Bolsa Market

Be careful using your credit card at this store. They charged me twice for $ 54.96. Both payments have cleared out of my account. Called my bank and they said to talk to the store and see if they’ll refund it back since it’s easier that way. Went back to the store and they refused to refund the second charge. Said that there was something wrong with their card machine so there’s nothing they can do. Now I have to go through the hassle of disputing the charges and waiting for a new card to come in the mail.

Bolsa Market has kind of a weird smell in the store. Prices are cheaper compared to other Asian markets depending on what items you are purchasing. After asking an employee about a certain item, they did not even know if they sell it or not…

This market is different from other Vietnamese markets because it has roast duck and pork everyday of the week, not just on the weekend.
Prices here are comparable to and even cheaper on some items than other Vietnamese markets.
This market is relatively clean and the owners are pretty helpful if you ask for help.

You can find all your southeast asian ingredients and veggies here. May not be appealing outside but the inside has more to offer.

Happened to stop in after lunch next door. Kinda funky Asian smell as soon as you walk in. I didn’t take offense but the hubby was like «Whoa, what IS that?!» They had ready to eat food up front– pastries, Vietnamese dishes already cooked, steam buns, sesame balls, fish cakes ($ 9/​lb) by the cash register. There was a meat/​fish counter in the back next to the produce– roast duck and roast pork hanging. Saw they had some pompano but didn’t notice any other seafood.
Bought a case of mangoes ($ 14). Not sure on quality as they were bought for someone else. Seems like an ok market… they sure were busy when we were in there. Lots of people coming in and out. We purchased some banh bo (sweet, steamed rice cakes) and some kind of green sticky rice w/​sesame seeds thing. The banh bo did not seem fresh – had a funny taste I’m not used to and they were hard, not soft and chewy. The green stuff was great! …Until the hubby found a really long hair in his piece after taking a couple of bites. Gross. We understand these things happen but ugh. Was not happy throwing food out, as that kinda just grossed us completely out from eating anything else we bought.
Not sure on prices here, if they are on par w/​the other markets in the area. Did not have time/​think to check on a few other items. We will probably stick with the other markets we have been going to as this one did not seem to offer anything unique from the others.

I’m a fan of Asian grocery stores. I didn’t realize that next door to Phở Kien Giang (one of my previous reviews) there was a great small grocery store by the name of Bolsa. We figured we’d stop in after eating dinner just out of curiosity.
Bolsa was awesome. From their variety of produce located on the right side of the store, to their vast amounts of packaged ramen. It also seems like they have fresh pastries up front when offered, but since we went at night, they were already picked at. Bolsa offers a lot of foods and cooking equipment for such a small place. It seems they get their influence from primarily Vietnamese and Chinese/​Japanese, but it also felt like there was some Korean influence as well by some of the products. I was pretty ecstatic that I found a few other flavors of Mr. Brown’s canned coffee here that I’ve never seen before. Also, the staff here is incredibly friendly and will help you find what you need if you’re having difficulty, or if it’s your first time stopping by.
Great little place for Asian groceries, feel free to stop by!

The main thing that drew me to try this market was that there is Korean Hangul Shik-​pum-​jom written as one of the languages on the front, so they have Korean products. They mostly cater to Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino customers.
I have never heard of this market before and was super impressed with the organization, freshness, and selection of the Southeast Asian foods offered at Bolsa Market. The name is very interesting, because it could easily be spelled in Hangul, has a Spanish or Tagalog meaning, and also an English meaning. Could also just be the owner’s family name.
At first I was super impressed by the produce section, and then more and more impressed as I walked through the store. The produce was perfectly sorted and inexpensive. I just kept saying, «This is awesome!» to the point, I think I was totally embarrassing myself.
For example:
–green onions are clean of debris and tops are cut blunt, neatly packaged and price clearly labeled.
–rau muong (water spinach) — neatly sorted, no brown spots, cleanly packaged and clearly labeled.
–same for cilantro, jalapeño, yu choi, and shanghai bok choy— and all other herbs and produce.
They even sell homemade banchan (Korean side dishes) in this area.
While the selection of items is very impressive, the entire place is extremely clean, good smelling, and organized yet in-​stock. Like whoa. Especially for a market that has a working meat counter, very clean.
There are prepared foods by the entrance that are inexpensive and tasty.
The prices are not too high either on their Korean and Japanese products. They sell frozen Yakisoba and ChapChae noodles that are stored correctly and over two bucks less than at other markets, same for the miso pastes, flavored jars of honey for hot drinks, and the laver/​kim (seasoned nori). And, they have items that even some Korean and Japanese markets do not have.
There is an area that sells Vietnamese DVD’s on the left side of the store.
Behind the counter, they even sell my favorite hair dye!
I WANT to shop here more.