J&P Fresh Market

Super clean Chinese grocery store. Selection is good and shopping experience is always nice. The owner has done a good job in keeping this place going strong.
There were times we found expired items here, which is becoming way less often these days. The return service is quick and easy, which I had used several times so far.

Nice location just opposite Woodman’s. The store layout is very spacious and it’s kept clean and nice. I especially like their huge selection of thinly sliced meats which is very suitable for steamboat/​hot pot meals. I have also noticed they have live seafood on certain visits, though I’ve yet to try those. The treats from Japan are cool too, and J&P carries a wide range. Think macha pocky and the likes =) Those are still relatively rare to get in town, so I feel tempted each time I see them.
I like that they have a program where you get to accumulate points on every visit based on spending. All you have to do is to sign-​up for a member card free of charge. You get to redeem for rewards like coupons after a certain number of points.
Being one of the newer asian marts J&P uses barcodes for almost all of their items. This is a great change from other asian marts who key in your purchases manually. Like a fellow Unilocaler pointed out it is now easier to keep track of what you buy.

J&P has become the premier shopping destination for anyone who cooks Chinese food since its opening in 2013. Great location – just next to Woodman’s; great selection that it satisfy all my Asian shopping need in one stop.
I used to shop at Garden Asian Market for many years, but now I shift entirely to J&P. First, the shopping space is so much more pleasant. Everything is in great order, clean and bright, and no bad odor. Second, J&P carries better quality meat and seafood than both Garden or Asia Midway. I always like their thin-​sliced beef/​pork for hotpot, best quality in town. Third, they scan barcodes instead of putting in every item by hand. I always think the latter may have mistakes that I cannot recognize. Finally, this place carries unusually large food selection from Taiwan (I am totally biased on this). I consider Taiwan’s products are of better quality and with more stringent food safety standards.
And, unfortunately, you probably need to read Chinese language, or at least are familiar with the kind of merchandises carried in Asian groceries, to fully enjoy shopping here.
J&P may not have as many stuff from South East Asia, try A-​mart or Yue Wah instead if you are shopping for SE Asia food. But if you are cooking Chinese, this place should satiate your needs perfectly.
My Asian shopping tips in town:
J&P (west side woodman): best in terms of Chinese/​Taiwanese selection. Very clean. high quality.
A Mart (Whitney Way): newest, and probably the largest, Asian market in town. Very large selection. SE Asia oriented. Some good stuff in their dessert/​bread corner.
Garden (University & Allen): A safe bet and contains a small deli
Asia Midway (Park & W Wash): it really stinks inside. Quality varies. The best thing about this place is its central location.
Yue-​Wah (Park close to beltline): more SE Asia oriented. Very good value. clean. but lacks of a fresh meat and seafood section
Madison Oriental market (Fish Hatchery): SE Asia oriented. Mediocre selection. But the deli in the back is a hidden gem.
Lee’s oriental (university): Exclusively Korean shop. owner is super rude. Don’t shop there.
Oriental Food Mart (park): Best Korean shop. Very good meat for Korean-​bbq.
Oriental Shop (park): Your only Japanese shop in Madison. Small but with some useful Japanese items.
Viet Hoa: Your only choice on the east side/​Monona
Hmoob: Your only choice on the Northeast side

Caveat: I have no idea what’s going on in this grocery store, except that it’s filled with colorful foodstuffs not labelled in English.
All signage is in Chinese, so if you can’t read it, you’ll just have to trust your luck and roll the dice! The produce area was more neatly arranged than most of the other Asian grocery stores in town. The frozen meats also had some interesting selections, like a variety of frozen fish balls (ah, I think there’s what they were).
So many other things! The store is really quite big and seems to be exclusively Chinese products. But I don’t know what they were because I couldn’t read the label!
I went on a little adventure and bought some desserts, I was at least able to ascertain they were desserts.
Will stop by for more randomness.

I love love love this place! Great prices and a good variety. I shop here for a lot of my produce. They have a great selection. They also have a good selection of veggie meat substitutes! The only negatives are narrow parking spaces and sometimes some of the produce can be wilty. But overall I love this place!

Ohmygerrrd. Finally, an Asian market on this side of town! J&P is right across the street from Woodman’s which makes grocery shopping infinitely more convenient for me now. (: Schweeet.
I could tell J&P was going to be a winner as soon as I walked through the front door and noticed that ALL the signs were in Chinese. That’s always a good sign. (:
I moved to Madison last March armed to the teeth with all of my Asian culinary needs. Spices. Sauces. Herbs. I swear the only thing that I DIDN’T bring with me was jasmine rice.
Since then, my soy sauce, miso paste, and sesame oil have been flown in from CA. My Hi-​Chews, Pocky, yogurt drinks, and Hello Pandas have been flown in from DC. I’ve been surviving. Barely. Until now.
The produce and butcher sections are limited, but they have all of the essentials. :) On the other hand, the frozen food aisle is fully-​stocked with a variety of seafood, dumplings, buns, etc. They also have the biggest selection of Asian ice creams, popcicles, and other frozen desserts I have seen in the Midwest. Imma go get me some Melona bars as soon as I get back!
It looks like they are planning on starting a restaurant as well, which is super exciting! I can’t wait for it to open up. It will be my own little slice of heaven in Madison. :)