12 of the best imported and ethnic grocery stores in Beijing

Your guide to international grocery shopping in Beijing

Whether you’re longing for a taste of home or trying to recreate a flavour inspired by a recent vacation, Beijing has an impressive array of markets and stores that caters to every taste. Read up on our list of places to pick up international nibbles, from imported groceries to hard-to-find ethnic food products. 

April Gourmet

Photo: April Gourmet/Wechat

Although a smaller outlet than many of the other import grocery stores in Beijing, April Gourmet carries no less range of products. Its CBD branch offers a fresh bread section, a decent selection of spreads as well as some 30 varieties of cheese, as well as a menu of fairly-priced healthy takes on salads, sandwiches, soups and other meal options.

April Gourmet (CBD). B1, Beijing Kerry Centre, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang district 朝阳区光华路1号嘉里商场B1层. Open 8am-10pm daily

BHG Market Place

One of the largest retail companies in China, BHG (Beijing Hualian Group) owns a range of supermarkets, department stores and commercial property. Its Taikoo Li branch offers a wide range of high-end imported products and an immaculately clean environment. It stocks a very respectable collection of whiskey, wines and spirits, as well as a solid meat section offering everything from fresh seafood, whole chickens to pork chops. 

BHG Market Place (Sanlitun). B1, Taikoo Li, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang district 朝阳区三里屯路19号太古里B1. Open 10am-10pm daily

Carrefour

Photo: Wikipedia

The French equivalent of Walmart has branches dotted all across Beijing and is stocked with a mix of international and domestic brands. The Wangjing branch features large produce and meat sections, and shelves upon shelves of dry foods. Browse through more than 50 varieties of cereals and cheeses from Gouda, brie to mascarpone - as you might expect from a French mart. 

Carrefour (Wangjing). 16 Guangshun Bei Dajie, Chaoyang district 朝阳区广顺北大街16号. Open 8am-10pm daily

City Shop

Photo: Parkview Green/Wechat

This Shanghai-based chain boasts an extensive range of high-quality goods and a modern, spacious shopping venue. Its branch in the swanky Parkview Green mall triumphs with over 50 varieties and brands for cheese, 70-plus varieties of cereal as well as an organic meat section for health nuts and carnivores.  

City Shop (Parkview Green). LG2 13-14, Parkview Green, 9 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang district 朝阳区东大桥路9号侨福芳草地LG2 13-14. Open 10am-10pm

D-Mart

Located in Wudaokou, D-Mart is famously known among international students for their wide selection of foreign snacks and goods. From Nutella to Japanese sodas, there is something for everyone. In addition to snacks, there’s a whole wall and entire section dedicated to alcohol with nearly every country being represented.

D-Mart. International Food Court, 29 Chengfu Lu, Haidian district 海淀区成府路29号国际食尚苑. Open 9.30am-11pm daily

Hello Mart

Photo: Jackie Park

More than just your regular supermarket, Hello Mart is a 7,000 square metre urban market that attempts to be everything in one. Find an endless amount of foreign and local products and some 200 live seafood varieties at the gourmet food court with the option of having them cooked on the spot. Getting hungry from shopping? Relax with your choice of beer from their tap selection or get your nails or hair done at their salons. 

Hello Mart. 48 Liangmaqiao, Chaoyang district 朝阳区亮马桥48号. Open 10am-10pm daily

Home Mart

For Korean foods, Home Mart in Wangjing is the go-to store among Beijing’s large population of Korean families. This supermarket stocks a wide range of Korean oils, noodles and seaweed as well as fresh pickled vegetables including (of course) kimchi. You can buy packaged instant meals here such as lentil curry, alongside Korean beef seasoning which is great for some home-made bulgogi, and canned seafood such as clams. The cold section has a wide selection of Korean soybean milk and ice cream.

Home Mart. First Floor, 315 Wangjing Xiyuan Sanqu, Futong Xi Lu, Chaoyang district 朝阳区阜通西大街望京西园3区315号1层. Open 8am-10.30pm

Ito Yokado

Ito Yokado is a Japanese-owned department store (worth a trip in itself for toys and Japanese kitchenware) with a supermarket section in the basement. With clean lines and organisation, it delivers a soothing Japanese shopping experience. Go there for its selection of Japanese beers, a wide variety of natto - the super healthy (and let’s just say it, a very acquired taste) fermented soybeans that the Japanese love for breakfast with mustard and soy sauce, as well as instant miso soup, a huge range of kewpie salad dressings, Japanese pickles and pre-packaged sushi and sashimi. What does it not have? 

Ito Yokado. 108 North 4th Ring East Road, Chaoyang district 朝阳区北四环东路108号千鹤家园. Open 9am-10pm daily

Jenny Lou's

A godsend for expats' shopping for imported groceries, Jenny Lou’s became the ever-reliable international market chain that it's known for from a small goods stall opened by Wang ‘Jenny’ Jianping and husband Lu Xudong in 1989. Its Sanlitun branch stocks all the essential and hard-to-find imported foodstuff, with an entire side of an aisle dedicated to 65 varieties of cereal, 70 varieties of cheese and a whole selection of meats including pork of all kinds. 

Jenny Lou's (Sanlitun). 6 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang district 朝阳区三里屯北小街6号. Open 7.30am-10pm daily

Jenny Wang's

Opened by the sister of Jenny Lou’s, Jenny Wang’s is unaffiliated with its sibling but runs a very similar operation. Sharing a strip mall with a Starbucks, the Lido location is compact but has a wide selection of freshly baked goods from loaves to bagels. It's also equally well-stocked on hard-to-find brands including an incredible 95 variety of cereal as well as some 50 kinds of sausages.

Jenny Wang's (Lido). 2 Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang district 朝阳区将台路乙2号海润国际公寓旁. Open 8am-midnight daily

Niujie Halal Supermarket 

The Niujiu Supermarket is your one-stop-shop to find traditional Muslim bites with snack vendors on the ground floor selling all kinds of moreish treats. Meanwhile, the supermarket also sells an intriguing array of imports from Muslim regions: bountiful dried and preserved dates and fruits from Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as whole shelves dedicated to chocolate bars and biscuits from the Middle East.

Niujie Halal Supermarket. 5 Niujie, Xicheng district 西城区牛街5号. Open 8am-9pm daily

Sanyuanli market

A beloved market by many across town, the Sanyuanli market is the citywide standard for international produce. When you enter its long and slender covered alley housing around 140 small food stalls you will be hit by a fabulous range of fruits and vegetables, including fresh herbs, before the market gives way to a full seafood selection. It's the ultimate wet market to stock up on a varied selection of produce, including many difficult-to-find seafoods and treats like truffle oil and tahini, as well as a huge variety of spices, sauces, international cheeses and alcohols. 

Sanyuanli market. 2 Shunyuanli, Shunyuan Jie, Chaoyang district 朝阳区顺源街顺源里2号楼东侧. Open 7am-7pm daily

You might have missed

More from Time Out Beijing