Potung Trading

I don’t know why I haven’t reviewed Potung sooner. I go here after work for groceries at least once a week and have since I moved to Baltimore.
I’ve gone to Streets down on Charles, Eddie’s up on Eager, and Lexington Market. Potung is the BEST place to go if you want a thorough selection of fresh vegetables. You won’t be able to get more specialty vegetables like fennel or dandelion greens (for those you’d have to go to Harris Teeter or the like), but MANY staple items like onions, potatoes, eggs, milk, bread, etc. etc. are all here. I do have to note that sometimes they don’t have milk in stock, but I guess it depends on the day.
Also, if I’m not mistaken, Potung gives a 10% student discount on a number of items.
In terms of the area Potung is located, as true as it is elsewhere in Baltimore, be vigilant and you should be fine. A lot of the individuals you see hanging around nearby are people who live on that block, so I’ve never felt particularly sketched out. (Mentioning this because of another review.)

Gah! This place is where I go when I can’t travel to the bigger Asian marts. Its got more selection than meets the eye. Compact, but not lacking the least. I love that there’s a little bit of everything. Just make sure you check the expiration date on your items. I suppose they dont really have an efficient system to monitor them. Meh, happens everywhere else anyway.
The only problematic thing about this place is perhaps the location. The shop is placed at a particularly dodgy spot of downtown. On my first trip there, I saw this woman taking a dump on the sidewalk. I keed you not! So practice caution and remember to always pay your parking meter!

Are you craving for foreign food? Miss your native food? Cry no more — moving to Baltimore is not bad than you think. Potung got everything you need possibly.

After visiting Japan earlier this year, I found myself yearning for some traditional Eastern sweets, including mochi and steamed buns with red bean paste. I finally broke down and looked for an Asian grocer in the city and was happy to find one that had shining reviews. I was also happy to find exactly what I was craving.
The woman running the shop was extremely kind and suggested one product over another, which was great. Can’t wait to visit again and try out some new foods.

Coming from a Californian town chock full of Asian grocery stores, I was so happy to find an Asian market in Baltimore near my school. The store is kind of small, but there’s quite a bit of stuff to choose from and things are inexpensively priced. Overall I’m just really happy to have access to familiar foods again.
Probably will come back to pick up some more stuff!

Great selection of asian (especially thai) foods. Better than the any other asian foods store in a 25 mile radius (maybe more). ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would visit again.

If you’re not up for the drive to Great Wall or H-​Mart & you’re not looking for specific name brands, this is the place to go! It’s small, but packed with a plethora of items.
Location:
Near the Central Enoch Pratt Library. If you’re using the Charm City Circulator (purple route), get off near/​on W. Mulberry St. and head up that road, past the left side of the library, until you hit Park Ave. Take a left on that road and it’ll shortly be on your left side.
Parking:
Decent amount of metered street parking– depending on when you go.
Staff:
Friendly, but cautious. They weren’t particularly welcoming to my non-​asian friends.
Selection:
Ramen. Lots and lots to pick from! In addition, they have fresh veggies for cheap and a decent snack selection. This is also the place to buy tofu and kimchi! But if you’re buying food, make sure you look at the exploration dates! I’ve had a couple bad experiences with expired items.
Overall:
As a small store, there aren’t bulk sales; however, this is a great, pretty inexpensive convenient location to stock up on items. It is much cheaper to buy seasonings, sauces and fresh vegetables here!

Jam-​packed with groceries and household supplies. I found the most inexpensive coconut milk ($ 1.49/can) that I have ever seen. They have produce in the back and a freezer section with meat and other perishables. Great prices and all the Asian cooking ingredients you could ever hope to find. Will shop her regularly.

What a total surprise to find this grocery store. This store is an amazing resource in the neighborhood. It has everything I need for making a quick dinner — both Asian and non-​Asian meals. The owners have been here for more than 20 years and they have done a great job stocking the store with fresh produce and groceries. They told me that they have deliveries of fresh bakery items and foods from NYC’s Chinatown one to two times a week. The produce is very fresh and the price s are great. The store front is completely deceiving, but once you are inside, you won’t believe how much stuff is packed inside. Going into this store is like taking a trip to Asia… or at least to Chinatown. But you can find Pan-​Asian foods (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.) Thank you for making my trip to Baltimore very memorable!

I wanted to try my hand at making a Thai curry and the recipe called for a lot of Asian ingredients I’ve never heard of, so I did a quick Unilocal search of Asian grocery stores in the city and came up with Potung Trading.
I came after work and was able to snag street parking. However, walking there I did feel a bit unsafe. I wouldn’t recommend coming here after dark.
I almost walked right past Potung! It’s a teeny tiny shop, but they pack this place with tons of stuff. There’s about three aisles and a back area with freezer and refrigerated items. There wasn’t that many options for fresh veggies, but I don’t hold that against them seeing as they are so small. But if you’re looking for sauces, noodles, frozen foods, and snacks then this place is for you! I had way too much fun browsing through everything. And I found everything I was looking for (and new things I can’t wait to try)! One of the women working there was really helpful and showed me where the items that I couldn’t find were hiding. And the prices were very reasonable!

This store is a life saver. Who wants to travel out to the county for things like tofu, vinegar, oils, noodles, etc? This store is more what I am used to than those huge supermarket stores. It’s one of those stores that have piles upon piles of things, but if you ask for something, they know where it is.
If you don’t like small places, stay away! But if you like random foods in Asian languages, cheap prices, quality items, this is the place to be!

Yes! An Asian grocery store in Baltimore that I can go to instead of driving all the way to Catonsville/​Ellicott City! It is a small store, but it most necessary material (ie, sauces, pastes, etc.) for Asian cooking with a small offering of vegetables (ex. sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, etc.), fruits (pears, bananas, apples), and frozen food that are all cheap. Excellent Asian snack array.
Notes:
–There is a 10% student discount!
— Parking near there may be a bit difficult on a weekday/​rush hour.

In the city, grocery stores are few and far in between, and the ones that exist sometimes leave you with a feeling that you’ve getting majorly ripped off, especially if you’re not a resident of the city, especially small grocery stores. Potung seems to be an exception to this rule, and is one of the small hidden gems in this city, especially if you’re like me and cook at home often. If you do Asian cooking in this city, this place is a lifesaver.
The real impressive thing about this store is the fact that they know exactly how to manage this store given the space that they have to do it. The place isn’t huge, but manages to cram in a TON of things in here, many of which won’t be offered at other grocery stores in the city. Most, if not all of the things are used in Asian cuisine. I’m actually impressed with the eclectic collection of snacks, candy, frozen food, and meat products that they have from all over Asia. It’s actually even inspired me to try a lot of the stuff that I’ve never had before from other Asian countries. The variety of produce that they have isn’t huge, but also understandable, given the size of the store.
The hours could be better, but they’re fair. Just call ahead of time before you head out, because I think sometimes they readjust their hours due to the season.

This places is awesome. Let me echo the others here on this page in saying that the prices are great, the selection is almost unbelievable (especially given the space constraints), and the foods are fresh delicious. Go get yourself some bok choy!

I discovered this place by accident — we often drive to the bigger Asian markets but this little place stocks more South Asia spice mixes and ingredients, stuff from Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The prices are reasonable and they have fresh produce too. It’s right in the city too.

potung is a great little grocery store that I’ve been meaning to give five stars to for a while, they have a lot of different kinds of sauces (Maggi, sesame oil, sriracha, rice vinegar, all the different types of soy sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, etc) and everything is a reasonable price and usually lower than other bigger grocery stores in the area. the produce selection here is small but very inexpensive and they have things that I have a hard time finding anywhere else (Chinese chives, napa cabbage)

Wow, talk about variety. I’ve never seen so much stuff packed into one place in my life. And what’s strange is that you don’t really feel claustrophobic in here, even though by all means you SHOULD.
I stopped in here to get coconut milk and green tea for a recipe. Well, I got that and so much more. If you’re into Asian cooking at ALL, you need to be here. They have damned near everything you could possibly need. Staff is very friendly and will explain what things are used for if you have questions about them. My husband was thriled to find something called «haw flakes» — he said he hadn’t had them since the 1980s. I didn’t even know what they were (but I do now, thanks to him — unfortunately they’re not to my taste, I’m afraid).
This is like H-​Mart crammed into a tiny apartment! And it’s so convenient, too — we often simply don’t feel like driving all the way to Catonsville to get ingredients that we need, so this fills the bill nicely, as it’s only a 5 minute walk from the house.
They do have a fresh section but I’m not sure it’s that good of a quality so you probably do want to go to H or Lotte for that, but for packaged things you can’t beat it. They have probably every variety of green tea ever made! And the sweet things (of which there is a lot of), you’ll adore it if you have a sweet tooth.
This area is under development, so be careful at night. It’s improving, but slowly. Stay alert.
5.00 minimum for credit cards, be aware.

If you’ve been around Baltimore, you know that there isn’t a great deal of ethnic diversity in the commercial realm. You might see Italian food, Kosher food, Soul food, Korean food, and other small pockets of various ethnicities. In general, though, it’s the good ol’ American staple food that reigns in B’Mo.
So when you come across a store like Potung, which is in what left of Baltimore’s Chinatown, you cherish the gem. Simply put, this is a Chinese grocery store, packed to the top with various sauces, ingredients, supplies, vegetables, frozen goodies, candies, rice… you name it, they probably got it… as long as its Chinese or similar. What I’m trying to say is, it would be great if they stocked some Korean kimchi and other Asian foodstuffs. I’m not partial to any particular asian food but I’d like to have a one stop shop to go to.
I give it four stars because, from what I see, there are very few, if any (i don’t know of any), competitors inside the city. You have to go far and away into the suburbs to find alternatives.

I love this place! They have a great selection of Filipino items! Pancit noodles, sweet rice, Milagrosa Rice, lumpia wrappers, halo-​halo ingredients, Mang Tomas Sauce, big tins of Olive Oil (a gallon for like $ 22). Baked goods! Hopia, Siopao, Ensaymada, fresh veggies in the back refridgerator section, and great prices!
They also have things like bamboo steamers, rice bowls, rice cookers, Chinese New Year items, etc. this place is a treasure. Plenty of street parking available and the Chinese Restaurant next door is pretty yummy, too!
I’m heading there today to prepare for Christmas!

This is the Asian hook up in the city! It has some of the basic stuff I look for and it’s not that big but they take advantage of every space and stock it full. I would rather make the trip to Lotte Market for fresh veggies and frozen foods but this is super convenient for curry paste, rice noodles, dried mushrooms/​fungus/​bean curd and canned baby corn. I was disappointed that they don’t carry dashi to make miso soup but I’ll just have to ask them to order some… when I can explain what it is that I want :-)