Note: I will try not to include dry goods that appear in regular supermarkets. As far as produce goes, sometimes it's useful to know you can pick up some ginger or some limes at the same place as your curry paste so I'll occasionally include that stuff. If you'd like to submit a grocery to be added to the list email me at grocersubmissions@gmail.com with any information you have (pics, address, notable goods, any personal experiences at the store) and I'll add it.
Colombia Pike
Grocery Store of Bangkok
CLOSED DUE TO A FIRE - This is a small market attached to the really quite decent Bangkok 54 restaurant on Colombia Pike in Arlington. They carry a variety of Asian goods but are mainly focused on Thai cuisine.
Notable Dry Goods: :Large selection of shrimp paste, large excellent selection of thai curry paste(no preservatives, just chilis and spices) both canned and jarred, pickled mustard leaves, canned jackfruit, Sichuan peppercorns (labeled as prickly ash), star anise, dried galangal, dried chili peppers, variety of sweet/light/dark soy sauce, black vinegar, shan xai wine (only one type, look on the bottom row near the frozen goods), korean chili powder appropriate for kim chi, decent selection of rice, large selection of high fat coconut milk at a reasonable price, hot chili oil with sediment.
Notable Produce: Kaffir lime leaves fresh and frozen, fresh lemongrass, enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage, daikon radish, thai basil, cilantro, mint(has a very strange aftertaste - I don't buy mint from here anymore), ginger, king trumpet mushrooms(occasionally) lemons, limes, shallots. They have a fairly small produce selection but if they are out of something on the shelf they will almost always have more in the back so just ask someone for help. I noticed they didn't have any cilantro one time and mentioned it at the cashier and she had someone go into the back and get some for me.
Notable Chilled and Frozen Goods: Large variety of fish and shrimp, kim-chi, locusts, noodles.
Note: There is a small cafe attached to the market, separate from the restaurant that serves a variety of pre-cooked dishes - mostly meats, fish and desserts - not a whole lot of vegetarian options. The Grocery Store of Bangkok doesn't carry many staples of other asian cuisines other than Thai. Look elsewhere for things like seaweed or Japanese, Chinese and Korean spices.
Asni Supermarket
This is a small Ethiopian market which carries the basics of Ethiopian cuisine including a selection of gluten-free and glutinous injera bread imported directly from Ethiopia on a weekly basis. Some of the employees don't speak English well, but if possible try and find out which batch of injera is freshest when you buy. The owner is very friendly. I've never tried their coffee but I don't think they're really set up to do a serious Ethiopian coffee service.
Notable Dry Goods: Berbera spice blend, good selection of injera, red and brown lentils, whole fenugreek, whole ajuan seed, other spices.
Attila Turkish Market
So "Attila" whoever that may be owns a restaurant, a cafe and a little market off to the side of the cafe that carries a small selection of Turkish and Greek foods. If you're hungry try the Falafel with Hummus at the cafe the hummus they put on it is incredible and they also sell the hummus by itself if you want to take some home.
Notable Dry Goods: Turkish delight, fruit preserves, flour for baklava dough, isot pepper, caraway, citric acid, grape leaves, preserved eggplant, bulghur, tahini, selection of Turkish cookies and sweets.
Notable Chilled Goods: three types of olives in barrels, halloumi, feta, edam, lor and kaskavel cheese, halal beef soujok, bastirma, and mortadella.
Dama Ethiopian Market
This place is pretty cool. It's another market combined with a restaurant and bakery. The market emphasizes grains over spices, but all of the labels are in Amharic so you might recognize some stuff but you also might have to ask for help. Dama is the largest gathering spot for Ethiopian natives in the area (as far as I know) and parking can be very rough. The parking lot has an entrance and an exit and if you enter through the exit you won't be able to park because all the spots will be slanted away from you. If you are looking to have a real Ethiopian coffee service in the area I suspect Dama does a pretty good job - I'm looking forward to trying it.
Notable Dry Goods: gesho seeds, minugsa, a lot of injera, harrar coffee, wush wush tea, durum lasagna(?), kare baltena and a bunch of other grains I didn't recognize
North Arlington
Glebe Market
Another of the many Central American markets in Northern Virginia, Glebe Market has a higher emphasis on fresh produce and a smaller selection of dried chili peppers than other stores.
Notable Produce: Papaya, mango, yucca, pomegranate, tomatillo, aloe stalks, cubano peppers, daikon radish, watercress(!!)
Notable Dry Goods: dried peaches, ground linseed, purple corn flour, selection of maiz, canned sugarcane, roasted barley, chili: panka, "yellow", "red", arbol, japones. Variety of ethnic jarred goods such as byrsonima, cactus, pumpkin flower and date palms. Decent selection of spices including eucalyptus leaves, arnica flower, chinchona bark and whole nutmeg.
European Foods
Kind of a strange name for a place with this much South American foodstuff but hey, why not? This is a great place to buy olive oil. Carries a variety of Brazilian, Argentine, Portuguese, and Spanish meats, frozen and dried goods.
Notable Dry Goods: Olives, Spanish and Portuguese baked snacks and toast, Yoki brand flours, roasted cassava flour, sardines and other canned fish, quince jam, dolce de leite, doce de coco, dulce de leche, doce de pera, doce de maca, banana paste, guava paste, dried cod, large selection of Portuguese olive oil
Notable Frozen Goods: mackerel, Italian pasta and more
Notable Fresh Meat: Fresh Argentine sausage(!!) and more
Seven Corners/Falls Church
Great Wall Supermarket
This place is incredible. It's the only American style "Supermarket" like Safeway or Giant that I've been to that exclusively sells Asian food. Compared to most other ethnic markets in the area it's HUGE and has a bewildering selection of Asian ingredients mainly focused on Chinese cuisine. The first time I went there I spent nearly two hours looking everything. I couldn't help noticing I was the only white guy at the store and I'm pretty sure a few people snickered at the grungy white dude walking around with his eyes glazed over. The Great Wall Supermarket is an overwhelming experience and I can't possibly list every notable thing they carry but I'll try and write down the things that I remember and will update this list on return visits.
Notable Dry Goods: Large selection of dried mushrooms including black and woodear, large selection of chili paste including broadbean, large selection of canned pickled and spiced tofu, Sichuan peppercorn (labeled as prickly ash), large selection of dried seaweed including kombu and nori, large selection of soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chinese cooking wine, black vinegar, palm sugar, rock candy, black sugar, large selection of tea, dried shrimp, shrimp paste, dried oysters, chopped pickled mustard greens and much more.
Notable Produce: FRESH SEAWEED, dragonfruit, Chinese chives and chive blossoms, king trumpet mushrooms, lychee, decent selection of other fresh mushrooms, fresh lemongrass, fresh chilies, fresh sugarcane(massive stalks of the stuff), bitter melon, long beans, fuzzy melon, green papaya, yellow papaya, and much more.
Notable Seafood: Large variety of whole fresh fish, fresh octopus, fresh shrimp, fresh squid
Notable Frozen Goods: Banana leaf, dried shrimp, dried oysters, frozen chopped lemongrass, pork blood(also fresh)
Del Ray/Chirilagua
The is the local Central American grocery for the Spanish-speaking neighborhood Chirilagua on Mt. Vernon Ave. This medium/large sized Foodway carries a lot of Central American ingredients with a sprinkling of Asian produce. The prices here are dirt cheap but don't buy any of their onions they tend to go bad within a week or two in my experience.
Notable Dry Goods: PEPPERS! Ancho, Pasano, Puya, Morita, Mulato, Arbol, Guajillo, and more. This is a good place to buy spices because of their large quantity of cheap whole and ground spices including cat's paw, avocado leaves, ground and whole dried shrimp, whole chamomile, chamomile flowers, whole coriander and much more. They also carry pickled Central American goods and a selection of cheap Mexican hot sauces.
Notable Produce: Serrano and poblano peppers, hot finger peppers, aloe vera stalks, shitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, spring onions(79 cents), yuca, avocados year round, large selection of fresh cheese and Mexican style cream, fresh white corn tortillas
Note: This store is in a semi rough neighborhood. Crime in the area has actually improved a lot over the years and there is a high police presence but it's just something to be aware of. I don't recommend shopping here after dark.
