99 Ranch Market — Attraction in Beaverton

Nice lady helped me pick a jackfruit (on my "try something new day") & it was great tasting.! (they have (in season) lychee (red=sweet (/yummy) & greener/yellow=tart (children's/nieces&nephew's fav. is the tart), all good), rambutin (good), logan (tastes like it would go good in or with a savory dish). (I grew some plants from all their seeds, & made some jewelry from the big seeds i didn't grow, so the fruit went a long way.)

Tried (on other "try something(/food) new" days); chicken feet here (really good! since then I've made them too, mine were good, but not as good as theirs.), canned quail eggs (really good! But haven't been able to find them again.), yummy! soft chestnuts in a big bag it had little serving size ( :-) picnic! /snack size) inside it (haven't been able to find them again, yet), citron tea jam was good & (found it tastes really good if you put tiny dab in your whole pot of rice & it seeps into rice...) 1 jar lasted me for years (have to get some more, :-) lots more! Never run out again.),

& steamed*

(chicken, i do not eat pork/pig, i have too many friends that I've met at state fairs, & don't want to end up eating some of my friends.....Preacher & his speedy gilt friend (running excitedly, when you talked to her, in circles) in pen next to him were both so sweet & funny. i hope they became breeders instead of pork, if I'd found some land for nonprofit (teaching - land for those who want to farm/ranch but can't cause no land) farm/ranch/native-historical-modern alternative architecture museum i would have bought them & let them be free like dogs on it & on leashes go everywhere else with me, lol, can ya'all see me walking down a city sidewalk with 2

(huge/big/whatever the new "politically correct term" is, now...found you're not allowed to call a huge(/tall, well alot taller than me, more than twice/double my height...i could have called them goliath. Maybe i should move somewhere where I'm huge instead of called short..since it was okay for them to call me shorty...) person huge & they though huge was(/meant) fat & i was like no fat is nice & fat, & that tall is huge (that person wasn't "nice & huge" though cause he was mean (really vile mean), the other 1s were nice & huge though.)...way off topic, all threads(/string) are connected to another box, another & another, til ya get a jack in the box...)

pigs on leashes. Bet they both would have been good at finding truffles.)

*buns & duck (on some other "try something new" days.. you should try something different everyday if you can, it doesn't have to be expensive. Another day was going to try the durian but it sliced me & i was bleeding so left, didn't (want to get it on anyone/anything) get anything new that day.). They (used) have good mochi (it's been awhile since i got to go); vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, & mango (my honey's favorite).

& nice grandpa always (makes my day) smiles says hi when i come & asks me if i need anything/help (&helps me)

(he must be able to tell I'm not 1 to ask for help even if im drowning (been working on it though), but I'll take some help if you ask me twice, maybe, or thrice, i don't on the 1st time cause don't wanna trouble/be a bother to anyone...(cause lots of people ask like when some people ask if you need help or how are you doing, & don't mean it or listen to reply...) or like when i asked for help growing up pow...off topic...).

(If i get to go back i am going to ask them (if i brave myself up 1st) what their favorite things are, for my "try something new" day, though i have to be careful cause i have extreme alergies to msg - processed food - humans/pewfume-perfume, etc., Haven't had any(/alergic..) there yet though. Uwajimaya (there's a nice grandpa there too.) & 99 ranch are some of my favorite places. Found a yummy hot purple (no dyes) sweet potato bun (& teriyaki chicken bun) at another...

After hearing about this place for months I decided it was finally time to take my maiden voyage. As a regular shopper of TJ's, Uwajimaya, Safeway and other Asian marts all around LA it's safe to say I know prices and selection, even with 99 Ranch being primarily Chinese goods versus Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and others.

First thing to notice is the parking lot is actually quite large with spaces out front and on the side, they only share it with an Arbys. I had no problem finding parking near the front doors on a late Friday afternoon. Shopping carts are in the cart return areas outside and there is one mobility scooter in the entry. Entry and exit doors are in the middle. The store itself is quite large, (bigger than Uwajimaya) hosting clean bathrooms, a customer service area, bakery, deli/cafe, produce, along with meat and seafood departments touting a large assortment of whole fish. Small kitchen utility section near the front.

Star of the store is the ample whole fish selection with the option to clean and deep fry, no charge. Clams, oysters, live Dungeness crabs and some various live fish as well. Like the DMV, be sure to pull a guest ticket number for seafood service or you might end up standing around only to get bumped by someone who has a ticket when they call their number. To deep fry, pick your numbers off the overhead board for cleaning, then for how you want it fried. They do not season or dredge the fish. I ended up flash heating my whole trout in the oven at home, sprayed it with a little olive oil then seasoned both sides with salt and pepper, served with a little fresh lime drizzled over the top to finish. Delicious! Fish was still flaky and moist on the inside, crispy on the outside. I could see how it might dry out or get soggy if not taken care of after getting it home or by over heating it. Best when fresh. The regular meat department is pretty standard and pricing is bout average.

Basically everything here is a bit more expensive than other Asian grocery stores, especially the non Chinese goods. Some of the more standard items might be cheaper (corn starch, rice, vinegar, oils ... etc.) and plenty of things go on sale so there are deals to be had. A lot of the items that are also at Uwajimaya tend to be more expensive at 99, including most of the produce. Since they aren't a Japanese store they don't serve premade sushi, but they do have a few basic packaged cuts of sashimi, like tuna, octopus and salmon.

All in all 99 Ranch is a decent fund store with good selection, even though on average slightly higher priced compared to the local competition. The whole fish selection blows Uwajimaya out of the water and pricing is fair, I'd go back just for that. Otherwise Uwajimaya has easier produce and prices and doesn't force you to buy huge family size bags of things like boo chop, sometimes I only need a couple...

So I'm generally a fan here, but from what I understand, this store is not affiliated with the other 99 Ranch Markets, at least the ones in California where I used to shop at frequently.

Not a dealbreaker, but some things to keep in mind:

Your 99 Ranch Market loyalty card does NOT work here. Instead, they hand out $1.00 off coupons for every X number of dollars you spend on a single purchase. I think it's $2.00 for every $40 spent, so probably $1.00 off for every $20? Not sure. I've never bothered asking to be fair. The prices here seem generally higher than other Asian grocery stores such as Asian Food Center (AFC), Hong Phat Food Center, Fubonn Supermarket, Boo Han Oriental Market, etc. Again, not a dealbreaker, but if price is very important to you, then this might be an important thing to consider. Wireless signal does indeed suck here. I'm sure it has something to do with the material in the walls/ceiling. I am not a telco expert.

Now, the things that shine about this store:

It's clean. It's spacious-ish depending on who you ask. Personal bias? It's close to home for me (it might not be for you, and this did not factor into my selected-star rating on Google Maps).

There's quite a variety of selection here. I'm able to get custard powder, thick white noodles, fresh fish, pork, bak kut teh (Singapore item), Taiwanese cabbage from produce, a myriad of Asian candies, even MSG, and so much more.

Plenty of parking outside. Plenty of shopping carts.

Bakery department is one of my favorites, I was unable to get sliced coconut bread at any 99 Ranch Market in California but I was able to get it from an Asian market in Arizona called "Mekong". It was refreshing to see that offered here in Oregon.

Reader beware: Tread lightly with some of the more critical reviews for this business. Some of the reviews are targeted at a single department as opposed to a total perspective on the whole store itself. Others are for a single experience that was negative despite other visits to the store likely being 5-star experiences....