5 Stars Market

Grocery shopping in Chinatown, Honolulu, Hawaii...I saw that my friends, Andy and Paul, had gone to this grocery store for fresh produce, so upon their reviews and recommendations, I chose 5 Stars Market to get fresh ginger for my potluck dish for church.Located on Hotel Street, across from Kekaulike Market, 5 Stars Market had produce lined up outside on the street, along the sidewalk. I found ginger right away, tore off a plastic bag hanging from the shelf, placed the ginger in the bag, and went inside.There seems to be two rooms. I perused the smaller room first. There were nearly stocked shelves of canned goods, bottles of sauces, and more. The first room is larger and has produce and the cashier. I walked around and saw some Ginkgo Nuts. I wonder how they will be in the shoyu chicken dish? Haha! We'll find out!

When shopping in Chinatown, I have my go to places for produce and usually am very satisfied with my choices. But on a recent State holiday, I met up with my family for dim sum at Canton House. As we were wrapping up, we had to pick up some produce before going back home. My sister commented she was going to 5 Start Market for some veggies as they are cheaper and more fresh than most vendors in Chinatown. Really? I had to just tag along and investigate.Located on N. Hotel Street just next door to Canton House, 5 Start Market is a compact Asian grocery store with a great vareity of fresh produce with some canned and dried goods, and some frozen items.I remember shopping here a couple of times when I was sent on a goose hunt for ingredients that were out of season in the past but I didn't make this my first choice to buy veggies like my sister. Upon entry, this place was PACKED. Perhaps too packed during COVID times. I saw many middle aged ladies shopping for fresh veggies. That is a good indicator that this place has great quality and great pricing. I wanted to pick up some fresh veggies for tonight's employee meal so I checked out their produce and indeed did see slight price difference. Most veggies here were cheaper than my go to place and the veggies did look very fresh and prepackaged. I ended up getting some Shanghai cabbage and some mushrooms for a simple stir fry.Before paying, I walked around this compact store to check out various Asian dried and canned goods. I saw packages of dried noodles, assorted sauces, oils and even the Vietnamese coffee cans. But buyer beware, you'll need to do due diligence to check for expiration dates. I saw some items where the packaging look faded and questionable.It was a jungle when I stood in line to pay. There were other patrons who were eager to check out so it was somewhat nerve racking having others so close to you. The staff were very cordial and communicated well, a rarity in Chinatown. Without asking, I was given a cash receipt for my purchase.Overall, a great find and I owe this to my sister. She's a working mother of two and a wife. She runs a tight household and sure knows the in's and out's of Chinatown as well.

5 Star Market! Does it reach a five star level by Yelp's standards? Close, but not quite!When I'm shopping in Chinatown for vegetables and produce, I usually stay within the stores along King Street because my car is usually park around there. I go from Xin Wang Market and up to the many produce stalls in and around the Kekaulike Market. Though, I usually just buy almost everything in the first and second store before roaming to Kekaulike Market because the prices tend to be slightly higher and the quality and freshness isn't as good. However, my grandma has been shopping there recently and frequently because it's close to TheBus stop. She says the vegetables are greener, fresher, and cheaper. Her word is always good.5 Star Market isn't far away or anything. It's actually right across Hotel Street from Kekaulike Market and next to Canton House. I'm not sure why there aren't any reviews for this place as it's been there for many, many years. Perhaps there's a stigma of the store being too close to River Street and that corner seems to frequent many questionable individuals, or like me, it's not quite along the way.Fear not! Take those extra steps and make your way there because what my grandma says is true! The vegetables are nicer, greener, and most importantly, cheaper! It's a small store, filled with vegetables and dry goods everywhere, so it's can be congested if busy. During these times, I feel this store needs to limit the number of customers inside to 3 or 4.I got what I needed here all in one stop. Beautiful scallions by the pound, which is a much better deal than the one dollar bunch. Also grabbed some Baby Chinese Cabbage, Baby (perhaps Adolescent) Shanghai Cabbage, and Green Leaf Lettuce. My grandma also likes their A Choy(Taiwanese Lettuce).Overall, grandma was right! Quality and fresh vegetables and at excellent prices! That's probably the most important fact for every original Cantonese person. 5 Star Market may be the store I will begin my shopping in Chinatown! It loses a star because the store is small and congested, and it doesn't feel that comfortable moving around here.