Fresh World International Market

The store they had in Newport News closed recently as well. Too bad. It seemed like what they had was with a wide range of produce, fish and meats, but like somebody commented a typical supermarket is just too big a space for them.

Sadly, Fresh World has closed. Word on the street is they went bankrupt and are being sued for back rent and breach of contract by the shopping center.
Bummer. RIP Fresh World. You were too awesome for Reston.

What happened to this place? There is almost nothing left in the store,…no bread, no seafood, not a whole lot of stuff left… Are they closing???

We stumbled upon this market after dining at Mama Wok and I wanted ingredients to make rice balls after watching an episode of «Cooking With Dog» on youtube. My first impression was that it was very clean and stocked, but it is definitely one of those markets where they took over the space of the previous supermarket that was there and they simply don’t have the inventory to fill up the entire space. So you’ll be going down one aisle that has packaged mochi, but they’ll display 10 packages across one shelf but it still looks pretty sparse. Then you’ll go the other end of the store and it’s leftover inventory from the previous tenant (which I believe is Giant Food). And my AzN people know that we don’t go to the Asian supermarket to buy Western food, so asides from Spam and Fanta, you know that peanut butter is going to be on that shelf for the next 3 years.
I did find all the ingredients I needed for my recipe. This is far more convenient than going to H Mart, but I’ll have to come on a weekend and check them out when it’s more crowded. I like the hustle and bustle of an Asian market. The kitchen aisle was lacking, so don’t come here if you want to buy a rice cooker or bento box, because they don’t have any. The produce was fresh and the seafood looked good, too, but there wasn’t enough ice for some products, like the shrimp. I didn’t smell anything foul but that’s because I’m used to Eau de Asian Market Funk. (Aha! Maybe that’s why my boyfriend doesn’t like to go to H Mart). We’ll be back.

I’ve had hot pot (and just for warm fuzzies kicks, I’ll note the fact that the reason I own a fancy schmancy hot pot is because the boy got it for me as a present… for uhhhh… Valentine’s Day*… maybe?) roughly three times this past week. It doesn’t really get old.
The magical thing about Fresh World is that I can purchase the ingredients for hot pot…
— enoki mushrooms
— napa cabbage
— bai chai /​bok choi
— silken tofu
— tofu puffs (nitrogen flushed, whatever that means)
— thinly slice shabu beef
— eggs (to mix the yolk into the cha sha jiang)
— vermicelli noodles
— prawns
— cuttlefish balls
— etc.
… in large enough quantities to readily feed five or six people… for multiple meals… at the affordable price of roughly $ 30.
It’s rewarding to let my inner yellow man out and snag some ridiculously amazing deals on a wide assortment of produce, not have to ever deal with jostling and jockeying against other customers, and be in and out within ten minutes when armed with a mental list of needed items.
Wo shi huan dze geh dien!
— — —
* I have since been corrected that it was a birthday present, not a Valentine’s Day present. Mea culpa.

Is it bad that the smell doesn’t faze me? I’ve been to too many international markets, I guess. Staff isn’t particularly friendly, and the guy at the customer service counter was faced away and staring at his computer for a good 30 seconds after I asked for assistance. No milk tea, what the heck. Might be back when I’m in the middle of a cheap ramen/​produce emergency… Anyone else notice the aisle sign that says «Indian Snakes»?

This is THE place to go to for fresh produce and fresh meat. Not only is the produce fresh but it’s cheaper and there is a larger variety than you will ever find at a Safeway, Harris Teeter, etc. For any cook wanting to find different ingredients at amazing prices, this is the place. Also, the seafood and meat… extremely fresh. For example, my husband and I bought two large, beautiful rib eye steaks that were obviously cut that day, if not an hour or two earlier… only $ 8.00! Insane! We later on went to Safeway to compare and saw rib eyes smaller, half the freshness, TWICE the price! Also, the chicken, pork, etc is great at Fresh World. As for products on the shelf… all the «ethnic» items are amazing… but I do not recommend buying any «American» products from the shelf, they are way over priced and have a small selection. What I tend to do is go to Fresh World for the produce, meat and any other international ingredients I need… then I go to Safeway or Shoppers for the rest of my pantry, dairy, bakery items. Also, a mention, Fresh World is brand new so it is VERY clean and well kept… unlike some other International Markets I have been to in the past. So, don’t be scared… go to Fresh World ASAP!

Love it! This is the place to go to buy a vegetable you never heard of, which is how I wound up with a fuzzy squash (delicious, by the way). Granted, sometimes the produce sits on the shelf too long and starts to look a little sad, but the prices get discounted accordingly, like 19c a pound for some very tired green beans. They sell some herbs in improbably large packages, but 8 oz. of curry leaves will last a really long time in the freezer. The fresh fish is great. I bought some saury pike for 3 people for dinner and it cost under $ 3. This store isn’t for running in and buying a couple of items; this store is for adventure. Enjoy!

it wasn’t a bad experience but there’s a catch. Double check the expiration date before you buy cause i got a gum and expiration date was ⁰⁹⁄₀₈ so double check. They may sent some overstocks from grand mart to fresh world so that’s my theory. but it was suprising to see all of items i would find in Seoul grocery chain here that’s a plus. Also we bought some sweet potatoes box worth for $ 30 but it didn’t taste good.
They also have a store up in Glen Burnie, Maryland so I checked that out too. Same deal as reston but much neater and cleaner. i would come here for just few items though.

I am very sad to hear about Joe H’s experience at Fresh World. I have had to ask the folks at the help desk a number of times for assistance and they’ve always been courteous to me. I am going to bring this up to them because I think it’s wrong how you were treated and I think this is an isolated event. I have been telling all my friends about this store. Their prices on fruits, veggies and seafood is nothing but amazing (not to mention the selection). They have lots of unusual sauces and seasonings that I’ve been trying as well. The one thing I am going to suggest to them is that they possibly have an occasional cooking class to showcase how to prepare some of the more unusual products they sell (at least unusual to me!), I think that would be a great way to increase sales and make it a more unique experience. I highly recommend this place.

This market is a welcome addition to the area because it has pan-​Asian ingredients, however, be careful shopping here as I noticed some of the can goods looked like they should be at a discount reseller for the shape they were in. The veggies section has a great selection of veggies for Hispanic, Asian, Indian cookery, however, many items looked wilted and past shelf time. So proceed with caution, check expiration dates and look for dented or rusted cans on shelves. You can find some deals and it is the only source for many essential ingredients for ethnic cooking. No longer is it necessary to drive down to Fairfax or Dunn Loring area to visit other Korean markets.

They have some great stuff there! Particularly cool finds on my recent inaugural trip — fresh-​baked Afghani flatbread for $ 1.50 for a huge 2-​foot piece, tons of different kinds of mochi or bean paste desserts (we got four different kinds!), and royal trumpet mushrooms (6 or so big ones) for $ 5! Only sad thing was they didn’t have dou fu gan (pressed and seasoned tofu). I know that’s generally a Chinese food but I feel like I’ve had it as a Korean small dish before too.

I’ve only been once, but it’s great having a Korean market in the Reston Herndon area. Now if someone would only build a good Korean restaurant.
They have an okay selection of traditional American groceries at good prices, but the real attraction is fresh and live seafood, fresh and varied fruit and veg, international ingredients, and unusual snacks and sweets.
It’s not as nice as Super H, but it’s also not crazy crowded (yet?). 4 stars for location and being a decent Korean place. If they open up a prepared food place inside, it would move to five stars.

Useful for folks living in Reston and maybe Loudon County (who commute into Fairfax County?), this Korean supermarket gives you a great selection of green produce, tropic fruits, and readymade banchan (Korean side dishes), among other things. It’s smaller than Grand Mart, and less splashy than Super H Mart.
It makes me smile to think of aisles with signs for «Vietnamese box noodles», «Pakistan Food», etc.
The main reason I wrote this review, however, is that I got a great deal on turmeric! Just 1.29 for a 7 ounce packet. Woo hoo. Better than its competition. But only worth the drive if you’re local.

As of Friday, I no longer have a single reason to get onto Rt. 7 aside from Santini’s. Fresh World is an ‘international market’ in the theme of Grand Mart, which means a wide and excellent produce selection, superb selection of fresh fish, cheap and varied cuts of meats and organs, and the expected aisles of rices, beans, sauces, and other staples from East and Southeast Asia, Lain America, and the US.
There is still quite a bit of stocking to do, and it is still early days, but it looks like the Whole Foods death grip is over.
I’ll edit after they’ve been open for a little while.