Online specialty grocers that ship in the US

May 27, 2021 10:08 AM

I've moved to a small(er) city and don't have as many in-person grocery options as I used to. I need to order some ingredients online. I'm specifically looking for Middle Eastern, West African, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian grocery stuff, but enjoy browsing for cooking ideas/inspiration/snacks so if you have a favorite that doesn't fit those categories I'd still like to hear about it. I'd like to avoid behemoths like Amazon. I already know about H-Mart.

I'm not holding out too much hope for a grocer that ships perishables like produce to my location (I'm in the middle of the Midwest), but if you know of one that might I'll take a look at it.

posted by Kutsuwamushi to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

Despite its name, Supermarket Italy has more than just Italian fare (it's actually my source for this day-glo green French mint syrup that I use for evening mocktails). They also do have some perishable items, like meats and cheese.

As for Middle Eastern - Sahadi's is the big go-to for that here in Brooklyn, and they have an online platform which does indeed ship outside NYC.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:35 AM on May 27, 2021

Oh, and Portugalia Marketplace in Massachusetts is fun to visit, but also ships.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:37 AM on May 27, 2021

Kalustyan's carries a ton of Middle Eastern and SE Asian stuff. They also have a huge variety of general dry goods as well all sorts of food additives, if you've ever felt like experimenting with molecular gastronomy.
posted by yeahlikethat at 10:38 AM on May 27, 2021

Check out Snuk, they have all sorts of specialty ingredients from Asia/Mediterranean/Middle East.
posted by hopeless romantique at 10:48 AM on May 27, 2021

Nijiya (a Japanese grocery chain in the US) has some things available online.
posted by pinochiette at 10:51 AM on May 27, 2021

I'm only familiar with one of their brick and mortar locations in Dearborn MI, but see that Hashem's is currently shipping nationwide. They looks like a good option for a variety of Middle Eastern snacks and ingredients (including their baklava which is delish).
posted by thatquietgirl at 10:58 AM on May 27, 2021

99 Ranch does shelf-stable shipping for pan-asian goods (note: they also have physical stores, and do local-area delivery so make sure you're in the right part of their site).
posted by aramaic at 11:04 AM on May 27, 2021

Came to suggest 99 ranch.
posted by aspersioncast at 12:55 PM on May 27, 2021

Persian Basket is based in Atlanta, with a Southern California branch, shipping Middle Eastern staples from both locations.
posted by Scram at 7:27 PM on May 27, 2021

Eater has a round up of online ethnic grocers. link
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 7:40 PM on May 27, 2021

For Middle Eastern, I stumbled upon NY Shuk last year when I needed Za'atar. They carry an array of spice blends, harrissa, and a few other items.
posted by rakaidan at 8:36 PM on May 27, 2021

Phoenicia Specialty Foods is a store I shopped in for 25 years when I lived in Houston, and thanks to this question, I’ve just discovered they now do shipping (so thank you for that!) The owners are Armenian, so the store mostly specializes in middle eastern and Russian items. They are technically wholesalers, so they have a really extensive selection - there are 512 items just in the cheese and dairy section! And they will apparently ship you an entire cold smoked whitefish, should you so desire. Prices are very reasonable.
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:33 AM on May 28, 2021

dartagnan for bougie meats
smoking goose for more smokey bougie meats
umami mart has some good japanese pantry items and more importantly booze
gochujar for bougier korean pantry
gustiamo for speciality italian
posted by zsh2v1 at 9:38 AM on May 30, 2021