V & T Supermarket

OK, if you are not familiar with asian supermarkets, then you will be put off by the smell. I have been to many, and this one is no different than any other.
On a positive note, this store has a massive selection of asian foods, sauces, noodles, tofu, fresh vegetables, etc. The prices are okay, better in Brooklyn and Chinatown of course, but for LI, they are okay. They also have ready made food as soon as you enter, though I have never tried it, I like to make my own.
Now the neighborhood is another story, IT IS BAD!!! I have lived in the next town for decades, and this area is known for crime. DO NOT go here alone and at night no matter who you are. I am serious! Even during the day, if you are alone, be aware of everyone and everything around you.

There is really no comparable place except H-​Mart in Great Neck and the prices are better here. Also I feel the selection of causal dishes is better. They’re not marked but I’ve been putting them in the dishwasher for 2+yrs just fine. This place needs to be CLEANED. If there was a comparable place I’d loose a star or 2 for being dirty and smelly. I won’t buy «fresh» seafood or anything like that.

There’s just no place else on Long Island to get this extensive a selection of Asian foods: Asian vegetables, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian ingredients, foods, spices, sauces. A wide selection of Chinese teas (not tea store quality, but good). Also frozen dumplings, bao and shu mai, including a great selection of May Wha vegan frozen foods. Some excellent organic mixed rices (oddly kept in in the Hispanic aisles).
On top of that there is an extensive selection of Hispanic/​Latino foods spanning Central America.
Be forewarned, if you’re not used to that sort of thing, the place has a distinctive smell. And forget about asking any of the stockmen or workers questions about the products, they simply will not answer you. Although it definitely won’t be for everybody, if you’re not put off by the atmosphere, definitely try the $ 5 cafeteria style lunch. Every day there is a big selection of authentic Chinese cooked foods you won’t find anyplace else outside of Flushing.

Tough to rate. The selection is absolutely amazing, seemingly as much as a web site, as well as fresh fish, produce, etc. The downside is it smells like a place full of fish and other oddities. Also, while the selection is amazing the organization is limited. Finding the ingredient you need in an aisle of no apparent organization, 50 feet on two sides can be next to impossible. And no staff seems able or willing to help much. And is what you want on the Chinese aisle, Japanese aisle, Phillipine aise or what. But it’s all there, somewhere.
Prices are great, too.

This Chinese/​Asian supermarket has been here for years. It has most Chinese vegetables and fruits. There are only two choices of fish from the fish tank: tilapia & catfish. Otherwise there is also salmon steaks and fillets, whiting, porgies, etc. There is fresh cut beef, pork and chicken as well. Also a selection of other Asian products. Bakery is just ok. Buffet is just ok also. The place needs a good cleaning. Kind of dirty.

Great prices at the seafood section. 6.29 a pound for the large shrimp. That makes me happy.

They have the same look/​smell for the last 10 years at least and begs for some renovation. The prices are on the high side compared to flushing, but you can occasionally find a bargain.

See a lot of bad reviews for this place and I get it, HOWEVER, this is long island, not Flushing. If you are a foodie, this place has lots of stuff that you need which you can’t get unless trekking to Flushing or getting online for triple the price in this place. I love it.
Is the produce the best and freshest? — No. But where else on LI can I get water spinach, yu choy, gai lan, etc. As well as fresh noodles, all type of bean curd, etc. If I can find pork belly on eastern Long Island, it costs triple what this place charges.

This is a re-​edit of my updated edit edit edit after multiple visits: Loads of tea, but also loads of questionable items on the shelves that were probably restocked 2 centuries ago. Plus, some of the staff was a bit abrasive. Go to H-​Mart instead.

Oh my god the bakery is disgusting. Everything looked so good in the window, we take it home and everything is old. The fruit in the fruit cake was rotten. Wow and the green tea cake was old you can see it browning on the outside and stale. Just ew

Went to this super market and got some cakes from the bakery because they looked fresh and delicious, when we tastes the cakes they were disgusting! The cakes had a rotten fruit taste, the frosting was stale and the cake was tough and not fresh at all! Very disappointing! Would not recommend this place at all! Not for groceries or baked goods !

Oh my gosh!
This place again.
Well I just got out of here and this was probably the worst place you can shop for your Asian food. Well first no or speaks a word of English even hello is hard for them to say. Also the cashiers clearly don’t know how to bag items. Who would put pork liver with bread like seriously. Also the cleanliness is horrible the whole place smells like a tsunami spilled all over the store. Which is an reoccurring problem. I don’t suggest this place to anyone if your looking to by Asian food

Was passing thru this neighborhood and remembered I needed some sesame oil. They had about 3 different brands and prices were not exactly a bargain. The veggies and fruits didn’t look fresh and they’re pricey. 2 stars for the grocery section, 3 stars for the pastry shop.
I think this is the only market in this down and out neighborhood where you can get «fresh» fruits/​veggies. They also have a chinese pastry shop and a lunch bar where you pick rice or noodles with a choice of two other sides, like chicken, shrimp, or veggies. Nice selection with choices of squid, eggplant, etc. At first I wasn’t thrilled with the looks of it, but decided to get some stir fried noodles with fried shrimp with their heads on and soy chicken for about $ 6. Surprisingly it was pretty good and a bargain lunch. It was enough to share.
I also bought a pork bun, which was pretty good and raisin rolls, since it looked like it was just coming out of the oven. The guy behind the counter wasn’t the most most gracious, in fact, it was like I was bothering him, when I told him to add another roll to my order.
Warning, it is a sketchy neighborhood near the courthouses, and a drunk guy stood too close to me at the cashier line at 11am and he was buying a Heineken keg! I tried to give him a hint to back off by leering at him but he didn’t take the hint, instead he just leered back at me. Thank goodness I didn’t see him exiting the store. I might come back on Sunday morning again, since the pastries seem to be fresh and out of the oven then, but just keep an eye out for sketchy people.

Staff here don’t speak a lick of English and the store room manager was one the most unbeleivably rude persons I have ever encountered in my 16 years of shopping for groceries.
I was simply asking him for SHRIMP STOCK, and instead of politely telling me either «I’m not sure what you are looking for.» or «I’m sorry I don’t understand», to which I would have replied with a casual «Thank you for your help» and walked away, he grunts at me, throws his arms up on one of the shelves in this posture of defeat and then proceeds to mock me in Chinese to his entire staff while I’m standing there.
Finally his son looks up at me with this sh*t-eating grin on his face and says with this condescending tone like I’m the biggest joke that ever walked into a grocery store «Yeah, sorry buddy, we don’t sell that here.»
All of this BULLSH*T over SHRIMP STOCK.
Are you f*cking kidding me? Shrimp stock? You little mna-​child, if you hate your job that much why don’t you just go kill yourself or look somewhere else for work.
Bunch of little whiny babies that work there my GOD.
Oh yeah, and their protabella mushrooms are covered in mold, and their sea food section smells like a fisherman’s asshole that hasn’t been wiped in a thousand years.

Excellent selection of Asian food … Its like going on a treasure hunt in a supermarket because the place is not well lit half of the lights is kept out at all times if you like shopping in the dark this is a place to be.

First I would like to say this supermarket smell so bad!!! I frequent this supermarket so many times… it’s like rolling dice when I come here. I had two bad experiences… first I purchase the thin cut lamb for Phở and the lamb once thawed out was brown. When I showed the manager the meat she really didn’t want to take it back but she eventually did. I also recently purchased large scallops from them bought them home washed and seared them… OMG!!! They tasted like ammonia which mean they were going bad… it’s was
horrible!!!
What I do like about this place is the wide variety of Asian condiments and at a very reasonable price and a large selection of ramen noodles. The staff is pretty rude and don’t like to assist you in finding a item.

Well you want some Fresh ol Fish come here! out in Long island a lot of fish and a lot of asian centered cuisine here. the staff there is very nice and make a joke or two while you are purchasing goods. the lines aren’t too long every time i come here its not really too packed either.

Ok, so you can’t eat off the floor. That’s not a great idea anyway so their lack of spit shine is more than made up with their amazing selection of fresh fruit, vegetables and Asian groceries. Face it, your other local options are pretty limited so if you’re looking for something like Black Chickens or Mustard Greens you’ll be very happy shopping at V&T.
They also have a good sized food court where you can try a number of great tasting Chinese entrees for prices that will please the Nouveau Cheap.

I really like this place. Once you get past the almost instant assault of the smell of dead fish while entering, this place is pretty cool.
This place carries some of the most hard to find fruits and Asian foods, you could ever want. I was able to score durians here. Where else on Long Island are you gonna score that? The fact that they are well stocked with «Buddist friendly» items means you are gonna find a well stocked vegan supermarket right in the middle of Hempstead. Veggie steamed buns, vegan chicken drumsticks and durians what a score. Place maybe cash only.
Place is win freaking win

I love this lttle out of the way Asian market. Okay, get over the fish smell that seriously fills up the whole store & life is good.
They have some of the freshest fruit anywhere! And they have great pricing. Plus they carry some exotic hard to find fruits.
If you’re looking for tea, they have it. Coffee? Oh yes, it’s here. I even found a certain chicory coffee for my Café Du Monde addicted brother.
They also offer a full fresh fish market. Did I mention the smell? Oh yea… right…moving on…
They offer tons of Asian hard to find items plus every day items.
The lines are never too crazy long, no matter what time you go.
Be sure to check out their dishes aisle. I recently picked up a cast iron teapot for a mere $ 25. Not a bad deal.