Best Asian Markets in Worcester?

There is a new Soy de Worcester in this week’s edition of Worcester Magazine! Soy de Worcester is WoMag’s monthly column about local veg dining and culture. The current article is a look at our city’s Asian markets: A Taste of Asia. It has four recommendations, each with a short description.

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Here’s the list:

Binh An
Binh An on Green Street always keeps its East Asian produce well-stocked. It’s a good place to pick up some bamboo shoots, bok choy and various kinds of cabbages. Also, you’re probably not going to find a cheaper source of tofu anywhere in Worcester. For only a dollar you can get two or three blocks of fresh tofu made locally in Cambridge.

Family 88
Family 88 on Main Street has the standard offerings of an Asian grocery, but it is also the best place in town to pick up exotic fruits like durian or star-fruit. But be careful of the durian! Many people love it in smoothies, but its claim to fame is that it smells like dirty socks (we warned you). Fresh durian smells so bad that it is banned on public transportation in Thailand and other South Asian countries.

India Foods & Gifts
Located on Route 9 in Shrewsbury, this is an outstanding source of curry mixes, Indian seasonings, bulk spices and those TV-dinner style curry meals that only cost a couple bucks. If you’re there on the right day, you can even get homemade vegetable samosas for only 75 cents each. (Photos)

Mekong Market
If you’re not satisfied with veg chicken, mock beef, or any of the other standard vegetarian meats, stop in at Mekong Market on Main Street. Where else can you find vegetarian crawfish with little soy eyeballs looking right back up at you? There’s mock duck in a can for a dollar and you can often find vegetarian shrimp on the shelf.

You can read the entire article online, but WoMag always looks better in print. So try to pick up a copy somewhere around town.

What do you think? What are your fav Asian markets around town?

July 25, 2009  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Grocery Stores, Misc

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