Viet Hoa

This store is fantastic, inexpensive, and an absolute treasure trove of pan-​Asian imports.
Even if you cannot read the labels (like me) for much of it, you are faced with the cities most vast selection of Asian groceries. At least I think so.
They have hard to find produce, seafood, and other delicacies I have no idea how to prepare. It’s fun to see such strange things that you won’t find at the typical Caucasian-​themed meat market or grocer.
The place is visually overwhelming for me like Woodman’s is, but mostly it’s because I am such an ignorant white dude. I stare at the pictures and sometimes buy things just to play the «mystery contents game» with exotic foods. I tried Lychee because of this, and aloe vera bits in syrup, and other fruits of strange and mythical origin.
I had to look them up in the D&D manual…
But seriously, this place is fantastic and strange and superlative. The staff are helpful if the language barrier isn’t too strong. They are always quite nice to me. I feel happy, even if misunderstood.
Best selection of frozen dumplings anywhere. Amazing selections of soy, oyster, and pepper sauces. They also have some wonderful prepared items like spring rolls and things in the cooler by the till, and really fun Asian candy and sweets, wasabi peas, etc.
Curious fun to be had by all.

This is a mom and pop asian grocery store, catering more to the pacific island type food. They have the standard Chinese vegetables, but if you are looking for a Thai or Vietnamese specific food, this is where you need to be. For Chinese/​Korean foods, I head over to Mei Hua.
I love how they have all fresh vegetables and all the condiments/​sauces/​whatever you can think of. They also have a back room full of Asian kitchen stuff. Got my wonton soup spoons there! They also have a pretty large meat counter. I haven’t and don’t trust any mom and pop grocery store when it comes to meat, but be my guest. They have a large assortment!
I have a few gripes, though (of course). I don’t understand why Asian groceries can’t seem to keep up with their inventory. I believe it is because they have so much of everything, it’s difficult to keep stock updated. I have come across a few pantry items that are SOON to be expired (not expired, as I have experienced in a different Asian grocery). So please be careful and look at expiration dates before you purchase. The second thing is the cleanliness of the place. Sometimes they will have boxes of vegetables on the floor. I am not sure if this meets «code» requirements, but I do not believe so. Lastly, the vegetables are prepackages on Styrofoam and then cling wrapped. I don’t care for Styrofoam, I think it would be best to just bag them up instead.

Love it! Everything I need is right here in this store. The only bad thing here is the freezing cold temperature. Like an ice box, I tell ya! Buy all my herbs, phở condiments, banh xeo stuff here, along with seasonings, noodles, pots, etc.

This Asian grocery store is located at a prominent intersection next to a police station. It has a large variety of Asian foods. There is a produce section and fresh deli/​sweets and baked goods section in addition to the usual grocery-​type stuff. I like getting snacks here and returning to my Asian roots.

I’m trying to create a Yellow Curry with Beef and Potatoes recipe from my recent Saveur magazine. I purchased all the ingredients I could from my local Indian grocer (See my Indian grocery review for context). I came to Viet Hoa for galangal, red Thai chiles, shrimp paste and fish sauce as the other grocer didn’t have. I came arrived with folded magazine in hand a nice woman helped me find everything.
One star deduction for this: I picked up a bag of shallots as my recipe calls for sixteem (16!!) of these and they were moldy.
Postscript: I think it’s cool that between the Indian Grocery Store in Wauwatosa and this Viet Hoa in Milwaukee I can purchase all the ingredients for a Thai dish i find in a magazine just a few miles from my home.
I’ll let you know how the curry turns out.

My second favorite Asian grocery store in the area. Their prices are generally on par with or lower than it’s counterparts. They’ve got all of the essentials, as well as prepared selections of desserts, siu pao, spring rolls, and other goods in the front deli. I would steer clear of the papaya salad and the banh mi in the front case – this is NOT the place to get either of these items for reasons of freshness, taste, and quality.
Pros: They’ve got a great selection of fresh produce, and they become my saving grace after farmer’s market season ends. Broccoli, lettuce, holy basil, mint and other herbs, onions, cucumbers, cabbage, bok choi, fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, fresh fruit… you name it. And it seems a lot of the items are grown locally rather than shipped (though I don’t know this for a fact, my perception makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside). As I mentioned above, they’ve got all the essentials as far as sauces, noodles, tofu and seitan (packaged, not fresh), snacks, canned drinks, and teas. I buy frozen edamame here as well, but generally stay away from most items in the freezer.
Cons: They use styrofoam to package all of their produce. I know this isn’t a big deal to some, but I would rather not put it into the earth! Also, their staff isn’t too friendly. Fine by me, but this adds to the list of why this is my second favorite Asian grocery in the area.
Tip: Beware the crowd of women on a mission come Friday mornings.

I love Unilocal,but I do wonder about the categorization system. If you search for «Asian grocery,» a couple of famous Italian groceries come up on the first page. And «Asian grocery,» seems to exclude South Asian and Far Eastern Asian groceries for Milwaukee, limited to Southeast Asian and Italian (?) groceries. Hmm. Well, this is the biggest Southeast Asian grocery store in Milwaukee proper, with the best selection. The mixed reviews here make more sense when you look at where the reviewers are from. This place could not stay in business in Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu or the Bay Area, it’s not even as good as the Southeast Asian grocery in Madison. It’s all relative. You really can’t find a decent pizza, polish-​hot dog –brat, or frozen custard joint on the West Coast. When my Haole wife was living in Madison, taking a graduate level language immersion program, she told me about «Asian Mart.» I was worried she was shopping to replace me, but as it turns out, Asian Mart is a place to shop for Southeast Asian food and produce, not actual Asians. Just so you know.
Somebody else here claims to speak «Laos,» and was offended by the workers gossiping about them. Well I think the workers speak Laotian, Isan, this family run business is pretty authentic, that’s what store workers do all over Southeast Asia, they gossip. Lots of customers are from the local Laotian community, and every time I come in here, customers and workers are chit chatting about family, friends, and while that’s not good American corporate style customer service, I prefer the Southeast Asian family style service to scripted phrases and fake smiles.
The place is dingy, cramped, and a little challenging if you are looking for a list of specific items. If instead you’re on a stock up mission, and like to browse, it’s nearly nirvana. When I travel, I like to stop in local groceries and try to figure stuff out, this store has some stuff I still haven’t figured out. There is a good selection of noodles, dumplings, Southeast Asian condiments, rice, sauces, spices and teas, produce, frozen fish and Southeast Asian sausages, snacks, candies, and quick-​prepare or instant meals.

Omg $ 3 dollars for 1 head of cabbage!
No other choice but to come here for asian groceries. The place is small and busy. I suppose if you have no other options, you do what you have to do.
One of the many reasons why I can not leave California.

Viet who? whoa, Hoa.
This is a pretty big store with a very good selection. For this area, Milwaukee is lucky to have what they have. The people are friendly and usually have a good supply of fresh and frozen goods. Just a warning, It’s not as nice or clean as Pacific produce but they are trying.
Parking is OK near the front door or you can use the lot down across the street. it is located near a police department so I’m guessing its a little safer since there are police coming and going all the time in the area. They usually get a truck that comes in on Thursday or Friday with fresh made bakery duck pork from Chicago. The isles are narrow but they are packed with great selections of kitchen cook ware noodles, tea, sauces canned goods. The freezer selections is extensive as well.
Check out is pretty fast. for having 1 or two registers.
Usually it is fun to cook home style meals, my parents were used to having it everyday. For me its a good novelty to pop in when I get the urge.

Viet Hoa needs to get their act together! Viet Hoa is a big name for Asian markets in the Asian community. I’ve frequented the one in Chi Town all my life and expected some similarities when I visited the one in MKE.
Boy, was I disappointed!
I speak Laos and understand Thai and some Vietnamese, obviously the workers didn’t think I could since I speak perfect English.
I heard the staff gossiping about me and my white husband RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! I found this totally distasteful and very very offensive.
Aside from that, this place is dirty, disorganized, unhelpful, and I left this place sick to my stomach. Not sure how this place stays in business. I hope they get their act together or get shut down! I hate to give places such bad reviews but I just couldn’t handle this place.

This is one monstrously huge and well-​stocked Asian grocer. They have rows and rows of coolers with frozen things, a great produce selection, and of course, Pocky Sticks. It is worth a venture West down North Ave. This store is huge, messy and beautiful. It’s funny: there’s a Viet Hoa in Madison, but this is the first and original Viet Hoa in my book.

I love Viet Hoa. It’s not the cleanest, but they have a great amount of selection. The snack section is ridiculous. Loads and loads of snacks. There’s some pre-​made to go foods up front by the registers, they look great. I haven’t tried them. The produce is super super cheap. Sometimes it’s fresh, sometimes it’s a little wilt-​y. But you can’t find most of it anywhere else, and if you can, it’ll cost you an arm and a leg. The frozen foods are full of pleasant surprises (every dumpling under the sun!). If you’re buying rice, be prepared to buy it in bulk. There’s a Jamaican products corner in the way back. Neat.
I can’t say the staff is jumping to help you find what you need, but the fun is in the search.

I found this place by complete chance. (I am an automotive refinsher, and PPG is just down the street!) I was driving back to my shop when the building grabbed my eye. So, just for the hell of it, I doubled back around, parked (parking was easy!) and went in to check the place out. I was glad I stopped! What a little gem. I am also a Chicago transplant, so finding this place was a sincere blessing to my palate.
I found a wide array of teas, a whole isle full, actually. Rice paper, nori paper, spices, curries, every noodle known to man, a marvelous selection of different rices, and another entire isle dedicated to sauces! If you want the authentic deal, this is the place to find it.
Do not be deceived by the humble exterior, it is a very large store. They also carry tea services, dinner ware, flatware, cooking utensils, and toiletries.
The only things to really be concerned about is the horrid smell walking in. I won’t even lie, it’s bad. BUT-​the nose gets used to it almost immediately, and it is well worth the initial reek to tough it out. Another thing to be weary of is the fact that they have been repeatedly sited for health code violations. Personal experience tells me (and anyone else) to WATCH THE EXPIRATION DATES. Be vigilant of fresh items too.
I buy a ton of the dry goods, teas, seaweeds, sauces, nori paper, noodles, canned goods, and tea. I have NEVER had a problem with any of their packaged/​canned goods. If you are selective and have a good eye for food and potential abnormalities, you will find all kinds of things to be happy with.
I haven’t seen their kind of selection since I lived in Chicago. I look forward to trekking out there every time I need a few things. I know I will always find exactly what I am in search of.

I stop by here at least once a month to pick up snacks…
It’s HUGE but dingy-​like a giant ice-​cold basement– thus I wouldn’t recommend buying anything that isn’t sealed in a package. I’ve seen unruly kids poking things once or twice…
I initially stopped in looking for Japanese snacks –and there aren’t many.
Here’s what you can find:
Hi-​Chew– Their is always Hi-​Chew in stock in the snack area next to the check-​out and the prices are very fair in comparison to World Market. The flavors vary. This week I found Banana!
Pocky– There is always Strawberry & regular (Chocolate), but sometimes you can find Mousse flavors or Milk. Grab them because they disappear! The prices on the regular Pocky are very fair — again better than World Market or Target.
Kasugai Gummy –These are always in stock in basic varieties and there is also another cheaper brand! Of course the Kasugai are the best!
Hello Panda is always there, but sometimes you can also find Pretz, Collon, or Meiji Lucky Sticks.
Mochi — Mochi can usually be found in the freezer section — Green Tea, Mango, Strawberry, and Vanilla. Flavors wary. Maeda En is the best I have tried so far, with the other brands being kind of sticky and gross…
Other Asian things you can find include greens, noodles, cookies, crackers, sauces, chips, snacks, drinks etc.
The people who work the registers are usually very sweet as well, AND they are open at 10 pm! My only complaint is that when you find some things you really like, they aren’t always in stock the next time, or even a month after that… So if you like something… buy a few!

I’m a fan of Viet Hoa because it is closest to our apartment, but I miss Asian Mart in Madison. … Ahhh well…
When hubs and I moved to Milwaukee from Madison, our first two weekends consisted of googling every asian grocery store within a 10 mile radius. We ended up at about 4 places on National, but they were small and didn’t offer much. We were thoroughly disappointed, having been spoiled by the Asian Mart and Yue Wa in Madison. A friend tipped us off to Viet Hoa and we have been customers ever since.
We eat Kangkung a lot with fried Mackeral, and Viet Hoa supplies both. Love them for that. Being married to a Malaysian man means cooking him Malaysian food, so I have become the pseudo Asian chef in our house and had quite a good time learning another culture’s cooking styles and ingredients. American food one night, Asian food the next, that is how it goes down in our house.
Viet Hoa has all the ingredients needed to cook Malaysian food, and they have awesome coconut cocktail buns that I could eat every day with my coffee, if I wanted heart disease. Although their fish is frozen, they do have a small selection of fresh fish, crabs, shrimp, and clams on certain days.
I have had the frozen Pomfret, Mackeral, and Snapper from Viet Hoa and the fish, when unthawed, always have clear eyes, not cloudy, and are firm to the touch, not spongy.
We buy the fresh shrimp when in the mood for Tom Yum, and are always satisfied with the size and the price. Cheapest place to buy shrimp is here.
If anyone knows an Asian grocery in Milwaukee that is better, please do leave me a note so I can check it out.

If you need some fish sauce, lime leaf, or thick soy sauce, look no further.

As a Viet girl raised in the Bay Area and then abruptly thrown into the Midwest, Viet Hoa has been my savior.
I feel like I’m home when I visit this supermarket — it’s packed, it’s dingy, and it’s authentic. With the rows and rows of MSG-​ed sauces filling a ton of aisles to the hard-​to-​find Asian goodies lining the walls, this place is probably the only place in Milwaukee to get your fix of good Asian necessities.
As much as I depend on this place, I can’t give it 5 stars.
Recently cited for over 20 violations in health inspection, my germaphobic radar is on high alert. Rat droppings, unwashed hands, no hot water… it’s almost enough for me to stop buying stuff from there. Almost.
Luckily for them, they have no competition in the Asian grocery arena, so I am shackled to their store. (I just think it’s obscene to pay $ 5 for a small bottle of fish sauce at Pick n Save. How is a po’ fish-​sauce-​lovin girl supposed to survive on that kind of inflated pricing?)
The employees are pretty helpful and mostly Spanish speaking. They don’t always open on time (Been there at 9am with 10 customers waiting outside for the owners… who finally came 15 minutes later.)
All in all, this store is a gold mine for Asian foods at Asian prices. You’ll find veggies you can’t get anywhere else (fresh bamboo, ‘rau muon’, asian basil, lemongrass) and sauces that you’d need to fly out of state to get. They have lil nooks and crannies jam-​packed with stuff, so make sure to check out the whole store. There’s a housewares room behind the registers, snacks and baked goods in the front room, veggies, canned goods, and meat in the 2^nd, and noodles and frozen goods (including fish) all the way in the back of the store.
It’s authentic… and with that comes the good and the bad
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See article on health inspection:

I’m giving this place a 5-​star rating straight up as well since it carries all the basic Asian food goodies and some pretty decent chicken (even if frozen; the good stuff’s in a freezer close to the registers). Beyond the basics, they have a really good variety of noodles, snacks, packaged frozen dumplings, and some housewares too. Their seafood selection isn’t too shabby either (too bad it’s frozen) and they do have some fairly hard-​to-​find packaged soups or curries which I’ve not found in the Bay Area.
My biggest complaint is that some of their fruits and veggies aren’t always fresh when I’m over there, but I’m just happy as long as I get my Asian food fix. It’s also a little confusing to navigate through the store since the sections aren’t labeled, but you should come out with plenty of food at an okay price.
Oh yeah, the neighborhood it’s in isn’t particularly a favorite of mine, but I’ve never had too much problem with finding parking in the area.

The biggest and best of the Asian markets in Milwaukee, Viet Hoa is the place the Asian ex-​pats I know turn to for all their specialty food needs… These guys carry everything from Asian medicinals to cooking utensils and dishes to fresh fruits and vegetables to live seafood and their own butcher. Naturally, there is also the whole aisle full of dipping sauces, soy sauces, and chili sauces, as well as the whole aisle full of every variety of rice noodle you could ever desire. On top of all that there are freezer cases full of everything from frozen whole fish to squid pieces to premade dumplings and spring roll wrappers. In short, if you’re missing an ingredient for a specialty dish, or your local acupuncturist has recommended some particular salve, you’re likely to find both at this gem of a market. Don’t let the exterior deceive you into thinking it’s another rinky-​dink corner mart – it’s as big as any Pick N Save and has as wide a variety of options, with a different regional focus.