First Oriental Market — Attraction in Scottdale

I remember visiting this market one time when I was in middle school. I went with friends who bought some white rabbit candies, I was astonished by the cheese flavored ice cream I saw int he fridge, and I always remembered it and knew that I wanted to go back. Ten years later, I regularly stop by for all our Asian cooking needs, and I always feel good about supporting the owners and the ladies who work there.

The staff has always known exactly where anything is, so even though the place can seem disorganized, knot that they'd be more than happy to help you find what you need. I find the disorderly cooking and serving ware sections endearing, actually. These ares have narrow aisles and remind me of a few markets I visited while in Korea, so it adds charm, in my mind. The staff is also very knowledgeable about their products. I came to the counter with rock salt and some rice noodles, and the cashier asked if I was making pho. I told her yes, it would be my first time, and she gave me some advice about cooking the noodles.

I haven't yet NOT been able to find what I've needed at First Oriental Market for the Japanese and Vietnamese dishes I've tried to make. Granted, I haven't gone through every recipe of those cuisines, but I've been very happy that I can count on this store to have what I need. I also appreciate their ramen selection. It's not as large as H Mart's, but it branches more into the Thai and Vietnamese ramens.

If you haven't been, it's a fun experience. I always enjoy my visits. The shop is small, but solid, and the staff is great. In fact, one of the ladies there gave me a free Thai Buddha calendar last December! How sweet is that! I've wanted to try some of the fresh made pastries for a long time but haven't, and one day I'm going to get bowls and cute little...

I was in need of some special ingredients to make Hot and Sour soup. I thought Dekalb’s Farmers Market was going to have everything I needed but unfortunately that didn’t so I had to search out for an Asian Mart. I struck gold when I found this place less then 3 mins down the road. They had everything I needed! I knew I was going in to find and purchase a couple things like Lily Flowers, Wood Ears, and canned Bamboo Shoots. Well- my daughter and I ended up walking down EVERY aisle. We spent more than an hour in this small and quaint store. We were thrilled to see everything they had in stock. Of course we ended up buying more than what we came in for. Besides the ingredients for the Hot and Sour soup- we purchased instant noodles, ceramic noodle and rice 🍚 bowls and everything in between. The staff was so pleasant and even gave me pointers on the preparation of my first attempt for the Hot and Sour Soup. I’m so glad we stumbled across this store, we will be...

This market could do some updating on merchandising layouts, etc. But if you need to get the things that your mom or grandma used to use to make their home cooked asian dishes.... This is the place for you. From Thin Soy Sauce to Black Soy Sauce, Fish sauce that doesn't have MSG, Naam, Fresh Bamboo Shoots, Occasional rare fresh bakery items such as large sesame balls, Thai Flower Cookie, Durian cakes, dried mangos, plaintan chips, and much much more! For a newcomer, you may find yourself overwhelmed and not knowing where to find things. Sometimes the person staffed there will not be able to understand what you ask for, but be patient with them and when you go have some time to explore all their options, from cookware, frozen items, sweets, to cooking ingredients... Sometimes I catch them with Hale syrup made for icees, rose and sala cider are my...