Pan-Asia Supermarket, now officially the largest Asian grocery store in Wisconsin, opened its doors on July 24 at 6910 W. Greenfield Ave. The new international food market in West Allis drew elbow-to-elbow crowds, proving that the area is more-than-ready for a one-stop shop offering 10,000+ Asian products under one roof.
Their opening day attracted elbow-to-elbow traffic and I’m anticipating that the weekend followed suit. After all, there’s much to take in at the new shopping destination, which carries more than 10,000 products from countries including China, Vietnam, Korea, India, Japan, Thailand, Pakistan and more. Even better, the selection includes fresh produce and pantry staples to live seafood and specialty meats.
Before you go
Since the store is Pan-Asian, it's wise not to expect to find the devoted focus or depth in products from specific countries that you do at stores like H-Mart, with its emphasis on Korean products, or Mitsuwa Marketplace, where you’ll find a particularly nice selection of Japanese goods. But a first glance showcased a clean, organized store with a fairly wide selection of items, including a few I don't think I've seen at other Asian grocers.
My advice? Be sure you set aside a generous amount of time for your first visit. There’s a great deal to peruse. And whether you’re a first-time customer or a seasoned Asian grocery store aficionado, you could spend a good portion of an afternoon meandering through the supermarket’s aisles.
Fresh produce & unique finds
The entry will take you directly into Pan-Asia’s impressive produce department, where you’ll find a very nice selection of fruits and vegetables ranging from Calamansi limes, Vietnamese longan and whole jackfruit, taro and both Indian and Chinese varieties of bitter melon. There’s a wall of greens, a fairly nice selection of Asian peppers (check in the frozen section for varieties you don’t see), and a lovely variety of papayas.
In the refrigerated section behind the produce, you’ll find a wide variety of fresh Asian noodles, including Shanghai rice cakes, tteok-bakki, Shandong noodles, pulled wide noodles, ramen and pad thai noodles.
You’ll also find a section of varied Asian sausages and various refrigerated condiments including a fairly large selection of kimchi.
Flanking the produce section is an impressive selection of candies, snacks and sodas, including White Rabbit Creamy Candy, various Lay’s and Pringles flavors (including Roasted Garlic Oyster and Roasted Cumin Lamb Skewer flavors), Shrimp Chips and Ramune sodas.
Live seafood & butcher counter
The back of the store showcases a fresh meat department with lots to peruse, including more unusual cuts like duck feet, paper thin sliced beef cuts and countless other items.
There is also a large seafood section where tanks hold live lobsters, eels and crabs, while refrigerated cases showcase a variety of shellfish, from mussels and shrimp to live conch.
Whole fish, including milkfish, amberjack, butterfish, pomfret and wild bonito, among others, are also on display in refrigerated cases.
Staples, specialties & housewares
In between, the store also offers a smorgasbord of Asian ingredient staples, from various canned vegetables, hot sauces and chili crisp varieties to fish sauces, soy sauces and bulk bags of rice.
At the far left of the store is the frozen food section, which showcases a wide range of dumplings, mochi, desserts and specialty items, including trending products like kataifi.
Along the wall beyond the freezer section they stock a variety of houseware items, including Asian cooking must-haves like stone mortars and pestles, rice cookers, woks and bamboo steamers, along with rice and ramen bowls.
Boba, bakery & food court
At the front of the store near the check-out, is the Pan-Asia Food Court which features a boba tea window, grab-and-go bakery items, fresh sushi and a cafe offering made-to-order dishes including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other Southeast Asian options. The lines were long and the seating was full when I was there, but the food smelled amazing, so I’ll likely return another time to try some of their dishes.
While I was there, I did purchase a couple of bakery items, some fresh Chinese noodles and a Korean brand of ramen I have not tried before. But I need to make a list and plan for another trip to retrieve other items on my grocery list.
Pan-Asia Supermarket is open Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.