Sorya Asian Market — Local services in Vancouver

This is an interesting little corner of the universe. As if you stumbled into a little interdimensional warp where different parts of the known universe converge. You have the Russian market to the right, The (very nice) Mexican market on the left and right in the middle, like the jewel in the navel of an exotic dancer, is Sorya. It's the anchor for the eclectic mix of store fronts and is well worth the adventure of navigating the often over crowded and too small parking lot. Inside it is the traditional narrow aisles and bursting shelves that I remember well from my travels in Asia. There is the rice section (I get all my black rice there), The chili section, noodle section, hardware section, spice section, tea section, instant soup section, frozen foods, meats, for some reason a Russian section, and the fresh produce section. The clientele is varied and sometimes you have to jockey around a bit to get through the crowded aisles. It's a melting pot and I never feel out of place as can sometimes happen when big ugly old white men venture into Asian markets. In fact, the owner was so friendly and welcoming that I turned around to see if there were some old friend of hers standing behind me. The place is a treasure hunt from Kimchee to Gochugaru, from Tom Yum paste to Lemon Grass. It's not the biggest place in town, but it's fun and welcoming and worth a visit. You don't have to feel like an idiot when you have a question. By the way... You know that Thai Iced Tea that you get in the Thai restaurants and costs a premium? Well you can get the mix here in big bags and it's cheaper than regular tea. You'll never pay restaurant prices again. You know those incredibly expensive little bottles of Hoisen sauce and Sesame oil you can get at Safeway? They have big bottles at Sorya for much less. Where else can you get hard to find Russian specialties with one hand while you shop for Thai Peanut sauce with the...

I Do NOT recommend this store. At a glance store looks clean, full shelves with narrow aisles and OH MY such Low prices, BUT it's all a JOKE, a SCAM! Multiple items incorrectly marked! It is not like one or two items had been placed at the wrong price point, I mean large packs of noodle (see image) marked at $2.99 (two different brands, 5lb packs marked at $2.99. Thought I hit the jackpot), I get to the register, rings up as $13 or $10.99, I show the image of $2.99 and nope, store would NOT honor THEIR error. They had six or nine snack pak of seaweed priced $9.99, walked two steps down the aisle, same pak $13.99 (again this is multiple units of the same product). Bottle of water clearly displayed at $0.79, rings up $2. And again nope don't care, it's $2. Then there were items with no price at all. Just a guessing game, such as the fresh herbs & garlic are two I asked about. If the price is too good to be true, then know at this store it's a SCAM! The incorrect pricing is all on the staff. If it were one item in the wrong spot or one product incorrectly priced is one thing. I would have been scammed if I had not been asking for each price ringing in the register, I had removed three from my cart due price not matching shelf price. How many other folks has Sorya scammed that do not ask for price on each...

They should know better and you as customers should also be informed. Some of the most blatant scam prices for items that are not boutique items. It’s a shame we already have to suffer through tough times. Then places like this want to up charge items over double the cost what you can get them other places. Trying to pass them off as some sort of import expense I’m sure. Mama brand ramen can be purchased at Walmart or other retailers for $.48 and below. These folks are charging $.99. Then we have the bottles of Sriracha for $19.99 selling at another competitor down the street for $10. I could feel the negative vibe when I brought this stuff up checking out. They know exactly how much that Ramen is worth and what they’re charging for it. This is not supply and demand, this is not boutique items. This is just shady business....