St. Louis Survival Guide | Asian Groceries, Restaurants

🛒 Asian Grocery Stores 1️⃣ Pan-Asia Supermarket 🌟 The best Chinese grocery store in town! Stocks everything—seasonings, fresh produce, frozen goods, snacks, cookware, and even live fish and crabs 🦀. You can find rare items like "Wang Zhong Wang" sausages and chestnuts. Downside: A bit far from campus (~20min drive). 2️⃣ Olive Supermarket (Bai Li) ⚠️ Veggies are okay, but avoid the meat! Their "Wagyu beef" looks like it’s been in the freezer for years—more like a meat museum than food. 🤮 🥢 Chinese Restaurants ⭐️ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 1️⃣ Chili Spot 🌶️🔥 Best Chinese food in STL! Shanghai-owned but specializes in Sichuan dishes. Must-tries: mashed eggplant with century egg and spicy stir-fry pot. 2️⃣ Cate Zone 🍢 Northeastern Chinese cuisine. Lamb skewers are fire, and portions are HUGE. Their new location is even better! 3️⃣ Vegas Wok 🍚 WashU’s unofficial cafeteria! Fast wok dishes and rice bowls. Faves: braised beef brisket noodles and fried chicken wings. 4️⃣ Corner 17 🍜 Americanized Chinese, but their noodles and bubble tea are legit. Be prepared for long waits. 5️⃣ Shandong Home Kitchen👨‍🍳 Authentic Shandong dishes made by a lovely couple. Requires reservation—worth it! 6️⃣ Soup Dumplings STL 🥟 Xiaolongbao here taste like they’re straight from Shanghai! 🤔 HIT-OR-MISS 1️⃣ Wei Hong Seafood Restaurant 🍤 Friends say their dim sum is decent—still on my to-try list. 2️⃣ Kitchen 95 🍛 Mostly Americanized Taiwanese, but a few hidden gems (per Taiwanese friends). ❌ AVOID 1️⃣ Taike 👎 Taiwanese food done so wrong. Never again. 2️⃣ LuLu Seafood 🪰 Tried their dim sum—tripe tasted like a dishrag 🤢 + flies everywhere. 3️⃣ Umami Seasons Hotpot 🍲 One of the few hotpot spots in town, but terrible quality. 🍽️ Other Cuisine Picks 1️⃣ Cafe Napoli (Italian) 🍷 Lamb chops = perfection, oysters are fresh, but skip the pasta. 2️⃣ The Capital Grille 🥂 Fancy AF—ideal for birthdays/anniversaries. 3️⃣ Peel Wood Fired Pizza 🍕 Amazing pizza/wings, but cocktails are meh. 4️⃣ Chao Baan (Thai) 🌿 5️⃣ Tokyo Sushi (Sushi) 🍣 🧋 Bubble Tea Rankings 1️⃣ Cube Tea Studio 🥤 2️⃣ Corner 17 #StLouis #STLFoodie #WashU #InternationalStudent #FoodGuide