pound or by the case. *drools* A disorganized yet thrilling delight. I love it-- proof: I bought 5 lb and pounded em out that same afternoon with my family. Ask the workers if you can't find anything and they're ready and eager to help. For your goods, walk into the store to purchase or preorder online with curbside pickup. Best way to get here is by parking at the Maunakea municipal parking garage, taking the N Hotel street exit staircase, then to turn right to find the entrance. With a store sign up top, you can't miss it! read more

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Love our walk around Honolulu's Chinatown. It reminded me of San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1970's. Everything is old school and wonderful. Love the preserved and dried items - shrimps, scallops, fruits, and plums. This is a family owned local business. This morning the daughter and grandma daughter were running the store. They were friendly. One thing I had to buy is the toong mai. Toong mai is a delicious crunchy puffed rice sweet treat. I would say it's a Asian Hawaiian version of rice crispy treats. One container is $18. Also, the wet lemons are great. They are good for dry throat and sore throat. Many people warned me about going to Honolulu's Chinatown. "It's too dangerous." "There are homeless people around there." Please don't be afraid. It's a cultural experience. read more

This store is everything you expect from a Chinese grocery store. They have so much stuff it's a bit overwhelming. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, Chinese seasonings and herbs, dried seafood. However this is my one stop shop for crackseed such a lemon peel and li hing mui. Tip: if possible go durning the weekday anytime after 3:30PM; street parking seems more available during this time allowing you to run in and out. read more

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I walk over a mile during my lunch break in the hot sun just to get lychee from here! Best deal in town, way cheaper than the farmers market and Foodland. Plus the lychee is so good! Service is friendly and quick. They also sometimes have my favorite Hayden mangoes for a good price too! read more

Preserved fruits (like li hing mui), red Chinese envelopes (li see), instant Ginger tea, 3-in-1 Coffee, jade charms, bean curd (foo jook), and coconut candy are some of the many items that I look for at this Chinese grocery store! My mom brought me to this store on Hotel Street a few years ago. She likes it better because of the service. The grocery store down the street is bigger, but they aren't as helpful and friendly as Sun Chong Grocery. Recently, this shop has expanded. It's hard to tell because there is so much merchandise that it seems crowded. If you need help finding something, just ask! They speak English! PARKING: I usually go on Sundays when metered street parking is FREE in Honolulu Chinatown. It's also FREE on Holidays and after 6pm, but the shop closes at 5pm daily... There's also municipal parking garages with reasonable rates. It's a really cool store because of the variety of goods sold here. Check out the fresh seasonal fruits (lychee, dragon fruit, loong ngan, etc.), Moon Cakes, and bottled (dow hoo mui, oyster sauce, etc.) and canned goods (bamboo shoots, grass jelly, etc.). It's amazing! read more

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This store has everything! All kinds of crack seed in packages or in the old time jars, chinese cookies in metal tins (brings me back to small kid time) teas, powdered milk drinks.... During lychee season they have red plump ones for sale. If you need ingredients for Chinese dishes (the dried fungus, dates, etc). The lady is super nice and helpful. The store in on Hotel St. under the awning. Look for the red sign. read more

Got up early this Saturday to go buy goodies in Chinatown. At 8:20, I walked into Sun Chong. A lady shouted at me and asked me what I was looking for. I told her I was browsing. Then she rudely asked me to leave. She told me they're not opened. Serious? Everything is opened in Chinatown at that time of the hour. According to their own business hours, they open at 8 am. The store looked opened to me. I guess she didn't want my business. No stars. read more

Wow, what can't you find in this store...?? I found an item I have been searching for many many years...