Seeking ethnic grocer

January 14, 2010 7:43 PM

DC/MD filter: I'm driving from Bethesda to College Park tomorrow and would love to stop at any good ethnic food stores along the way. Suggestions?

I'm driving a friend to IKEA at College Park tomorrow and while I'm all the way over there, I'd love to stop at a good ethnic grocery store. It can be Latino, Asian, African, etc. I'm not looking for any specific ingredient, just more variety than the local safeway or giant. It doesn't have to be as nice or as pricey at Whole Foods (ghetto doesn't bother me). Bonus points for cheap/affordable prices! Thanks :D

posted by Neekee to Shopping (10 answers total)

Slightly out of your way, in Wheaton, is an H Mart. I'm not sure if I've been to this particular HMart, but this chain of Korean supermarkets tends to have great produce and a good selection of Korean foods.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:29 PM on January 14, 2010

Best World Market and Patel Brothers are both on University Blvd in Langley Park. Best World Market used to have a giant banner that read WE HAVE GOAT. I haven't been there in a couple years, but they'll probably fit the bill. There's lots of ethnic groceries in the strip malls between the UMD campus and Takoma Park. Try the International Mall as well.
posted by electroboy at 8:48 PM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

I like the Thai Market on Thayer Avenue in Silver Spring, which is along the way-ish.
posted by drlith at 9:16 PM on January 14, 2010

Drlith beat me to it, but I was going to recommend the thai market as well. It's cheap, but the selection won't beat an H Mart...

I suggest thai market for lunch (really cheap, variable quality from meh to awesome), then the H Mart for supplies.

Also, Rockville has several good Asian stores around where Bob's Noodles 66 is.
posted by ydant at 5:56 AM on January 15, 2010

Seconding Langley Park. Just drive up University Boulevard and pull in at any random store. Really. This area is the sticky stuff on the bottom of the melting pot.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:56 AM on January 15, 2010

The strip malls right around the intersection of University and New Hampshire are chock full of the kinds of stores you want. It's hard to describe where any one would be, but there are a bunch there. Many run toward Latino and Asian, but the Red Apple market on New Hampshire (on the East side, just below University) caters to an African clientele.

I also really like Korean Korner on Viers Mill Road, but that may be north of where you are coming from.
posted by OmieWise at 5:56 AM on January 15, 2010

Basically, if you take 193/University Blvd west from Route 1, you will run into all the ethnic grocery you could possibly need. And pho. Delicious, delicious pho.
posted by electroboy at 6:30 AM on January 15, 2010

If you haven't consulted Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide, you really should.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:35 PM on January 15, 2010

If you've the time, take East/West Highway East out of Bethesda, left on Connecticut, and bear right in Kensington where it peels off toward Wheaton - now you can follow University Blvd the whole way to Route 1 (where you'll turn North). You will pass tons of what you're looking for along the way. There's an Ethiopian market on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton that I like. Agreed re: the intersecion of University and New Hampshire. If I was headed that way, I'd go to Woodland's and have a dosa for lunch!
posted by ersatzkat at 5:45 PM on January 15, 2010

For anyone who checks back over this. The Thai Market in Silver Spring (mentioned above) is wonderful. They have both prepared food and groceries.
posted by vegetableagony at 8:01 AM on January 21, 2010