Wing Yip

Thrilled. Ecstatic. Overjoyed.
There aren’t enough adjectives I can use to describe the feeling of finding this place.
Firstly, it’s difficult emigrating; leaving things that one is so familiar with behind and trying to carve out a life somewhere completely foreign. Back at home I knew exactly where to go to buy the correct sauces and ingredients I needed to cook Chinese food. My mother, as an immigrant from China had already scouted out where to buy things. Moreover, the community I grew up in was largely asian so many of the stores nearby were either Korean or Chinese. I knew where I could purchase a bamboo steamer, a rice cooker, dowel rolling pin, wok, chopsticks. Here, I was trying to find stores but just groping at the dark and praying that there would be enough passable things in the «International» aisle at the local Sainsbury’s. There would occasionally be the venture into central London and Loon Fung in Chinatown but those were rarities and so I had to ration out my Chinese food, clinging onto what little Shaoxing cooking wine or Kikkoman’s soy sauce I had left.
I actually came upon Wing Yip by chance, it’s really close to Costco and in a frenzied attempt to make myself feel more at home by going to there I passed this place and knew I had to go in. To be honest, it’s pretty hard to miss; the cheesy and faux Chinese architecture makes it stand out again the back drop that is Croydon.
It’s a warehouse; it’s huge, well-​stocked and when I took my parents here, they informed me that it is actually incredibly cheap. I had known of Wing Yip before because I study Food in my school and I had known the Wing Yip was the largest importer of Far East goods into Europe, I had just never found one (until now, obviously). They had EVERYTHING. I was like a mid-​diet, fat, Chinese, kid in a Chinese candy shop. I didn’t know where to start I was just overjoyed of being able to find a store that had the food I grew up with. Upon entrance it was a wall of sauces, which by the way… is the KEY to good Chinese food. The had aisles upon aisles of frozen dumplings, dim sum, fish, vegetables, all I could ask for. Even the smell upon entry pleased me (though it probably offends most people), it SMELLS like a Chinese store and that’s when I knew I would be coming here A LOT.
Parking is a breeze but I always come during the day on the weekdays so that it’s easier to find parking but I can imagine when it gets busy and it’s full of asian people… parking can be a horrendous experience.
Perhaps I’m biased, I most likely am but I would HIGHLY recommend this place. It is cheap, even comparatively to the prices we got back in the U.S. If you’re looking for proper Asian groceries to spice up your refrigerator or are a migrant missing the tastes of home, Wing Yip is definitely the place to go.

Best Chinese supermarket around! Has pretty much everything you need with a fantastic price! Also Dim Sum in the Wing Yip restaurant is delicious and I love the fact that the supermarket is close enough for you to be able to go and pick out what you have just eaten! The staff are really friendly and helpful!

My favourite Chinese super-​market of all time! And this is coming from the perspective of a Waitrose snob who is hard to please (i.e. me)…
First impressions — ample car parking space, fantastic Chinese bakery next door, spacious and NO CROWDS (well, at least the day I went). This is perfect for someone like me who HATES super-​market shopping. Venturing in… it’s bright, well laid out, super-​clean, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Everything that See Woo is not!
It has everything you need to stock up for Chinese cooking, including fresh sea food and vegetables, and the obligatory tins and dried goods. Piling everything into your super-​clean and WORKING trolley that is the perfect size for a domestic grocery shop (note: See Woo), food shopping for once in my life was actually surprisingly pleasurable and not a chore as I cruised the aisles at a leisurely pace. There were more than enough tills open for customers that day, so no waiting, and as soon as I had finished loading up my goods on the belt, it had already been scanned, bagged, placed into my trolley and manoeuvred into a position so I can simply wheel it out! Wow — they are fast, efficient, and groceries were bagged exactly how I like it — i.e. heavy goods at the bottom of the bag, soft light goods at the top. Me like! In fact, I was enjoying the experience so much that I was hanging around chatting to the cashier for what seemed like an age! The staff are actually genuinely super-​friendly and personable. Will be back! :)

Probably the biggest chinese supermarket in south london. If you want any food, they probably have it, especially sauces and frozen. Their fresh selection of vegetables and seafood is slightly lacking, although they do have live lobster tank that is very competitively priced.
Free parking available in their extension parking lot, and there’s also a Chinese bakery, dim sum restaurant, and a Vietnamese restaurant on site.
Between this and Loon Fung in Chinatown, there’s probably not much difference in price or selection.

This is an excellent option for finding your Asian groceries, prepared foods, and baked goods. Parking can be a little dodgy, so be patient! I really enjoyed the variety of seafood available, and the prices were much better than standard supermarket seafood counters.

Wing Yip is huge. Huge. I tend to come here about once every 3 months and do a huge shop. You can buy everything here. The food and cooking ingredients are brilliant, the fish counter is amazing and very cheap, the cookware section is brilliant as well. They also have a great selection of Asian beers.
There are a few restaurants based here as well but I think the supermarket is the star of the show. The bakery is good too though!

Wing Yip’s faux Chinese architecture has been drawing people to Purley Way for their Chinese grocery needs for decades.
I tend to go to Chinatown for my oriental foodstuff needs but if I’m in the area, I do pop into Wing Yip occasionally. There are a few businesses running out of this location but I’m reviewing the supermarket.
It’s certainly a more spacious shopping experience than the places in Chinatown where patience and an ability to suck in the tummy and butt to squeeze is essential
The range of goods is about the same as you find in Chinatown. There are grocery items, a good frozen food section and cookery equipment as well as fresh foods. However, the jewel in the crown is an impressive fish and seafood counter
If you can brave or avoid the traffic jams on Purley Way, this is a good supermarket for all your oriental shopping needs

great chinese supermarket complex. shops and businesses in centre too. main shop supplies all the restaurants and public in the area and for miles around. amazing choice of foods-​great if you love cooking chinese/​oriental food-​its a must. also have chinese restaurant there too-​chinese eat there so it must be good. very grand entrance off purley way-​cant miss it!

we were taken here on a school trip when it first opened. i remember being in awe of the frozen pigs feet and such like (i was about 6). the staff are wonderful and its cheap. fullly recommened for traditional chinese food. and ive never seen another like it

Wing yip must be the best place in south london to buy chinese food. The stock was huge and the choices were massive. You could also enjoy some food as the café nearby. Some vegetables in the shop was very good price and not easy to find in normal shops, too. The only problem if you don’t have a car, it was far away.

A super place for everything Asian that you will need in your cooking. There is also a restaurant (very nice too) next to Wing Yip where you can eat straight after your visit to the supermarket, just in case you can’t wait until you get home! WingYip offers so much for the Asian kitchen, and at prices which are so much cheaper than in regular UK supermarkets. Chinese Five Spice, for example, is available in a large bag at Wing Yip for a very fair price. In Tesco, you have to buy it in a tiny little jar and it works out MUCH more expensive! Of course the range of products at Wing yip far outstrips that available at Tesco. A great place.

It’s great having Wing Yip on our doorstep, because it’s always guaranteed to have that odd ingredient that can’t be loacted in Tescos, and it’s great for cooking inspiration.
There is a stall on Surrey Street market that sells Chinese-​style vegetables (and MSG!), but here at Wing Yip you can get all that and more, with some spectacularly good sauces and condiements that make all the difference to your cooking — homemade Chinese is no longer just about soy sauce — my cupboard is bursting with chilli pastes and peanut oils and all manner of good and tasty things.
The highlight for me, though, is the sweet aisle. I have to have a bag of those milky White Rabbit sweets whenever we go, and I used to go with a friend who would buy a box of sour plums and devour them on the way home in the car.
Delicious and makes a change from your run-​of-​the-​mill supermarkets.

Astonishingly huge Chinese supermarket, with its own enormous fibre glass arch, located at the bottom of the park heading towards the old London airport. loads of cheap noodles, cooking equipment, and LIVE FISH. If you want lobster, crab, or other things (all looking very sad indeed) this is the plaice to get them. They also sell ceremonial money for funeral offerings, sake, beer, and frequently have cookery demonstrations. Cheap durian.
There is a vast stockroom at the rear for bulk purchases, a bit like raiders of the lost ark.
Clost by is a little shopping arcade with one of the greatest chinese restaurants in the London area, and also one of the worst, so don’t get the two confused. There is also a great bakers and a nick nack shop that sells off cheap dvds you can’t find anywhere else (possibly in chinatown.) That Jackie Chan babysitting comedy anyone?

The food in the restaurant is top notch, proper chinese stuff and the number of Asian customers probably speaks very well for them. It’s a good place for a family dinner, we had 40 people including kids and the staff didn’t turn a hair. Good sized portions and really friendly, helpful staff.

Wing Yip is a great place to buy Chinese food-​I go occasionally and buy a whole load of stuff that lasts for months. The only reservations I have is whether some of their stuff is really vegetarian, and I wish the queues were shorter. But on the plus side, it’s cheap!

I first discovered Wing Yip as a student when living with a Philipino family who bought lots from there. Everything you need for Chinese cooking from the huge range of food to tea sets, bowls and plates, Wing Yip is a must visit for anyone passionate about Chinese food. Also — if you get hungry the restauant attached to the huge shop area is wonderful and frequented by a nearly 100 percent Chinse clientele which speaks volumes about the quality of the food

I Love cook chinese food and this is the place to go for that. I love how happy everyone is and they have such a large amount of stock its great to stock up for a night in with the girlfriend. Top place to go.

The place to go to get everything you need to cook chinese food. I got a really nice wok here for about 4 quid, and they sell some seriously heavy duty knives — make sure you don’t cut your fingers off! Attached to the supermarket is a little restaurant, which does various dim sums and other chinese dishes. This is the place to come to build your chinese kitchen.

if you’re a big fan of chinese food, then this is definitely heaven! It is mainly a supplier for chinese restaurants, but they welcome all customers. if you’re planning a big dinner party and want to impress friends with authentic, great chinese food, then you will find it all at Wing Yip. They serve absolutely everything, in really big quantities as well. I especially love buying duck there, and you can get all the ingredients for a great crispy aromatic duck starter, just like in the best chinese restaurants. really low prices as well, my only caution is, don’t get lost!

The supermarket at Wing Yip supplies a lot of Chinese restaurants and takeaways but also lets ordinary punters in.
As you would expect, everything you need for Chinese cookery is here, but you’ll find plenty of ingredients for other Asian cuisines. There’s fresh meat, fish (including a lobster tank), fruit and veg, as well as huge freezer cabinets, so it’s not just a vast warehouse of dried goods.
Prices here are bargainous, especially if you opt for the catering packs. Even if you don’t, you’ll often find that food here is much cheaper than you would find in a normal supermarket, especially for food normally stuck in some ‘world foods’ aisle, like soy sauce.
Queues can seem long on Sundays, especially at lunchtimes (many people seem to do their shopping here while they’re waiting to get into the restaurant next door) but there’s normally someone to load your stuff onto the belt while someone bags up your stuff for you after the checkout bod has scanned your stuff. All very efficient indeed.