Zem Philippine Grocery

This store has been here for ages, it’s been run by the same family for over 20 years now, but before them it has always been a Filipino Store for as long as I can remember. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for so long but I seldom come to this store, mainly because it rivals my other favorite Filipino Store less than a block away.
The prices are just comparable but this one seems to be smaller and less produce and fridge isle choices. They are often friendly but nothing ordinarily different. It’s my second choice in Philippine Grocery but not my best choice to add either and that is why i feel just A-​ok about it.

I don’t know what that last reviewer was thinking with his measly four stars. Zem’s is definitely a FIVE star corner market. The dude there is nice and he will let you look through his cassette tapes that he is thinking of selling once he turns the place into a Mexican store. And yes, the diet cokes are definitely not a rip-​off.

This place is pretty great. For one, you can get a normal soda and a normal bag of chips for a reasonable price, unlike Urban Market across the street.
The proprietor is really friendly; he is setting the business up now (October ’08) — in addition to the various corner store items, they also sell all kinds of strange and interesting asian sauces and sundries. There are also some coffee table books about Filippino history and such displayed — on sale or not? Who knows.
Anyways: if nothing else, get your diet cokes here or get ripped off somewhere else.

This place is a decent spot to find Philippine and other Asian food products. While they don’t have the best selection of items and the space is a bit small, they do a good job of providing some of the basics of ethnic cooking. This grocery store is only ½ block away from Unimart, so I’d rather go there, but if Unimart is closed, this is a good option.