A New Asian Market in (Almost-)Ridgewood?

jelly cups

Jelly cups at Sea Town: one of the few Chinatown-y products available there

UPDATE 2/20/13: Jose from Sea Town read our post and said he’ll be ordering some of the products we suggested! He’ll let us know when the new store is open so we can check out the Asian goods.

UPDATE 2/28/14: We give up! Sea Town still has not added any kind of significant Asian section to their store. If you continue down Myrtle, further into Bushwick, you’ll find another new Asian market (not sure of the name but we’ll find out). It’s one block from Sea Town, right next to Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union. We’ve found assorted Asian noodles, kimchi, potsticker wrappers, and frozen mock-meats there.

Two blocks over the Ridgewood-Bushwick border and steps from Myrtle Avenue, Sea Town Fish & Meat Market was deemed a founding part of a “tiny Bushwick ‘Chinatown'” when it opened in 2010. And though the store boasts an impressive variety of fresh (including live) seafood, the general grocery area lacks a significant Asian presence — even staples like tofu, seaweed, and rice vinegar are nowhere to be found (tofu didn’t sell, said the store’s manager, Jose).

But that could change: Across the street, construction is underway on a triangle-shaped annex, which Jose told Ridgefood will be like a “regular grocery store” with more vegetables and an expanded ethnic section. They plan to stock more Asian goods, and Jose welcomed Ridgefood to compile a list of products that would appeal to local shoppers.

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Taqueria El Paisa and Other Mexican Options

tacos from taqueria el paisa

 

Looking for great tacos in Ridgewood? Keep reading and we’ll tell you about our favorites. But first, here’s a quick rundown of all the Mexican (and “Mexican”) eateries:

Authentic Mexican (i.e.,  food like it actually is in Mexico)

  • Guadalajara De Dia #2 (Seneca & Menahan): Serviceable, old school taco joint and grocery. Seems to sell a lot of nostalgia products for folks far away from home.
  • Fresh Pond Mexican Restaurant (corner of Fresh Pond & 68th Avenue): Busy, cluttered, lunch counter–/diner-type spot that sells big Mexican plates. Continue reading