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Categories: Grocery, Convenience Stores [Edit]
Neighborhood: ChinatownCanal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Grand St (B, D)
Chambers-Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall (4, 5, 6, J, M, Z)
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Not the cheapest store but the most convenient for 1 stop shopping.
Top floor sells everything from cooked chicken and pork, canned goods, dried goods, condiments and candy,
Bottom floor has dishes, spoons, teapots, chopsticks, etc.
I usually make a special stop here to pick up curry mix (ready to use canned or powdered) from Thailand.
Cheers!
N.
I am a fan of this place, my roommate brought me here for the first time my sophomore year of college when we were living at NYU's dorm downtown. Good times...
You will literally find everything and anything you possibly need (or think you need). Great prices, great variety. This really is one of those places you have to experience at least once. Amazing the things you can find in New York!
I bought a bag full of different types of ramen, fancy ones, regular ones, ones that come in a bowl, ones that come with 4 different spice packets... For someone on a budget this really is a great place.
Just beware, I was charged twice last time I was here!!!
This place has one of the largest selection of Asian groceries and housewares available in Chinatown. Many moons ago I was on the hunt for some strawberry Koala bear cookies - by the large box to send to a crush. I was like a demon looking for them at nearly all the grocery stores I can find in Chinatown - and I know a lot. At the end of the day I wound up with 3 boxes of these cookies from different stores with different prices and Kam Man was the priciest at $5 and another at $3.75.
Bottom line about this joint is that their prices lean toward the high end, however if there's a specific product that is only available at this store, go for it. You can't beat the convenient location since it's in the heart of Chinatown, but your best bet is to shop around.
Everything asian: condiments, protein, frozen edamame, candy and teas. All kinds of noodles, fresh and dried. Every kind of dumpling you might desire (all frozen). Short rice, long rice, black rice, red rice, and rainbow rices. Downstairs you will find ramen noodles wtih exotic ingredients, bowls, soup spoons, tea pots and some incense. Cheap and a fun place to roam. The lines move lightening fast.
I have an emotional attachment to places that my grandma used to bring me to, and Kam Man was one of them. She would bring me here as a youngin' and teach me about good prices, compare to other stores, show me what ingredients were good for particular dishes (and of course, which Oyster sauce was the best for what task).
Now through the wisdom of being an adult with only a tinge of rose colored glasses I can still say that this is one of the best places to go in Chinatown for a "one stop shop" of Chinese goods. Kam Man is broken up into two floors, with the top dedicated to food and the bottom having cookware, dishes, cups, chopsticks and other gadgets. I tend to come here to find a wide range of sauces and canned ingredients including curry and bamboo. The dishes are really nice too, and range from the plain (but nice) to the fancy and ornate.
Off to the side of the store is a small section to purchase ready made foods including soy sauce chicken, duck, roast pork and more. They also have preserved meats and pickled vegetables as well. While there are places with tastier meat, it's still very good considering a lot of times these types of meats can wind up tasting like cardboard in a grocery store.
Kam Man recently renovated their check out area, so now everything is scanned like a modern supermarket. This allows you to keep an eye on what you're getting and make sure it's scanning correctly. It also has the added benefit of allowing you to use cards for your purchase, something most grocery stores in Chinatown do not feature.
For locals and tourists alike, Kam Man is one of the places in Chinatown you should visit at least once.
I mean, it's a Chinese grocery store. And it happens to be *the* Chinese grocery store in Manhattan Chinatown.
No, it's not going to be the cleanest, and no, it's not Whole Foods. Nothing here is going to be organic, you're not going to have people in matching aprons offering to help you find things, and if they're out of what you want, no one's going to go in the back to check (unless you ask nicely in Chinese, and even then, it's only a 5% chance). But that's not the point.
You come here for the variety and selection when you're too lazy to haul out to Flushing. The prices aren't going to be the best for everything, and don't even think about looking for produce (but that's what there're fruit/veggie stands on the street).
You'll see a variety of both tourists and Chinese people here alike, so you know there's something for everyone. Myself, I come here regularly for the fresh soy milk (Chinese style--with lots of sugar) in the left-most fridge.
Plus, they have fancy cash registers with computer monitors that clearly show what you're purchasing and the prices, so it's less likely that you'll be ripped off because you can see your total and the change you're due. Yay technology.
Tip: There's a decent "siu yeh" counter--where you can buy roast ducks, BBQ pork (char sieu), soy sauce chicken, etc., and they have a lunch special (meat over rice) as well.
This place is located in the hustle-bustle of Chinatown on miserable Canal Street. The entrance is deceiving small but the grocery store itself is pretty sizable - it's got 2 floors. The main floor has all the good stuff - rice, sauces, tofu, Yan-Yan (yumm). The basement floor is kinda great too - it's got the dried noodles and also a huge variety of bowls, plates, chopsticks, etc. I was looking for a shabu-shabu pot once and found a great electric one for 50 bucks!
I'm still on the hunt to find some things that I used to get in the bay area but this is a really great staple. Wish that had veggies and fruits but you can get that off the street from the vendors so no real complaints..
Of the supermarket-type stores in Chinatown, this one seems to be the least pungent. That's important if you're really going to take your time to peruse the shelves. They also have Wing Wah cakes in the fridges, which made me very excited, but oh wow are they much more expensive than in China. If I can find my precious egg cookies the next time I'm here they will get five star status just because.
Stop hating. They have everything here.
Want 3-in-1 tea w/ milk packets? check
Want preserved window meat? check
Want pre-packaged ready to eat food? check
Want a wok? check
Want Sriracha? check
Want Ferrero Rocher? check
Want a clever? check
Want Pocky? check
Want boxed drinks? check
Want frozen dumplings? check
Want the kitchen sink too? See Home Depot you lazy bastard
Kam Man - is like an abusive relationship. I know it's no good, but I can't help but go back. Kam Man - always take advantage of me because he knows he can. He knows I have nowhere else to go.
They have a wider selection of tea, and I like their household ware on the bottom floor - no other store that I've seen offers that variety. I know some of you would say why not go to Ten Ren - well all of Ten Ren's tea is from Taiwan, you don't get a variety of source).
Their management seems really mean, and their policy unfriendly. Absolutely no returns what so ever - only store credit, and certainly they don't give you store credit without receipt. There's always a cherub face man - that stands in the front side - by all the herbs. All he does is have his arms cross and watch. Apparently he's the manager or perhaps one of the owners? I don't know but when I such hands off manager that just tells people what to do - it's always a turn off.
If am looking for common things that American enjoy - that is associated with being Chinese but is not - such as Japanese style rice crackers, sushi making ingredients, and edamame - it's available here - where as many Chinese stores really don't carry that many Japanese products. That is preciously the reason I go back - when I am in need of a variety of products that are not necessarily Chinese. I know for sure they carry it. Although I know there are a few other stores that would - but that means I got to go walk around and do guess and checks.
They get to make the calls due to their central location and also friendliness to non-Chinese customers. They offer traditional things without the tight aisle/shady look of a Chinese store. They also stock items that non-Chinese customers would like such as a variety of snacks and candies, tea, and dishware.
Really - when I get groceries for my family - I go to Po Wing Hong. When I get some groceries for myself - usually I like to go to one of the supermarket - like HK supermarket. But I still can't stay away from Kam Man.
Who is this man they call the New Kam Man? Hmmm? It's a store about every thing. From $1.00 chopsticks to $1,380.00 a lb Japanese dried abalone. It does seem they're down sizing in the food department some what. I remember seeing a much varied selection of Asian and American products not so long ago. Their kitchen department is always top notch. They have everything from cheap soup bowls to $17.00 sets of sake cups. The inventory is just to vast to describe. I will say you might want to avoid buying major Asian kitchen utensils. I'd go over to Hung Chong's on 14 Bowery instead where the quality and variety is a tad better.
All in all if you're looking to get canned and frozen goods, utensils and dishware along with roast duc at the same time then Kam Man is the man.
The five stars is for the price, selection and simply fantastic ability to try anything you might want for next to nothing. I've bought fantastic serving plates for less than $10 and I've bought $1.55 bags of fresh noodles (go straight to the very back of the store, where there are fridges- not freezers- get a bag of the Shanghai noodles, either papardelle witdth or udon style).
In the freezer section, they have huge bags of house made dumplings for $11 to $15 dollars (which can feed you for a good half a week if that's all you eat). They have fresh cooked food (everything from intestine to duck to tripe and chicken feet).
My favorite thing about Kam Man is that I always come across something new. And the prices are such that I always say "Well, I've got to try it for that price". Whether it's a different type of ramen noodle or a dried type of meat, it's like stepping into Alice in Wonderland for adults. You never know what might appear next but it's just familiar enough that you're not scared of it, yet unfamiliar enough that you think it's rather strange.
But then again, what's the point of life if not living? :)
My dad used to work here and every time I visited Chinatown, I would stop by at this supermarket. The entrance way is extremely small but the store itself is enormous. You can almost find almost anything here regarding asian food/supplies. They also have a poultry/meat area where everyone crowds around to order so you are going to have to wait for a long while before you get your chicken or peking duck. They also have a herb area which is fairly decent but I haven't seen anyone buy from as of yet. This place is fairly friendly and okay. Not a terrible supermarket at all!
KMF is one heck of a shopping experience. You have to brace yourself for it; the place can be a madhouse. I keep going back, though, because it's a really good store.
Roast duck, chicken and char siu are chopped up in the front of the store and sold by the pound. The rest of the ground level is a pretty serious Chinese grocery. The large selection of dried seafood products gives the place a very specific aroma that some might not find pleasant. Doesn't bother me. The basement is full of very fairly priced dishes, cookware and tea.
You can end up buying lots of good stuff here for cheap. The only downside is that you'll have to carry your purchases out on to the most crowded part of Canal Street when you leave.
For those of you who aren't accustomed to shopping in Chinese/Asian markets, this might be a bit much for you as a majority of the patrons are Chinese, the aisles are extremely narrow, and there is a funny smell (fishy with a hint of tealeaves). Plus not knowing what to buy can be a problem, but then again this place is all about discovering the items that you can't find anywhere else (and there are a lot!)
Aside from that, this place is a haven for deals galore. Groceries, dinnerware, etc can all be found here for prices that make western supermarkets look ridiculous. Its all things Asian, most things Chinese, and just enough English to help the non-savy customer find his/her way. Be sure to bring cash when you come here because their credit card machine breaks down often.
A great place for tourists, this store carries everything from fresh to frozen food products as well as medicinal herbs and Asian ceramics and cookware downstairs.
This place is more of a one stop shop if you are a novice or pressed for time...otherwise there are many other places to get what you need if you are on a budget.
I've noticed that the prices have been steadily climbing over the years.
Kam Man is snack central! Also sauce and everything else Chinese central. Just be sure to check the expiry dates on everything because most of them are about 1/2 a year from going bad. Most of the goods are dried packaged goods though, so if you're not a stickler for the freshest goods, it probably wouldn't matter as much.
They carry our favorite brand of Tang Yuan (sesame seed filled dough balls that have to be boiled - a delicious dessert). We've walked to several grocery stores in the area and tried many brands, but Laurel's is THE BEST. The store is stocked full in anticipation for Chinese New Year right now, so go in and get whatever you need. The Tang Yuans are not always in stock.
I bought 5 packets the last time I was there. Mmm.
Fresh fruit and vegetables this is not - but you can get a great selection of canned and bottled goods.
Just be careful of the roasted meat to the side - I recommend warming it up again before you eat it (like most of the meat in Chinatown in the windows, just be careful if you don't have a strong stomach!).
The basement isn't available to those that cannot take the stairs.
Good for those strange little pre-packaged slimy edamame things. I have no idea what the slime is - it's not oil, it's just something coagulated but it tastes good. Cooked bamboo shoots too. Salted anchovies. Good for dinner parties, white people love having those as side dishes. For your daily needs, they have cheap bubble tea, soy
milk boxes, and soy milk. Their wasabi peas and your posher chinese candy products are over-priced - the candy near the register is a better deal.
If you can handle it, go to Dynasty Supermarket instead. It's bigger and ridiculously cheap. But they have these large fish in fishtanks near the doorway. If they could nuke that region it would be perfect.
But Kam-Man is a better location. You can pick up your fruit and veggies from the fruit carts on the way, and Tai-pan bakery is close by. And don't take the rudeness personally - they do that to everyone. It's gotten better over the years. One Cantonese friend I had said she started crying because of the cold reception at Kam-man. Her own peeps!
Great grocery place--and there's Asian products that don't include MSG! That alone is impressive.
Prices are great, too. 18 shumai $2.50, 12 mochi $2.50, huge thing of organic soysauce (HUGE) $5, organic soymilk $1.50, and then there's all the dishware and kitchen products downstairs.
I just don't recommend buying a knife there-- none of them are very sharp and the handles are weak. I've made several unsuccessful attempts trying to get a knife there.
Believe it or not this is actually one of the original Asian supermarkets in manhattan chinatown. Before Dynasty, before hong kong supermarket, there was Kam Man(Golden Door)
Downstairs contains mass pots, utensils, wares, and such. They also have a poultry place - and it's pretty good. Many locals get their poultry here. You will also find your typical asian products like pocky, snacks, noodles, etc.
Located on a crazy busy street, good luck manevering through human traffic. Also Kam Man's double doors are really annoying with in and out traffic.
Perhaps this is a good convenient place to get food and a resting stop for tourists. But be wary of the prices especially with ones behind the medicine counter. I went to buy this insect bite ointment, MOPIKO, and asked for a cream to relief bruises but they didn't have it and gave me this oil that turns out to be a common chinese herbal oil. Well, Kam Man charged me $6.95 for each MOPIKO (prices weren't marked on the boxes) which when I checked the price at a herbal store around the corner it was marked only for $5.25 each and they recommend a generic one from China for only $1.00.
this place has a great selection of dried/packaged etc asian foods, in the back corner upstairs they have pre-frozen dumplings that are pretty darn tasty, but the thing that is the best about here is the downstairs area where they have myriad dishwares and cookwares as well as adorable chopstick rests shaped like kittens and bulk flower tea.
Ceramics, dry food, japanese snacks, preserved foods, imported chinese produce, whatever you need to find (even if you can barely read chinese labels...) or when your mom sends you out to buy that missing condiment she needs, you can find it all here :) Rice cooker, water boiler/filter, chef knives, pockies...one reason why I still live in chinatown :)
My family has been going to the Kam Man grocery chain ever since I was a kid (back in the days that it was still on Mott St). This branch on Canal has a fairly good selection, although not as a good as the one in Flushing. After the recent renovation, the store does look better (cleaner, more Americanized with actual functioning cash registers, etc). But of course the prices also went up. It's good for stocking up on the basics and you know what you're getting won't be covered in grim & dust, unlike other stores in C-town.
POCKY POCKY POCKyyyyyyYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I discovered Kam Man thanks to Nina C. From the outside, you'd think it's just another Chinatown grocery store: the first floor sells your usual Asian grocery items, with a lot of snacks, candy and dry packaged goods: nothing too exceptional. The basement, however, is quite different and filled with household items such as china, earthenware, tea sets, sake sets etc from both China and Japan. You'll find stuff at all prices, from the cheap and crappy to the expensive and nice, and I'll know where to go when I need a new teapot or a new collection of chopsticks. They also sell tea in bulk (fairly wide selection, from the very cheap to the very expensive), and other Asian decoration items. Great place to pick up a gift for a friend.
Kam Man has every type of noodles imagined to make your next chinese meal. This place is a one stop shop for those who make Chinese meals on a regular basis. It looses one star because it's always crowded. Otherwise it's a great place to shop.
Canal Street is the Times Square of Chinatown -- crowded as heck, which is why when I'm arriving via subway I get out of there as quickly as I can! But the key real estate is also why conveniently located (near the trains) Kam Man can charge higher prices to its many non-Chinese patrons. I haven't been here to shop for groceries in foreeeever, but I needed some crunchy snacks and didn't have much time, so Kam Man it was. I'd forgotten how spacious its aisles are compared to other C-town grocery stores!! I didn't have time to survey the rest of the store, but snacky-snacks I found -- picked up the Indonesian shrimp chips that I was jonesing for. What blew me away was the selection of Frito-Lay, made-in-Japan Peking Duck chips, pizza chips, and what we could only best identify as sausage chips (there was a plate of sausage and glass of beer on the bag)! I'm pretty adventurous with my snacking, so next time I'm around I'll try something more off the beaten path. Kam Man, who knew you had such an adventurous palate?
I rarely venture onto Canal Street when I'm in Chinatown. It's too crowded - too many tourists who don't know how to move to the side, walk too slow, and all the pet peeves of why New Yorkers hate tourists. BUT when I need Asian cookware/dishes, sauce, or a good bottle of Eucalyptus oil to deal w/ the aches and pains - I go to Kam Man. Nothing like one stop shopping. When I'm done I go back to the more manageable Elizabeth St. for a bowl of Pho at Nha Trang.
Two level Asian supermarket complete with roasted meats counter, porcelain bowls and stuff, small appliances and of course, groceries. Frozen buns and dumplings, dried and preserved seafood, snacks and candies, seeds and canned goods. You want it, it's probably sold here!
In the Borgesian world of Kam Man Foods you will find bags of 'Vegetarian Meat' and various packagings of pure monosodium glutamate (how refreshingly matter-of-fact) -- but nary a leaf of produce. And you would hardly guess, when surveying tried & true boxes of Vitasoy, that a mere 180-degree turn will set your eyes upon a 10-lb. pack of frozen (yet startlingly pink) crawfish. There is indeed something oddly CRYOGENIC about this place -- the preserved-fruit snacks, the 100-year-old eggs, the canned condiments, the dried noodles -- and I'd hesitate to recommend items with shorter shelf-lives. But there are plenty of veggie/fruit/meat/fish vendors hardly a block away -- so come here instead to sample, or simply marvel at, the miraculous diversity and longevity of the edible.
Loved the lower level housewares! Excellent prices on dishes, chopsticks, etc. Not as pretty as Pearl River Mart, but cheaper (in some cases for the same stuff) and what fun to wander around!
Since it is right smack at Canal Street, for convenience I get some of my Chinese groceries here, they have a wide selection of almost everything. I saw they had recently extended the back of the store to make it more spacious. Please make sure to check the expiry dates on the products, once I saw mold on the hard tofu, that irked me and I stopped getting their fresh products.
Kam Man has everything you need for Asian cooking, spices, oil, and best of all - a great selection of everything bun-like you could want: red bean buns, shrimp buns, vegetable buns - each package selling at an average of 2 dollars! If you're on a China Town jaunt, and have picked up all your fish and vegetables, be sure to stop in Kam Man for the other ingredients. Couldn't understand everything I saw, but it sure looked interesting! I will return for more bun and Tofu products, as well as essential oils and curry.
They really do have everything here! Wide selection. Can't wait to try the dim sum I got from their freezer section.
Best Asian market in the area...I've been to quite a few and this one has the largest selections. They have everything relating to Asian food here, sauces, noodles, teas, candy, dried food, ducks hanging in the window, etc...This is a great place to get your soy sauce and other Chinese condiments that seem to be really expensive at general grocery stores. My favorite part about this place is the huge selection of loose jasmine tea...I think there are 8 different kinds!! You can even buy rose tea (its real rose buds!!). There's also a hugeeee selection of dishware, trinkets, and kitchen supplies. I don't know why, but I'm sooo attracted to Asian dishware, especially those blue and white bowls, I love them. Your out-of-town guests wanting a real Chinatown experience? This is a great place to visit, lots of great shopping because there are tons of unique gifts, dragon statues, chinese slippers, fancy chopsticks, they'll love the experience.
this is my favorite place to get groceries for making any sort of asian food...its a great place to shop for asian dishware and a bit cheaper than pearl river...you can also find a wide selection of tea here as well at a great price!! if youre a vegetarian, they have an awesome selection of "beef" jerky and you guessed it! at a great price as well!! the last time i was here i was lucky enough to have stumbled upon a ten dollar stainless steel pepper mill!! whats great about this place, is that you will always find really good deals here and everytime you come back, i can almost guarantee you will always find something you will want to buy!!
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