99 Ranch Market

Originating in Westminster back in 1984, what’s known today as 99 Ranch Market is an Asian supermarket giant with over 50 stores – primarily on the coasts but also in Texas. With a Taiwanese founder and a Chinese name that translates into “Great Chinese Supermarket,” 99 Ranch competes with Korean chain H Mart for bragging rights as “largest Asian supermarket chain in America,” a title held by 99 until 2020, when it was surpassed; today, H Mart has nearly twice as many stores.

Although 99 Ranch had its ups and downs during the pandemic, and hasn’t been growing much in recent years, its four Orange County stores remain strong – if somewhat inconsistent – sources of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese supplies. These are supermarkets that carry imported candies from Japan, snack bags from China and Korea, rice varieties from across Asia, and spring roll wrappers from Vietnam, while also stocking fresh sushi, fresh and frozen seafood, and produce from across the U.S. and Asia. It’s where you’re most likely to find the best prices on frozen, ready-to-steam dim sum, tropical dragon fruit, and random bottles of peach-flavored Coca-Cola shipped directly from China. And if a given store is not the newest or cleanest of all the Asian supermarkets in its area, it’s certainly going to look nicer than anything mom-and-pop nearby.