Rohan D.
Yelp
I love Yelp, but I do wonder about the categorization system. If you search for "Asian grocery," a couple of famous Italian groceries come up on the first page. And "Asian grocery," seems to exclude South Asian and Far Eastern Asian groceries for Milwaukee, limited to Southeast Asian and Italian (?) groceries. Hmm. Well, this is the biggest Southeast Asian grocery store in Milwaukee proper, with the best selection. The mixed reviews here make more sense when you look at where the reviewers are from. This place could not stay in business in Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu or the Bay Area, it's not even as good as the Southeast Asian grocery in Madison. It's all relative. You really can't find a decent pizza, polish-hot dog -brat, or frozen custard joint on the West Coast. When my Haole wife was living in Madison, taking a graduate level language immersion program, she told me about "Asian Mart." I was worried she was shopping to replace me, but as it turns out, Asian Mart is a place to shop for Southeast Asian food and produce, not actual Asians. Just so you know.
Somebody else here claims to speak "Laos," and was offended by the workers gossiping about them. Well I think the workers speak Laotian, Isan, this family run business is pretty authentic, that's what store workers do all over Southeast Asia, they gossip. Lots of customers are from the local Laotian community, and every time I come in here, customers and workers are chit chatting about family, friends, and while that's not good American corporate style customer service, I prefer the Southeast Asian family style service to scripted phrases and fake smiles.
The place is dingy, cramped, and a little challenging if you are looking for a list of specific items. If instead you're on a stock up mission, and like to browse, it's nearly nirvana. When I travel, I like to stop in local groceries and try to figure stuff out, this store has some stuff I still haven't figured out. There is a good selection of noodles, dumplings, Southeast Asian condiments, rice, sauces, spices and teas, produce, frozen fish and Southeast Asian sausages, snacks, candies, and quick-prepare or instant meals.