Thai Groceries

Lotus7 | Dec 26, 201008:00 PM 18

Austin Thai Shopping

Hi there,

Can you pls send recs for a good thai grocery store? I'm specifically interested in fresh veggies (thai basil, ginger, etc), and fish sauce, shrimp pate... I live in Bee Caves, but plan to go to the Central Market on N. Lamar. Any stores near there? Dont have time to travel too far... Thanks!

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Central Market
4001 N Lamar Blvd # 100, Austin, TX

Thai Groceries

18 Comments

drdelicious 12/27/10 3:34AM I live in South Austin, but this isn't a long drive from Bee Caves.... it's probably just as far to the North Central Market...

I live in South Austin, but this isn't a long drive from Bee Caves.... it's probably just as far to the North Central Market:
http://impactnews.com/southwest-austi...

I've never been in there, but I keep meaning to go. Also, if you just head down William Cannon from there a couple of miles, you run into Westgate, which takes you to the South Central Market.

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Central Market
4477 S Lamar Blvd Ste 100, Austin, TX 78745
luckyfatima 12/27/10 5:40AM I don't know if there is a Thai market in Austin, would love to know it if there were. I have noticed a lot of Thai goods at...

I don't know if there is a Thai market in Austin, would love to know it if there were.

I have noticed a lot of Thai goods at pretty much every HEB in the Asian section. Parmer and I35 HEB has the widest selection that I have seen in the mainstream grocery store.

MT and Hong Kong supermarket also have a lot of Thai goods. Both markets cater to a large Vietnamese clientele. Many products used by Vietnamese are actually made in Thailand and have a Vietnamese as well as Thai label because they are used by both communities, specifically the jarred/bottled items like fish sauce (like Squid brand or Tiparos) and shrimp pastes, shrimp and chile ground together, palm sugar in chunks, etc., I know they do have Thai basil and many vegetables common in South East Asian cooking. However I have not looked for fresh items like green peppercorns or those tiny Thai pea eggplants.

Do let us know if you find a jackpot of Thai products and veggies all in one place.
e
ebloom 12/27/10 4:59PM I've looked all over for fresh kafir lime leaves and have never found any. Instead we just planted one in the backyard although...

I've looked all over for fresh kafir lime leaves and have never found any. Instead we just planted one in the backyard although after this current cold weather, it is looking pretty sad.
1. dinaofdoom 12/27/10 9:48PM re: ebloom awww, that is also sad. has anyone gone to thai fresh for groceries, food, or cooking classes? there was a groupon for thai cooking...
  
  awww, that is also sad.
  
  has anyone gone to thai fresh for groceries, food, or cooking classes?
  there was a groupon for thai cooking classes and i was wondering how it was.
2. sqwertz 12/31/10 8:40PM re: ebloom Central Market has kaffir lime leaves sometimes. But last time I saw them they were $80/lb. 5 sets of leaves would have cost...
  
  Central Market has kaffir lime leaves sometimes. But last time I saw them they were $80/lb. 5 sets of leaves would have cost $2.50.
  
  They have kaffir limes (or sometimes labeled makrut/magrut) for $3/lb, about 6-8 to a pound. The rind/zest from those are even better than the leaves, which are really fibrous in recipes that call for using them thinly sliced. The oil coming from their last batch of kaffir limes was incredible. I added some squeezed kaffir lime juice to my OJ one morning at work and my office smelled like limes for a couple days. I got a lot of compliments on my aftershave ;-)
  
  -sw
  
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  Central Market
  4477 S Lamar Blvd Ste 100, Austin, TX 78745
3. r
  ridgeback 01/02/11 7:54AM re: ebloom We've had a kafir lime tree growing for several years now - in a pot so it's easy to protect when there's a freeze. It does well...
  
  We've had a kafir lime tree growing for several years now - in a pot so it's easy to protect when there's a freeze. It does well in a pot.
a
Andrew Zachary 01/01/1112:38PM Would suggest you try Thai Fresh at 909 W Mary. They carry lots of Thai groceries and many fresh ingredients as well. They certainly...

Would suggest you try Thai Fresh at 909 W Mary. They carry lots of Thai groceries and many fresh ingredients as well. They certainly have Thai Basil (Siam Queen), and am fairly certain they have lime leaves.
1. r
  ridgeback 01/02/11 7:54AM re: Andrew Zachary this is true
  
  this is true
  1. l
    Lotus7 01/04/11 7:02AM re: ridgeback i just wanted to report that i bought all my groceries at Central Market--it certainly was not cheap, but it was convenient for...
    
    i just wanted to report that i bought all my groceries at Central Market--it certainly was not cheap, but it was convenient for me. I didnt find thai basil or fresh kafir lime leaves. but i got beautiful lemongrass, galangal, and other produce. i will def check out the suggested asian stores when i'm not in time cruch!
FoieGrasHotDog 01/19/11 8:20PM I second the MT market recommendation... it's a bit of a drive for us too, but a fun occasional excursion and reasonable prices...

I second the MT market recommendation... it's a bit of a drive for us too, but a fun occasional excursion and reasonable prices.

We stock up on the non-perishables like fish sauce, palm sugar, etc, and grow the Thai Basil in our herb garden. (The Siam Queen was a rockstar until the freeze hit.) On a good day you can get a decent selection of veggies (eggplant, daikon, etc.) at HEB.
l
linda1957 05/17/15 8:16PM Where can I buy Thai bird chilis in Austin?

Where can I buy Thai bird chilis in Austin?
1. sqwertz 05/18/1510:46PM re: linda1957 I buy them frozen at MT Supermarket, but they also carry fresh in little 1/4lb styrofoam trays. I haven't been to Central Market...
  
  I buy them frozen at MT Supermarket, but they also carry fresh in little 1/4lb styrofoam trays. I haven't been to Central Market for eons but they often had a bulk box of them that you could pick through.
  
  8oz of frozen red ripe Thai bird chiles for $2 at MT last me about 8 months and they keep great in the freezer. Even if you buy them fresh in bulk from CM or MT I still throw them into the freezer. They green ones do not keep as well in the freezer, but red and yellows seem to do fine.
  
  -sw
a
akachochin 05/25/15 4:24PM Glad to see you found most of what you were looking for. For Thai basil, I would recommend buying a package of seed and growing...

Glad to see you found most of what you were looking for. For Thai basil, I would recommend buying a package of seed and growing a couple of flower pots full in rotation. It, like most basils, grows very well in our climate and you can have a lot of basil in a couple of 10" pots.
Joe MacBu 05/27/15 8:53PM There's also a little Thai grocer in Del Valle called High Noon Grocery. They mostly have dried goods but can probably get you whatever...

There's also a little Thai grocer in Del Valle called High Noon Grocery. They mostly have dried goods but can probably get you whatever you want if you call ahead. They were willing to get me a kaffir lime plant.

They also serve Thai and American-Chinese food, if the chef is around.

High Noon Grocery
16805 High Noon St
Del Valle, TX 78617
(512) 247-4575
1. rudeboy 06/01/15 2:26AM re: Joe MacBu Also.....try."Say."Hi"just.north.of.North.Loop.on.the.E.side.of.Burnet.Rd.Sorry,keyboard.f'ed.up.$.only.
  
  Also.....try."Say."Hi"just.north.of.North.Loop.on.the.E.side.of.Burnet.Rd.Sorry,keyboard.f'ed.up.$.only.
  1. slowcoooked 06/01/15 5:09AM re: rudeboy that's a sh1tload of punctuation. welcome back RB, hope all's well.
    
    that's a sh1tload of punctuation. welcome back RB, hope all's well.
  2. sweet100s 06/10/1510:07PM re: rudeboy Yea Rudeboy, we were thinkin' that you ran off with some girl...
    
    Yea Rudeboy, we were thinkin' that you ran off with some girl...
    1. rudeboy 07/09/15 5:47AM re: sweet100s good intuition! Yes, that is true.....
      
      good intuition! Yes, that is true.....