Mekong Asian Market — Attraction in Seattle

When I moved to this neighborhood of Rainier+MLK-land (not Beacon Hill, not Mt Baker, not even Genessee really), I have missed the atmosphere of a REAL southeast Asian market like the ones I grew up around in Hong Kong and soCal. I was SO very happy to find the Mekong here, where I don’t need to schlep up the hill or to Chinatown to get the couple of authentic Asian ingredients I can’t get from the QFC at McClellan. Especially after the Rainier farmers market burnt down, I can still walk there from my building and get fresh Asian greens and vegetables that have no English names, without the price tags of the sad, wilted selections that maybe show up at the Red Apple every now and then. When I need non-Kikkomon Mirin or fish sauce, when I’m jonessing for a spicy BBQ pork banh mi or fried sesame balls with green bean paste, or Thai Lays potato chips, I don’t have to settle for whatever the local grocery store has that expired 2 years ago. I don’t have to explain Maggi sauce or the difference between regular and dark soy sauces to the cashiers. I can find more than just 2 brands of jasmine rice in 5, 10 and 25-pound bags. They have shrimp chips in 4 or 5 flavors and mangosteen and jackfruit juice in cans, bottles and boxes!

I think the only reason I can’t completely give the Mekong 5 stars is that their hours are limited to daylight hours, which are inconvenient for people with day jobs (but much safer in this neighborhood); they are short-handed a lot so they are NOT fast; finding some more specialized or higher end ingredients is often hit and miss; and yeah it’s a scary place for my claustrophobic friends who aren’t used to how most Asian stores are set up in the working class parts of Asia.

This is so authentic, it reminds me of typical markets in HK and Bangkok, not the super high-end, overly sanitized Japanese or Korean stores within driving distance. The Mekong keeps it real for me here in Seattle and reminds me that my roots are from much...

I really want to support this market because it's so conveniently located just a short walk from my house. However, I’ve come across some issues with their produce that I feel need attention. On multiple occasions I’ve found that the produce was expired by the time I brought it home. I recently bought a pack of Persian cucumbers that were slimy inside, which wasn’t immediately obvious due to the plastic wrapping.

I’ve noticed that the produce section often has wrinkled bell peppers, slimy items, and visible mold in the onion and potato area. this section isn't cleaned frequently enough, which is highly concerning. While I appreciate that they offer harder to find Asian products and affordable meat, the quality of the produce and the difficulty in returning bad items have been so disappointing. If you try to return bad produce, they will refuse and give you a hard time for it. I hope they address these issues to improve the shopping experience.

Overall, it’s a mixed experience. The only thing keeping me coming back is the convenience of location from me and the...

I always go to Mekong Rainer for their Thai grocries because they have most of the Thai produce and ingredients that I need to cook dishes from home. Not to mention all the Thai snacks that I grew up with. They also have Burmese tea leaf and fried peas back from home too. So they are my go to whenever I want to make Burmese tealeaf salad.

Anyways, I always wanted to try their hot food items [Thai Chicken Rice/ Boat Noodles] that they added recently. Since I often cook these dishes at home myself never got a chance. But yesterday, I went in 30 mins before they were closing and saw that some of the hot food items are 50% off at night. So, I grabbed one of the boat noodles for $7. BEST DECISION 👌 EVER!!!! I haven't had boat noodles this authentic in a while ever since I came back from Thailand.

I hope Mekong expand their selection of hot food items available because they are legit. I missed the times when they also sell whole fried fish too. Can't wait to go back to try...