Asian grocery stores on the Olympic Peninsula (Seattle, Tacoma: buy, to live)

[TribalCat]

Are there any? I'm hoping to move up to either the northern or eastern coast of the Peninsula and I love Japanese food, so I'm wondering if there are any grocery stores in the area that carry Asian groceries.

[allforcats]

I Googled your question. in 12 different ways. The answer: no.
There are some restaurants -- Chinese food, Thai food -- with good reputations. But I found not a hint of an Asian-food grocery, probably because the Asian population on the peninsula is almost nil.
However, driving and/or ferry will take one to Olympia, Lacey, Tacoma, Bellevue and Seattle where many Asian-food stores can be found.

[TribalCat]

Thanks for checking that for me. I couldn't find any either. I guess I'd have to make periodic trips to stock up, but that's okay

[allforcats]

You're very welcome.
If you're going to live on the peninsula, you will want to hit the mainland with a shopping list now and then for other things anyway. There are good supermarkets on the peninsula, and they do have "Asian" sections, but no specifically "Asian" produce, meats and seafoods (no fresh tofu or enoki, for example, but you can probably find tubes of wasabi and definitely bottles of oshoyu but it will be Kikkoman not Yamasa). But there's lots of fresh local seafood, so with some dashi and omisoshiru that either you get ready-made from the mainland or make yourself from ingredients you can get fairly easily on the mainland, you can put together lots of possibilities, right?

There are some big box stores up in Port Angeles and Sequim, but not all the names, and they're not large because the population won't support it. I've never found a Japanese restaurant on the Oly Pen, so you might have to do your own Japanese cooking. Which, as you probably know, is great fun.

[Ira500]

Port Townsend may not have an Asian grocery, but they have a good Japanese restaurant:

Ichikawa Japanese Cuisine in beautiful Port Townsend, WA

[allforcats]

Well hot damn! Thanks, Ira! On that web page, "Dan from Seattle" says it's "the best sushi restaurant in the Pacific Northwest". Uhhhh, okay.... sounds terrific! Maybe you can eat there often, make friends, and buy some supplies from them. Could happen!

[TribalCat]

Sounds great to me. Port Townsend is at the top of my list for places to move to

[hotshawt]

There is a small Asian market in Silverdale on Randall Way. Next to Hakata Japanese Restaraunt across from Kitsap Mall. Not Olympic Peninsula, but Kitsap Peninsula would be closer than Seattle.

[allforcats]

What a great post, hotshawt! Thanks for your help!

[hotshawt]

Another thought....Again on Kitsap, not Olympic, but Central Market in Poulsbo and Town and Country Market in Winslow (Bainbridge) are owned by the Nakata family. They have extensive Asian sections in both of their stores (especially Central Market, which also has a fresh Sushi section).