McKee SeaFood Supermarket

I grew up going to this little market and I can honestly say that it looks the same. Small, dirty and fishy. The produce are on the pricier side, but there is an abundant selection for fish and shellfish! They lately had fresh green mussels, crab, lobster, geoduck, blood clams, periwinkles, Venus clams, Manila clams and more! I was honestly surprised that they had such a selection. Sort of pricey but looks fresh!
Parking sucks greatly because so many stores and so little parking spaces… Especially since the McDonald’s in that area now has 2 drive thru lanes. It’s pretty hectic. Good luck finding parking and be careful for the older people who can’t drive. I’m amazed they even got their driver’s license.

I’ve gone to this market since I was a child so I might have a bias, but there are too many good things going for this market that outweigh the bad.
Not gonna lie: the produce section can get groaty. It’s like the B and C grade produce (ie misshapen or semi-​rotting) that never makes it to Whole Foods or Safeway ends up here. The silver lining to this is the dirt cheap price and the small treasures inside the bins. It takes patience, a green thumb and good eye to find the good stuff amidst the wilting/​molting drivel but there are always choice pieces to pick out of the piles. This is also a fantastic place to pick up «ethnic herbs/​vegetables» such as ong choy, chinese mustard greens, bitter melon, vietnamese coriander, and whatever’s in season. The quality of these produce are much better than the western pantry staple.
The best part of the market is the seafood section. The selection is all in front of you (plus live tanks on display) so you can make your decision on what to eat. It takes a good relationship/​smooth talking to get the fishmongers talking about new shipments coming in but for what I’ve seen the quality of seafood is excellent (ie clear eyes, bright gills, flesh bounces back, etc). They also seasonally stock live prawns here for those interested in making their own amaebi.
The style of butchery here is different as well: no ribeyes, new york steaks, country ribs, tri tips, and such. It’s still worth visiting to see the different cuts of beef/​pork/​chicken though and for those interested in Asian cooking, perhaps the correct cut of meat can be found here. The thing that makes place a gem is its rare meats section. I can go here any time to pick up duck, lamb, veal, goat, octopus, or whatever game I feel like I want to try, 90% of the time I can find it here.
You can find almost any asian pantry item here as well: the only thing I’ve never found here was korean pepper flakes but fermented korean soybean paste, miso paste, tofu, pickled mustard greens, bamboo shoots, longanisa, etc etc are all stocked and ready to be consumed.
If you’re afraid of contracting a disease through touch or smell, this is probably not the place for you but if you’re willing to put in the time to find good quality produce/​seafood, it’s well worth your effort to visit this supermarket.

More organized. All the butchers are so attentive. The bonus is having more exotic fruits than ever! (Rambutan, dragon fruits, Coc, tropical mangoes, mountain apples)

The are conveniently located, have good prices on the small (blue) crab. They have a lot of stuff ive tried for the first time from their market, and not to mention they are reasonably priced! Only down side is it smells horrible!

This place sure put on a good show for Chinese New Year– my Left ear is still border line deaf from all of the fun festivities that this market had planned.
Other than that, this place is a sorry excuse for a supermarket. I come here when i am stuck in a bind. My parents USED to come to this market all the time when i was younger and im assuming they noticed the decline in quality too. They go that extra mile and purchase at other markets now.
Upon walking in, you are hit hard by the stench of fishy-​ness. Flies swarm all over the market and the most upsetting part is the quality of the produce. Fruits and Veggies that are disgusting rotten still sit on the shelves for patrons to buy.
PASS PASS PASS! Do yourself a favor and walk next door to the Chavez market.

I stopped by McKee unexpectedly as I was in the area to go to Chavez Supermarket. This is a pretty standard Asian Market with a slant on having seafood. Minus 2 stars for the cleanliness, note I am not expecting a Whole Foods level experience, but Ranch seems a little bit cleaner.
I just walked around and didn’t plan on buying anything but then spotted their Dungeness Crabs in the live tank. I bought one for $ 6.99/lb (1.7 lbs) and boiled it at home.
All in all a decent place, I might stop by if I’m in the area again, but won’t go out of my way to come here.
Pro tip: If you want better seafood head over to K & C Food Wholesale near Japantown.