Cancel

Open app

Search

Teso Life

4.5 (65 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Teso Life Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Teso Life

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Cute toys and figurines to purchase.
Joy B.

Teso Life is a one stop store for Asian snacks, toys, beauty products, and more. The people who work there are just as nice as can be. They have plenty of staff wandering around the store incase you have any questions. The store is large and packed ceiling to floor with a variety of products. It is a little overwhelming. I can't speak to the value because I didn't buy anything. But, the store I visited in Texas had good prices, so I am assuming it is similar. Before you ask, no, they don't have Labubu's. But, I did give them a try. There are claw machines located on one side of the store. I am sure the kids would enjoy the snacks and games.

Ha N.

Selection: biggest selection of Korean skincare and makeup I've seen. Prices ranges from affordable to pricey so it's good for all budget. There's toys, snacks, cleaning supplies and products, shampoo, bowls, etc. Service: the employees went around and dusted the shelves which is something I have never seen before. They kept that store spotless!!! It's so clean and well stocked. Super organized too. I could have spent so much money there but I was being good. I can definitely see myself coming back...just a bit of a drive from Virginia.

Shashi B.

This is a delightful store to feel nostalgic about your trip to Asia. A lot of items from Japan and Korea. We spent a lot of time looking at the various aisles. Matcha tea, a mango drink, mochi, siracha nuts were things we picked up. Store is very neat. There are many items that don't have English labels for the names. They have ingredients listed in English. Nice for a visit to find exotic food and other items.

James L.

Two words: sensory overload. I made a recent trip to Teso Life to see if this place was worth all of the social media hype and...IT TOTALLY IS!!! Located off of perpetually busy Rockville Pike and technically part of (but really adjacent to) Congressional Plaza, do yourself a favor and DO NOT park in front of the store. Most GPS systems will route you to the top level, but I'd recommend following the signs to the lower level where there is slightly easier and bettter parking options. Note: If you opt to park in the upper level towards the front the store, this is a one-way dead end surface lot, and a three-point turn is necessary if you want to turn around to exit. Having visited Japan, Teso Life is very reminiscent of a shop in the trendy Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. Walking in, the interior is illuminated with almost blindly bright fluorescent bulbs, and the mostly white color scheme of the floors and walls only amplifies this effect. High energy Japanese pop music will also be pumping to stimulate positive vibes and spontaenous purchasing decisions. While not a full-fledged grocery store, there is still extensive merchandise ranging from frozen treats (think ice cream and the like), cookies/snacks, beauty and cleaning, special Japanese beverages, instant noodles, cookware/kitchenware, and of course, cutesy toys and dolls. My neice went absolutey beserk for the wide selection of Sanrio products; after spending an afternoon with her, I know the names of Hello Kitty and her friends such as My Melody, Keroppi, Chococat, Badtz-Maru, and Pompompurin. We also picked up a few packs of the special Japanese flavored Kit Kats (matcha and Milk Tea are my favorites) and some Sanrio branded toys and stationary kits. There are also some claw games which are super fun, not only for the kids, but also for adults. As of this review, each game is 2 tokes and tokens are $2/each which are purchased at the register. Happy to say, that I won a pikachu...which only costs me $10 worth of tokens...LOL There were also plenty of staff circulating about re-stocking shelves and answering questions about products. Even with the crowds constantly peppering them with inquiries, they kept a friendly disposition. IMHO, Teso Life is worth braving the horrible traffic and even crazier parking to spend a fun afternoon.

Lisa X.

Love this place it's so nice to walk around after your meal. I got a lovely cleaning brush that i absolutely adore and they sell a lot of items that are Japan made. My favorite splurge is the ume sake KitKats. Those will claim your whole paycheck but dang they are delicious! Parking here can get wild during peak times so be prepared.

Karyn M.

Teso Life is a Japanese lifestyle store with food, snacks, collectibles, housewares. This is located in The Shops at Congressional Village, among Okaeri, Kajiken and other great restaurants and stores. There are many aisles with cosmetics, and fun blind boxes, not to mention the best Japanese snacks. Take my money!

Jim H.

If you're looking for lots of trinkets and foreign merchandise this is the place. The place was very large, I would say maybe comparable to a CVS. That being said when I went there were a lot of people. The aisle in the store seems narrow so it gets a bit hard to walk around when there are lots of people. People with kids may not want to go down aisle that contain lots of breakable items. That being said I found lots of neat items and the service at the counter was great. They even open your packaging to ensure products like cups are not broken and have all the parts. I don't often visit places like this so I can't speak to value or pricing compared to other stores like this. That being said considering some items would otherwise be hard to find, this place is worth the visit.

Marisol D.

Lots of blind boxes. My sister requested I find her some, but there were not many in my area. Drove here and found tons. She was very happy with what I got her: a bunch of Popmart, Skull Panda, Crybaby, and Disney ones, no Labubu (6.19). Blind boxes cannot be returned. Snacks here are great; I always find something yummy. And we tend to stock up on a few beauty supply items too. Prices are kind of expensive, but service is friendly,and fast even with a long line.

Arista W.

Come ready to spend all your money and don't bring the kids LOLOL! There's so much stuff in this store and I just wanted to buy it all. I ended up getting some DIY projects, snacks, face care, and stationary lol. I even tried one of the claw machines in the back and lost but that's ok! The cashiers were very friendly and helpful. The pricing is decent for the items I purchased. Some of the stuff was a little expensive like the big Lego sets and I expected that. I love the wide variety of Asian inspired snacks they have! I can't wait to come back! Side note: this store gets packed and the parking lot is awful. Just be patient and kind.

Claw machines 1
Jon T.

If you are a fan of Japanese Department Stores filled to the brim with all sorts of things to spend on, this is the place for you. Ranging from Japanese Snacks to Japanese/Korean Make Up products, this place has you covered. Since this place recently opened, expect a big wave of customers trying to check out or even walk in. I went during peak hours, where going through one aisle was a trek of its own! If you like crane games, there's plenty to offer here as they feature a lot. There are also some cool knick knacks like miniature houses or anime figurines if you are into that. Snack wise, you have chips or chocolate that are more catered to the Asian flavors. Don't knock Salted Egg flavor chips until you've tried it! There is also a frozen section featuring dumplings, mochi, desserts and even those cool juice pouches you can open up and pour into a cup. The drink section is also good if you wanted to try more ramune or some of their sparkling water choices. Sodas that you see here like Coke or even Fanta are smaller, I wouldn't even recommend it unless you see a flavor that's unique. Value wise I think for what I got it was definitely worth the price and I had a blast figuring out what TESO has to offer. One thing I'd like to also note is the parking in front of TESO will be packed, parking in the back is much easier and is a short walk up the stairs. Check this place out!

Benja S.

The store is very clean, and everything is organized very well. So many cute things!

Household item aisles
Ariel T.

Atmosphere 9/10 My mom and I were driving in the area and decided to stop by when seeing it. I have visited other asian department stores before and Teso Life is worth the visit. There are a variety of items here so if you're just wandering around then there's plenty to look at. They have a small section dedicated to blind boxes, an arcade section, food aisles featuring some snacks found on tiktok, a stationary section, a makeup wall, and much more. Even though I did not intend to buy anything a lot of stuff in their store was fairly priced. In addition the ambience was good as it was well lit, clean, and had top pop hits playing on their radio.

Thant A.

Wow. This place is like a mini Donki from Japan. It has the most Japanese things in the DMV, from personal care to Kit Kats to kitchen utensils. I'm a lot closer to Marufuji in Tyson's than Teso, so I thought Marufuji was the best we had. God damn, was I wrong. Teso's product selections are enormous. It's easily 10 - 20 times Marufuji's. There are aisles and aisles of personal care products - shampoos, conditioners, masks. They are all Japanese and Asian made. Marufuji has tiny aisles. Teso also has better prices. One Pocari Sweat bottle in Marufuji is $3.99. It's $2.69 here. For context, it's like $0.99 in Japan. The Kit Kat collection here is also fully stocked. Marufuji just can't compete with Teso, unfortunately, in terms of pre-packaged products. There is so much more available and at cheaper prices. I'm not abandoning Marufuji, though. It shines in freshly made food, periodically updated local products directly from Japan, and the Marufuji café itself. You get zero of that at Teso here. So, in a way, they are kind of in different categories. The parking lot out front is way too small for how busy the area is. The places next door are also popular. You're guaranteed to struggle to park. Bottom line: packaged stuff and personal care, go to Teso. Food, drinks, and local products straight from Japan go to Marufuji.

See all

19 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 2
Love this 2
Oh no 0

1 month ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Joy B.
361
1334
15492

9 months ago

Helpful 19
Thanks 4
Love this 15
Oh no 0

18 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 16
Thanks 3
Love this 9
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

11 months ago

Helpful 9
Thanks 1
Love this 13
Oh no 0
Photo of Jim H.
142
418
1355

1 year ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

11 months ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

5 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0
Photo of Benja S.
31
76
264

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 9
Thanks 2
Love this 8
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Rubi L.
0
11
12

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Sara L.
170
428
1295

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 1
Love this 2
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 2

Ask the Community - Teso Life

Do they have Japanese pens? Is the stationery section small?

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Review Highlights - Teso Life

they have everything from household goods, to beauty products, to drugstore items, beverages LOTS, arcade games, toys.

Mentioned in 15 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Department Stores 4,366 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

Target - Okay, who wants an expresso? No, I did not splurge on these machines.

Target

2.9(217 reviews)
0.6 mi
$$

Checked out this Target a couple of times in the past week. Parking was a breeze even though there…read morewere tons of people. The shopping carts were kind of stuck, so had to really jar them loose. Browsed around the different aisles and looked for items on sale, if there were any. Noticed the Electronics' section had minimized in terms of the space used and also the inventory. Earphones were in locked spaces, along with the PS5 games. DVDs/Movies were also locked away. Saw some Funko Pop figurines, but for regular retail prices. Apple iPhone Cases were on sale, but still pretty expensive. Walked around to see the drinks and food aisles, which had a good variety of things to choose from. Chips and gummies were on the expensive side compared to other stores. Bought some Organic Milk, which was $5.99 a gallon. Christmas themed clothes for the kids were intriguing. For Adults, there seemed to be some odd looking clothes for the Holidays, like the fabric and styles were eccentric looking. Personal hygiene and toiletries were adequately stocked. Saw some items on sale for the Men's Cremo products as well as The Rock's personal care items.

I've held off writing this review for years but this store is awful. Can't tell you how much time…read moreI've wasted attempting to call for an important quick question to be immediately put on hold for ages and then instantly hung up on without them ever saying a word or giving me a second to ask my question! I can't understand why so many businesses can't manage a simple phone line anymore but for an organization as resourceful and longstanding as Target this is beyond unacceptable. They're also terrible at handling product restocks, shifting inventory, and managing store policies. Many items are overpriced and low quality. The one "saving grace" is most floor level employees are friendly but that's the only nice thing I can truthfully say. Hopefully we will get some better alternatives in the area to shop at in the near future..

Photos
Target - Target Rockville

Target Rockville

Target - Mother's Day is coming up soon.

Mother's Day is coming up soon.

Target - 8AM store opening time and no carts!!!

See all

8AM store opening time and no carts!!!

TJ Maxx

TJ Maxx

2.6(88 reviews)
0.2 mi
$$

It's been awhile since going to this location but my visit earlier was good. I went pretty early in…read morethe day so it wasn't too busy. The store was well stocked with holiday decor! I really wasn't looking for anything specific but ended up snagging some great deals. That's what I love about this store. There's always something I can't leave behind! The line moved very quickly. Meron rang me up and she was very friendly. Thank you!

In my quest to finish decorating, I stopped by TJ Max. It was very crowded. The decorations are…read morelocated in the back of the store. The organization of the holiday decor is strange. You have to weave around the back and side of the store to find certain items. They had some cute stuff. I would say the items were pretty reasonable. I am having regret about not buying this cute rocking horse nutcracker. The prices were pretty good. As far as sales help, they were busy stocking and manning the registers. They had a nice selection of larger nutcrackers and other decorations. But, again, there was some imperfections and damages on the merchandise. I am sure, that no one is going to come and inspect, my decorations, but I just wanted something without visible damage. So, if you are a little less picky than me or you are handy and can repaint or fix these items, you are in for a treat. I would definitely try it again and see if they had some new items in stock. I may go back for the rocking horse nutcracker. I hope it is still there. Happy shopping!

Photos
TJ Maxx
TJ Maxx
TJ Maxx

See all

Rodman's Discount Gourmet - My Sauvignon blanc wine.

Rodman's Discount Gourmet

3.5(67 reviews)
1.6 mi
$$

Wonderful Holiday Treats & Customer Service! My friend/I…read morevisited Rodman's last weekend for sweet/salty treats & Rodman's holiday sale. She loves chocolate especially dark chocolate. I introduced her to "Baci" Chocolate a candy from Italy, varieties of milk & dark chocolate stuffed w/hazelnuts also on sale. I enjoy them during the holidays. And purchased the milk chocolate version & a salty treat. Well she noticed the dark chocolate display was empty. She asked a store associate if more "Baci" dark chocolate was available? A young man checked inventory & found none. Then he checked some other display & found (2) bags-"Baci" dark chocolate candy. My friend was thrilled & appreciated his diligence. This is a Wonderful example of outstanding customer service. See Photo!

To anyone who's ever been mistreated by this staff--don't stay silent. File a complaint with the…read moreMontgomery County Alcohol Board. You have rights as a consumer and as a human being. No one should be verbally harassed, mocked, or intimidated over wine. Shut it down. I've been a loyal customer at Rodman's Wine, Beer & Gourmet for quite some time. However, my recent experience was deeply upsetting and completely unacceptable. I walked in after a facial treatment (still healing, visibly wearing recovery cream), and was met with inappropriate behavior by a male employee who aggressively questioned my age while examining my ID--despite it clearly stating my birth year. Instead of conducting himself professionally, he loudly announced my birth year in front of other customers, challenged me on my age, and insisted I declare it aloud. This was not only invasive but also deeply humiliating. When I asked why that was necessary, he escalated the situation by telling me to "lower my voice" or I wouldn't be allowed back in the store. That is not customer service--that's verbal intimidation and public shaming. To the woman at the register who knows me and treated me with grace--thank you. To management: You should be ashamed to have someone representing your business like that. After the disturbing behavior, three men came outside the storefront looking around casing the parking lot--an apparent attempt to intimidate. Thankfully, my husband was made aware immediately and we will be filing a report. Women should not be made to feel unsafe for simply buying a bottle of wine. To anyone who's ever been mistreated or disrespected by the staff at this location: File a formal complaint with the Montgomery County Alcohol Board. You are not alone--and this kind of behavior should never be tolerated.

Photos
Rodman's Discount Gourmet - Floor to ceiling wines.

Floor to ceiling wines.

Rodman's Discount Gourmet - Wines on sale.

Wines on sale.

Rodman's Discount Gourmet - Dessert wine

See all

Dessert wine

Teso Life - deptstores - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...