Olive Supermarket

Well, not bad. Regular place for me to get Chinese food.

Definitely an experience. My girlfriend loves to buy fresh seafood here, so she took me along when we wanted to get ingredients for pad thai. It’s a supermarket geared towards Asians living in the U.S., for sure, with everything labeled in multiple languages. I admit it was a lot of fun to go in and see all of the different, Asian products but… it’d be really easy to be turned off upon entering.
Many of the lights are turned off, so it’s kind of dark, and it seems really worn-​down and dirty. (The fishy smell alone is enough to make you turn around and walk out!) The produce isn’t kept in the same manner we might expect in the U.S., having more of the feel of an open-​air market than a grocery store. Looking at things like produce, I have to say it didn’t feel super clean or appetizing — but hey, maybe it’s just because I’m the whitest guy alive. (I listen to Bön Iver and drink small batch artisinal coffee, for chrissakes!) So my weird feelings could be internalized xenophobia, on my part.
So feel free to check them out! If you’re looking for Asian ingredients, this place is almost sure to have them (and if it’s pre-​packaged, you’re probably safe). Or if you want every kind of aquatic food under the sun (from shrimp to fish to live frog), you’d be in the right place. But when it comes to things that might be contaminated from poor housekeeping, buy things at your own risk. And be sure to cook everything thoroughly.

The shop itself isn’t very big, but through some warping of space it stocks pretty much everything you need for Chinese cooking. Fresh fish, noodles & veggies, all kinds of oriental (Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean… even Indian) ingredients, sake, frozen dim-​sum and a butchery counter.
It’s a bit cramped and not all staff are friendly. Probably the most crowded supermarket too. Much effort has been made in re-​designing the layout of the supermarket, but the long queues still remain weekends and Chinese festivals. So expect to queue.
Also be aware of the reek from the butchery and seafood counter, and big foolish flies that constantly get electrocuted by the bug zappers…
The place doesn’t take American Express or Discover credit cards. They newly opened a small Chinese restaurant called Yummy 17 on the side.

Dirty. Some frozen stuff don’t even have labels. You would think food prices will be cheap here. Not! Nothing impressive. Avoid.

This place always has a ton of fresh veggies and a nice variety! I always come here for their fresh veggies! They also have a nice variety of ice cream too including green tea, taro, coconut, red bean to name a fee!

I definitely stock up whenever we are in STL for our asian products. They have good variety here for Chinese and Vietnamese items. They have a huge selection of household items — pots, pans, steamers, etc. Prices are pretty reasonable, too!

Sells packaged food with expiration date wiped off. Sales reps deflect responsibility and feign ignorance. Claims no manager is available to deal with this. Avoid.

In the snack section, almost everything that’s on sale is already past its «sell by» date… I’ve never had to do this, but I feel unsafe buying any dry merchandise from that store and I must look for the expiration date on each item like a crazy old lady. Maybe put stuff on sale before they expire? (Is it even legal to sell expired food?)
I’m never coming back.

I still love this place!
I still come here to buy potstickers and pre-​cooked eel.
They recently shifted everything around, but some how, their organization still makes sense! I know where everything I want is and can figure out where to find anything else.
The people working here are friendly to me. I came here to get EVERYTHING i needed for hotpot the other day and the lady at the register was joking with me to invite her over.
This place carries all sorts of asian snacks! I especially like the tiny packets of poprocks (not poprock brand) I can find here.
Thus far, I’ve dragged many friends here for their chinese cooking education. We’re always able to find what we need and my friends like to take pictures of the packaging for future use.
It was, is, and continues to be one of my staple grocery stores in St. Louis.

A year after I started shopping there they started doing renovations on their building, so what used to be a shack is now starting to look like a real supermarket. So I’m adding a few stars for physical improvements.
I hope the poultry and meat section is better now — can’t say I’ve ever dared to try it again. But I do remember how good their prices were — cheaper vegetables and starches than at Schnuck’s, and great variety of legit Asian products. And I never experienced problems with their fish.
I once left my wallet in my basket and they found it and kept it safe for me — I like the people that work there.

For an Asian grocery store it’s pretty legit and maybe even a little too authentic which works out great. Of course, it’s still STL sized so you won’t find everything here but in comparison to the other stores in the area their prices are the cheapest I’ve seen for the items that I need. They don’t have as much Filipino dry goods as Seafood City but the produce certainly looks better and fresher plus they have more items. I was a little sad that they don’t have the fresh baked goodies that I always found in the Asian stores when I was in Texas, but hey what can you do but just make it yourself right?
As for the layout it was okay, it was set up that stuff were put together to make it a little bit easier to find so that was cool. It’s super cramped though so I feel like I can’t browse as much and linger in an aisle to actually look for stuff. That was a pretty big downside for me. It was pretty clean but nothing outstanding about it, there were products all over the place adding to the smallness of the store.
I will definitely be coming back. It’s a good thing most of the stores are close to each other so then I can just make multiple stops in order to maximize my grocery shopping for Asian product necessities.

Horrible. Walked in and walked right out. The smell is atrocious. Smells of rotten fish, musty, and food uncovered and looks old. Go to Global Foods. I have been to Asian markets in L.A. and Orange county, with a large variety off fish, turtles, and fish heads… the smell doesn’t even compare. I wouldn’t smell the seafood till I got back to the meat counter, but even then it smelled of fresh seafood and and not fishy. Not sure why this place is getting great reviews… if only because of the Asian specific food. I wouldn’t know… only made it down the first isle and the smell was to much. And let me be frank… I work in EMS ad have smelled some pretty fowl things.

I live in a place with a large asian community, so this grocery store didn’t really meet my expectations, but for St. Louis, I think this is a pretty okay place to shop for chinese groceries. It was a lot more expensive than I was expecting, but the selection was much better than Jay International Market — Olive Supermarket has some good vegetables (napa cabbage, bok choy, pea sprouts, bean sprouts, etc.) and all of the regular other things (dried foods, meatballs, etc.). The meat selection wasn’t that great, but I’m a pork lover and they had a decent selection of pork so that was good (I don’t recall seeing any beef, though). The seafood selection was kind of sad compared to southern california, but there was some overpriced shrimp and a few types of fish.
If you’re looking to buy chinese groceries in the St. Louis area, I would go here — it’s not bad and you will probably find what you’re looking for.
Also, for credit cards, they only take visa & mastercard. Happy shopping!
ps. this place always looks like it’s closed, but it isn’t ;)

OMG! They sell the best damn almond cookies! Seriously! Way better than any of the Asian bakeries! Plus, they have the huge egg roll wrappers that I love to use rather than those tiny ones at Seafood City. The only downside of this place is that they only take cash if your total is less than $ 10 & they only accept debit, Visa & Mastercard (no Discover and AmEx).

Whether you’re in the mood for a little Latin cuisine, or something a little further east, there’s no need to decide at Olive Farmer’s Market. Half oriental market, half Latino market, you’re in for an exciting, albeit confusing, adventure.
If you’ve been to an Asian supermarket, this place is going to be pretty standard for you, except slightly less organized. If Schnuck’s is your idea of slumming it, then I suggest you take a Valium before you go here.
The produce section is the most exciting. Exotic, crazy fruits you’ve never heard of jump out at you, and a thing of strawberries that would cost 4 bucks at Schnucks is only 99 cents. Most of the produce is pretty ripe, so this is a great place for same-​day-​shopping.
Venture further back and you’re on your own. Discarded fish bits cover the floor, there are various raw, room temperature meats whose original corresponding animal is unidentifiable, and there’s even a tank full of live frogs. Commence puking in my mouth.
Finally, rows and rows of standard grocery store fare, but with the added novelty of packaging in a foreign language.
If you’re shopping here and you need assistance, never fear– if you speak mandarin or Spanish, you’ll probably be able to flag someone down to answer all of your burning questions.
Anyone who says there isn’t anything to do in St. Louis should swing through here after dark on a Tuesday.

I like the wide selection, but I hate the fact that there’s so much random unnecessary clutter here. Seriously guys, nobody is going to buy those Santa Claus dolls from 1995. Goodwill is down the street, if you want to save the gas money give it to me and I’ll bring it down there for you.
This place has the best selection of Chinese groceries and other Asian groceries.

This is basically what would be an average or slightly below-​average supermarket in China, which makes it the best Chinese supermarket in St. Louis. It also has a random assortment of other asian foods.
Produce: revolving selection of greens and other vegetables that you won’t find elsewhere (except maybe at Jay International or Global Foods), but items aren’t always in the best shape. It’s also happened to me a couple of times that they were out of something really common, like green onions or ginger.
Butcher: I always pick up some of their great fatty ground pork, and they appear to have most of the cuts of pork /​beef /​chicken one would normally use in asian cooking. Seems pretty cheap too.
A crazy selection of Chinese pastes, sauces, condiments, etc: yes, they have this. This is really what this place has over Jay International and Global Foods. You’re not going to get to choose between thirty different kinds of chili oil or whatever at those places.
Freezer section: as someone else mentioned, tasty homemade frozen potstickers. I suspect that a number of the lower-​rent Chinese spots around town use these. Lots of other random, unidentifiable stuff.
Seafood: some of it looks sketchy, some of it looks fresh. I’d stick with the live fish.

This is not a «farmer’s market» in the traditional sense. While it does contain a variety of produce, this marketplace is essentially your all in one Asian market. Having a variety of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and some Thai/​Vietnamese groceries this place also offers fresh produce, meat, and seafood. An aisle of Asian candy and snacks, an aisle of canned goods, noodles, ramen, seasonings/​spices, plenty of fresh vegetables, and they even have a section for kitchen and dishware.
Not known to many, but in their frozen section they also have a large number of «homemade» items, such as potstickers, a variety of steamed buns, mixed vegetables, and many others. The selection can vary day to day based on supply but these are quite fresh and well-​made. Better then the marked up commercial items you’ll find in down the aisle.
Definitely one of the best all inclusive Asian markets in the St. Louis area.

Not a real farmer’s market, but it is the only Asian market in StL worth going to. In a city like StL where the Asian supplies are lacking, you can do all your shopping in one spot if you come here — fruits, vegetables, meat, FRESH seafood (the fish are still swimming when you get here!), dried goods, sauces, snacks, household wares, etc. Prices are reasonable, considering we’re in StL and there isn’t really any other options.
This place seems to be fairly crowded on the wkds, so try to come in during the wk to avoid waiting in the checkout line.

Have you ever had to make a batch of guac that day but don’t have some avocado stored in a brown paper back in a cool dark place for the past week?
Sure. We all have.
The thing about the Olive Farmer’s market and most Chinese markets in general is that they get ripe (ready to eat) produce that’s going to go bad sooner than the stuff at the nearby Schnuck’s. So stuff like persimmons (though WAY cheaper than elsewhere) won’t stand the test of time in your fridge. The same goes for avocado. But hey. I’ll deal with some dark spots if it means that I can make some guac or avocado smoothies as soon as I get home.