Jas Mart

Now the JAS Mart on 110^th and Broadway is closed too. This is really terrible for the Upper West Side where there are almost no Asian grocery stores to begin with. And this was a good store. Has the whole JAS chain closed?
Note to Japanese grocery store owners: please open on the Upper West Side! There are plenty of people who cook Asian food living here who don’t have time to get their groceries in Jersey or the East Village!

Happen to pass by the other day to pick up a bottle of Sushi/​Sashimi Soy Sauce and some Mochi that Camille loves and noticed the sign ON THE ENTRANCE AND ON THE WALL… EVERYTHING 30% OFF… STORE CLOSING!!!
Well, another one bite the dust!!! so I went on a little unplanned food shoping spree. whatever I feel I need… Wasabi… Tamari Los Sodium SoyDSauce… Mirin…Seasoned Gourmet Rice Vinegar… Gyoza, Hot Sesame Oil… Picked Ginger. Noodles …snacks…and Mochi of course.
I hate to see stores closing… I feel sorry for the business owner. a lot of stores are closing left and right in the city… Wendy’s next door closed too… so is the Antique Furniture store on 21^st… but it looks like it has been the trend not only here in New York but all over… sign of the times…
This Japanese store has been a fixture in the area for so long… I wonder what kind of business will take its place… a restaurant perhaps?..

Farewell JAS Mart. First Wendy’s closed next door and now you?
*Insert ARMY Military funeral trumpets*
May 18^th to May 24^th, everything 30% off.
Oh…I see all my favorite Japanese Men’s styling wax are freakin gone. Damn Baruch Asian dudes.
OoOoOoo! I see a shit load of packaged Gyozas still left in the freezer! Oh no though, all the ramens and japanese crackers are fading on the shelves…
Note to Self: Stock up on a crap load of JAS Mart items on Friday before the long weekend. Miyagi to lazy to go to JAS Mart on St. Mark’s. Too many freaks on that street.

Red bean mochi, mm good. Great assortment of snacks plus they have a microwave if you need to heat your goods. Decent pricing. Probably’ll come back here with atleast 150 $ to splurge for 2 months worth of snacks and junk. mmmmmm

Excellent sushi take out. If you’re in the area and you need a quick sushi fix pick up a couple dishes from Jas Mart and chill in MSP for a bit. Big, fresh and reasonably priced fish!

This one time I fell in love with Japan. True story. After visiting to do a comparative analysis of the recycling systems in New York, Germany, and Japan I was completely enamored. And not just with their garbage disposal techniques. Everything just tasted better there. I don’t know what they were feeding the produce, the animals or the fish, but damn. It was like heaven.
It was inevitable that I would feel withdrawal upon my return. Luckily I had dropped by JAS mart several times with the father and therefore knew where I could get my fix. And when I say fix I mean it. This teenage girl piling up the cart with noodles, gyoza, royal milk tea, beauty supplies, agemochi, Japanese curry sauce… the list just goes on. I felt like a total freak, running home to fry up my gyoza and guzzle down that rich and milky tea that so reminded me of the far east…
Years passed and I got tired of shelling out the dough, but I still stop by whenever I’m in the neighborhood to pick up some snax or just look at the goods. JAS Mart totally saved my life and I will be forever grateful.

I’m accustomed to the large Mitsuwa markets and this does not even compare. Very small selection and there aren’t any fresh groceries. I suppose if you want the very basics of Japanese non-​perishables, this will do the trick. I only stopped in because I happened to walk by. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here.

Love the authentic Jap stuff they carry. The itoen ice tea is super cheap by the carton too! Love it Love it! Also sometimes get my Jappy snacks and grocery items from here. One of the rare finds I got here was a lint bag for my washer (I didn’t even know lint bags can be bought — thank god for Japanese inventions! Alas, they don’t carry it anymore. Fortunately I found a replacement @ Mitsuwa :))

I didn’t even KNOW there was a JAS Mart so close to my house until I was searching for matcha (green tea powder) to make some matcha butter cookies. The JAS Mart is pretty small but has a lot of good food that’s moderately priced (mochi! Japanese snacks! pocky!). I ended up picking up some matcha there (unsweetened) for $ 9 — a little pricey, but I’m still using it (a month later) and my friends LOVE the way the matcha cookies turned out.

So this past Saturday was the first day of the Summer Streets program, where Park Avenue and connecting streets are closed from the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to Central Park. A grand idea, I say.
So I started off at 14^th Street and walked towards 23^rd street. I then remembered «SHAKE SHACK!!!» So I walked briskly to Madison Square Park, and of course there was a line about 60 deep. Rather ridiculous, I say.
With nowhere else to go, I looked across the street and there it was: Jas Mart. I had no idea that there was one on 23^rd Street. But there was one, and I bounded across the street.
It’s rather small, in comparison to the one on Saint Marks Place. But it’s still pretty stocked with lots of goodies. I just got a box of Pocky, because I’m all about the Pocky, especially the ones covered with almonds. Yummy!
Next time, I gotta remember to get some of the frozen dumplings so I can steam them up at home. Maybe even some of the fish balls. Nothing better than having a set of balls in my mouth.

I see a lot of favorable reviews here but in my experience of going to many numerous asian restaurants and markets in the city for my whole life this place was okay. The person who was at the cash register had an attitude and muttered something at me in spanish while i was leaving because I asked her if she could change my quarters for a dollar after i bought my lunch. I beleive a lot of the people who have written reviews here have not been to many other asian markets or better ones atleast.
So in the end sure if your in the area and have a craving you might go here. But if not there are plenty of better places.

Jasmart, you’re like the personal assistant I never had;
You pass me Pocky when I’m premenstral and craving chocolate.
You feed me tuna rice balls when I’m hung-​over and doing the Walk of Shame/​Stride of pride from the Hoboken Path back to my express bus across the street.
You fix my hair with cute pots of wax, and do my makeup with the BEST eyeliner and mascara for girls (and boys) with chocolate colored, almond shaped eyes.
You cool me down with a billion varieties of green tea or with nifty facial wipes that de-​greasify my visage when I’m sweaty.
Most of all, you give me kitchen cabinet staples that make me miss my dear Japanese friends (kewpie mayo, mochi balls, curry cubes or dried anchovies anyone?)
Though your St. Marks’ location is bigger and has a better fresh produce department, I’ll never fire you.

YAY! An asian grocery store near my neighbourhood!
I got my Japanese magazines, J’s hair wax, fishcakes, a rice scoop etc. They’re small but they’ve got lotsa nice goodies, snacks and onigiri! They even have Japanese shampoo and bodywash!
I’ll be back to pick up some pre packaged Chazuke and Japanese curry sauce. YUMM-​oooo.

So, ramen as far as most college students know consists of a package of dried noodles to be rehydrated in hot water. And Jas Mart has quite a selection of high quality dried ramen that costs up to $ 3 – 4 per package. HOWEVER, better is the fact that they have fresh ramen noodle packages in their refrigerated section. They have Shio, they have Shoyu, they have Miso and they have TONKOTSU ramen. The noodles are fresh and while the broth is from a package, it’s not a bad base broth that you can then throw shredded pork into. Add a raw egg, some dried seaweed and it’s not that far off a bowl you might find at many ramenyas in the city. If you’re especially inventive, it might very well be better.
This Jas Mart, being smaller than its St. Marks sister location, still stocks a great selection of food. They carry everything from thinly sliced pork belly strips (looks like bacon) to some fresh vegetables, frozen Japanese croquettes, wasabi mayo and an even fresh fish roe.

I bring my husband treats from here whenever I walk by. From the selection of pastries at the counter, ask them to point out the one with the red bean AND mochi ($ 1.95) — you won’t be disappointed!

the only place I found a hard to find item :
FROZEN READY TO FRY –REAL– SHRIMP TEMPURA!
I can now quickly make shrimp udon soup at home. hooray!

A tiny «conbini» (Japanese convenience store) right in front of Madison Square Park. What a sweet find!
The store is clean, organized, well stocked, and best of all, has a full line of cosmetics & beauty supplies. You’ll find LOTS of snacks and packaged foods (yes, they have onigiri), too. Contrary to how it is with many conbinis, the items here aren’t overpriced.
I just find it amazing that with the first step into the store, I forget that I’m in New York…

I’ve been to the other two JAS marts, and I have to say that this one is my favorite. I work in flatiron, and though it’s a bit of a trek from my office, I still come here to get some of the healthiest lunches that any place around has to offer. Onigiri, chirasi, and other yummy specialties on demand, the fast food here beats any place by far. Even if you’re not looking for lunch, the selection of drinks, frozen goods, sauces, and snacks is large enough to please most palates. If you check out the sale items, you can sometimes get a deal, but considering most items are imported, the prices aren’t too bad. My only gripe is that they stopped offering my favorite «sun merry» bread– a white bread bun with a curry croquet, corn and mayo toppings. I’m not losing sleep over it, though its cholesterol laden goodness sometimes haunts my dreams.

Mmm rice balls. Mmm custard bread. This JAS Mart isn’t as big or extensively stocked as the one in the East Village, but it’s right near my work so it satisfies the Japanese food cravings I get sometimes.
The aforementioned rice balls are on average $ 1.50 a pop, which is a pretty good deal. They also have bento boxes of broiled salmon or eel, and a variety of other pre-​made Japanese food (sushi, inari, etc.) to go. Oh, and sandwiches too! Tuna salad, egg salad, ham & cheese, etc. in the $ 3-​$ 3.50 range. Sure, it’s nothing fancy, but try spending less than $ 5 on a sandwich anywhere in this neighborhood.
Today I made a meal out of two rice balls (salmon and broiled eel, respectively), seaweed salad ($ 1.99) and the aforementioned fluffy, buttery custard bread ($ 1.99). Now my belly is happy!

I work right down the block from JAS Mart and I love going there for a quick, inexpensive lunch. I love the onigiri (rice balls) that they have right at the entrance of the store and they always have a great selection of other Japanese food, drinks, and candy. The store has a very Japanese-​style convenience store feel to it, which is why I like it so much. Definitely give it a try!