Mittapheap Asian Market

I originally gave Mittapheap a low rating but revised based on the the response from the manager. He acknowledged the issues that I articulated in my original review (see below) and explained that the store was in transition. His response was professional and sincere. I believe that Mittapheap will eventually be an excellent source of international goods and I look forward to the final product.

There are only two Asian Markets that I go to… Mittapheap and Sun’s Oriental Market. While Sun’d caters to Japanese, Korean and Indian cuisines… Mittapheap caters to Cambodian, Laotian, Thai and Latino of all things… If you’re going to delve into Southeast Asian Cooking then this is the place to go. Bought out by two Cambodian Sisters, they cleaned the place up, put in better lighting and improved the fresh meat counter. Fresh vegetables and Herbs are always to be found and some pretty bizarre ones… and they are always happy to explain what the food item is and what it’s used for. I have moved 20 minutes further away so now I go with a real shopping list. instead of the impulse buying as well… but I still go.

Mittapheap, while having a name that I still can’t figure out how to pronounce and am too embarrassed by my white girlness to ask, is pretty awesome. In fact, they should sell shirts that say Mittapheap is Awesome, just because it is.
If I wasn’t already in love with this place after I visited it, their business card sealed the deal. «So authentic, you won’t be able to read the labels.» And that pretty much sums it up. There are things I have bought there that I still don’t know what they are, and things I haven’t bought there yet for fear of what they may be. So is that a good thing, you ask? Heck yes. Basically, it’s the most exciting grocery shopping you can do. I’ve spent an hour in there just looking at every single thing, JUST BECAUSE. And when I’ve had questions, they’ve always taken the time to answer the best they could, even when it was a guy that barely spoke English. And that guy managed to help me find the spiciest spicy powder my delighted taste buds have ever experienced in this state.
And if the grocery aspect isn’t enough for you, they have an adjacent shop that sells a lot of random things, including, but not limited to: Every type of hair extension and accessory possible, wigs, curtains, blankets, cookware, shampoo, and awesome bling.
This place is an experience. And you want to have it.