Welcome Food Center

Welcome Food Center Supermarket – A Modernized Grocery Experience in Chinatown This Supermarket used to be my go-to place until newer supermarkets opened in Chinatown. However, in recent years, they have undergone major renovations, transforming into a sleek and modern grocery store. The upgrade has significantly improved the shopping experience, making it a great spot to explore. One of the standout improvements is the expanded variety of Asian snacks, including many popular and hard-to-find items that you won’t see elsewhere. They’ve also introduced new sections, including liquor and seafood. The seafood area, in particular, is now much cleaner and more organized than before. During the holidays, Center Supermarket goes all out with seasonal decorations, whether it’s festive flowers, trees, or lucky fortune charms. It adds a nice cultural touch that makes shopping more enjoyable. While I’ve noticed that some prices are slightly higher than at other supermarkets, the difference isn’t drastic. Plus, they often run specials on different items, making it worth a visit. Service is just decent—not exceptional, but not bad either. That said, every time I’m in the Plaza, I make a stop here for groceries if I need anything. The variety, modern layout, and occasional deals make it a spot worth checking out.

November 2024 Welcome Food Centre is one of our must stop in Houston. Best quality and best prices along Bellaire, even after many years of living in Houston. The establishment made many reinvestment to ensure a better shopping experience. Brighter lights and cleaner shopping lane. We found that Welcome offers the best prices in many products. Highly recommended this grocery store.

If I can give a zero star I would. I have an extremely negative experience at the check out counter at the store. She is a Cantonese speaking cashier who was wearing glasses during 4 pm today’s date. When I asked her to give me an extra bag to separate the scallions from the carrots to prevent them from being mushed due to the weight differences several times , she said that I was being greedy in Cantonese, not knowing that I actually understood the language. I used to work cashier in HEB, we want to make sure fruits and vegetables of major weight difference are separated to protect them from being damaged, this is because we don’t know how long our customers may have to keep them. Nevertheless, such attitude is very disrespectful and not customer service focus at all. There are a lot of other Asian supermarkets in the area with comparable prices and quality of produce, not counting other supermarkets in the area such as Walmart and HEB. I want to raise awareness to customers regarding such disrespect attitude of this worker to avoid coming to this store as we all have a lot of good choices in the area. We do not deserve to be treated especially we are the customers that are supporting the store’s business. I also just briefly saw other reviews online. It appeared that multiple customers have posted their negative experience resulting from their encounter with this same staff member. Yet, the company continued to allow this staff to behave in such a disrespectful way to customers who she believes that do not speak Cantonese. This shows me that Welcome Food Center is in a way reinforces and perhaps share the same mentality as this staff, that is, quality customer service experience is very low on their priority list.

I’ve been a loyal customer of this supermarket for over 20 years, shopping here almost every week. However, today’s experience was extremely disappointing. After buying groceries, I decided to purchase two lottery tickets—something I usually do at gas stations. I tried to pay with my debit card, but the front desk manager (a woman who speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and some English) told me they don’t accept debit cards for lottery tickets. I said okay and paid in cash without issue. While handing over the cash, I quietly said to myself, “So many rules.” I didn’t direct this at her, nor was I speaking loudly. But the manager immediately got upset, raised her voice, and shouted at me, saying, “That’s our rule! Buy it or don’t!” Then she called security over. I calmly stepped back and explained to the security guard what had happened. He agreed that I hadn’t done anything wrong. I told him I didn’t steal, I didn’t swear, and I was just talking to myself. The manager, assuming I couldn’t speak English well, tried to intimidate me. This was a truly upsetting and offensive experience. I still paid for my groceries, but I don’t understand how a long-standing supermarket could treat a regular customer with such disrespect. It felt like if you said even one word she didn’t like, she’d explode and call security to throw you out.

Casher was very nice and asked if I want my coffee cream on the side. I was never asked that question. Then I asked for a water and it was sent right away. Before in other locations it took forever to get water. Thanks.

Vast variety of products! But customer service sucks big time. Cashiers should be educated how to smile, greet and talk to customers. They shouldn't be nice to only their "own". Give change and receipts to customers instead of just leaving it on the counter top. ALL the cashiers need customer service training!

August 18 2025 at 10:30 am at station #3 cashier. Dear Management, I am writing to express my concern about an unpleasant experience I had during a recent visit to your store. My intention in sharing this is to help improve the level of service and ensure other customers have a more positive experience. Due to a recent surgery and hearing difficulties, I am unable to carry heavy bags and kindly asked the cashier not to overload the grocery bags. I repeated my request several times but received no acknowledgment or response. I wasn't sure if there was a language barrier, so I continued to ask politely. Eventually, the cashier responded in a rude and dismissive tone, saying, "I do understand your English. Is this too heavy? What? You want to complain about me? The customer service is right there!" I was shocked by her reaction. As customers, we come to the store to shop peacefully — not to be met with hostility or disrespect. I truly believe that anyone working in customer service should be kind, patient, and willing to assist customers respectfully. I hope you take this feedback seriously and provide additional training or guidance to ensure that all staff treat customers with courtesy and professionalism. Thank you for your time and attention.

5 stars for huge assortment of everything, from sweets to fresh fish, 1 star for very rude cash register staff. I wanted to buy large tapioca balls. When I got to the cash register, it wouldn’t scan. Because it’s vacuum packed, the lady tried to straighten the label by hitting it hard against the edge of the conveyor belt. I told her she was breaking them. Rather than simply say she was not, she laughed in a way that felt like she was making fun of me. Then she had to enter the upc code by hand anyway. I picked up the bag and pointed out that many of the balls had cracked. She pulled it from my hand and cancelled the item from my transaction. I was appalled about that went.

Welcome has always been my go to Asian market because I grew up going here with my parents. It's nostalgia for me so I refuse to go anywhere else. The store was remodeled so it is much nicer and cleaner. The restrooms are a bit sketchy located in the back of the store inside the stock area. If you like a plethora of snacks and different variety and flavored chips this is the place.

Place is clean and organized. I like that they have pre made food and that you can order lunch combos. Staff were efficient with checking us out. Aisles are easily marked so you can find what you're looking for. Plenty of parking outside. They have a wide variety of meats and seafood.

I'm absolutely ecstatic right now! I've been craving leek buns since my favorite spot, where I used to get them every week, closed down during COVID. I've tried a few other places, but none of them quite hit the mark. However, today, when I explained my situation to the owner of a restaurant, they told me about a supermarket that sells hot food items, including my beloved leek buns! These buns are just as delicious as the ones from the small mom-and-pop restaurant I used to frequent for years. I'm so happy to have found them again, and I'll definitely be coming back to this supermarket for my leek buns from now on! Yum yum yum! The rest the supermarket is actually quite clean so I can add this to my list of places to go to. I currently usually go to Viet Hoa but welcome is so welcoming!

This is a predominantly Chinese grocery store. It has a lot if staple Chinese/Asian vegetables, dry produce and goods, a small baked goods section, quite a selection of frozen goods, a live seafood section, butcher counter, and a Chinese bbq stand. Everything seems pretty average as far as selection and prices. Some of the live seafood looked a little sad, for a lack of a better word but that's also sadly normal. I haven't had much in the way of service but its a grocery store so you find your goods and check out.

If I can give a zero star I would. I have an extremely negative experience at the check out counter at the store. She is a Cantonese speaking cashier who was wearing glasses during 4 pm today's date. When I asked her to give me an extra bag to separate the scallions from the carrots to prevent them from being mushed due to the weight differences several times , she said that I was being greedy in Cantonese, not knowing that I actually understood the language. I used to work cashier in HEB, we want to make sure fruits and vegetables of major weight difference are separated to protect them from being damaged, this is because we don't know how long our customers may have to keep them. Nevertheless, such attitude is very disrespectful and not customer service focus at all. There are a lot of other Asian supermarkets in the area with comparable prices and quality of produce, not counting other supermarkets in the area such as Walmart and HEB. I want to raise awareness to customers regarding such disrespect attitude of this worker to avoid coming to this store as we all have a lot of good choices in the area. We do not deserve to be treated especially we are the customers that are supporting the store's business. I also just briefly saw other reviews online. It appeared that multiple customers have posted their negative experience resulting from their encounter with this same staff member. Yet, the company continued to allow this staff to behave in such a disrespectful way to customers who she believes that do not speak Cantonese. This shows me that Welcome Food Center is in a way reinforces and perhaps share the same mentality as this staff, that is, quality customer service experience is very low on their priority list.

I've been really impressed with Welcome food market in the past year! Not only have they upgraded the interior but the quality produce and meats is also better! Produce: 5 What is driving this review is that this is now my go to market for produce. The quality has gotten a lot better and it's still a reasonable price! Watch out though, during peak shopping times you'll have to fight the Asian aunties for the best picks. Snack: 5 Welcome has really stepped up their snack game in the last year! They have different flavors of Kit Kats, lay's chips, and Taiwanese snacks that I don't see anywhere else! Food court/Bakery: 4 It's not a real food court but there is an cafeteria like area where you can select items for a to go box. It's a nice and affordable quick meal. While their dim sum isn't the best I do like the turnip cake! Seafood: 5 Their seafood area is separate from their red meat area. Once you enter the market is to the far right past one of the snack aisles at the front of the store. They have a wide variety of fresh fish and they still have fresh frog!

Today 9/15/25, we arrived around 8:40pm, they closed the door. Another senior man told me he even arrived earlier but rejected to get in. They locked the entrance, and sent a security at the exit to block people in. Note, this security also admitted it should close on 9pm but said this is on duty managers decision. So ridiculous. I hope the boss can read this message and investigate. I have been here numerous times and was my first choice among all other supermarkets in Chinatown. Will never come again for the rudeness of the security guy as well.

Welcome Food Center has reasonable prices and good food. However, the cashier named Kelly provided very poor customer service. She was working at cashier #002-003 on April 22, 2025, at 12:47 PM. A lady customer ahead of me was having trouble completing her payment. She asked for help, but Kelly just sat there and told her to read the machine. When it was my turn to pay, Kelly gave me a rude look. I tried to speak to a manager but received no response. I hope the supermarket provides her with proper training to improve customer service and help the company become more approachable.

Your typical all encompassing Chinese supermarket. This is the OG supermarket from years ago but now it's a lot more modern and revamped. There's a big seafood / fresh catch section that's definitely a part of the Chinese supermarket experience (crabs, fish, shrimp). There's also some fresh baked items and also a cooked lunch station that's pretty affordable ($7-8). There's a big selection of veggies and all kinds of Asian merch. It's crowded and it's elbow to elbow action in there.

This is a supermarket with groceries and condiments targeting Asian people. But this is an dishonest business in practice: BE VERY careful of this store's very tricky/sneaky price-tagging system, especially when buying items from its shelves. This merchant knows very well, and always have some on-sale vegies at the entrance to entice customers in. It is also fully aware that many of its offerings are inelastic needs for most of its Asian customers, who will buy those items they like regardless of prices. Yet it took full advantage, systematically tricking its customers buying items for higher prices than they expect: I went to look for wolfberry earlier today, and found they have many choices of wolfberries lined-up on the shelf, marked different prices (from $6.99 to $10.99) by quality and quantity. I picked one with the one with the most quantity, assuming the maximum I would be paying would be $10.99. At check-out, it rang up $14.99 for my purchase, I asked casher "are you sure you rang up the price right?". She took me directly to the customer service without answering my question. ...... At the customer service, I told the manager "there were no prices higher than $10.99 on the shelf for all varieties of wolfberries, and that was what I expected to pay". Only to get the answer "Oh, this one you bought we did not put on the price marker, it doesn't mean this $14.99 price is wrong, take it or leave it." ........ I paid the $14.99 for the wolfberry, because I am not leaving the store empty-handed, after driving all the way cross town to find it, and made my choice from the shelf. As a customer, there is no way for me to know whether she was the telling the truth, or she was just trying to sell me a $10.99 package for $14.99.... But one thing is for sure, it will be a while before I will buy anything from shelves in this store again.

Today went to buy roast duck for my lunch.after eat smell bad I think hanging duck many days .not fresh at all

Bought a lunch box from the foods stall on the right inside the welcome market that is serving bad fried chicken. Smell like rotten. Most people can't tell, but i work in restaurant serving fried chicken & wings. I know what bad chicken meats when i taste one. Bad for business who try to save $ by serving rotten or expired meats.

Customer service - 2 (they don't talk to you let alone smile or acknowledge you unless you're also asian) Quality of goods sold - 4 Variety - 5 The deli - butcher side ZERO. Noodle side - 4 (I love the noodles & bao buns on the right side of the store... however, I tried the meat meals on the far left side for the first time and it was disgusting. The meat tasted old and greasy. I wouldn't even give that to my dog)

There was nobody at the door to welcome me. I felt very lied to. False advertising. Not my favourite grocery store along Bellaire, but there are five or six of them, so talk about competition. One after another between each major intersection from the 59 all the way out to Belt 8, it seems like. And then more beyond Belt 8. I appreciate the presence of all of them and won't give any of them less than four stars even though the modern fancy ones clearly have a lot more stuff and are a lot cleaner than the others. And this is one of the smaller older ones. Now speaking of smaller and older, how about a sympathy make out session with me?

bought two bamboo fish choose No.2 clean. They didn't clean for me when I got home. Soooo bad service.

Not sure how I feel about this place. Came for the Asian cookies. One isle had the smell of dead rodents and there is a cat wondering the same isle.

This is my family's go-to place for char siu and roast duck! The other prepared foods in the store are pretty good as well. Definitely roll by to grab some even if you don't need any groceries. As for the grocery store experience, it does have a great selection catered mostly to the Chinese clientele. The many boxes scattered throughout the store makes it a little difficult to navigate with a cart, but that's a pretty common sight in many Asian grocery stores anyway. For new customers, THE SEAFOOD MARKET IS NEXT TO THE BAKERY. At first, I simply thought they didn't have a seafood section because I always expect it to be next to the meat section. Also, there are no labels above each aisle that list what items are in each aisle -- you just have to walk through and look for yourself.

My go-to for Chinese groceries. Welcome definitely caters to Chinese customers which means they have many things that cannot be found at an HEB (however amazing) that someone who is looking for authentic Chinese food is can find. The product aisle is always reliable with fresh selections of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and things even I haven't eaten. I can always reliably find Asian eggplants, taro, celtuce, and more. Their meat counter is excellent and includes cutting the meat for you. My favorite thing to get are leaner pork bellies for Shanghai-style pork belly. There's a deli on the far left that sells roast meats, including duck and pork. Everything there is delicious. They have many styles of noodles common to China stored as refrigerated bags so they're easy to cook at home. The frozen aisles down the middle are treasure troves: dim sum and buns that can be steamed at home, the newly popular brown sugar boba bars, sliced lamb for hot pot. So many sauces used in Asian cuisine. You might even get to choose your exact grand. I stock up on my pantry whenever I make the trip to Welcome.

Back to square one. Welcome Food Store stinks, period. Not sure how a supermarket got so stinky so quick. I was trying to get some fresh fruits yesterday. I kept touching over-ripen plums in a pile of "fresh" ones. The prices are not bad. But I couldn't buy any. They were too soft to store for another day. The cashiers were overworked causing them to act rude. I tried to be sympathetic but no help. It was supposed be under new management. Oh well. I'll turn my blind side on or shop elsewhere.

,I thought I have seen everything I could have possibly seen in the usual Asian markets that are near my Northside residence until I made my visit here. It is not the cleanest store you will find but the "smack you in the face" scent of rancid fish does not hit you in the face when you walk into the door like I have been accustomed too. In fact you do not realize it exists until you wander around and find a miniature tunnel to the seafood market. Today there were about 4 or 5 food vendors giving out samples of different foods and selling off bargains to introduce you to their product, kind of like walking around a Spec's warehouse ( Smith) on a weekend but with food. I have never seen this in three other supermarkets that I usually visit, plus! GINGER CANDY! They have it they have it! I've passed by here hundred's of times and ass u me d that most all Asian markets are the same give or take a few products. NO, this place is like a conglamorate of departments rolled into one roof, bundled together screaming at ya to visit each one. The roasted hanging chicken to the left, the secret hallway tunnel fresh seafood to the right, the bakery to the middle right, the back chop chop meat section and the fresh produce with vegetables you will not find at your local H.E.B. or Krogers. Prices were below average here. For example, one pot to cook in which I priced in at CheapMart.....er Walmart would have costs about $40 easily, it was $18 here and not that thing stamped steel cheap stuff you can get at Fiesta. You will not find a large variety of hot tea if you look here but there are tea products that I have never seen in the "others". The candy section is very large however, and yes stock certain candy which I have found it hard to seek. Parking, if you had road rage embellishments on your way here, you haven't seen anything yet, you will find it hard to get in and out of the isles during peak times because the businesses here bustle, that is a good thing though, fresh product and good business for everybody. Happy Foods Supermarket, you hast earned a new customer. _____________________________________________________ Tip for new yelpers: From a labtop or home computer, go to the actual Yelp.com site and you will find a talk/forum section, there you will unlock/find a whole little community of people that you can get together during little lunch and dinner events and real face to face advice about their experiences at their visited businesses. The application that you are reading from your Droid phone will not let you see the "talk" or "event" section. So virtually you are only getting half of the good service provided from here, try it out, you'll be glad like I did

Almost every single time I shop here, I witness a close call or an actual fender bender. People just can't seem to drive here! I've seen an upset mid-aged man slowly drive his Acura around the parking lot with his entire bumper hanging loose from his car and dragging on the pavement (obviously from a recent collision). I've also seen two cars slowly collide into each other while simultaneously backing out! It seriously reminds me of a bumper car arena, except with a bunch of grown-ups bereft of any motor skills. Aside from the scary parking lot, Welcome Food Center has always been one of my favorite go-to grocery stores for Asian ingredients, pasties, produce, and meats. I find that their prices are very competitive with most other Asian groceries, and is way cheaper than most staple American groceries like Kroger or HEB in terms of produce and seafood. They carry everything you need to make a majority of the popular Chinese dishes. Inside they also serve boxed lunch where you can choose an assortment of cooked meats and veggies for a fair price. It's like an Asian Luby's! Delicious, easy, and affordable. My family usually buys a small container of eggplant here because it's so good. Service here is a hit or miss. If you speak Cantonese and Mandarin your chances for good service increases dramatically. Most of the staff only know broken bits of English because a majority of them were born in my parent's generation. Good luck if you go here.

Dear lord, This is my #1 Chinese supermarket growing up. Way back in the days of old Houston, before Hong Kong City Malls, before Ranch 99's existed, and literally OG. You step into the store, and instantly feel transported to the 90s. The cash registers are all old school, the folks working here are old aunties and uncles that my parents converse with. Lunch box specials for $3.99 and bakery pasteries for your nomming pleasure, with infinite selection of Asian sugary drinks. -1 star only because this parking lot and every other driver within the Bellaire shopping area drives like they're in a Mad Max Fury Road world. DGAFing about everyone else, and I'm positive trying to drive across Bellaire without a light protecting me would ensure my death. Maybe check up on your will and ensuring it's up to date before you head down to the Chinatown area while you're within proximity. Otherwise, solid Chinese market, plastic bag galore and hanging roasted duck and pig, with all the asian ingredients you ever needed and then some!

I've come to an Asian store enough times to get used to the smell. The parking lot is a nightmare, especially on the weekends. The prices are pretty reasonable and comparable to other Asian stores. Store is pretty dated. You can tell from the cash machines. They used to have a pretty decent bakery inside, but not anymore. They offer a pretty good lunch special. Not sure how much it is now, but it was super cheap. They sell durians if you like them, but unfortunately, they're frozen. Don't expect anyone who works here to help you unless you speak Chinese. They have good selections. Obviously not as good as the much larger ranch 99 or Hong Kong food market. But good enough for me to always find what I need. Definitely will be back for my Asian grocery needs.

Wow came on Tuesday 5:40pm and went straight to the Chinese bbq counter. I asked for a foam container no rice and the sweet older Asian lady kept loading it up to the point of over flowing. She let me choose 4 different kinds of meats and vegetable dishes to the point i was wondering if we would be able to close the container. All that food for $4.50. Granted they must be getting ready too close so she was motivated to practically give it all away....

Not gonna lie, this place is more ghetto than the other newer grocery stores in Chinatown. They recently remodeled the store a bit so it's an upgrade from before. I still come to this one the most because: 1. It's on the most outer edge and right side (from 59) of Chinatown. AKA you don't have to fight as many crazy Asian drivers and risk any left or U turns. 2. In general the packaged food prices are cheaper. Besides the weekly specials and fresh grocery items, this place is usually price king. Ramen, curry, drinks, whatever you name it; it is generally cheaper here. 3. It's less popular so parking is a tad less crazy. Again, the tactic here is to avoid as many crazy Asian drivers as possible. Because they scare me LOL

Verbally abusive employee towards customer. 10/28/20 at 11 am@ the soy sauce isle. Trying to scoot my basket by a a box left on the floor by a stocker, stocker ended up having to move the box on the floor an inch over so I can get the basket through. While moving the box, he called me a mother fucker without me saying anything to him. Another two employee was about 20 feet over with their computers, so I informed those employees who simply said just to ignore him without taking any actions. Will never shop there again.

Make sure you have collision on your insurance policy before you come here. Every time I come here, I consider myself lucky to be a witness to a parking lot collision and not a participant. I'm Asian, and let me just say... Damn Asian drivers.

I don't find myself in Chinatown often anymore due to several reasons: (1) crazy drivers (2) lack of parking unless you go either really early or right before they close and (3) it's a bit out of the way for me. However, I do try to make a monthly trip for random groceries. Welcome is the first Asian market coming in from 59 so we usually stop by there first. It's not the cleanest (as if any Asian market is really clean) and it's pretty loud. It's always packed with people (too many people, in my opinion, which is why I like going about an hour before they close) and parking is an absolute nightmare because people park and drive like they're back in Asia. It's one of the places where you see people MAKE their own parking spots if they can't find one and they like to shoot across parking lots as if it's the middle of an apocalypse... even when the lot is packed. Although the produce isn't organized or laid out like at other American markets and definitely not sorted like at more upscale markets like Whole Foods or Central Market, it is the place to go if you want reasonably priced produce (if not the greatest in quality) - especially Asian food items that are marked up at American places. My issue is a couple of weeks ago, there was some spilled mystery (clear) liquid in one of the aisles which I somehow found and slipped on and fell. Just my luck that I had to find that one spot. Like I said: not very clean. No workers were around but there were other shoppers. I ended up getting a badly bruised knee and some scrapes. My knee still hurts when I twist it a certain way. Ever since then, my husband is silently boycotting the place even though he's the one who prefers Asian food. We usually go into Chinatown when I feel like giving him a break from my international culinary adventures in the kitchen to give him something closer to home, haha. The Good Stuff: - Reasonably priced produce - Go here for your Asian food needs and don't get ripped off at American places The Bad Stuff: - It's your typical Asian market (crowded, noisy, not very clean). Escape this by going an hour before they close. - Produce quality differs from decent to just plain bad (I don't know why they still leave it out for people to buy) - Parking is a nightmare and a hazard - Beware of invisible spills

The Chinese BBQ station on the left side of the store... You really cannot get much cheaper bien dang (lunch box) prices for the enormous amount of food you are getting. They pretty much shove as much food as they can into the poor styrofoam boxes. There are usually about 20 different items on the buffet table, but because there isn't enough space for them all, half are carefully stacked on top of the middle and sides. Ghetto, but whatever. Rice with two side items is $2.99 (WTF, not joking). I always "splurge" and get Roast Duck with Rice, and 1 side item for $5.25 (without a side is $4.25) puahaha. It literally comes with almost half of a duck. Juicy, tender roast duck, mmmm! The dipping sauce that comes with it must either be laced with crack or msg, but for damn sure it's laced with DELICIOUSNESS! They also sell char siu, roast pig, and marinated chicken, half or whole, your choice. The other food station on the other side of the store (by the produce)... Last I checked, the box lunches include rice with 3 items for $3.79. They also pack in as much food as they can into each box. Offers a different selection of food, including noodles and such to which I've concluded that most of their items tend to be on the greasy side. You pay for food from both stations at the grocery store cash registers, which means that they take credit card. FTW if you are cashless. For the grocery store itself... Even with overly saturated competition on every corner, this is by far the most popular and busiest Chinese grocery store on Bellaire. It's old, smells and is kinda dirty, but still outshine others because they are CHEAP (key to gaining business of Chinese ppls). I really cannot hate on the cleanliness or whatever because without a doubt, they have the cheapest prices, resulting in highest traffic, resulting in freshest foods from high inventory turnover. Even during weekdays around noon, it is really crowded compared to other grocery stores (I'm thinking... don't these people have jobs?!?) Mayhem on Saturdays and Sundays, so come with patience and a strong grip to maneuver your cart through crowded aisles.

Growing up, this was the food market my mom would always take me to. It's been here for years and I'm glad they renovated the place. Only reason why I still come here is for the delicious cheap food . $3,99 for 3 items!? You really can't beat that anywhere else(:

I am all about Welcome Food Center. Sure it's not very luxurious (think the opposite of that) . . . in fact I am fairly positive Welcome's grocery warehouse buyers are in the last tier - but you will not find produce cheaper anywhere else, true story. Anyway, if you're on a budget or looking to feed a buttload of people - come here. The tomatoes may not be the tastiest and juiciest (Welcome totally near-freezes them sometimes to prolong their life), but they're good enough. Occasionally extracting not-nearly-rotten produce items can be tedious, but geeze, why do you have to be so lazy?! Also all your specialty Asian fruits and vegetables - get them here for way cheaper than at Whole Foods and Central Market. And yes, the whole store does reek of seafood and meats - that glorious Asian grocery store smell! But again - a vast selection at very reasonable prices. The frozen section offers some great stuff, but some of the items in the open freezer (well and closed freezer, actually) can be pretty freezer burned. Let's just say quality control isn't Welcome's highest priority. Which reminds me of another thing - you might have to be cautious about expired products. The aisles offer your sauces, noodles, dried goods, Ramen, snacks, teas, cooking ware, beer and wine - I mean typical grocery stuff, but Asian products and brands. The lunch box and BBQ/prepared meat booth/areas are pretty freaking awesome for super affordable meals. Many many options to pick and choose from and they don't skimp on the portions. Also baked goods area is a nice little area to try all sorts of Asian desserts and snacks. Anyway, I'm fond of Welcome because it is so stinkin' cheap and it has all things reminiscent of my childhood. But yes, it is kind of a smelly, not-so-clean place. I can imagine that if you're used to the pristine Whole Foods and whatnot, you might possibly lose your cool here. But really, for $50, you can maybe buy one or two grocery bags worth of stuff from Whole Foods (I completely love Whole Foods, btw, just saying!), but at Welcome, you can probably easily stuff four grocery bags full of stuff.

Do not buy the duck rice on the right side of the entrance. It is the new owner selling all kind of chinese cakes. I paid $6.99 and this is what I got.. they told me is quarter of the duck and i told them I want the upper part.. here they gave me all bone..only 2 small pieces of meat, the rest are bones..!

Don't expect Welcome to look like Super H Mart or 99 Ranch Market, you'll be highly disappointed. Both stores are like the HEB Central Market to Asian grocery stores and Welcome, more like a Fiesta and that's not a bad thing. Welcome has nearly everything you're looking for to prepare a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, ect. meal. Lots of produce and items that are considered specialty items elsewhere are common place and at home here. A somewhat frequent shopper at other Asian markets, I've found Welcome to be one of the few to have lower prices on many items and brands sold at similar stores. When I'm not looking for "exotic" items I can't locate at my nearest grocery store, I take a detour into Welcome's meat market and bakery. The meat market as nearly every cut of meat from a chicken, cow, and pig, are packaged for sell. To get the best bargain, look for the sticker that says "special". Meats with those stickers are the money savers: a large bag of beef bones, whole chickens, and more for under $3.25 (and that's not per pound either). The bakery is located near the end of the store near the check-out lanes. It's no where as big as other stores, but you can get so much for less. Huge shredded pork buns, taro buns, hot dog buns, and more are $1. Cupcakes are huge and are only $1.25. Skip the egg tarts and go somewhere where they're better looking for the same price as it's sold in Welcome. Excellent bargains all around even in their "deli" department, where you can order a 3 item rice plate for $3.99. Pros: inexpensive, a wide selection of items Cons: doesn't appear to be the cleanest of places, small bakery Indecisive: too quiet (weird but even on it's busiest of days, it's quiet)

It's dirty, cheap, but gets the job done. Ridiculously cheap fruits? Yes. Exhibit A(pple): Honey Crisp Apples Central Market: $2.99 /lb Costco: $1.99 /lb Welcome: $0.69/lb The apples here were the exact same type (all from Washington state), but the only difference was the ambiance and the ruthless Asian moms have poured over them. If you come here when there's slim pickings, then you're going to hate the selection.

Welcome is my favorite Chinese supermarket in Houston. It has the cheapest prices, feels the most authentic, has food samples on the weekends, has cheap to-go food stations, and has an awesome tea aisle. Their produce section is a frenzy of activity on weekends. They have the best prices on produce. You won't find much "locally-grown" and/or organic produce here. Many of the Chinese vegetables are unloaded from boxes from Mexico which is cool. I've even seen garlic bulbs and maybe boxes of cabbage from China. They also have lots of cheap seafood. I've seen non-Asians buying fish here. Welcome attracts lots of mainland Chinese customers. It gets packed on the weekend afternoons when half the Houston Chinese population stops by after lunch to do their weekly grocery shopping. I try to park as far away from the entrance as possible to avoid having to wait for customers walking around the parking lot. Watch out for inexperienced immigrant drivers in the parking lot.

I wouldn't go anywhere else for my groceries. Dirty is such a harsh word - let's just say the volume of traffic (esp on the weekends) doesn't allow for hourly sweeping or moping:) If you are looking for a Ranch 99, this is not your place. It isn't fancy schmancy --that's how they keep the prices so reasonable. They often have the cheapest prices on vegetables and a good selection of fruit. They have everything Asian here - from hot sauce to noodles to beer to pots and pans. This is truly one stop shopping. Welcome also offers box lunches and a few dim sum to-go items (I'm not sure if they offer this all week long - they do on Sundays). The box lunches range between 2.99 - 3.99 depending on which section of the store you go to (the selection is different). There is also chinese bbq pork available (yummy). The store also has a small bakery. An added bonus is that they sometimes do samples...lol. ..which tends to be on special that week too. On the weekends, the lines can get long and the parking lot gets packed but that's a good sign, right? I've tried most of the other markets, Hong Kong, Viet Hoa and Ranch 99 but Welcome is still my favorite.

Bought a box of Asian Premium Pears today to give to my grandparents as gift, noticed 2 of them are bad. Tried to take them back and was rejected. Very poor customer service. Do not buy these I!

If you want to be treated as a thief then shop at this store! There are many supermarkets in China town to choose from... avoid this one by all means. Besides, the customer service was horrible and they don't value your business. Mom went to pay for 3 items from the supermarket while I was waiting for the roasted pork. (The 3 items were packed in 3 separate bags and 2 of them were even double bags b/c they were cooking pots). After I got the pork, we went to cashier #1 to check out. The cashier rudely asked my mom for her receipt while I was paying for the pork. We didn't understand why she needs to see the receipt so we gave it to her. We asked why she needs it she said she needs to check and that's all the explanation was given. Then she went to the security guard and the guard came and asked mom for the receipt again. We asked again, why we need to be checked again and he answered b/c you are still in the store so we can check you. Mind you, this whole process already took 5 minutes of our time while we didn't even get a good/reasonable explanation of why we were treated us thieves. The guard took a long time to keep looking at the receipt and the items (3 only!) I asked him if he can just hurry up to check the items and he replied I don't know what I am looking at so that's why it's taking awhile. If that's the case then why the cashier even bother to call the security guard? She already checked once so what trigger her to call the security? The story is long but I won't bored you with details. We will never shop at this store again. It would be wrong of me not to share this experience with my fellow Yelpers b/c no one should be treated like a thief without probable cause. It's a shame to do business this way!

One of the only Chinese supermarket left from the last generation. Given that it is so old, I suppose it is in pretty good condition. However, the distinct "Chinese" smell and the terrible bathrooms are still symptoms of its old age. It's exactly what you expect from a Chinese supermarket. It doesn't surpass any expectations (e.g. Golden Foods exceeds cleanliness expectations). As for the center / square, there is a wide variety of stores. There is all day dim sum, boba, toy store, cell phone repair, ballet studio, doctor's office, etc.

Welcome probably has the largest selection of Asian goods out of all the supermarkets in Chinatown. They even have an off-shoot building dedicated entirely to seafood, but this section closes earlier than the rest of the store and the quality is very hit-miss. As for their fresh produce, the vegetables are okay. Not super fresh but still nice and green and delicious. But what you really do not want to buy here is the fruit. The fruit you can tell immediately is not such great quality. They are usually bruised, sometimes moldy, and covered and riddled in black marks from insects. They do have a large selection of Asian fruits, like durian and jackfruit, and their fruits are incredibly cheap, but the price you pay is the quality you get. Overall, this is a supermarket to go to for more packaged Asian products, not so much their "fresh" foods. Also, expect the store to be kind of dirty and not well-kept. Of course, this is the oldest supermarket in Chinatown on that side of the beltway, but that is no excuse for the shabbyness.

I would have given the store 5 stars because it was a new find for me over the past several months. I am transitioning into plant based lifestyle and been visiting neighboring restaurant Pine Forest Vegetarian quite frequently. I loved the variety veggies at low costs. I am also starting a vegan food business and they were my go to. This ended Friday June 14 when I was racially profiled by the security guard. I purchased $23 worth of food to include oyster mushrooms and red yams. I had to go to the restroom after I made my purchase and hurried to the back of the store with my basket and "purchased" goods. As I was leaving the store, one of the workers had the aisle blocked as she was shelving goods. Now looking back that may have been a barrier to stop thieves from escaping. Lol I said excuse me, but she didnt move her cart. I was not able to get my basket through to leave the store, so I removed my 3 bags from the cart and left basket there and left the store. As i was about to get into my car i was approached by a tall security officer who would not allow me to leave. I had so little items it was pretty ridiculous as to what in the hell I could have stolen or added to my already purchased items. He had me come back into the store so that my receipt could be checked against what was in my bag. It was horrendous and embarrassing to say the least. After a grueling 15 to 20 minutes of pleading my innocence he along with cashier finally concluded that what was in my bags was what was purchased and I had not stolen any additional merchandise from the store. He tried to butter me up after that. It was horrible, insulting and outright insane. And with the way if the world today..it was a little scary. Did i mention he had another officer block me in with a vehicle to avoid me leaving in my car? Fu---ing Crazy! To add insult to injury, I called the store later that evening to speak to a manager and I was hung up on after requesting to speak to someone. I work for a law firm and would like to escalate the experience but plain and simply there were no witnesses to speak on my behalf. Its good to know that there are other food marts to choose from in the area. I will never go back to this one unless I take an Attorney with me. Sincerely, UnWelcomed Disgusted Consumer

I agree with Leena, floors are dirty, but groceries are CHEAP and good variety - ie. $.35/lb for bok choy. Seafood section has fresh fish in the aquarium awaiting your pick. Tends to get very crowded. In a jam, I'll go here, but I prefer Hong Kong 4 Market (very early) or Viet Hoa (early).

This place is busy. It is an older store but the prices and the selection is good. The hard part is the employees, they may not all speak English and will straight up walk past you when you are trying to get help. I get it, but if your Chinese dialect is limited and they only speak Mandarin.... hard as balls! The guy Butcher asked my mom if she wanted her meat cut and she said no, it was for Buda and he yelled at her and said she only needed to say no. -no need to yell at paying customers. The casher didn't have a bagger so my dad started to bag his own groceries and the cashier yelled at my dad for reaching for the "wrong" bags and that he need to use another one. -well maybe if you could do your job better and do it faster, the customer wouldn't have to bag their own items. If you know what you want or don't need to ask people for help, this is ok to go to. The cart collectors will holler at you (like a cat call) because their English is limited. Good luck in the parking lot, drivers are rude, can't drive, and impatient!

They need to improve stockers customer service. They don't care about the safety of the customers. Cardboard boxes and cart were blocking aisles.

Unbelievable. FYI: (I witness this on Friday) I don't understand how these business interpret rules and laws during these difficult time. Due to Hurricane Harvey, all Foodstamp recipient are allowed to buy hot foods until September 30th.(which are foods that are cooked in the store. Such as rotisserie chicken, Deli(hot food) . I've seen signs posted this at the American grocery store front and center. However, this store are refusing to comply with it. The manager told the customer(in front of me) , it only implies to food that are to go. He said "hot foods" only and No BBQ . I guess these were cooked somewhere else then and BBQ is cold.SMH.... But you know what, at the end of the year, when the government give them a tax break, I am pretty sure they will ask for it. It's unfortunate that everyone is helping, but some of our Asian business owners steers away from it and make money off this difficult time. Shop where you want to shop but remember when it happens close to you, do you want this kind of treatment.

I called to ask if the have any longan fruits, the lady answered I don't know and hung up. RUDE! Rude! Rude!

The oldest and busiest of the major Chinese grocers in town. If price is your first priority, this is the place for you. Great selection of fresh Asian vegetables and a good seafood selection, often with live blue crabs and usually a good selection of fresh Gulf shrimp for great prices. They also have a stall with great roast meats. Char shiu, roast pig, roast duck. All tasty and good prices. For the non-Chinese, stepping into Welcome Food Center is a trip to Asia, right here in Houston. Almost everything is labeled in Chinese and much of it only in Chinese. Especially on Saturdays, the place is so busy and so crowded that a little bodily contact is unavoidable and the check out lines can run to half an hour easy. By American standards, the place could use a good scrubbing; there is a reason that native Asian cooks religiously wash their vegetables before cooking them. The check out clerks all speak reasonable English, but don't expect much help in directions on how to cook gai lan, or which sauce to use for what dish.

They have a good variety of food and prices are decent. The meat and seafood dept is good. The cashiers are ok.

This is definitely not the cleanest place, but fresh seafood and poultry is where it's at! I had $1. 99 per pound clams, 10 lb of chicken for less than $5, and fish for less than $4. It's super affordable and very fresh! I think this might be my go-to for seafood if I'm cooking at home!