sandynva Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Just went to this for the first time and liked it a lot. Their produce selection was not as extensive as the Lotte in Chantilly, it's more akin to the produce in a smaller HMart, but what they had was in good condition and some (including the lotus root) looked very fresh. they had fresh durian too (though it was the stinky kind). i think the selection is more exclusively chinese than some of the other asian markets, for example there were very few indian vegetables (no tindora, etc, though they did have a few karela). they had a huge selection of tofu products though-skins, noodles, pressed, baked, mushroom, five spice, spicy, etc. and a lot of different types of fresh noodles including wide hand-shaved shanxi noodles very similar to panda gourmet's hand pulled noodles. (now i just need to figure out how i can replicate those spices!). they had a lot of products like bings that i haven't seen at other markets. they also have some food stalls-including a taiwanese one, a sichuan one, and one with roast ducks and chickens-- a bakery, a ten ren tea, and a deli where you can buy dim sum by the piece. the hotpot we got was tasty, and while my husband said the dim sum was only ok, the scallion-stuffed pancake we got was very good. one fun thing they do is that when you check out, for every $20 you spend you get $1 in 99Ranch money that you can use at the bakery or the deli, so after you do your shopping you essentially get a free treat which is fun. they had a good selection of dry goods as well. the produce was limited enough that this won't supplant our trips to lotte or the larger HMarts, but they had enough unique items that we'll definitely be adding this to the rotation. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 !!!!! I ❤️ Ranch 99, though I've only shopped CA locations, and I'm excited for you guys that they made it to the DC metro area!! I like it especially because of their Chinese/Taiwanese background so, despite being somewhat pan-Asian, they carry all the brands/types of items I grew up eating. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Why is it so far away from me!? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithhemb Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Another 99Ranch fan! There’s one near my parents’ house in CA and I keep a mental list of things I can’t find here to pick up there when I visit. Glad to know there’s one within driving distance now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 On 5/7/2019 at 5:24 AM, smithhemb said: Another 99Ranch fan! There’s one near my parents’ house in CA and I keep a mental list of things I can’t find here to pick up there when I visit. That is what I did when I lived in VA and traveled to CA for work! Flying cross-country with groceries is ridiculous and yet I did it, every time. I got really good at packaging bottles of sauces so they don't break in checked luggage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithhemb Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 A jar of sesame paste lodged in the toebox of each shoe, lol! For once, my wide feet paid off. I resented having to check a bag at all, but was unwilling to risk confiscation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 5 hours ago, smithhemb said: A jar of sesame paste lodged in the toebox of each shoe, lol! For once, my wide feet paid off. I resented having to check a bag at all, but was unwilling to risk confiscation. Ha, excellent use of shoes! My most delicate jars always went in my steel-toed boots. Nothing would break in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithhemb Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Went this weekend (turned out to be very close to the Mini dealership where we were headed anyway). Bright, clean, well-stocked, easy to find things (which is what I’ve always liked about 99Ranch in CA). Our (planned) trip to an Indian market was necessary though (no mustard oil or fresh curry leaves at 99 AFAICT). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentbob Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 I went this weekend as well and agree 100% with the bright, clean, and well-stocked description. Plus they take AMEX -- gold card earns 4x MR points on groceries! For what it's worth, however, my parents (who have significantly more experience than me shopping at the various Asian supermarkets in this area over the past 40 years) claim that their produce is inferior to what you'd find at H-Mart. Just reporting what they said, no idea if they're objectively right. The two onions and green peppers that I bought seemed fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 The food court here is also very good. I have been here many times. The roasted meats are good as well as the dry hot pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 Just opened a branch in Fairfax! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 Does anyone have any recommendations for the food court at the Fairfax location? Northern Virginia Magazine had a short write up about it. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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