Maxim Market

It felt like a strange mix between Ranch 99 and Marina, but with an overall smaller «deli» section. Their parking situation is a huge mess, which stays true to the «Asian supermarket» theme I’ve experienced at Ranch 99 and Marina.
While I was waiting in the lot long ago, some kid was laying on the sidewalk outside of the store face down and wasn’t moving. Someone called an ambulance – as the ambulance arrived, the kid ran off. That memory is the main thing I took from this place.
Other than that, it was nothing special.

Summary– Conveniently located on De Anza Blvd, Maxim is a pretty good supermarket for your Asian goods needs. Best part is the Ma Lai Gao/​sponge cake they serve on weekends!
Price– Very reasonable and on par with other Asian supermarkets in the area.
Bakery– The pineapple buns here are very good! Most of the Asian bakeries in the area have Taiwanese-​style pineapple buns, but this bakery carries the more buttery, crispy-​topped Hong Kong-​style pineapple buns. Besides this item, nothing else really stands out at Maxim’s bakery. It tends not to be very busy.
Weekend breakfasts– On the weekends, they sell Asian-​style breakfasts! They’re the only supermarket breakfast place that carries Ma Lai Gao (the brown sugar sponge bread). I think it’s made fresh, although I usually end up resteaming it once I get home for optimal bread softness. The rest of the food is pretty good, although I prefer getting my Chinese breakfasts at Marina Foods – they’re busier and have a higher turnover, so the food’s usually fresher.

I usually end up going to Maxim over Marina or Ranch 99 for my Asian-​grocery needs because its closer to where I live, but there are pros and cons.
I’ve noticed that the prices at Maxim seem to be better than at Marina. I rarely go to Ranch 99 because of laziness so I can’t really compare. I can’t be sure about produce or meats but when it comes down to good old Asian snacks like Pocky and those Seaweed wrapped toasted crackers, Maxim prices are good.
I would stay away from the Bakery because I’ve had bad experiences with their loaves of white toast. The Hot Foods section is also something to avoid.

I went to Maxim’s deli to get some shrimp dumplings. They actually do a pretty good job of this when the dumplings come out fresh. Unfortunately, they were all sold out of dim sum that day. So I ordered their Won Ton in soup. Wow… that was the crappiest Won Ton I have ever eaten. The Won Ton was too firm and they went totally overboard on the salt. It was as if their Won Ton recipe called for equal parts, shrimp, pork and salt.
On the other hand, I highly recommend the Cocktail Buns at the bakery. They do a very nice job of this item. The filling was very nice and generous compared to other bakery’s I have eaten Cocktail buns at.

This is a Chinese supermarket on Deanza blvd. It has a chinese deli too.
We stopped in and purchased some chinese snacks for my parents to take home from CA. Yup, it was the first… prefer Ranch 99 or Lions more.

Typical Asian supermarket. This is my go-​to place whenever I need Asian goodies. It is decent sized and carries the basic things. Some stuff you might have to go to Ranch 99 for, others you can find here.
The negative thing about this place is that most of their fresh produce is packaged. Let’s say you need 1 bell pepper, they package it in 2 so you’re obligated to buy 2! That kind of sucks because what if you don’t use it all? Besides that everything is pretty fresh! The prices are cheap.
I’m not a big fan of their bakery section though. Because this market is limited, so is their bakery items. It doesn’t look as though many people are buying from that area so I am not sure how fresh it is. Oh well!

We found this market about a year ago and love being able to get authentic asian ingredients with less crowds than at Marina Market or others. Tip: go there early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
My favorite part of this market is the meat and seafood sections and the ability to find authentic asian ingredients at really low prices.
Maxim is not like an American supermarket. If you want American then you will be disappointed. This is an authentic Asian market. The cultural norms and attitudes are different — not wrong just different.

There was a cockroach in one of the bakery pastry display units … I was pointing it out to the worker … I’m hoping she did something about it after I left.
fyi, $ 10 minimum for CC usage.
Never coming back.

The maxim here versus the one on Aborn is a bit different. More Chinese customers and workers vs Vietnamese. More cleaner. More packaged fruits and veggies. Not sure if that is good or bad because they charge more and you don’t get to pick your products along with the amt you want. However… it looks cleaner and more organized hands down.

When I don’t want to face the crowds at Marina Foods, or need something really quick, I’ll go around the corner t Maxim Market. It’s smaller than Marina, and less packed, but has all the essentials of an Asian market that you need.

I went to the deli to get some hot food. All the food on display looked pretty nasty and greasy. Thought about getting just steam rice, but had craving for fried rice, and picked some veggie, but couldn’t decide on final item, the cashier lady recommended fried chicken, I reluctantly agreed, bad idea!!!
Got home and opened the box, the fried chicken had MSG crystal all over it. The veggie was smothered in garlic. Fried rice tasted ok, but extremely greasy, could see oil accumulating at bottom. Finished half of the rice but couldn’t finish. 15 minutes later got diarrhea!!! Never ever going back there again! I wanna sue their asses!

My mom is the one who mainly shops here, but whenever I’m home, I go and chill with her.
The good thing about this market is that it’s just a good Asian supermarket offering the essentials for a Chinese family.
The huge downside is that the workers there constantly stare at me and don’t care that they’re partaking in something so degrading. It’s quite disgusting.

It’s an East-​Asian Market where you can get lots of stuff. The organization the place makes you feel like your on a street-​market back in the old country (as in chaotic).
They have live fish tanks in the back and you can choose your fish victim there. Be sure to have them bring the fish that you choose out in front of you (it should be leaping and wiggling at that point) and have them knock it out in front of you too. If your fish isn’t lively and wiggling in front of you, then it may have gotten switched. It’s happened 3 separate times to me/​mum, and when we got home expecting a fresh fishy, it was obviously not-​fresh upon opening the package. My mom brought it back and returned it (and put the fear of pissed off middle-​aged Chinese lady into them). It’s happened with different fish service people, so we’re guessing a nefarious conspiracy. This would give it a one star if it wasn’t for a Caveat emptor expectation already.
Fresh produce comes in on thursday morning I think, so go in on thurs afternoon.
Dim Sum, make sure you don’t get yesterday’s leftovers because those are really tough to eat.
Cheap /​Inexpensive. You get what you pay for.

Definitely better than Ranch 99, in terms of prices. It’s pretty small, so the aisles are a bit cramped, but it’s generally relatively clean and organized. Easy to find location just off the De Anza exit on 85.
For every $ 10, you get $ 1 towards the hot deli, which has some decent greasy Chinese food that is already pretty cheap.

Reviewed for hot deli section.
Brusque chopper guy was reluctant to cut up the bbq pork because it was under 1lb.
At the dim sum counter, lady server was unwilling to sell steamed buns from steamer which was in operation and directed me to the cold section. This was 5pm on a Saturday.

I went there a few times when it first opened b/​c it had some specials. Since then, each time I’d been back — only b/​c I happen to be in the area & need some grocery items on my way, I see the standards deteriorating.
Expired food items — once I picked out a packet & gave it to an employee who happened to be passing by. He just shrugged his shoulders, took the packet & continued walking w/​o an apology, or saying that all those items would be removed asap. His attitude was so callous that one would think it’s normal to have expired items on shelves! This is not Asia, you know. It’s an Asian grocery, but we’re not in the middle of Asia where there’s no expiration dates printed on almost everything!
Seafood looks disgusting. When it looks disgusting, it probably is. I avoid it with a 10 foot pole.
Items don’t ring up at the advertised price. When you ask, they «scold» you as though you, the customer, made the mistake! What atrocity! Why would I pay money to be humiliated?!
And nobody speaks some English? I asked about their promotion of buying x amount of $$, and you get a deli coupon. I asked how much I needed to purchase b/​c the signs at the register don’t have any details. It took 4 people to finally find an answer. Hello! Are customers mind-​readers? Or it only caters to Chinese-​speaking regulars, and forget about the non-​Chinese speaking people who happen to drop by?
These simple & very basic info — they should have ALL their employees understand these basic English questions & have their answers down pat. This is not even asking anything complex like «what would you recommend for wine about $ 10/​bottle to go with mongolian beef & how to prepare the Mongolian beef» or anything like that. Especially when you’re gesturing to the «deli coupon» sign — meaning, I’m asking about the coupon!
My last straw with this place was when I bought a cucumber. It was advertised «2 for $ 1.50». At the register, I was charged $ 1.30. I pointed that out, and the cashier didn’t understand what I was asking. She called over some other employee who spoke some English & this one rudely said «one definitely cost more.» Like I should have known??? I insisted on the manager, and the Mexican guy who came over confirmed that fact. That one costs more. Only in a Chinese place would they try to dupe you!!! I pointed out that if one DOES cost more, then they should state that in the sign by the product. Without stating that, it is assumed that it is ½ of the price for 2. Yes, yes, it was a cucumber that wasn’t into the hundreds of $$, but it’s their attitude that really turns you off.
I do not shop in any place where the highlight of the employees’ day is humiliating customers. And when you have absolutely no confidence that your money is getting you anything fresh & of good quality. I have better places to spend my hard-​earned money.
I would have given this place ZERO stars if there’s an option.

Bought some fish and took it home to cook. It was completely rotten. Tried to talk to the manager and was ignored. Got my money back but they did try to deny that their seafood was bad.
Udon was also rotten. Customer service was very poor.

Great Asian market close to LG! I cook a different country’s cuisine almost every night so I am always on the prowl for ingredients.
We have been driving to other towns near Los Altos where my husband works, but this market is closer, cleaner and very nice.
The produce is fresh and economical and they have aisles full of everything imaginable and other things that I can’t translate and/​or haven’t yet tried. I always stock up on Skyflake crackers and tons of vegetables — but have to clean out the refrigerator first because everything looks so good and I only have one, sigh!
I don’t really understand the allure of a black chicken at $ 9.99 but they are stocked if that is your destination item along with chicken feet and other delicacies. The seafood is also very fresh and often swimming in a tank… live frogs and fish wouldn’t bother me since I grew up in a rural landscaping business with ponds.

I think the main reason why I love this supermarket is because of the ridiculously good deals on groceries. Their produce is much cheaper than Safeway, but then again, I don’t know if it’s just as fresh and if they use more pesticides. I like how they package their veggies so they seem to last longer in my fridge. However, I trust this place because it’s clean, compared to most nasty, asian markets. Every time I come home, I stock up on groceries here, and especially random asian goodies.
Their deli is typical — greasy, but fulfilling. My dad always complains that the cashiers here «do not use their brain» because they always make calculations error. So be sure to check your receipts!

This market is very clean and the prices are very good! The first time I came here was to buy some lobster and crabs. Although the man helping me in the seafood area spoke only Chinese, he was able to give me exactly what I wanted. The prices for chicken and various vegetables are so much cheaper than going to Safeway, but without the brand names. There will be no Foster Farm logo on the chicken you buy here. If you love fuji apples, which are the best apples ever, you can find some at a good price here ON SALE for 99 Cents/​lb. SO AWESOME!
Also, if you spend a good chunk of change, I believe you get $ 1 deli coupon for ever 10 spent. I’m not too sure, but you shop and then eat for freeeeeee~! Food tastes better when it is free! Their deli section has various pre-​made foods. It is like Panda Express but more authentic. We tried their bbq pork buns but they aren’t that great. Not too much pork and the buns were kind of dry. I did like their chow mein, string beans, shrimps, beef broccoli, and bbq short ribs. They pile the food on high when you get the 3 item combo.
I wish I could read chinese, so I could try the rest of the foods here, which are all written in chinese. ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I need a translator!