Kowloon Market

This is the biggest Asian supermarket in Chinatown. It has fresh meats, produce, frozen food, canned/​shelf stable goods and a bakery section.
Kowloon Market is the cleanest supermarket of all the supermarkets in Chinatown. Although, this is somewhat damning with faint praise. The bakery section appears very unsanitary to me. There is black grimy stuff around the bakery shelves. I have never eaten anything from the bakery. There are items that are individually wrapped. I would maybe consider eating those, but they aren’t pastries that interest me. I do not believe that they bake their stuff onsite. If they cleaned up their bakery I would try their stuff.
The rest of the supermarket is ok. It’s dirtier than I would like, but it’s not too bad. They did some renovations and cleaned up their act somewhat when T&T arrived in Ottawa, so if you haven’t been to Kowloon Market in 6 – 7 years, you’ll notice a big improvement.
In Ottawa’s Chinatown it’s really slim pickings when it comes to grocery stores, so Kowloon is the best one. They have a lot of variety for their size and prices are pretty good. Some items are even cheaper than at T&T.

If you are looking for something necessary for your new hobby of Asian cooking I bet they have it here. I am just learning about Asian cooking and have included irregular trips here to try new ideas as I read about them. Asian cooking uses less cooking oil and because of this it is lower in fat which can aid in lowering your cholesterol as you change your diet.
As you would expect they have the spices you are looking for as well as a large variety of teas, soft drinks, jams and jellies, snacks as well as a large fresh veggie area. There is also an in-​house butcher chopping up meats to your needs (bags of bones are available for your soups or for your dogs, either fresh or in freezer). There is also a large selection of the same Asian foods you would find at your regular supermarket, catering to the large number of non-​Asians that shop Kowloon’s aisles. I wasn’t raised on fresh fish and as I pass the tanks of fish swimming I wish I knew how to clean and cook some of those available.
Beware the bakery. They have a lot of tasty looking buns but except for the decoration on top this is really just bread, don’t buy unless you just want white bread, or sweet white bread.
Korean Kimchee available in the refrigerator, wish it came in larger volume packages. (Kimchee is pickled cabbage and other items and is considered an aid to good stomach health, like probiotics and sauerkraut.)
Prices have been going up, as there are everywhere in Ottawa, but definitely still good prices.
The also have Asian made cooking utensils, tools, dishes, pots and pans. The butcher’s knife I bought is fantastic and one gentlemen that works at Kowloon explained that because it has a tapered head it can be used for chopping bones, like ribs, (of chicken, beef and pork). The knife is one piece so no germs can hide between the handle and blade, making clean-​up a breeze.
They ask that you don’t bring filled bags in with you, there is a spot at the door to leave them but they do not watch your left bags.
Located in Chinatown, near downtown, on bus route #2, but within walking distance of two other bus routes (#14 and #85) makes having the Kowlook convenient for anyone without a car.

Decent selection, bakery looked good although we didn’t try anything. One-​star review simply comes from my interaction with the cashier, who refused my VISA card. She said they only accept Canadian credit cards! I tried to inform her that visa should work anywhere visa is accepted, regardless of country of origin, but she wouldn’t budge. I should have just said its a Canadian card and to try running it anyways…

I stopped here to stock up on the first week of a six month stay in downtown Ottawa. While not having the selection of an Asian market in San Francisco or LA, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and value of the merchandise. Unfortunately the store does not have a parking lot. I will definitely be returning!

A Cantonese grocery in Chinatown. The price of vegetables, fruits, and premade food are in great value, usually cheaper than 24-​hour supermarkets; but some snacks here are more expensive and closer to the expire date. Sometimes you can see bizarre stuffs here, such as currency from hell… There are two things that I feel unsatisfied. One is the price tags of stuffs are sometimes missing or hard to see; another is I can’t park my car for free around the store.
My favorite part of this market is the bakery, where I can buy traditional Cantonese bread and snakes at an unbeatable cheap price. The bread and cakes here remind me to days and hometown in recall. I love my Cantonese background! Although the store could be better and only worth 3-​stars over all, I give it a 4-​stars review.

This market is extremely hit and miss. It’s convenient if you’re in and around Centretown but the groceries (vegetables) I’ve purchased from here have been some what sketchy, extremely dirty and not the freshest. Some of the other items like canned goods, frozen foods are ok but slightly more expensive than other stores in town.
I find the bakery is the only thing I find decent here.
I’ve never bought meat or seafood from here but they do seem to have a decent selection.
The cashiers are typical for what I see at most asian grocery stores and that is that they really do suck. They’re not always the friendliest…
If you have the time head down to T&T or the one on the other side of the bridge to Vanier. I prefer those 2 supermarkets but again same old cashier attitude ;)

This place is fantastic. They have been consistently updating the shop for the past year, adding new fridges, displays, and carrying more and more items.
The bakery has some great items and you can pick up homemade spring rolls for a steal.
Excellent fresh and frozen fish, meats, and a full selection of soy products for the dairy-​averse like me. The butchers are friendly and happy to cut any piece of meat or clean your fish if you ask. I have always found the staff to be friendly and helpful.
I probably shop here about once a week. Fantastic selection, and it’s very easy to get in and out without spending an hour in the store, unlike T&T which I find harder to navigate due to its size.
The only downside to this store is the seemingly random availability of some of the items. They sometimes carry a specialty spice I enjoy, but the frequency it appears in the store seems to be rather unpredictable.

Kowloon Market is a really great place for all of your Asian grocery needs. It has a huge red sign so you can’t miss it.
It’s the largest one in Chinatown, and also the cleanest. Though it doesn’t have as large of a selection as stores you would find in Toronto, you can pretty much find whatever you’re looking for. They have produce, packaged and refrigerated food, a fresh seafood section, some barbecued meats, and even baked bread and other buns and goodies. Their prices are comparable to those of other Asian grocers, nothing too expensive, but not overly cheap either. It’s also really easy to navigate around, with everything organized in aisles and sections, like your usual grocery stores. It’s a great place to find what you need for a decent price!

Kowloon Market is an amazingly authentic Asian grocery experience. If you have ever wondered what it is like to shop in the bowels of Beijing, you need to take a trip to this place. My wife and I dropped by Kowloon Market at around 3pm on a weekday afternoon and, as a testament to its authenticity, the store was crowded with Asian shoppers (and, strangely enough, two Jamaican ladies!). They carry aisle after aisle of Asian spices and cooking ingredients. The seafood aisle at the rear of the store totally brought me back to my shopping trips in Seoul. They had tanks of live fish and the customers choose the ones they want. They even had those gross geoduck clams that look like swimming phalluses. The downside was the butcher section. They had lots of pig parts in open boxes along the aisle, unrefrigerated. This is a truly authentic practice, but it seems a little icky to me. If you plan to cook any Asian dishes, do yourself and your guests a favour and buy real Asian ingredients in this real Asian market.