A Semi-Comprehensive List of Beijing Supermarkets

Pauline van Hasselt | May 4, 2021 11:30 am | 15 comments | 28642 reads

Beijing has supermarkets galore! But where to go and how to find them? Below is a roundup of the supermarkets and food markets dotted around the city, a list born out of the mantra that peace is found when you know where to go for your weekly shop. Don’t be fooled though, in Beijing you'll usually need to go to a few different supermarkets to get everything you need. 

Jinkelong Supermarket
This Chinese supermarket chain has almost anything you might desire. It helps, also, that it is very cheap, a fact that is reinforced by legions of dama wildly grabbing at fruit and ladies shouting for people to buy their milk and yogurt. The market also has a website and you can order your groceries online, but it's all in Chinese.

Walmart Supermarket
Walmart has plenty of stores over town, with variable Western selections. Don’t expect the all-American Walmart experience, but it is a great place to get the essentials to get life started in Beijing. They have an app and will deliver.

Wu Mart Supermarket
The dingy version of Walmart but where you can also find items for all your daily needs. They have an app and a website and also deliver but we've yet to try it (and you have to do it via a separate app: Dmall), which can also be found via their site.

Ikea
Many people's safe haven during the first few crazy weeks in Beijing, Ikea stocks everything you've come to expect elsewhere around the world, and more. The little grocery store after checkout has good deals on smoked salmon and other Western foods. Sign up for a membership card for more great deals. Ikea also offers delivery on bigger items and for a small additional fee offer a service to have workers build your furniture upon arrival.

Metro Supermarket
This German wholesale chain and grocery store sells almost every food item you need, some in jumbo sizes. A bonus is that the store is very clean and calm unlike, say, Ikea. You need to create a membership card but it's super easy. Buy over RMB 2,000 and get same-day home delivery!

April Gourmet
An international supermarket with slightly inflated high prices, April Gourmet's can be a godsend for finding Western items on the fly.

Jenny Lou’s
Similar to April Gourmet above but this time with freshly baked pretzels! You can shop till you drop and they'll deliver. Be sure to check the expiration dates on goods since items stocked have sometimes expired.

Miniso
The closest thing you'll find to a pound or dollar store in China. Some great prices on daily essentials, home knick-knacks, office supplies, and some kids toys.

Sanyuanli Market
One of the biggest and best food markets for fresh produce and international items, Sanyuanli Market is a great place to find cheese, fresh herbs, as well as nuts and dried fruits. All the way in the back they also sell kitchen wares. As you become a familiar face, you're likely to receive fairer prices. We wouldn't recommend buying fruit here, which often goes for wildly inflated prices.

BHG Market Place
This upscale supermarket will have most of what you're looking for (local and imported products) but expect to pay a higher price. Stores are clean and neat and tend to have good customer service.

Chez Gérard
This hutong shop is smaller than some other import stores, but they also have something of a different selection, including a wide range of cheese and some hard-to-find bottles of booze, which can be enjoyed in the tablespace within the shop.

Gulou Gourmand
Gourmand carries a similar selection to Chez Gérard, but is accessible without entering the hutongs. And, while it may not have an in-house dine-and-drink space, it does have Avotaco upstairs on the rooftop.

READ: TaoBrowser: Put a Little Spring In Your Balcony's Step

Photos: openhealthclinic.com

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jknotts's picture jknotts Submitted by Guest on Mon, 05/10/2021 - 14:15

pengusius wrote:

Very interesting how this crappy article made it's way back. Even more fascinating is how the list hasn't even been updated since it first appeared more than 2 years ago.

But in the spirit of epedemic helpfulness,  here are a few other honorable mentions:

-Jenny Wang's (捷妮王) 

-Hema supermarket(盒马鲜生)

-Aeon (永旺超市)

-Ole' Supermarket(精品超市)

-Yonghui(永辉超市)

-7fresh超市

Good mentions! Will be sure to include them next time around - see you then!

pengusius's picture pengusius Submitted by Guest on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 18:05

Giovanni Martini wrote:
pengusius wrote:

Very interesting how this crappy article made it's way back. Even more fascinating is how the list hasn't even been updated since it first appeared more than 2 years ago.

But in the spirit of epedemic helpfulness, here are a few other honorable mentions:

-Jenny Wang's (捷妮王)

-Hema supermarket(盒马鲜生)

-Aeon (永旺超市)

-Ole' Supermarket(精品超市)

-Yonghui(永辉超市)

-7fresh超市

epedemic helpfulness, (unquote)

Now there's an epidemic of helpfulness? I have a vaccine for that: open belligerence. Remember, "a soft wrath turneth away words."

Ha! Too much of the hard stuff and words do tend to come out in a certain manner.

pengusius's picture pengusius Submitted by Guest on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 00:02

Very interesting how this crappy article made it's way back. Even more fascinating is how the list hasn't even been updated since it first appeared more than 2 years ago.

But in the spirit of epedemic helpfulness, here are a few other honorable mentions:

-Jenny Wang's (捷妮王)

-Hema supermarket(盒马鲜生)

-Aeon (永旺超市)

-Ole' Supermarket(精品超市)

-Yonghui(永辉超市)

-7fresh超市

CatPilgrim's picture CatPilgrim Submitted by Guest on Sat, 03/09/2019 - 11:10

This is innacurate: "if you have been here long enough to know about the beijinger, chances are you probably already have an idea about the supermarket chains here." 

Actually the Beijinger is one of the first sites that consistently appears when you search anything about Beijing online. I knew about the beijinger months before I moved to Beijing.

inthecards's picture inthecards Submitted by Guest on Sat, 03/09/2019 - 08:03

I just passed by a Ito Yokado near Huixinxijie Nankou.

I don't 100% agree with the cranky poster above. Beijinger should publish mundane info pieces as well as the fun stuff. But more effort should be put in. Like what about exploring the different options for hospitals and medical care based on conversations with dozens of expats? That would be super useful.

pengusius's picture pengusius Submitted by Guest on Thu, 03/07/2019 - 18:29

admin wrote:
pengusius wrote:
admin wrote:
pengusius wrote:

Really?! This is what you place on the main page? At least pretend to make an effort. I won't even bother pin-pointing the issues, but I will say, among the seven underwhelming highlights you have flashing on your home page, this "comprenhesive list of Beijing supermarkets" definitely wins the prize.

Which good ones did we miss? Any suggestions?

It's not what enterprises the list is missing. I did not say so and so supermarket wasn't mentioned. I merely feel that when people launch the website and those headlines pass by, it's really a shame to see a list of things a 2 second Bing search can come up with. It's about appropriate placement. Ever so often, there seems to be this one piece that seeps through among all the other more dignified articles. It's as though the editor had no say.

I think as CatPilgrim points out, this is a handy list for relative newcomers to Beijing. This is part of an attempt to add more content for newbies -- and much of that is likely to come across as very basic to grizzled Beijing veterans such as you and me Smile

I am not looking at it from a point of view of someone who's been here a while. In any city with decent internet providers, a proxy-free search would yield a ton of expat, as well as local estblishments. It's an age where asking directions in the street raises eyebrows. If you own a smartphone and still get hopelessly lost, then ... well, you get the drift.

The following are headlines I know I'll most likely find only on the beijinger.

"Wudaokou Watch: "Beijing Has Given Me Wings"

"Smoking, Swilling, and Working: New Tour Sees the Women of Dashilar Differently"

"Booze News: Mardi Gras at Home Plate, Great Leap's Invitational Craft Beer Festival"

The articles matter. They serve a purpose. If I am looking for fun, art, expos, scandles in Beijing, here is where I'll look first. But a list of ordinary supermarkets just doesn't fit the bill.

My final take is, if you have been here long enough to know about the beijinger, chances are you probably already have an idea about the supermarket chains here.

Having said that, I miss the old Heaven supermarket.

Oh, those glorious bastards!

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Thu, 03/07/2019 - 09:46

pengusius wrote:

admin wrote:

pengusius wrote:

Really?! This is what you place on the main page? At least pretend to make an effort. I won't even bother pin-pointing the issues, but I will say, among the seven underwhelming highlights you have flashing on your home page, this "comprenhesive list of Beijing supermarkets" definitely wins the prize.

Which good ones did we miss? Any suggestions?

 

It's not what enterprises the list is missing. I did not say so and so supermarket wasn't mentioned. I merely feel that when people launch the website and those headlines pass by, it's really a shame to see a list of things a 2 second Bing search can come up with. It's about appropriate placement. Ever so often, there seems to be this one piece that seeps through among all the other more dignified articles. It's as though the editor had no say.

I think as CatPilgrim points out, this is a handy list for relative newcomers to Beijing. This is part of an attempt to add more content for newbies -- and much of that is likely to come across as very basic to grizzled Beijing veterans such as you and me Smile

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

pengusius's picture pengusius Submitted by Guest on Thu, 03/07/2019 - 01:19

admin wrote:
pengusius wrote:

Really?! This is what you place on the main page? At least pretend to make an effort. I won't even bother pin-pointing the issues, but I will say, among the seven underwhelming highlights you have flashing on your home page, this "comprenhesive list of Beijing supermarkets" definitely wins the prize.

Which good ones did we miss? Any suggestions?

It's not what enterprises the list is missing. I did not say so and so supermarket wasn't mentioned. I merely feel that when people launch the website and those headlines pass by, it's really a shame to see a list of things a 2 second Bing search can come up with. It's about appropriate placement. Ever so often, there seems to be this one piece that seeps through among all the other more dignified articles. It's as though the editor had no say.

CatPilgrim's picture CatPilgrim Submitted by Guest on Tue, 03/05/2019 - 10:16

Lillianlariat wrote:

This article is problematic on so many levels.  I don't need summarize them here, and to be honest I don't want to waste my time any longer on this. 

Readers: these are supermarket chains. 

It is better to support your local fruit and vegetables person and market. perhaps they are even just a few meters away from where you live. 

Do better. Think forward.  

It's too bad you can't be bothered to summarize the problems, because I would be interested in knowing what you think they are.

As a newcomer to town myself, this list is extremely helpful. I personally much prefer to shop at farmers markets and local vendors (and generally do) but it takes time to learn where these are and build the langauge skills to make these transactions. It's hard enough being new to a city without also being sneered at for wanting to know where one can find a familiar, Western-style supermarket and familiar products. 

It's great if you don't need this list, but you don't need to attack the Beijinger for offering it to others (like me) that do.

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Tue, 03/05/2019 - 09:53

Lillianlariat wrote:
This article is problematic on so many levels.  I don't need summarize them here, and to be honest I don't want to waste my time any longer on this. 

Readers: these are supermarket chains. 

It is better to support your local fruit and vegetables person and market. perhaps they are even just a few meters away from where you live. 

Do better. Think forward.  

Check the headline: A Comprehensive List of Beijing Supermarkets

Why would we list local fruit and vegetable vendors in an article about supermarkets?

Do better. Read headlines.

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

Lillianlariat's picture Lillianlariat Submitted by Guest on Tue, 03/05/2019 - 08:06

This article is problematic on so many levels. I don't need summarize them here, and to be honest I don't want to waste my time any longer on this.

Readers: these are supermarket chains.

It is better to support your local fruit and vegetables person and market. perhaps they are even just a few meters away from where you live.

Do better. Think forward.

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Tue, 03/05/2019 - 05:36

pengusius wrote:

Really?! This is what you place on the main page? At least pretend to make an effort. I won't even bother pin-pointing the issues, but I will say, among the seven underwhelming highlights you have flashing on your home page, this "comprenhesive list of Beijing supermarkets" definitely wins the prize.

Which good ones did we miss? Any suggestions?

 

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

pengusius's picture pengusius Submitted by Guest on Mon, 03/04/2019 - 17:10

Really?! This is what you place on the main page? At least pretend to make an effort. I won't even bother pin-pointing the issues, but I will say, among the seven underwhelming highlights you have flashing on your home page, this "comprenhesive list of Beijing supermarkets" definitely wins the prize.

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