While we are surrounded by several different supermarkets in the area, they all pretty much offer the same thing as far as grocery items go. However, Jersey City is lucky enough to have 99 Ranch Market, a unique, Asian supermarket with a huge selection of groceries. 99 Ranch Market is located at the Old Colony Square shopping center at 420 Grand Street a few blocks from Van Vorst Park— with aisles of exotic foods for all of your Instagram dreams. Read on for a peek inside and to see what we love about it:
The largest Asian supermarket chain in the United States, 99 Ranch imports product from Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and China. Lucky for us, Jersey City is the second east coast location to house the Asian specialty giant, opening the doors of possibility to Jersey girls everywhere looking to expand their palate, or impress friends with that Dim Sum recipe you saved.
Upon entering the store, it looks like your average supermarket — until you make a left for the produce aisle which houses an impressive amount of produce {plus many unique options, too}. From aloe leaves to daikon, lotus roots, and jackfruit, the store offers fruits and veggies normally found on the other side of the planet. No judgment if you get low-key got emotional when you find the dragonfruit, as it’s not always the easiest fruit to find {and makes you feel like you’re on a tropical island}.
The seafood section is no less exciting — selling conch, oysters, Dungeness crab, catfish and white eels. Yes – white eels. Seafood is an important aspect of Asian cuisine, and this department certainly delivers on that. While prices were extremely cheap across the board, most of the fish seemed fresh nevertheless with many varieties actually alive in the tanks.
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Next, there’s an aisle almost entirely dedicated to rice, which they sell in 50-pound bags {and at $25 per bag, it’s extremely affordable as it will last a while} arranged in stacks almost five feet high. In the event of an apocalypse, you should probably ride it out here.
There are also at least four different sections dedicated to noodles with options ranging from frozen, refrigerated to dry-packaging. It would be a good idea to do some noodle research before coming in to make sure you know what you’re looking for. The options are endless, f’realz.
The dry goods aisles are dedicated predominantly to Asian products. Where one might usually be looking for red wine vinegar or olive oil, you will find oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil. They even have aisles dedicated to curry, wasabi, dried mushrooms and sushi rolling papers!
Perhaps one of the most colorful sections is the candy aisle, which is jammed packed with candies, cookies, and chocolates from various Asian countries. As most of the packaging is written in different languages, you might have a hard time deciphering exactly what everything is. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying a few of these goodies.
After wandering the store for about an hour, you will probably be hungry. Fear not — because 99 Ranch also has a variety of in-store restaurants serving ramen, mouth-watering Dim Sum and Hong Kong style BBQ. They also have an artisan bakery and gourmet deli onsite.
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Overall, the market is clean and well organized. The prices are extremely competitive, and even if you have trouble deciphering what the products are, there are many representatives around the store – as well as a dedicated concierge desk at the front – to help any shopper open to trying something new. Important to note, nothing here seemed to be organic or advertised as “natural.” If that’s important to you, you should only stop here for specialty items.
Have you ever been to 99 Ranch Market? Share your experience with us below!
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