99 Ranch Market
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
213 reviews
Neighborhood: Japantown
"In the words of their oft-played TV ad... "I just went to Ichiban Kan! Check out what I just got:" -two types of pocky! -mango hi-chew…" read more »
87 Reviews for 99 Ranch Market
Love this place. Im into the sauces and kitchenware, Jamie is into watching the crabs and lobsters try to escape. But really this is the best asian grocery around, most fun also!
There are many businesses in the complex and its worth walking around.
Just like Ed M., I too have a love/hate relationship with Asian supermarkets. I love the variety and unusual finds but I hate the crowds and especially the parking.
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Fish and meat parts that will make your faint-of-heart friends cringe!
Bargain prices on rice cookers!
Mangoes, Durian and other expensive produce items at rock bottom prices!
Peeled garlic in bulk!
Five miles of rice cracker selections!
Poke (Hawaiian seafood/seaweed snacks) in quantity!
Safe Checkout! (they're all wearing latex gloves)
Check the box that says "Asian other".
Ranch 99 has food from every possible Asian culture: Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin, Schezuan, Hunan, Cantonese, etc.), Philipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Korean, Thai, Lao, even Hawaiian and Indonesian! ( I lived in the Netherlands as a teen, and still have a soft spot for PindaKaas(peanut sauce), and other Indonesian goodies).
[ed.note.: Sorry if I left anyone out - don't be hatin'; I'm OLD]
For the average gaijin, this store could just be overwhelming. Not everything has a translation written on it - There are about 973 kinds of hot sauce, soy-related sauces, noodles, etc., but if you've got time to browse, you'll find many treasures. (Litchi Mochis, mmmm)
Good selection of frozen bao (buns), and dim sum-type items (shu mai, potstickers - Japanese and Chinese), and Asian veggies.
Many "gourmet items" in another store like Berkeley Bowl or Whole Foods are just normal foods in this community, so you're not paying inflated prices for them. I'm always astounded by the bag-to-bucks ratio.
Downsides include:
Many things only come in large quantities, and let's face it, how many round-eyes have 18 people to feed at dinnertime.
You're pretty much on your own if you're looking for something - not a lot of help...that will be helpful.
Too much pre-packaging - my eco-conscience smarts!
And why do I ALWAYS get that cart with the wonky wheel....
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FIVE stars for the LACK of parking lot accidents. (I know you stopped selling drivers licenses in those Botan Rice Candy Boxes http://www.asiachi.com... ) Thanks!
FIVE stars for carrying Zojirushi rice cookers. See my review
FIVE stars for carrying small sized rice washers. http://us.st11.yimg.co...
Minus TWO stars for the crappy website.
Minus TWO stars for perpetuating the stereotype that we smell like moth balls...
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There is plenty of parking but those speed bumps are way too tall. My car bottoms out on every one.
The variety of food available at the market and in the mall is worth it though. Le sigh! Too bad the meat section totally sketches me out.
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Ranch 99, with the energy, reminds you of classic markets of a Vancouver-like Chinatown. When you first walk in, you notice the huge array of raw vegetables ready for you ginsler knifes and to be sauteed in sesame oil. Then you pass the isles of coconut milks, dry noodles, rice grain and woks. Walking the tall isles of rice cookers, exotic teas, seaweed, soy sauce and Chinese sausage you get the sensation that you are "Yan, from Yan can Cook" or "P.F. Chang" himself. . Fresh seafood including Clams, Geo-duck or Oysters in the shell that you need to shuck, are there for your taking. Raw unprocessed salt and fresh water fish color crushed ice bins in blues, oranges ready for cleaning. You can even option to have any fish deep-fried before you eyes. As your shopping cart gets full, you can option past the delicatessen of roast duck, fried rice, Chinese vegetables and even fresh roasted peanuts. In which, prior to leaving out you can pass by wine and dried shark fin selections. Ranch 99 is situated within a mecca of health food, restaurants, toy stores, specialties, game store, animation store, cell phone, insurance, hairstyling, and even if nothing else people watch.
One thing about Ranch 99 is the availabilities of Western foods, such as Milk products and certain canned foods that seem to be less popular to sell might be priced higher.
Recently renovated, Ranch 99 has a new entryway to help getting yourself blown around in high winds.
I don't shop here often enough to feel comfortable w/ the layout. Produce is mixed. Some looks tired, some looks good. Prices can be very good. We came here today after dim sum at Asian Pearl. Parenthetically, Asian Pearl is a very different experience on a week day: the food is fresh and hot, but it's so easy to overorder because you have less a sense of the quantities on the paper menu and the pacing is different than when they're bringing the carts around. But the food is so fresh and good. As usual, I digress. I needed to pick up chicken backs for matzoh ball soup for Saturday's Seder. It was more convenient and potentially more interesting than going over to Andronico's so we checked it out. In the past chicken has looked a little sketchy, but this stuff looked great, so I got four packages totalling 10-12 lbs. Got celery (Pretty cheap at 69 cents). No Finnish or Yukon Gold potatoes, though plenty of Russets and yams. We made just a quick trip through, not the lengthy wander this place deserves, but it was nap time.
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99 Ranch is the best asian market in the East Bay.
Sure, there are some bigger/better/scarier asian markets in the South Bay, but 99 Ranch rocks the with sufficient force that crossing the bridge is no longer necessary when I feel a sudden hankering for gelatinous deserts, fresh noodies, or freaky-ass fruits with spikes.
1) I don't cook seafood that much but if I did this place would be my Mecca. TONS of critters swimming around in tanks, and all of them much better cared for than the ones at any other market I've been to. No gross stink, no obviously dead little guys floating around.
2) Tons of produce for an asian market, and all very reasonably priced. THEY EVEN HAVE KUMQUATS! For like $2.99/lb! Eat that, Whole Foods!
3) Dude, they have Flower Duet rice cookers. For like $18! If you're using one of those crappy glass-lidded rice cookers THROW IT IN THE TRASH and get a Flower Duet one instead. They won't make any fancy rice puddings or whatever like the $120 Panasonic ones, but they're totally awesome for cooking regular old white/brown rice or even quinoa.
4) They got hella buns! Frozen or refrigerated, ready to microwave or steam. Pork, egg custard, lotus, chicken, whatever! I haven't tried even 1/20th of the different kinds they have here, but at $3 for a 12-pack you can bet I'm gonna go hog wild with this stuff.
5) Dude. DUDE. They have, like, FOURTY brands of ramen! I'm serious dude! It's wild! And for you kids who like locally-produced stuff they have a ton of refrigerated noodles from factories in San Francisco, San Jose, Monterey Park, and other California locations.
6) Pretty good prices on everything, though the layout of the store doesn't make much sense. The packaged Boba and the powdered milk tea, for instance, are five or six aisles apart. WTF? But once you can actually find what you're looking for the prices are great. For the price of 3 drinks you can get enough powder and tapioca pearls to make about 60 servings of the stuff.
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Best East Bay large market ... great live tilapia, great fillets of salmon. . . but I'm actually here to promote driving away from here and saving your local Oakland Chinatown grocer, where you can get a lot of the same things for similar or even cheaper prices.
That said, this is a great mall. And read ALL these posts to find out about food that you (or your specific ethnicity) are unfamiliar with.
When I shopped here, I stuck with the Cantonese Chinese stuff - potstickers, wonton noodles (they're freshly pulled), tofu, shrimp balls, dried sausages. Good ground pork, and also a fair supply of chicken parts, not just legs and wings but also feet and various innards I like to use for making porridge / congee.
AVOID Sat. and Sun. afternoons if you can! It'll take you an hour to get in and out of the store! Crazy long lines!
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I lived in Emeryville, but I would go outta my way to hit up this Ranch 99 in El Cerrito!! Well, the nature of Chinese market... CHEAP and FRESH grocery! I'm so glad that this is not too far from my place :)
They have fresh seafood as in swimming fresh :D Sometimes I would get some clams, some veggie and boil them both and have that for dinner. Pretty gourmet for like 5 bucks or so.
Ohh their fresh tilapia is sooo good too. One of my favorite fish. Oh and occasionally they have crayfish. I would buy a bucket load and boil them... have a bucket load of crayfish and sake for the night!! ohhh life is SOOO good with Ranch around.
They sell Sashimi also, but the more popular ones like Hamachi, Maguro, Salmon, Smoked Salmon, Octopus, and some seaweed. I had that many times and i never got diarrhea from it.
Okay, so I'm a dirty hippie who loves to eat as organically, locally, and seasonally as possible, but until I can find pea shoots and choy sum and amaranth and gai lan in Western farmers' markets and co-ops, I'll continue to get at least some of my produce here. And while I'm generally not cool with supporting the notion that produce has to travel thousands of miles across an ocean before it reaches my mouth, I admit to buying rambutans and keffir lime leaves on several occasions. Sorry, Earth!
Reasons I come here:
1. To stock up on cheap produce unavailable elsewhere.
2. To buy tons of raw, freshly peeled garlic cloves on the cheap. As a Korean who cooks a lot of Mediterranean dishes as well Korean, this is important.
3. To stock up on mock meats. To my palate Asian mock meats taste much better than a "Boca Burger" or any Morningstar product. Asian mock meats are also much more likely to be vegan, and in general use much fewer ingredients than their Western counterparts. One big plus for me is that most of the mock meats available here are fresh/local, not frozen.
4. To stock up on pantry items like black bean sauce and palm sugar.
5. Cheap, basic ceramic teapots and dishes/bowls.
6. 8 ginger candies for $0.49.
7. Freshly roasted/salted peanuts.
...and so on.
A lot of people rave about the seafood section here, but I honestly don't find it worth any orgasms. Yes, it's fresh, and there's nothing like standing in the checkout line and hearing a fish flapping around in the plastic bag the person behind you is holding, but when it comes to quality practically any Japanese grocery in the Bay will outdo 99 Ranch. However, 99 Ranch will be a lot cheaper, so it's up to you to decide whether you want "fresh and pretty damn good seafood" for a low price at 99 Ranch, or "super-fresh and orgasmic seafood" at a steep price at a Japanese market. Me, I swing both ways (but just for seafood).
I go elsewhere for my staples but overall this is a great store for most of my supplemental shopping.
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Love their pastries (YUM!) and the fact that they carry everything I need to prepare some of my favorite Filipino dishes.
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I don't cook, that is hubby's thing, (I just eat) so I wouldn't know what to do with all that stuff. However, I have seen fresh produce and this place doesn't have it. Half the fish starts out frozen and the prepared stuff looks like one big blob of greasy mess. And friendliness . . . uhmmm . . .
that doesn't exist EVER.
But the fish tanks are cool to see. Plus they offer a selection of things all in one place you can't find anywhere else (like 8 kinds of pork belly) so if you cook, that's good.
Yes the parking is horrific at times.
Not only are the groceries here certified Asian, they have an impressive produce section. Lucky's, Safeways, Whole Foods all pale in comparison to some Asian produce sections. Well, not whole foods but I have something against that corporate entity that has nothing to do with the service they provide in their stores.
But the best part is the deli section where they have lots of food that don't look like the greasy shiny lard-infused buckets of food typical to food courts. This place is actually edible and has good flavor and they are inexpensive.
I like the senbei and other cracker/snacks. My BF likes the Men's Pocky. They made one manly enough for him. The variety of frozen offerings is plentiful like dumplings, shumai, edamame.
This is the place to go for all your Asian fixin's if you're about to have a shabu shabu, or potluck, or a grill thing like they do over a tabletop grill, usually electric.
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I am a Treataholic.
I LOVE ethnic treats, sweet treats, and savory treats. 99 Ranch is a Treat Lovar's Paradise.
It's amazing the variety of treats and grocery items this market has to offer. My hunny surprised me with a treat from here I've been longing for lately to celebrate a special occasion.
He handed me a bag and I squealed with delight! I went racing to the kitchen to pull out the big pots and fill them with cold water and healthy amount of coarse sea salt. But this is when I freaked out a bit when the Beautiful Live Lobsters literally flipped out on me! Once the situation was under control...it was ALL GOOD.
Mmmmm whole lobster with melted butter....white wine...brussel sprouts
WHAT A TREAT!
If Life could only be this delectably delicious everyday!
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Two words "FRESH PRODUCE". Why not 5 stars then? Simply put, I'm been double charged a few times. Besides that I recommend this place to all my friends.
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Summary:
--best selection of Asian produce, especially Vietnamese veg/herbs like rau ram, ngo gai, and tia to
--*however* lots of the produce is prepackaged in larger quantities than you might want (example, curry leaves; Thai peppers)
--best seafood counter (and queuing is mostly enforced, unlike Asia!)
--pretty good for spices, though Vik's is often better, though, again, with even bigger packages
--good for duck, frozen baby octopus, beef bones for pho
--organics starting to show up
--two kinds of ground pork
A few odd missing items:
--where's the reduced fat tofu? Even Safeway has it.
--no roast rice powder for larb
--pandan would be nice, but it's MIA when Berkeley Bowl sometimes has it.
Try to shop during the week to avoid a parking nightmare and contending with the masses.
I love to come here an eat AUTHENTIC Asian food the Chow fun is awesome and those ice coffee keep me up for hours. They also have a very good candy store a bit pricey as most of the candy is from japan, but so worth it. the only down fall is some places only accept cash and are not too friendly but the food is worth the disapproving faces..
I love this place. I grew up w/ asian supermarkets so the smells dont bother me. Pretty much everything is cheaper than your Lucky's or Safeway supermarkets. I know there are times when you need to find certain things but c'mon the produce is cheap, the meat is cheap, and the seafood is cheap as well. When I first moved out to Emeryville looking for a 99 Ranch was 1st priority for me.
I'm not going to surprised if they have a PACHINKO PARLOR in there.
Go to the web site, I think you'll know what I mean if you haven't been there before, It reminds me of 70's Pachinko Parlor in train station mall, Osaka, Japan.
It's a great typical crazy Asian Market but smells like moth ball in some area. Don't you smell it? And SO MANY TABACO SMOKERS! Always makes me puke!
But I like it.
Old Asian people are not nice all the time, sometimes they are bitch, rude, nasty for totally different reasons to customers, especially if you ask question.
I come here for ...... same reason that I go to Japan Town, China Town and Kukje super Market....... that when I forgot the feeling & sense of Asian Craziness.
I need the feeling sometimes.
http://www.99ranch.com...
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great selection of fresh fish.
yum.
lotsa good foods. i like a lot.
not very clean.
the mall itself is very nice.
oh yeah- the boba place in back of the grocery store is not that good. usually out of all of the good fruits.
so yeah.
4 stars.
: P
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Ranch 99 is not for everyone. Anyone with ADHD should be careful of its sudden euphoric effects. Long-term exposure to Ranch 99 can lead to compulsive buying, unintentional eating and instinctual nose pinching. Please see your doctor before visiting Ranch 99.
My first impression of the setting- THIS PLACE KICKS ASS!
You have almost every type of Chinese spices, preserved vegetables, MSG-laced instant noodles, fresh exotic fruit. As you wonder around, the aroma of the Cantonese style deli beckons your taste buds to take a short hiatus from shopping.
I really like the seafood section; if you speak Chinese or Cantonese (I am a Mandarin learner right now), coming to Ranch 99 was another experience for me. I get to practice my Mandarin while nostalging over the days I spent in Asia.
If you have not been to an Asian supermarket, drop whatever you are doing now and get over there. Take a bus; ride a bike; get hungry and some cash. The Pacific East Mall has lots to offer.
So far, this is my favorite place in the East Bay to get BBQ pork. Some fat, some lean, some burnt some connective tissue, not underdone and not too sweet!
There are other things that I like to get here as well, usually in the frozen aisle, sometimes in the produce aisle. I'm not sure I would trust the packaged meats...but I have bought things from the butchers and didn't have a problem with it.
Why not five stars? It's a bit inconsistent in their offerings. I've gone craving for something only to not find it for months or longer and then have it show up again.
Parking is usually not an issue for me because I go on weekday mornings, but I know how much of a pain this can be later in the day or on a weekend.
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DO NOT go on a weekend. All the really surly, nasty, pushy people come out of the woodwork to fight and bicker over who gets the last bunch of choy sum.
Other than that, 99 is my general go-to place for the majority of things I need. As others have noted, the product selection tends to be heavily Taiwanese dominated (which makes sense, it's a Taiwanese owned chain) but there are pockets of other stuff spread about. (not necessarily in any sort of sensible fashion) Produce is generally of good quality and attractively priced.
I've only flirted with their steam table prepared food a few times, and was less than impressed. (good for quantity, less so for taste)
They do tend to lack certain things completely, however. For Thai ingredients they have some things, but if you can't find what you're looking for you may be better served by checking with Sairoong Thai (in the same mall, across from Asian Pearl restaurant), San Pablo International Market, Tuk Tuk Thai market in Berkeley or Heng Fath in Richmond. Same generally goes for other SouthEast Asian needs. (Malay, Indonesian, Cambodian, Lao, etc.) For Japanese try Yaoya-san or Tokyo Fish Market.
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I finally got the chance to go here a while back and I am glad I did. I didn't experience the pushy shoppers or rude employees that others have. I was able to go down each aisle with ease and everything was very easy to find. I was able to get some ube ice cream bars which I love and Thai tea (Thai Iced Tea FTW!).
4 stars, would be 5 but the place is really crowded with rude old people and I have to restrain myself from pushing them out of the way because they might know some crazy martial arts and whup my ass. I mostly shop there for fish, produce, koala yummies and the occasional Taiwan Beer. The food line is great, I've never gotten so much food for so little money. I ordered a chicken dish once and the lady asked me if i wanted a pound. I told her I just wanted the regular meal and she proceeded to put about 4 pounds of chicken in my tray. I had enough food for 4 days.
How did the fish monger guy at Ranch 99 know that I speak (some pitiful) Spanish? We converse now fluently en espanol, while he chooses, kills, de-guts and bags that wonderful cheap Dungeness crab. While all around us, many other languages swirl.
I love the multicultural haven that is the Yay Area, especially as experienced at Ranch 99. P.S., that fresh crab goes nicely with the Vietnamese baguettes they sell, too...cheaply, of course.
Garlic Crab Recipe, from the Tra Vigne Cookbook:
(Serves 4)
4-5 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 Dungeness crabs, about 1-1/4 pounds each, cooked, cleaned, and cracked
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 500 F. Heat the butter, olive oil, and garlic in a very large ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. (You may need 2 pans.) Add the crab, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss well. Transfer to the oven and roast until the garlic turns light brown and the crab is heated through, about 12 minutes. Toss once halfway through.
Pour the contents of the pan into a large warm serving bowl, add the lemon juice and the parsley, and toss well.
Serve pronto with plenty of napkins!
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Hey, yeah you, stop looking at my husband and me. He's Peruvian get over it.
It's always awkward walking into the 99 Ranch Market together. The circus is coming to town. OMG, is that Asian Girl with that Latin guy, what on earth is she thinking. Disgrace to her father, disgrace to her mother, SHAME.
Bypassing this we come to the produce section. Oh it's big. Like 90% I'm probably never going to buy or use because I don't know what it is. But, if you know what it is then it's a good place. I usually get tomatoes, onion, and mushrooms.
Seafood chaos. There's always a crowd waiting for there turn. We like getting seafood here because 1. it's fresh 2. they have everything. We make pretty good ceviche with the seafood here.
It's a big market, but really the only reason we come here is the seafood. I haven't tried the kimchi yet, but that'll be another day.
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If only May Wah would fry up tilapia like Ranch 99.... The seafood is fresh here and you can pick up tasty snacks from the prepared food deli or from the bakeries in the same shopping center.
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Where else can I pick up a giant bag of shrimp crackers to crunch along with a 12 pack of Asahi for 7.99 (so what, it's Asian Budweiser, but I like it and I like liking it). Next I hit up the produce section where I make a grab for bags of pea shoots and gai lon and a piece of ginger the size of my hand for a buck. I love that there's a rice aisle and stacks of different rice cookers to choose from. I like perusing twenty different kinds of tofu- oh silken tofu in a squeeze bag come hither! And I love the cheap scary potstickers always on sale that I probably shouldn't be eating but I can't help it because I crave them dunked in black vinegar, which naturally, I buy in a huge bottle at Ranch. I love the end displays of giant bottles of oyster sauce- the good kind.
I love, I love, I love . . . Ranch rules!
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I know I've said it before but I'm always surprised that in this town where every third person claims to be some sort of exotic vegetarian, vegan, raw food-ist there are so few produce stores.
Why is that???
well Ranch 99 is a veggie lovers paradise -- well sort of -- I mean if you don't think about the crazy ass parking people (well at least it is a decent sized lot) or about the gwai los who come to Ranch 99 to gawk at the fresh fish still swimming in their tanks -- so other than that this is the go to place if your concept of vegetables goes beyond broccoli and spinach. All kinds of cool tasty Asian greens but at almost 9 miles away it's a stretch to for me to get to
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pros: the freshest meats, fish, and produce at excellent affordable prices. great dim sum and Chinese food deli. Nice staff.
cons: waaaayyyy too many people at all times, don't expect to get a shopping cart, but if you do don't expect to be able to navigate it through the store without giving up in frustration and just putting everything into your arms and making a dash for check out - lots of ladies here take the "I don't give a shit where you're trying to go" attitude and just park their cart in the middle of isles while they peruse the merchandise purposly ignoring any "excuse me" pleas for them to move. That's why I don't go on weekends anymore - at least alone. I take my BF and we tag team it - ok, I'll go for the produce, you go for the seafood and I'll meet you back near check out, keep your cell phone on.
The fresh fish and meat counters have quality that is way above any in the area, if you want good and fresh this place is a must! Just be sure to take your anti-anxiety medication first so you have the patience to wait for your number to be called.
Oh and if you are a fresh SF Dungeoness Crab junkie like me and have to have it in the first week of the season in November, take a double dose of your meds before you go because the crowds are tripled, you must elbow your way through, and you'll have to wait sometimes all afternoon because their fresh from the ocean shipment is usually late. But if you can get it, it will be at a fantastic price - at least 3-4 dollars per pound less than other supermarkets.
I love this place.
The produce is fresh and plentiful. Generally, the seasonal fruits are always significantly cheaper then what you'd find at safeway.
The place is a fire hazard though ... very very packed with stuff ... which is okay by me, I can run faster than most and am very nimble if the crowd turns into a stampede. Home is right over the hills anyway.
Good selection of seafood and meat. I sometimes get my sashimi grade fish here ... not bad when you're craving a slab of ahi to wash down the wasabi. But they don't really seem to use those "take a number" machines .... so don't let those aggressive shoppers cut you off. I generally toss my hair a lot and smile at the guy behind the counter to be sure I don't get skipped over. Hey, use what yo mamma gave you.
Finally ... this is an Asian market yo ... what's with all those people who come here for milk and cheese?! Yup, that's me pointing and laughing at you.
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After we lived in Asia but before we moved to the Bay Area we lived in Southern California. Singaporean, Malaysian, and Indonesian food have a lot of ingredients in common but when you live in a place with very few immigrants from those countries it gets tricky. We would find ourselves in the odd situation where we had everything we needed for a simple recipe but one ingredient. The only prawn (shrimp) paste we could find was from Vietnam and not only was it the wrong colour it tasted completely different and mutated our dishes. These types of disappointments happened quite often for us at 99 Ranch in Southern California which seemed to cater to Mainlanders, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and Philippinos.
99 Ranch is Richmond is a different story. In South-East Asia when people find out you are American, they almost always tell you they have a cousin/uncle/aunt living in or near San Francisco. They must not have been lying, because we can find the right prawn sauce. We can find everything we need AND the fish section does not smell bad, it's brilliant.
I don't go here often. It gets wayyyy too crowded for me. That's why I left NYC. The parking is like that KIA commercial. You got to race to the spot before somebody takes it from you when the music stops. I totally avoid 99R on the weekends unless I get there at 9AM.
But it is for all it's purpose a one stop shopping place for the average chinese person. One can dine and shop all in one place. I think the whole mall was more active before...umm when Goldie Locks was still there. Now for the most part on the weekdays the restaurants don't seem to be doing so well. Especially that new place "Tofu" in the mall.
Okay the main reason I like 99R is because they sell taro leaves! I love that stuff with coconut milk or in laulaus!! I'm a bit leery about frozen seafood that comes from China these days. So I try to avoid that and buy fresh, which they have alot of!
Besides when I come back from that place I've got way too many bags of frozen dumplings/potstickers/dim sum to put in the freezer!
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Why pay around $3 for a cup of Thai Milk Tea each time, when you can buy a pack and make many for yourself for the same price of one or two?
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sure, 99 here has a lot of my essentials. i avoid these place unless it is early. there is just not enough parking.
This place is hella cheap and has a pretty good seafood market. I love being lazy and just having them deep fry me a fish that was swimming about 2 minutes before I ordered him up. The only drawback is the crowds on the weekends make finding a shopping cart a challenge. But hey, it's popular for a reason.
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The one thing that comes to mind when I go here is forget about manners, words like "excuse me" don't waste your breath, because everyone else has, I go in there with the attitude "get the hell out of my way assholes!" it's that kinda place. Sort of like the Verve video where the singer just keeps walking and bumps into people on the street. Everything you can possibly want that is Asian, this place has it.
One other caveat there will be signs that says "Siracha Chilli Sauce $1.29" and I think "whoah great price" yeah if you have the special card other wise it's $3.99 or whatever. Then they expect you to fill out this long ass application for the card then you go " the hell with it I just want out I don't have the time besides i only go to this place two times a year" until the next time you go and you see a bargain and then you go "crap I don't have the freaking card". On the neg: rude crowds, too crowded, the savings card, positives: good selection, good deli, good produce.
Oh and they sell those great gummy candies from Japan that I love, i buy the muskat gummies with the cool verbage that says something like " ooh the sea breezes that envelope your poetic grapes that bring you soul to your delicious fruit".
5 stars because it is a 99 Ranch.
Too bad this is not near where I live. They need to start expanding more. I am use to seeing a 99 Ranch in every dense Asian city in SoCal. I am use to their store and know what they carry.
Fine, the real reason for 5 stars is that they carry sliced lamb. I cannot seem to find a supermarket around here that has sliced lamb.
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