C’ville Oriental

Only half star if I could. The staff always has an attitude even when she greets u!

One word, filthy
The place needs a good scrub down with an electric floor scrubber & a couple gallons of Krud Kutter, badly.
… Seriously looks like someone drove an off-​road motorbike through the place …
Look at expiration dates, they obviously don’t spend enough time reviewing their stock for out-​of-​date labels.
«Fresh» produce is meager, & pre-​wrapped — no idea how old it is, fair warning.
Decent selection of primarily Chinese noodles & a little broader selection of canned goods.
Why 3 stars, 1 star for selection, otherwise it would be 2.

I hate giving this place two stars, but I have no choice. Here’s why: their «fresh» food is covered in mold. Not just one or two things, but multiple things… and some of it has so much mold on it that you know it’s been sitting out for ages without any workers attempting to even care about food quality and safety. The salted duck and mock duck: moldy; the fresh chicken: moldy; the buns/​breads: moldy. Gross. I’ve been buying and eating things in their fresh cooler for some time now. This will make me not do it again.
However, the employees are very friendly regarding questions and checkout. The store is well stocked with frozen foods, soups, ramen, dry goods, sauces, rice, and more.
Lots and lots of good reasons to come to this store, but beware of anything fresh.

Selection is small, but it’s organized, so I appreciate that. There is no fresh produce, so if you’re looking to make sautéed BokChoy, this isn’t the place.
BUT, they do have a good selection of Asian seasonings, dressings, dry and frozen items.
Worth a shot to get pantry essentials.

I really want to like this place. I like Asian grocers, as a rule. But the produce here is scary, and the seafood much the same. On the upside, we’ve had a good experience getting American-​grown rice in large quantity here, and all kinds of packaged rice noodles. It’s an interesting browsing experience, coming here. But it kind of leaves me underwhelmed, and I have doubts about the quality I’m getting, really.

Seems like the quality of their products are getting worse. Vegetables are rotting with molds. Packaged items are pass their expiration dates. Be extremely careful if you have to go there to you might end up getting sick from eating rotten food.

Not sure why people are complaining about this place! There is only one other asian market in cville (the one by the 250 bypass exit on 29n), and this one certainly is the better one. Sure, it’s not super h mart in no va or mitsuwa in so cal, but relatively speaking, this place is an ok asian market in cville.
There are many reasons why I feel this is the better store vs the other one, but the first reason is an ample parking space. Sadly, the other store is located next to this restaurant (cavalier something?) with an owner who tows cars from the restaurant parking area if an asian person parks around the area even if it’s empty! We parked at the designated parking spot for the grocery store, but someone approached us to let us know that a restaurant employee called the grocery store owner that our car may get towed! Second, this store doesn’t smell funny like the other one. Third, at least their packaged items seem fresher. I just realized a package of Japanese mayo I got from the other place was expired, but a bottle of tonkatsu sauce from cville oriental was new. I also saw some bottled drinks at the other store were open. The prices are comparable between the two stores, and people at either store don’t seem to speak much English. Both stores seem to focus on Chinese /​Taiwanese groceries, and we didn’t see many Japanese items (although there are some basic things). Many items sold at both stores are not labeled very well, and labels, if there were, were in Chinese, so it was not easy for me to figure out what to try out.
Now, if you are shopping for Japanese grocery items, you should be going to seafood west main by feast. They have fresh sashimi grade fish, and there is a small section of Japanese groceries. It is the cleanest and neatest store like any other Japanese grocery store.

Like the review before, I had the displeasure of experiencing the same thing. I bought a fish cake that expired in 2012 so of course I wanted my money back. Apparently they don’t know how to give money back and could not help me further. Employees and the owners are VERY rude. Unless you like that atmosphere and old food, DO NOT shop there. We have other asian markets in C’ville!

As a true aficionado of cooking Asian cuisine at home, I frequently need to stock my pantry with ingredients not readily available at regular supermarkets. So since I was in Charlottesville last Wed., stopped in here for the first time to see what’s what & pick up a few necessities.
First impression was of a large clean bright store, thankfully without the musty, fishy smell that so many Asian grocery stores seem to perpetually have. There seemed to be only 2 employees present — & rather unhappy-​looking ones at that, & just 2 other customers besides us milling about.
Sadly, the fresh produce section is extremely small, but everything did look fresh & crisp. Noticed bags of edible chrysanthemum, watercress, what looked like water spinach, large bunches of Chinese Chives (aka Garlic Chives), fresh unpeeled water chestnuts, Thai chili peppers, Chinese okra, & other unidentifiable stuff. Unidentifiable because a lot of the signage/​labels were written in Chinese only. Oddly, open buckets of fresh bean sprouts & fresh tofu are located in the rear by the meat & prepared foods department instead of with the produce.
The seafood department appeared to be under some sort of renovation, as the case as well as the tanks were empty & dry. There was, however, a cardboard box with a smattering of live Blue Claw Crabs skittering around for $ 2.99/lb., & a pair of tongs for one to help oneself. No containers though. Guess you were supposed to just let them run around in your shopping basket?
Didn’t peruse the meat & prepared foods, but did enjoy playing «what the heck is that» in the frozen food section, where signage/​labels were also dicey. Was initially excited to see frozen packages of «tofu skin» & was ready to retrieve a few; alas, they were frighteningly only partially frozen. This fact definitely put the kibosh on my considering ANYTHING in the freezer cases (although I was sorely tempted by a pair of frozen «Black Chickens» — a pricey delicacy (they’re really just «Silkie» breed chickens actually) that were all the rage not too long ago).
So I stuck to pantry goods (HUGE selection of both products & brands), snaring bottles of fish sauce, black soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, a bag of dried Wood Ear fungus, a few ramen soups, & a metal rack insert for steaming in my wok. All the above for just around $ 10, so prices are more than reasonable.
Bottom line: Will definitely return when in the area, but sadly — as is unfortunately what seems to be the norm for me when visiting Asian markets — will stick to dry goods & perhaps fresh produce if needed.

«Once you open the package, we will not take it back.»
To avoid reimbursing $ 11.95 for the purchase of a defective product, the owner’s behavior ensured I would never return to his store. I am sharing my unpleasant experience because I want shoppers of Asian food in Charlottesville to be aware that the customer service at this store is unsatisfactory.
When C’VILLE ORIENTAL relocated to 1195 Seminole Trail, I stopped by and bought a bag of Kokuho Rose Sushi Rice, which I have been buying at other stores for years.
A few days later, I opened the bag and cooked 1.5 cups of rice. The rice was either old or mislabeled. It was yellow. It had an unusual taste and smell. It did not look like sushi rice. When cooked, it was too loose to pack into a formed shape for nigiri sushi.
Wondering if perhaps I had not added enough water to my rice cooker, I cooked 1.5 cups again the next night, carefully measuring rice and water. The result was the same.
A few days later, I took the nearly full bag back to the store to request a refund. A young worker informed me I had to wait for the boss. Five minutes later, the angry-​faced owner appeared. He refused to refund my purchase or even provide store credit. «Once you open the package, we will not take it back.»
He did not seem concerned that there was no way for me to have inspected the rice without opening the bag. He did not listen. He did not apologize. He did not even look at the rice. Instead, he insulted me, saying he had never had a such a customer.
Note: I was born and raised in Japan. I have lived in the U.S. for about 20 years. I studied to be a sushi chef. I am a grandmother. I have eaten sushi rice my entire life and have cooked it for many years. This is the first bag of rice I have ever tried to return.
(Chinese proverb): «Man who cannot smile should not open store.»

This place is SUPER now at new location! (1195 Seminole Trail, next to Hibachi Grill on 29)
I don’t need to go to Maryland any more!
I am a Taiwanese customer and always found what I needed in the old (and smaller) location. Now, with the new, huge, bright location, not only a ton of selections, you can even get Indain spices! all around Asia. Plenty of parking also made it easy.
As the store is still «progressing», keep an eye on something new every time you go there! I I love the frozen section, seafood, meat and LOTs of noodles, for us hot pot lovers, it’s a one stop shopping. The buns, dumplings, bakery, snacks, etc can also satisfy everyone. More vegi and fruits will be coming soon for more local customers.
Deli and authentic drinks will be coming up too. I can’t wait for the «bubble tea»!
As for houseware and gifts, there are so much more now! a very cute small saucer for $ 2.**, and a great Ta-​Tung rice cooker under $ 40, or, you like the red Chinese lantern?! they have it all.
I am Surprised to find a «fine gift» section next to the cashier, which are directly from Taiwan. The quality are high, and the selections are one of a kind. There are «Led Lantern «you don’t find in the whole US. The very unique, hand crafted cell phone covers; cool nail stickers from Korea; or, hot spring powders to experience Japan at home in the cold winter. What’s next?! WOW.
I am going tomorrow!

So, this is the second Asian grocery that I’ve discovered in Charlottesville, and while it’s brighter, cleaner and seems larger than the other one, they don’t seem to have much more of a selection. They did have what I was looking for, though.

According to their website, C’ville Oriental may be known to folks around town by their former incarnation, Charlottesville Oriental Food Market (located at 208 Carlton Road). I’ve never been to the old location but if the new store’s boast that it is bigger and carries more items than they previously did, then I must say, this place must be a haven for those in need of Asian ingredients, produce and specialties.
I’m used to a plethora of Asian grocery stores in NYC, and therefore, felt the store only carried the basic products people would need to supply their kitchen with (East) Asian/​Chinese main staples. While I do agree that the store does carry a lot of products, I’ve also noticed that a lot of the brands (especially the sauces, frozen goods and instant noodles) are from Mainland China and not Hong Kong (items I am not as familiar with). There is just something to getting the brands you’re used to than something you’ve never heard of, like, if you want stuffing or mac & cheese, there is just nothing like Stove Top & Kraft.
For instance, Lee Kum Kee and Amoy are very popular brands for (Cantonese) Chinese cooking (i.e. soy sauce, oyster sauce) but C’ville Oriental does not carry them. This might be due to the overhead cost, as it would be a lot more compared to the item they do have. Also, if you’ve never tried instant noodle from Nissan Foods, then be on the lookout when you happen upon a larger Asian grocery store (the original flavor and the chicken is one of their best sellers, beef is quite awesome too); seriously this brand is like instant noodles elevated!
I also didn’t find the produce that fresh, especially the greens, though watercress and leafy greens are hard to come by in your local supermarket. The small meat section in the back of the store is handy though, I’m sure it is a lot fresher than the prepackaged ground pork you’ll find at Harris Teeters.
Overall, this is a good store; the folks working there are nice, and the lady owner can be helpful and pleasant. Prices are moderate compared to typical Asian grocery stores, but cheap priced against western market standards. Credit cards are only accepted for purchase totaling $ 10 or more.