Friendly Market — Local services in Philadelphia

This market stocks a lot of rare ingredients!

Friendly Market specializes in foods and ingredients catering to relatively recent South and Southeast Asian refugee arrivals to South Philadelphia. These groups include Bhutanese, Nepali, Chin and Karen peoples, and much of the products come from Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, and India.

Every time I go in to Friendly Market I come away with at least one new ingredient or condiment that opens my eyes to a new culinary horizon. The shop owners Julio and Sovannary are always happy to talk about how their very specialized stock of ingredients can be used, and I always learn good things about Burmese and Nepali food when chatting with them.

They have recently acquired some cookbooks to have on hand to help shoppers get a sense of how some of these exotic ingredients come together in Nepali and Burmese dishes (ask to take a look at them–they’re behind...

I come here for besan (chick pea) flour, masalas, paneer, etc. The staff is, as the name would indicate,...

They have a lot of great stuff from many Asian countries. The owner is really kind...