Japanese grocery stores in the New York - New Jersey - Connecticut area

posted on 25 Jan 2008 by maki :: 0 comments

This page lists stores in New York, North New Jersey and Connecticut - the NYC Tristate area, plus upstate New York. South NJ area stores are listed on the main USA page.

General New York area notes: The Japanese-American population of the area is quite small, but there is a fairly big expat commmunity. The main areas where they live are in some suburbs of Westchester and Northen New Jersey, in lower Manhattan, and near Columbia University. (There used to be a fairly big expat community in Queens around Flushing, but no longer.)

I’ve also included some bakeries and takeout places (since this is New York after all) and bookstores.

This page is still rather undone. In the meantime please see this post which reviews some NYC area groceries.

Is your favorite grocery store missing? Leave the details in the comments! (Once the info in a comment is incorporated into the main article, the comment will be deleted.)

Statewide chains

Banzai 99 Cent Store: English web site; An Asian dollar store modelled after 100 yen shops in Japan. Several stores around the state, mostly at the moment in Queens.

Beard Papa: English web site; Actually nationwide at this point. A Japanese cream puff (_shuu kureemu_) chain. 4 locations in the NYC area.

New York City

Brooklyn

Bronx

Manhattan

Manhattan eating tip: Japanese restaurants abound in the Midtown area around 41st street up to about 55th Street, in all price ranges. Look for the lunch specials aimed lure in the Japanese businessmen who work in the area. The main hangout for the younger Japanese crowd is the East Village, where you can find even cheaper Japanese meals.

Asahiya Bookstore: 360 Madison Ave. (Midtown East); New York, NY 10017; Tel: 212-883-0011 Fax: 212-883-1011; Japanese web site; Ok this is a bookstore, so not edible. But of course you want Japanese cookbooks and such…Usually not as crowded as Kinokuniya.

Asia Market Corporation: 71 1／2 Mulberry St. (bet. Canal & Bayard Sts., Chinatown); Tel: 212-962-2028／2020; 8:00am〜7:00pm (Mon - Sat), 8:15am〜7:00pm (Sun); Asian grocery store.

Beard Papa: Astor Place (NYU/East Village); 740 Broadway; New York, NY 10003; (212) 353-8888; Also at; 2167 Broadway (Upper West Side); New York, NY 10024; (212) 799-3770; Also at; 5 Carmine St. (West Village); New York, NY 10014; (212) 255-4675

Book Off: 14 East 41st Street (Midtown East); New York, NY 10017; 10:00 - 20:00 7 days; Tel. 212-685-1410; English part of the site; New York branch of a Japanese used bookstore chain.

Cafe Zaiya: 18 E 41st St (bet. 5th and 6th Aves. Midtown East); New York, NY 10003; Tel: (212) 779-0600; Also at; 69 Cooper Square (bet. St. Marks Pl & 7th St., East Village); New York, NY 10079; Tel. 212-253-9700; Also a branch at Kinokuniya (see below); A Japanese-style bread bakery and cafeteria and takeout place with a mainly Japanese menu of fare. Get your Melon pan, curry pan and other Japanese baked goodies here. Midtown location is larger, and also has Beard Papa cream puffs. But East Village location has items not available at the midtown store. (maki)

Chez Noah: 600 Washington St. (at Leroy St., Meatpacking district); Tel: 212-675-2649; 8:00am〜8:00pm (Mon - Sat); English web site; The web site makes it looks like just another multi-cultural boutique-style food store (a la Dean & DeLuca) but it is listed on a Japanese page as being a Japanese grocery. Maybe worth a look if you’re in the neighborhood.

JAS Mart: 35 St. Marks Pl. (bet. 2nd and 3rd Aves., East Village); New York, NY 10003; Tel: 212-420-6370; 11:00am〜11:00pm (Sun - Thu), 11:00am〜12:00am (Fri and Sat); Japanese-style coffee shop upstairs, grocery downstairs.; also at; 34 E. 23rd St. (bet. Park and Madison Aves., Flatiron/Grammercy); Tel: 212-387-8882; 9:00am〜9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 9:00am〜10:00pm (Sat and Sun); also at; 2847 Broadway (bet. 110th and 111th Sts., Upper West Side); Tel: 212-866-4780; 10:00am〜10:00pm (7 Days); Mini-chain of grocery stores around Manhattan. The grocery part is a fairly typical small Japanese grocery. UWS store was very friendly when I visited back in 2006 - it didn’t have a coffee shop. See my review here (maki)

Katagiri: 224 E. 59th St. (bet. 2nd and 3rd Aves., Midtown East); New York, NY; Tel: 212-755-3566; 10:00am〜8:00pm (7 Days) (groceries part); 10:00am〜7:00pm (7 Days) (housewares part); English and Japanese website; The oldest Japanese grocery store in New York - in business since 1939. Has fresh and packaged foods, housewares, takeout bentos, etc. The place where a Japanese food novice is most likely to get friendly help from Japanese shoppers in NY. Website says they ship worldwide.

Kinokuniya Bookstore New York: 1073 Avenue of the Americas (next to Bryant Park); New York, NY 10018; 212-869-1700, 212-869-1703; New location for Kinokuniya. Has a Cafe Zaiya inside. Besides books stocks giftwares and the like.

Korin: 57 Warren Street; New York, NY 10007; 800-626-2172 / 212-587-7021; Hours: 10am-6pm Monday through Saturday; www.korin.com; Showroom and store for a restaurant supply company. Restaurant-quality tableware and knives. If you buy a Korin brand knife here you can get them sharpened here. Also does mail order; ships internationally. Note that the bento boxes they carry are restaurant-type ones suitable as tableware, not lightweight portables.

M2M／M2M: 55 3rd Ave. (bet. 10th and 11th Sts.); Tel: 212-353-2698; 8:00am〜12:00am (7 Days; Korean grocery store with a lot of Japanese products. If you’re in the area you might as well hit JAS Mart, Sunrise and here.

Oms/b: 56 E 45th St (between Lexington and Third Aves., Midtown East); Tel: 212-922-9788; Mon–Fri 8am–7:30pm; Sat 11:30am–5pm; English web site; A tiny onigiri (omusubi) takeout place, with about 4 tables should you want to eat there.

Sunrise Mart: 494 Broome Street (SoHo); New York, NY 10012; (212) 219-0033; also at; 29 3rd Ave - 2nd floor (East Village); (between 10th St & 2nd Ave); New York, NY 10003; (212) 598-3040; See my review here (maki); Comments: “Both have a good selection of food stuff (vegetables, frozen foods, staples, fish), kitchen ware, cosmetics, etc. All Japanese goods. The Bro ome Street location has a fresh hot food counter as well and more selection of lunch goods.” - (Clarice)

Tongin Market: 91 Mulberry St. (bet. Walker & Bayard Sts., Civic Center area); Tel: 212-962-6622; 9:00am〜8:00pm (7 Days); Grocieries, gifts and sundries, medicines; takeout sushi; Comments: “A nifty place to shop for packaged and frozen foods, as well as Japanese dishware and candy.” -(Ami) (See also Ami’s review here)

Yagura: 24 E. 41st St. (bet. Madison & 5th Aves., Midtown East); Tel: 212-679-3777; 11:00am〜8:00pm (Mon - Sun); Hole in the wall restaurant with takeout bentos, onigiri, and such, plus a small grocery store.

Queens

Family Market: 29-15 Broadway, Astoria (Queens); Tel: 718-956-7925; 10:00am- 1:00am (7 Days); Fresh and packaged foods, some housewares, video rentals

Long Island

Nara Japanese Foods: 169A Main St.; Port Washington, NY (Nassau County, North Shore); Tel: 516-883-1836; 10:00am〜7:00pm (Sun, Tue - Fri), 9:00am〜7:00pm (Sat); Small typical Japanese grocery store. The store is cramped but impeccable. Food including fresh fish and meat, housewares, video rentals.(maki)

Shin Nippon-Do Corp: 63 Mineola Ave.; Roslyn Heights, NY (Nassau County, North Shore); Tel: 516-625-1814; 9:30am〜6:30pm (Tue - Fri), 9:30am〜7:00pm (Sat) / 9:30am〜6:00pm (Sun), Closed on Mondays; Another typical Japanese grocery store. A bit bigger and a bit better selection than Nara.

Westchester/Rockland Counties

Kinokuniya Bookstore: 3360 Palisades Center Dr (inside the Palisades Center mall); Third level (floor plan); West Nyack,NY 10994; Tel 845）353-6600 Fax: 845）353-0407

Nijiya Hartsdale: 18 North Central Ave.; Hartsdale, NY 10530; (914) 949-2178; Mon - Sun 10:00am- 7:00pm; English/Japanese website; Part of chain of stores mostly in California.

Nippan Daido, Inc: 522 Mamaroneck Avenue; White Plains, NY 10605; Tel: 914-683-6735 Fax: 914-683-6737; English and Japanese web site; Mini-chain with stores in White Plains NY, Fort Lee NJ, and Houston Tx. Food, housewares, kitchen appliances, video rentals. White Plains store also carries alcohol. Daido is an old store that has moved around a bit over the years (they used to have a store in Flushing, Queens, once a major Japanese enclave.)

Connecticut

Northern New Jersey

Mitsuwa New Jersey
595 River Road: Edgewater, NJ 07020; Tel: (201) 941-9113; Fax: (201) 941-5437; E-mail: newjersey [at] mitsuwa [dot] com; English website; Japanese website; Mitsuwa in Edgewater NJ is about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic, from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. The fare is $3 per adult, less for kids. Shuttle bus schedule from Feb. 1 2008. Large supermarket, mostly Japanese products, small regular American products section. Indoor side mall (food stalls, cafeteria style restaurant) plus outdoor side mall (bookstore etc - tenants change to change rather frequently.) Maki’s review from 2006.; “Over 2 hours from Philadelphia, so it’s not really close, but my parents and I will often make the excursion to this Mitsuwa because of its wide selection of goods.” - (yoko)

Nippan Daido, Inc: 1385 16th Street (south of I-95, one block from police department); Fort Lee, NJ 07024; Tel: 201-944-0020; English and Japanese web site; Mini-chain with stores in White Plains NY, Fort Lee NJ, and Houston Tx. Food, housewares, kitchen appliances, video rentals. White Plains store also carries alcohol. Daido is an old store that has moved around a bit over the years (they used to have a store in Flushing, Queens, once a major Japanese enclave.)

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