Tomato Japanese Grocery

I was super excited to hear about a Japanese store in Atlanta and knew I had to go. My bf and I came here after our lunch at the next door Sushi Yoko. There are various assorts of Japanese snacks and convenient items. I didn’t end up getting anything as nothing there really compelled me to, but the place is worth checking out.

When I first came to Atlanta, Tomato was one of the first stores I ended up visiting through some friends. Didn’t think a lot of it besides excitement to get some favorite snacks and since then had forgotten this location even existed. For the longest I had thought the Tomato in Smyrna were also one in the same.
After my recent trip overseas I was really desperate to find some of the treats I had while staying over there and for the most part none of the H-​marts or other asian grocers carried these specific snacks. To my surprise I was actually able to find quite a few of the snacks I enjoyed sold at this Tomato along with lots of other import products and even convenience store style bento. Managed to even find some fairly fresh yakisoba pan.
Overall, the selection here is much more extensive than at the Smyrna store and out of the two it reigns my favorite. From beauty products to household items. They occasionally have onigiri but none of the prepackaged ones– I’ve only ever found those at Buford Farmers Market, but that I think was a fluke. All the bento seem to be courtesy of Sushi Yoko, the adjacent restaurant. They also have a lot of frozen Japanese goods and tout Kobe Beef being for sale. I don’t know anything about that.
My only hiccups are how dimly lit and sad the building seems to be. This place, however, has been around forever… so whatever keeps them alive, please keep it up.
It should also be noted, the outside sign is in Japanese so if you can’t find the word Tomato look for Japanese characters or とまと. I think you’ll be fine. It’s not too troublesome to find.
If you’re feeling like having a tasty giant cheeto puff for a snack try the umai sticks… they have a bunch of flavors here and they’re all 25 cents each. Mentaiko and yakitori are love.

What a nice difference this visit was! The selection, albeit on the small side, has greatly improved.
Shampoos, face washes, beauty masks, niche ingredients and sauces, rice mixes, snacks, sweets, fresh herbs (!Mitsuba and ao shiso!), a really decent selection of natto, giant cream puffs (a la beard papa style), mitarashi dango, etc.
I’m really glad I thought of coming back again, what a pleasant surprise.

{Too busy looking around to take photos ^^;}
I went to Tomato yesterday and I must say I was impressed. Most of these reviews are from a couple of years ago. When you first drive up to the location, its just a long white building that has the name of Sushi Yoko, which is a restaurant. You park and go over to the side entrance. Tomato doesn’t have a sign outside so you have to know where it is. You walk down the hallway being greeted by cartoon characters and you see the door that says Tomato and its store hours. When you walk in, its not the new modern chain type of grocery store its a mom and pops store like previous people have described. On your left there is a little rack with some Japanese magazines and along on the left side is more of household cooking items such as bento boxes, stencils, cooking supplies things like that. Up a few short stairs is a variety of Japanese animé and drama all of them are in Japanese and most of them are old but its nice to know. On the right side of store is the groceries. All the rice cracker snacks, fish, meat, heath care and hair products, etc etc.
Now, some snacks are a but pricy (like $ 6) but its only because its imported which is fine with me. They have many snacks that H Mart or any kind of Asian store don’t carry. I mean other than pocky, hi chew, kolas march, etc. I saw snacks that I never even heard of before. By the counter they had spring snacks like Sakura Mochi (mochi wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf). They also had Japanese coffee, so I tried that for the first time.
Many people have commented about the service. I don’t know if it was really bad in the past years but they were very kind to me (I’m a non Asian). It was nice being around Japanese people speaking Japanese. They do have broken English but its good enough so you can understand them. One lady went through all the stacks of DVDs just to find what I was looking for and recommended some for me as well.
All in all, despite its odd location and not so updated looks. This is the best Japanese grocery store in GA

In the same buildings sushi yoko (no sign outside?), this is the place to go for Japanese groceries on this side of town. It is small (and a bit creepy and eerie) but has a great selection of items (for cheaper than hmart for ex: japanese kit kats for $ 5 and pocky for under a $ 1) for cheaper than at the big supermarkets for japanese items. They also have more specialized items like fatty tuna and good instant ramen. There is another section for dvds and what not but I didnt look there. Also some cute girly stuff they bring in from daiso and what not.
Overall, nice little grocery store for japanese items.

One of the best small Japanese grocery stores I’ve been to. I will go again next year when we (RougHouse) go back to ATL Ga for the boxing tournament.

Thanks to Unilocal,I was able to find this place! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Why am I so happy? Well, there’s not a lot of Japanese grocery stores in Atlanta. On top of that, my daughter is into the Japanese culture. With the detailed reviews, I was able to find Tomato Japanese Grocery. If it wasn’t for Unilocal,I would’ve never found it and got lost cause I would’ve have known it’s in the same building as Sushi Yoko, next to Burger King. I honestly would’ve thought I was in the wrong area.
While walking in, it was a little sketchy feeling with the dark halls but the walls were covered with cute cartoons that were drawn. If you go straight, you will hit the grocery store. On the right, is the restaurant.
Once I opened the door, I saw workers who did not greet us at all. They just stared as my daughter and I headed to the left hand side which had a «sale» of green tea items with a bunch of burn dvds of animes. I did ask one of the workers if there were any English subs and sadly there are none. I guess most people watch free online so no need to have them with English subs. I wouldn’t mind buying them since most were only 50 cents. The huge table had a lot of discounts of cute stuff such as the Daruma doll, which I recently learned about. There is another section which you could walk to which had even more dvds. We didn’t go in that section since most of the dvds were in Japanese and had no English subs.
On the right side of the store had small aisles of Japanese ingredients. Most of the sauces I am able to find at Super H Mart or Hong Kong Market so I didn’t bother to get any of that. What I mainly came to get there was the green tea matcha, which was quite pricey but I did know that before going in cause I did my research first.
There’s a refridgerated section with food, ready to eat. I bought bakery items as well as noodles to try.
Overall, I’m quite happy with the experience and that it’s close by home!

Tomato Japanese grocery store has many dry goods, but not much; fresh prepared foods, produce, or meat/​fish. I know that I should not compare a Japanese grocery store in Atlanta to one that is actually in Japan or even Manhattan for that matter— but, I cannot help to think that Japanese establishments should be held to a higher standard of quality and cleanliness.
Basically, this is a grocery store in a long, winding, creepy shack restaurant on an overgrown lot near some railroad tracks, with a metal shipping container stuck to the side of building. There is also a very private looking sushi restaurant in the same building (Sushi Yoko), down the same murder hallway with dim flickering lights. Based on the quality of the few pieces of fish I saw in the grocery, I would avoid the restaurant.
There are many dry items, mixes, sauces, and other overpriced goodies that are about four times as much as they cost in Japan and twice as much as they cost in New York City. Also, make sure to check the expiration dates.
Some customers were coming in looking for yukata and decorative items, which are located in a room with a bunch of burned CD’s.

In the context of being in Atlanta and there not being as substantial a Japanese community as in some other places, like Southern California, Hawaii, and New York, Tomato Japanese Grocery gives ATLiens access to products that would you nearly impossible to track down. Among these products is Matcha Kit-​Kat.
Admittedly, I am quite uninformed when it comes to Japanese cuisine. It may be a voluntary ignorance almost, as I have a seafood aversion (cue the jokes about my being a poor Asian who actually dislikes seafood without being allergic to it) and the Japanese diet includes lots of this for obvious geographic reasons. I stopped in earlier this week because of my obsession with matcha. This grassy, slightly bitter green tea that is consumed in in ground form (meaning you actually ingest the tea leaves, rather than just the liquid steeped in them) is one of my favorite flavors of all time. Yes, that is a strong statement, especially on this Friday morning (well, actually, it makes no difference the hour nor the day…).
Tomato came through, with a crapload of green tea goodies. I loaded up on Pocky, aforementioned Kit-​Kat, and a little tin of the actual green tea itself. I perused the entire store, inspecting each and every aisle slowly and thoroughly. There are lots of things here, including rice, ramen, noodles, sweet and savory snacks, sauces, and even skincare. I am pretty sure that if you have a hankering for some authentic Japanese goods, either food-​related or not, you will find something that will alleviate your longing.
I will be back soon, to get more matcha-​flavored stuff. And maybe some Kasugai (non-​wasabi) roasted peas (which I have been eating since I was a wee little girl, by the way!).

If you are looking for a few «simple things» staples really, you might find it here? Videos for rent /​purchase, a bit of fresh produce, frozen fish and pre packaged meals are just a few items.
Coffee drinks can be found in the cold case as you are walking in on the right (like the vanilla).
I was pleasantly surprised to find small bottles of «kimchi base» here, tossed with fresh cabbage or sliced cucumbers and grilled meats is yummy.
Looking for something you can «grab n go» sashimi quality «cuts» and pre sliced pieces, sushi rolls and cooked whole fish can be found depending on the day.

People say its not the greatest… but considering the demographic, its a shame that people arent adventurous because this store has some nice finds. It is definitely small, and I understand Japanese videos aren’t exactly in high demand, but its there.
What makes me like this place is the friendly people. They’re a mom and pop store so they’re humans too. If they seem a bit preoccupied, they’re human too, so please be nice to them too! They appreciate your business and they spend a lot of money to keep their store stocked for items that serve a very special population at a great price! That’s just great. And I hope you can appreciate that.

It’s not the greatest Japanese supermarket you gonna find in the states. It has a weird entrance, small interior and some of the staff doesn’t even really speak English.
BUT, it sells so many things that I love. Staffs are nice and helpful. It has its niche market I guess. If you want to be some Japan imported products. Here’s the place you’ll go.

Since my wife is Japanese, and I used to work in Norcross, I was sent here a lot. It’s perfect for a Japanese person living in Atlanta. It’s not Super H Mart, or Buford Highway Farmer’s Market. But they have all Japanese products, breads, movies, magazines, cards, liquor, rice, the standard items you need for a Japanese home. Finding it the first time is a little tricky, but only the first time. The reason I don’t like going here? They are not helpful at all. Sometimes I’m given a list with an item on it that I don’t know what it is. I ask the people behind the counter, when they aren’t busy, and they just point to 500 products and say «it’s down that aisle». It’s hard to find something when you don’t know what you’re looking for. I usually have to call my wife or ask a store patron. Aside from that, Tomato is a great place to come to.

I only shop here when I am in the mood of indulgence. Nothing is cheap and some can be easily found at h mart. On the days when I am in a hurry I’d run in to get some red bean bread and snacks. Like the other reviewers me mentioned, a lot of products are sold expired. When the workers are being questioned about the expiration date, they simply don’t care. I guess that’s not really up to them rather the owner.
I wish this trailer could be gutted and rebuilt. With the amount of $$ flowed in, I’m sure a decent looking store is doable.
Btw, a bottle of exact same brand sake is $ 7.99 at trader joe’s while over priced for $ 10.99 at tomato. Beware.

Great selection, friendly staff, lots of hard to find items and veggies. Definitely will be back. Prices are higher on some items than Super H Mart and lower on others. Really great find.

very nice collection. Hard to find.

Addendum: Check the expiration dates (when applicable) on their products. I was quite grossed out to see that their sale noodles were past the expiration date. Yes, it probably won’t kill you, but they knowingly sell expired food. Not cool. Some of the noodles expired in June. Very not cool. Just a heads up as to why some of the noodles have the orange sale sticker.
They tend to get rid of/​stop ordering a lot of the candies I discover and fall in love with. I went back two days after I bought this one bag of candy (yes, I should have gotten more but they aren’t exactly cheap) and all of them were gone. Boo… I realize they are a small grocer and whatnot but certain things that are always in stock should get replenished a bit sooner, in my opinion. Otherwise, I love this place. It’s got all kinds of tasty instant noodles (which I no longer eat because I’m trying to be healthy), and various Asian treats. You don’t have to deal with heavy crowds, like you do if you go to say, H-​Mart, and the fellow patrons don’t waste time staring you down (like they do at H-​Mart). Oh and their candy selection (albeit unpredictable) is MUCH better than other places around Atlanta… but then again I’m no expert. I’ve only been to a few Asian markets, but I have a feeling they carry similar brands.
It also helps that there’s a sushi place next door (the door is literally next to the door to Tomato), just saying.

Oh how I missed this place. So many memories here too.
It’s a tiny Japanese grocery store… I think the ONLY Japanese store in the area…
Yes it’s small.
Yes it doesn’t have everything.
Yes it’s a little over priced.
But is it worth shopping here? YES
We came here on our way down to AL to visit my parents. Since I couldn’t bring all the refrigerated or frozen food from L.A., I came here to bring back as much Japanese food as possible to my parents from Tomato.
Nothing has changed from 8 years ago… well, maybe the video section has been improved a little but even the girl at the register was the same. She noticed me and vice versa. We started chatting a little bit and we both thought it was really cool to randomly know someone after like this 8 years.
I always remembered how tiny this store was but I actually was able to buy more than 90% of the products I wanted to get for my mother. Now, there are no selection as to what brand of the specific products you want, like in Los Angeles, but you can’t expect the same in ATL when there are way less Japanese population in here. Also, there are not much selection of sashimi that you can buy here… just maguro (tuna).
* Parking = ample
* Selections = good enough
* Service = very nice. They let us have the styrofoam boxes to keep the groceries cold.
* Location = pretty convenient
Oh and FYI, they do have a bathroom that you can use… I didn’t remember so I walked all the way to the Burger King next door in my heels…

Any store that carries a plethora of J-​pop DVDs and CDs in Atlanta automatically automatically makes a fan out of me. I used to listen to that stuff all the time. Not so much these days, but I can still appreciate it when I see it. Tomato is a Japanese grocery store located in the same building and right next door to Sushi Yoko on Peachtree Industrial Blvd. A lot of customers drop by Tomato before or after dining at Sushi Yoko, either to pick up some groceries or to just check the place out.
It’s small (the ceilings are low, the aisles are tight) and it’s old (some of the freezers look like they have more than 30+ years on them), but you can find all of your Japanese frozen foods, packaged snacks and treats, specialty drinks (Pocari Sweat, anyone?), assorted kitchenware, and other authentic «Made in Japan» items such as tea strainers, toothbrushes, and chapstick. Along with their music selection, they also have quite an extensive inventory of Japanese DVDs. These include movies, TV shows (comedy, drama, and variety), music videos, concerts, and animé. You can rent them or buy them.
It’s easy to say Japanophiles and otaku would like this place. Cool and unique, Tomato also has a sister location next to Umezono in Smyrna.
#Yelp365 — ²²⁄₃₆₅

I frequent Sushi Yoko so often that I should just camp out there. And, I usually hop (waddle) over to Tomato to pick up tea, miso, noodles, and the like so I can savor the flavor at home. I find their prices to be pretty reasonable. They always have my silken tofu on sale, and several other specials too. You can get sashimi grade fish, roe, seaweed and jellyfish salad, furikake, and all the dried squid you can handle!
I’m not really into animé, but I have noticed that they have a huge video library. Not sure if it’s rental or purchase, but something to keep in mind for those interested. They also have plates, rice cookers, and utensils that will be helpful in your Japanese cooking endeavors.
I will always stop in Tomato to pick up my few essentials after hitting the sushi bar and you should too! Just make sure to watch your head when you reach for the sashimi!