World Market - Cho Quoc Te — Attraction in St. Louis

Terribly impressed by our first trip here, and somewhat embarrassed to have waited so long to walk the three blocks from our house to check it out. In the past, my go-to Asian market has always been Jay's International, but this place has everything they carry and so much more.

I'm not just talking about the parking either, although that has traditionally been my only serious complaint about Jay's. The parking lot here is more than accomodating, but that's the least of their advantage. Much like American grocery chains now supply, they also have an in-store pharmacy (search for TJ Pharmacy), locally owned and operated instead of just a mask hiding a national chain. The building also houses Joyful House Vietnamese Cuisine and Seafood, which offers dine-in, pickup or delivery and should brighten the lives of those still mourning the loss of Pho Grand.

Still, those are just the accessories; what really sets this place apart from most "World Market" stores is the fresh food section in back. I'm not just talking about produce either, although the area's size, selection and quality put Aldi and Schnucks to shame. Our visit was partially in hopes of finding the fresh celery necessary; not only did we find it, but the price was more than reasonable and it was far and away the best celery we've ever had. I honestly never thought I'd have need of the phrase "best celery," but it really was qualtitatively better in every way.

If you're like most people though, you won't be able to properly focus on their product until you marvel at their seafood selection and multitude of meats. Never mind the tanks which are home to live catfish as big as my leg, the binfull of blue-claw crabs (a regular feature on Saturdays, I'm told, although other days bring other fresh treasures from the ocean; ask the guys in back for a full schedule, I've forgotten what they told me), and the rest of the incredible array of fish and crustaceans available. They also have have whole chickens and ducks, and another 20 yards or so of packaged meats that I've forgotten, driven from my mind by the small freezer case demanding that you ask for assistance when selecting your ox-tail. Honestly, I've never had ox-tail before, and I'm not certain I'd particularly like to change that, but I love the idea of shopping at a store that sells it.

Top all this off with some of the friendliest, happiest staff I've ever encountered in a grocery store, and what you have is hands-down the best international food market I've ever visited. This is the kind of store that a cultural melting pot like South City deserves, and I'm proud to say I live within walking distance. Next time, I promise I'll ask how to properly (or at least inoffensively) pronounce Cho Quoc Te, and maybe even ask for a translation, because this place definitely deserves a better name than...

Went here for the first time this last Sunday. We came for fresh crawfish $6/lb. I also got a large fresh lobster $16.99/lb, and fresh blue crabs I think those were 5 or 6/lb as well. I got some fresh oxtails(they were kinda small pieces) about $12-$16 a pack, we purchased 3 packs. Also got some seasonings and marinades. They have a restaurant/shop in the back that sales boba tea, slushees, and smoothies. I ordered a strawberry coconut slushee w lychee jelly. It was not sweet at all super tart :( major bummer it was like $7 $8 bucks. The cashiers were rude. They didn’t speak when we came in. They only spoke during check out to give us the total. I said thank you twice, I was clearly heard…and ignored, that is bad customer service, I have also read other reviews that stated the same.The girl who took my drink order was nice and the man working in the fresh seafood section was nice also. Everyone else sucked! It was cool for what it was but definitely could be better. Doesn’t smell as bad as some of the other markets we have been to with fresh seafood.I do wish they had crab legs, I...

We live a half block from this establishment and unfortunately had never gone in. I needed celery for a soup I was making and decided we'd walk up there and see what they had. I was not expecting what I experienced. Their fresh produce and meats/seafood selection puts large chain grocers to shame. They have everything you'd expect from an international grocer, plus hundreds of things you may never seen before. I moved from the southernmost county of NJ to St. Louis 7 years ago. When my wife came to NJ the first time, I made her a fresh seafood platter, but I didn't bother with blue claw crabs... and I've been lamenting it since. Wouldn't you know it, they had a table of "pick your own" live blue claws not a thousand feet from our home. (The seafood employee said they come in on Saturdays and they also get live crayfish) They have live fishes, fishes on ice, (snapper, striper, tilapia, flounder, etc) shellfish (oysters, clams, dungeness crabs, etc.) Even an on site kitchen/restaurant. Now that I know, I will be...