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Taiwan → Phoenix
Phase 1: Survival

Grocery Shopping Guide

Last updated: 2026-03-07 | For: The whole family (especially whoever does the cooking)

You need to eat today. On your first day, you don't need the optimal strategy — you need to know where to find dinner tonight and where to buy milk and bread for tomorrow morning. This guide starts with the most urgent needs and works outward.

Asian Grocery Stores: Your Lifeline

Lee Lee International Supermarket

Closest

7575 W Cactus Rd, Peoria, AZ 85381

About 15-20 minutes from Norterra. Pan-Asian grocery with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian ingredients. Good fresh vegetable selection, frozen section has dumplings and scallion pancakes. Some Taiwanese brands, but not a complete selection.

This will be your regular weekly stop. Most Taiwanese families go once a week.

99 Ranch Market

Farther

Chandler / Mesa area

About 45 minutes from Norterra. The most complete Taiwanese ingredient selection: frozen xiao long bao, every brand of soy sauce, boba pearls, Taiwanese instant noodles, fresh pork dumplings. If you're craving the taste of home, this is the closest you'll get.

Plan a trip every two weeks. Make it a weekend outing and stock up.

H Mart

Farther

Mesa / Chandler area

About 45 minutes from Norterra. Primarily Korean, but solid pan-Asian selection. Excellent meat department and Japanese seasonings you won't find at Lee Lee.

Combine with a 99 Ranch trip — the two stores are close to each other.

American Supermarkets: Your Everyday Option

Asian groceries are farther away, but American supermarkets are everywhere. Learn to shop at these and you'll cover 70% of your daily needs.

Fry's Food & Drug

Multiple locations near Norterra, 5-10 minutes by car. Part of the Kroger chain, mid-range pricing. Has an international aisle with soy sauce, tofu, and Asian instant noodles. Sign up for a Fry's VIP Card for discounts.

Safeway

Also near Norterra. Similar to Fry's, slightly higher prices. Offers online ordering and delivery.

Costco

Nearest locations in Avondale or Scottsdale, about 20-30 minutes away. Membership required ($65/year). Unbeatable prices on bulk meat, eggs, milk, and fruit. If you shopped at Costco in Taiwan, you already know the drill. Get your membership the first week.

Walmart

Lowest prices. Carries groceries, household supplies, stationery, and essentials. If you arrive and need everything at once, Walmart is your one-stop first-day destination.

Your First-Week Eating Strategy

You probably arrived without pots, pans, seasonings, or even a rice cooker. That's normal. Don't try to cook on day one.

Day 1

Go to the nearest Fry's or Walmart. Buy: water, milk, bread, eggs, fruit, ready-to-eat meals. No cooking necessary.

Days 2-3

Drive to Lee Lee for rice, soy sauce, and basic seasonings. If you have a pot by now, start cooking simple meals. If not, takeout is fine.

Days 4-5

Get your Costco membership and do a bulk run: meat, dairy, household essentials. Order a Tatung rice cooker on Amazon (~$80-100).

Weekend

Plan your first 99 Ranch trip. Stock up on Taiwanese ingredients and fill the freezer. From here on, settle into a rhythm: Lee Lee weekly, 99 Ranch biweekly.

Missing Taiwanese Food? Restaurant Options

Phoenix has a handful of Taiwanese-run restaurants and tea shops. Not many, but enough to satisfy a craving:

  • Taiwan Mama — Taiwanese home cooking: beef noodle soup, braised pork rice, three-cup chicken. About 25-30 minutes from Norterra.
  • 85C Bakery Cafe — Familiar to anyone from Taiwan. Bread and coffee. Locations in Chandler and Mesa.
  • Sharetea — Boba milk tea. Located in the Chandler area.
  • Chinese restaurants — Dozens in Chandler and Mesa. Lean American-Chinese, but some serve authentic Sichuan and Taiwanese dishes.

Note: Most of these restaurants are in the Chandler/Mesa area — 30-45 minutes from TSMC and Norterra. Not a casual weeknight drive.

Online Grocery Options

If you don't have a car yet, just arrived, or simply don't feel like going out, these delivery services can bridge the gap:

  • Amazon Fresh — Grocery delivery; free shipping above a minimum order. Limited selection but convenient.
  • Instacart — Shop from Fry's, Costco, Safeway, and more. Service fee + tip adds about 15-25% to the cost.
  • Walmart+ — Walmart's subscription delivery service, $12.95/month. Low free-shipping threshold.
  • Weee! — Asian grocery delivery platform with many Taiwanese brands. Check whether North Phoenix is in their delivery zone.

Some Things You Won't Find

Accept this reality, then find substitutes:

  • There's no equivalent of a traditional Taiwanese wet market — no live fish, no grandma selling fresh greens on the corner
  • Some Taiwanese brands are unavailable here or cost 2-3x the Taiwan price
  • Fresh tofu quality is different from Taiwan — 99 Ranch comes closest
  • Stinky tofu, oyster omelets, fried chicken cutlets — no authentic versions exist in Phoenix yet