Mom’s House

Mom’s House in Amherst has been a staple in my family’s life for years. And honestly, the name couldn’t be more fitting—because whenever we’re in Amherst (which is often, despite living far away), my Asian mom insists we stop here. My white father? He knows better than to argue. This is Mom’s House, after all... The selection here is incredible—authentic, fresh, and fairly priced. From beautiful bowls, tea strainers, and disposable and reusable chopsticks to a massive variety of spices, herbal ingredients, and exotic candies that don’t even have English translations, every visit is a treasure hunt. You walk in for one thing, and somehow, you leave with bags full of everything you didn’t know you needed. Beyond the great selection, what really makes this place special is the people. The cashier may not always speak perfect English (remember: if someone can't speak English, that means they know an entirely OTHER LANGUAGE), but each individual running this store is one of the hardest-working and most focused people I’ve ever seen. Everyone here works with such humility, patience, and efficiency, ensuring the store runs smoothly while always being accommodating to customers. Their work ethic is inspiring, and it does not go unnoticed. For me, Mom’s House is more than just a grocery store. As someone who is half-Asian, it provides a sense of stability, connection, and familiarity that I cherish. It reminds me of the home I’ve never physically been to but feel in my heart and in my blood. The smells, the products, the atmosphere—it all speaks to something deeper than just shopping for groceries. I’m so grateful this place exists, and I can’t imagine Amherst without it. If you’re looking for authentic Asian ingredients, hardworking and kind people, and a place that carries a true sense of culture and community, Mom’s House is absolutely worth visiting. And if you have an Asian mom? Then you don't have to worry—she's calling you right now to let you know you need to get her something from Mom's House for dinner tonight.

Its a small asian grocery store, but it has all the general items you'd want and need. Every time I walk in, it just feels like home

Nice Chinese grocery for buying fresh vegetables like chives, parsley, ginger, and…

Mom's House, located just outside Amherst Center, is an essential stop for those seeking authentic Asian grocery items in the area. The store offers a wide range of products representing Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese cuisines. Prices are reasonable—slightly higher than what you'd find in Boston, but fair given the convenience and selection available locally. One highlight is the butcher section, where you can find specialty cuts of meat at great prices, perfect for dishes like hot pot or other traditional Asian meals. Accessibility is another plus—being near a bus line makes it easy to visit even if you don't have a car, a thoughtful feature for students or locals in the area. Overall, Mom's House is a great resource for anyone looking to prepare authentic Asian dishes or to find ingredients not commonly stocked elsewhere in the area.

Very clean, good fresh green selection, and lots of options for groceries.

Nice place,have mostly everything for Asian cooking.

I go here every other week to get all the good stuff I can’t find anywhere else!

Overpriced. 3-4x h mart. Very small bit complete.

You can find alot of stuff you need for Asain cooking with a very hefty price & snotty attitude every worker pretty much has. The customers are worse.Over-educated snobs who think they're better than everyone.

It has food and you can some for everywhere and I had a many times they greet you at the door

A quaint little Asian grocerette carrying a nice variety of Asian food and utensils, cooking ware and kitchen paraphernalia. The gentleman there was friendly and courteous.

UMass has a large Chinese contingent, which has reshaped the downtown -- certainly you wouldn't have seen Asian-for-the-Asians restaurants on North Pleasant Street twenty years past, let alone the several that there now are. This grocer (it is NOT a "convenience store") caters to that crowd, and is well stocked for its size, including a good selection of Chinese-style meats and frozen foods. A section has east Asian cook gear, utensils and pottery. There's also a goodly number of non-Chinese east Asian foods, and the amount's good for the area. Look, you morons who compare this place to supermarkets in large metro areas, Amherst is a relatively small town. The *entirety of Western Massachusetts* has half the population as the Capital District. Sheesh. The minuses: the selection of produce is only fair, although there's not a whole lot of scope for Chinese students to cook in their dorms, and there's only so much room to stock the shelves. The BIG minus, however, is that even accounting for inflated prices in college towns, the prices here are eyepoppingly steep, and that IS a valid comparison from the nearby metro areas, where Amherst is just an hour and a half drive from Boston's or Albany's large Asian supermarkets. I am not paying $40 for a shuki or bamboo steamer I can get on Amazon for half the price. Another couple of downchecks is that the lighting is very dim, and that the place doesn't take EPT cards (heck, it's only been in the last couple years they started taking plastic at all).

Mom's house fills the east-Asian-foodstuffs market in the area, and does it pretty well. I see it labelled as a 'convenience store' and I suppose that is true, although they are closer to a small grocery store in how they operate. They have bulk rice/noodles, fresh fish and produce, along with frozen goods and prepackaged snacks. Their noodle selection is EXTENSIVE too! Like too many to actually have an opinion on each item. Same thing with sauces/spices/unique ingredients. Mostly Chinese goods, but really the cultures are all over the place. I've seen Japanese snacks, Vietnamese noodles, frozen Indian naan and puri, dim sum, Korean sauces, and a few other things on the shelves from time to time. Unlike most convenience stores, they also sell utensils, chopsticks, bowls, and bamboo steamers to cook many of their products.

Totally unexpectedly awesome chinese grocery! I admit that I had heard about this place about a year ago but always assumed it was a dinky little place without anything good. I'm very happy to be proved wrong. They've got a whole bunch of fresh produce at good prices (yay, asian veggies!) and a large range of sauces and noodles. It's awesome. Their takeout counter is pretty good, too. I split a combo plate with lo mein, green beans, chicken with broccoli, and general tso's chicken + egg drop soup for $7 and was left very full. Next time, I'll try the more interesting options!

Coming from California to Western Mass, I was expecting nothing so it was such a wonderful surprise to find a well stocked Asian (mostly Chinese) store so close by to Amherst College. It's more than enough for when my student feels homesick and just needs a bowl of Shin Ramyun or some shrimp chips (can't do much beyond that in a dorm room with just a microwave)! Prices are a little high but cheaper than me mailing things!

This place is very easy to miss because the sign of the store was shaded and hard to see. The interior is bigger than my expectation based on the front door. Selections are limited, especially the fresh products and snack area, comparing to the Asian supermarket in Albany. They do carry some unusual stuff. We were surprised to find many kitchenwares made and imported from Japan.

About time for an update, so here it goes. Though Mom's House Convenience offers fast food from about 4:30 to 7:30 Mondays to Fridays, it's primary mission as an establishment is to serve as a mini market and store. I bought a 20lb bag of rice for $15.99, and what a deal! They sell navel oranges for 2/$1. I'm not sure if that is cheaper than supermarket price, but it definitely is affordable, and, to say the least, fresh. Overall, I give 5 stars because Mom's offers a lot of important and staple products that you ordinarily find in the Chinatowns of large cities but not in Amherst due to because it's Amherst (and not Boston or NYC, for example). From their (frozen) cuts of meats like pig feet, pork butt, and pig intestines, various Chinese vegetables like Chinese eggplant, daikon, and big and baby bok choy, and the many Asian food products natural to Asia, such as Lee Kum Kee, Mom's House offers more "real" and truer products than those you find in the "shop the world" aisle at Stop&Shop and BigY supermarkets. A note on the Chinese take-out: I also equally give 5 stars because they offer both REAL Chinese dishes as well as Americanized foods at a cheap price ($7.00 total including tax!). Dishes like Chinese eggplant with fried tofu, baby bok choy, chicken with red and green peppers, offer real tastes of Chinatown (and China for that matter) at an affordable price. Dishes like general gao/tso's chicken, chicken and broccoli, eggrolls, crab ragoons, and chicken teriyaki are also largely available for that homey Americanized Chinese food cravings. Though dishes sometimes may possibly be a bit over salted, I encourage all patrons to make a visit and give Mom's another shot. CASH ONLY! Support awesome businesses :)

I've gotten their Chinese take out once and never again! The Chinese food is similar to the Chinese food you get in the mall. It is greasy and it tastes bland. Sakura Japan is better. I had high expectations since I heard Mom's was good and cheap but I had a terrible experience. I admit the amount of food for the price is good but I rather have quality food. Also they only accept cash. Their take out may be acceptable to others but not me.

This is a great store I love to shop at all the time and fully Recommend it to anyone

Prices are slightly steeper than in big cities, but selection is pretty good! Found some of my favorite Malaysian spices here. There is a massive row of different types of soy sauce available too. I wouldnt go there for the meat though. Make sure to withdraw cash before coming!

I remember getting their Chinese food takeout when I was in grad school... filling, large portions of food on the cheap. It was a cash-only place, so you had to be sure to go to an ATM beforehand. Overall, it's cheap, and when you're a grad student and don't have much cash for food, you love cheap.

Their takeout portions are extremely generous, probably enough for two meals...but what's the use if the food is disappointing? Nothing special, or even tasty about this greasy selection of bland Chinese. The groceries that you'll find at Mom's House are adequate...considering it's the only Asian market in the area. I wouldn't trust some of the produce though, and by the looks of it, the canned stuff on the shelves haven't seen a turnover for at least a few years. Despite all that, everything is cheap. Just don't forget to bring cash!

I love this place ! Great prices for tofu , sushi supplies , produce .... And the American girl who works there is an awesome help ! Wish they took credit cards , but other than that it's awesome !

I think it's fine. Not a great selection of produce, but you can buy some things that you can't buy at the local Stop & Shop or Big Y. I buy the Japanese nattou 納豆 there. It's fine. They don't do take out anymore. But, you can use credit cards there now. You can buy some fairly decent Taiwan high mountain oolong tea. One is a light-roasted Alishan, another is a Dong Ding. The roast on the Alishan is nice - it's not of one of the super green types (thankfully). $11 for 100 grams is good price. There is also Japanese green tea that is probably past its prime but better than what you can get from a supermarket or a coffeeshop. Stay away from the Chinese tea though. The stuff I bought from China was horrible. It seems dishonest to even call it 'tea'.

I prefer Mom's to the "international" sections of the local chain supermarkets, they have larger selections and more reasonable prices. I learn something new every time I go exploring/shopping there, and have developed tastes for foods I hadn't heard of before.

If you haven't been to Mom's House yet, drop everything you are doing and go there right now! Unless of course it's after 8pm, then you should probably stop somewhere and buy a tent so you can camp out and be sure to be there first thing in the morning. Mom's has a ton of really interesting foods at cheap prices. Sometimes the vegetables seem like they need to be changed out with greater frequency, but overall it's a great place to try new things, get dishwear, and cute novelty gifts for you family. Oh, they also sell seaweed paper (cheapest price in the Valley), sushi rice (also cheaper than any other store), and sushi rolling mats. I encourage all lovers of sushi to invest the $5 in these supplies, and start making sushi and sashimi every night of the week. They also have an AMAZING take out area where you can get an entree and two sides for like $7! Really good chinese food, good crab rangoon, super friendly service.

This is a real Chinese market. They have all kinds of Chinese food and vegetable. The white mid-age lady at the cashier is an idiot. Why this place didn't hire a Chinese cashier who's familiar with all the Chinese food? And by the way, they don't have Take Out any more.

Just groceries. Takeout section is closed. Great grocery store. Friendly staff. Good selection of Asian foods. Fresh vegetables. Mainly Chinese but also good selection of Thai and Japanese groceries. We buy bok choi, sprouts, tofo, scallions, garlic and ginger here. Better quality and price than super market.

Although the grocery store has tons of rare and great items, including woks, sake carafes, and paper lanterns, you should really go to Mom's for their Chinese buffet. It opens at 4pm, I believe, and for the price, you just can't get better flavors and portions. I have been to the takeout buffet when there was a line out the door. I don't have much more to say. Mom's is cash only so now you know.

They have a good variety of foods. Less expensive than the supermarket and they have way more food than the supermarkets can offer in terms of Asian foods. They also have very cheap take-out.

Good selection in a small space. Didn't see any takeout that was mentioned in other reviews. I went for basic items like tea, seaweed, and furikake.

We love Mom's House! It's a small international grocery store with Chinese takeout in the front. The grocery prices are great and the takeout is ridiculously cheap. This is not upscale food, but if you're looking to grab a quick meal (that will easily stretch into the next day), Mom's House has you covered. The grocery items are fairly standard. As for the takeout, one side of the "L" shaped food bar has soups, rices (steamed and fried), noodles (lo mein and rice noodles), and the usual fried stuff, including egg rolls, spring rolls, crab rangoon and the like. The other side of the "L" has an assortment of stir-fried dishes and there are always some vegetarian options (plain veggies like ginger green beans, and also veggie stir fries like tofu & eggplant). Their combo special gets you a massive pile of the rice or noodle of your choice, along with three other things...I usually go for rice noodles, two stir fries and an egg roll, but you can get any three things you want (I think the combo is something crazy-cheap, like $6). Steamed and fried dumplings aren't on the buffet but you can order them and they'll be made fresh while you wait. I highly recommend the steamed pork buns, which are $1 ea including tax! Heads up that they don't take credit or debit cards.

The market part is great. The price markup between Mom's and large Boston/NYC Asian markets is minimal. They do have a very, very good stock if you are looking for Chinese groceries; less so for other kinds of food. The takeout is great for its price.

I am sad everyday that I moved away from the area. I live near Boston now and I have yet to find a store as amazing as Moms. Amazing selection of anything you need. There semi recent addition of hot food was also very impressive. I miss this store so much. :) I hope to come back and stock up!

Wow, who's eating this takeout food and who's writing the reviews? I am no Chinese food connoisseur, yet even I know the items I bought were BAD! "Rice noodle" was very blah--a bit of egg, a pea and a sliver of carrot. What I was told was "ma po tofu," was anything but that. It was not spicy, contained no bits of any meat and had a sauce I've never tasted; and I've eaten enough Asian food to recognize most sauces. Chicken and broccoli was OK; ate the veggie skipped the dark chicken meat usually found in most Asian buffets. Pepper steak was pretty bad--several chunks of beef were inedible (gristle, but not spoiled). Hot & sour soup for 50 cents more was too peppery for human consumption. All of the food items were flavored more with soy sauce than oyster sauce or any other sauce. For $6.50 I ate broccoli and a few peppers.

Five dollars for like four pounds of decent Chinese take-out. I never really bought anything from the grocery store section, but it's a much bigger store than it looks from the outside, and I'm sure there's an excellent selection of Asian foods. I practically lived on Mom's takeout and Antonio's while I was at UMass. They don't take credit cards, so remember your cash!

If you need a quick, hot & tasty meal to go and don't have much cash in your wallet - this is the place to go. Make sure you bring cash - and know that there is no seating - it's basically a hot counter in a small grocery store.

Long overdue to give a review to this amazing jewel of a place in Amherst. After I discovered their take-out, I don't think I ever liked going to any other chinese restaurants. Now I always feel like the restaurants are overpriced for the food of same taste and quality as mom's house. As many reviews already say, the food is cheap, tasty, and enough to feed two people. I love their crab rangoons and wonton soup. Yes, there have been days when the rice/noodles tasted bad, but hey, which cheap food place can be so consistent? If you are a student living in Amherst, you gotto give this place a try. But be sure to get there before 7 PM as they close early.

Great place to get all my Chinese cooking needs done. The takeout portions are huge, enough to last you another day! It tasted pretty good, I got fried rice while my friend ordered stir fry noodles. You can chase it down with a nice sizzling hot and sour soup with that. The grocery store was pretty good too! I get enough food to hotpot during the long winter months. It's not Boston Chinatown prices, but it'll be the best you'll find. Be sure to bring cash with you too, a mistake I keep on forgetting.

Great Asian market! I haven't tried their take-out, but they have a great selection, from Pocky to delicious cabbage buns, mochi and even plates and dishes. Furthermore, its in walking distance to Amherst. I would definitely recommend this place.

Some of the Best Chinese food in town. But bring cash

My son asked me if I wanted to check out this place while visiting him at UMASS Amherst. We had had a great time looking at all the amazing products you just can't find in any local grocery store. My son son loves the spicy Asian foods and is so pleased to have found this reasonably priced market just a bus stop away from where he's attending school. They have all kinds of fresh Asian vegetables, fish, & meats as well as tofu and frozen items. There's plenty of canned, jars, bagged spices, sauces, rice flour, noodles, cookies, candies, drinks, you name it they must have it. They also have a good selection of bowls and chopsticks, rice cookers, bamboo cookers and things like that. If you're looking for Asian look no further, this is the place. My only complaint is that they are located in Amherst and I'm in the Boston area.

Haven't gone grocery shopping, but their take out is a great deal and just as tasty as anywhere else for twice the price... Big fan.

Great selection for such a small store! They have a good selection of ingredients, produce, snacks, and frozen goods. The prices on the produce were good for what they had, and it was nice to see a wider selection of produce options than can be found in most stores in the area. The take out food was tasty as well!

They have a great selection of groceries as well as decent chinese take-out. Let me break each out as one has little to do with the other. Take-Out- The problem here is that you can't get anything before 5Pm for take out CHinese. I understand why, but it is still an issue. There probably isn't enough demand when most of America just wants to pull up to a drive-up, so that's why they probably limit it to the after 5PM crowd. The food is good and cheap. The help is awesome unless you are asking someone something that doesn't speak any english then it's just point and nod. The grocer portion of the store- I really like asian markets. This one has most of what I need for making my pho etc. But, they are lacking in two areas. One, they usually keep produce alot longer on the shelf then what may be acceptable by most and most of their frozen products including meats have no "sell-by" dates on them. A little dis-concerting when trying to buy fresh ingredients. All in all, I like the place and leep going back. The prices are great an they have a great selections of all kinds of stuff that I can't read but tastes great!

Must to know for home comforts and food and spice. Once I figure bus system I will come very often. Very convenient to university location and appreciate small bit of home.

Cheap, Chinese takeout! Yummm! Big portions at a very affordable price.

Great local shop--excellent prices for so many cooking items( vinegars, soy sauce etc). Lovely shopkeepers

Hot take out up front! We have it about once a week. It's $8 for a combo plate.(cash only) also, we grab veggies, brown rice, and hot pot supply's here on a regular basis. Love this place! Saves us the 2 hour drive to hmart a few times a month.

Good selection of Chinese and Japanese ingredients including lots of good frozen stuff. Prices are decent and the staff are very helpful. They also gave a wonderful selection of Chinese vegetables, especially greens.

We come to Mom's House every time we are in Amherst for take out every month or so. Heretofore it's been satisfactory and generous in portions. We just got the worst take out dish imaginable. All the meat and veggie offerings were full of bone and gristle, the chicken was mostly skin. It was less than luke warm when we got home 10 minutes later. We would give Mom's House three or four stars from previous experience, but this time they barely deserve one. Is it because it's summertime and the students are away? Do they have a new cook? Are they trying to cut corners on the ingredients? It will be a while before we try Mom's House for takeout again. We need to see some improvements and some good reviews before we try Mom's House again!

This is the best chinese food in Amherst....Forget about the other places. Mom's house has all the great Chinese food, without the hassle of dealing with a waitor and you pay like $6 for a huge amount of food. I now live in Boston, MA and I miss it.

Great store! Nice people! I shop here mainly for spices or dessert (specifically mochi) but they have a lot of great authentic Asian foods there is food here you cant find anywhere else in the area. I have not tried their takeout but i have heard great things about it and i will try it next time.

Does the phrase "rare and great items" help to answer Chris L's question: "Who's writing these reviews"? Yes, the food is heavy and greasy and yes it tastes like Holyoke Mall Chinese food (maybe they have a recipe called "twice microwave'd pork"). The selection of canned foods and sauces is good and their fresh vegetables are indeed that. Other stuff.... be cautious. Mochi has feezer burn, and green tea was thawed and refrozen. Don't buy peanuts unless you can find and read the "sell by" date. I pointed out to them their 2011 dated peanuts, but that did not lead to taking it off the shelves!

Mom's house is awesome!! Fairly priced and yummy takeout. Shopping selection is great as well.

Really good food, not greasy or corn starched-based cheap chinese fast food. Freshly prepared and good ingredients and good sauces and a great deal. The dishes change so go many times and don't forget to try the curry chicken. I love this place

Yesterday, 02/23/2015 I purchased two pouches of bean paste at Mom's House. When I got home I discovered the items had expiration dates of 5/13/2013. This items were almost two years expired. To make matters worse when I called Mom's House to let them know about, the owner was extremely rude, she was screaming at me telling me customers always take items from the back of the shelf and she can't be responsible for that. She insisted it is the customer's responsibility to check for expiration dates before purchase. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. She did offer to take the items back, but assumed no responsibility for selling expired food.