The Most Delectable International Grocery in Milwaukee

Tienda Los Gemelos

★★★★☆ 4.2 (177) • $

"Los Gamelos is definitely THE place to get all your Mexican food cravings in Madison!My first visit was 2 years ago and I have been coming every time I was in Madison. They were closed for quite a long time due to remodeling so its been a long time since then.I really enjoy eating their tacos. Tacos arent palm-sized like most of the tacos sold in Los Angeles but rather hand-sized. Its pretty big so it fills you up really good. I tried Carne Asada, Pastor and Pollo and they were allgreat. I personally liked the Pollo the most because it was sooo moist and yet flavorful. Soft cheese on top of shredded chicken meat was quite pleasant.Tostadas are also one of my favorites to get. If you dont want to get too messy, please dont order tostadas. You're going to end up getting messy no matter how hard you try. Not just here but EVERYWHERE else! Avocados, Queso Fresco and Crema on top of crispy tortilla bedded with your meat choice gives your mouth full of variety flavors! Maybe they can add or ask for thinly sliced onions and it will be PERFECT.Chips and Salsa is given as complimentary as you take a seat at the table. Servers are friendly and nice but sometimes its hard to find your server. Parking is spacious enough to accommodate large groups. As you enter la Tienda (store), feel free to grab a bottle of Jarrito to your table and they will just charge it onto your bill!After recent remodeling, redo of the store and the restaurant, Los Gamelos seem even more promising than before! Why dont you come and try their food with some margarita tonight?"

Taqueria Jalisco

★★★★☆ 4.3 (101) • $

"So, Taqueria Gonzalez continues to be my taco staple. They are one of the best taco joints I've found in the Madison area and I keep going back. I started ordering directly from the Taqueria instead of through a third party app, so figured it was time to update my review. I still love that I can order tacos a la carte without the rice/beans combo which I always just end up wasting. The meat proportion was ample for each taco, and they don't add any unnecessary fillers - just the cilantro and onion. So good. I found both sauces to be a bit too spicy for my liking (I am such a baby when it comes to spice, though, so don't take my word for it) but oh well. I keep saying I'm going to check out the options in the actual grocery store part when I go pick up my order and always forget. Either way, service is super quick and staff if really nice. I have very real intentions of dining in one day instead of doing takeout so I can enjoy a margarita, hopefully soon!"

AL-Yousef Supermarket & Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.4 (96) • $

"One of the best schwarma I've ever had! Everything is made fresh from scratch, beef and chicken mix was perfectly cooked and just the right amount of veggies and sauce inside. Love that it's pressed to give the wrap a bit of texture. The falafel were life-altering good and so fresh and crisp but creamy and perfectly seasoned inside. They don't come with any dipping sauce but honestly they don't need it. The store part is small but has staples, a fresh meat counter and small selection of fresh veggies. There was some amazing looking breads and it looks like they use those at the food counter as well. Nowhere to sit inside or out, all takeaway, but it's so good you won't care. Staff are friendly and efficient."

Alimentari

★★★★★ 4.8 (72)

"This is a small fancy shop with a lot of great products. I came to get a sandwich for lunch. I got a beef roast sandwich and it was excellent. It had a wasabi kind of a spicy kick to it. And it was really hot. If you dont like spicy food may be its not for you. They had 4 flavors of home made gelato, from which I took 3 - spumoni, pistachio and caramel pie. It was really good. I also took a Barons gelato (lavander london fog flavor). That was a good try as well. Saw Mayana chocolate for the first time, so got a mayan spice bar flavor chocolate. Loved it. It had a center of caramel and some spiciness to it. Took amara falso non alcoholic cocktail, it was a little bitter for me. And had a ginger kick. Over all everything from here was good."

Holy Land Grocery & Deli

★★★★★ 4.5 (66) • $

"Very friendly and a great selection of produce, also I love there shawarma and lentil soup very delicious"

Global Market & Food Hall

★★★★☆ 4.1 (73) • $$

"This is an interesting Chinese Market. The market has a lot of chinese items and other east asian items. There was a ton of moon and sun cakes. I tried a couple of poke sticks. Pistachio one was my favorite. There were many Asian ice creams. Propitious mango was a good one. There were a lot of small food places in the food hall. I tried food from a lot of different places. The food hall had a lot of seats, and was neatly maintained. It was never crowded.Kawasaki is close to the entry of Global Market. So the first time I was there, I went straight to this place. I had a Chicken katsu rice bowl. It was one of the best food I had in the food hall. Display had some very delicious and cute cakes. Next time I should try some of that.Taiwan Street has nice pho and bubble tea. I went for a pistachio milk shake, without bubbles. It was good. But I think I should have really went for a pho. They have a lots of sweets in display. I went for a peach swiss roll and a sesame ball. Both were good. From Dumpling House, I went for a chicken and mushroom dumpling and chinese chive pie. Both were good . It came steaming hot. I think I should have gone for some of their more favorite items like chive and pork dumpling.From Nice Flavor Stir Fry , I went for a sauteed sliced lamb with cumin. Generally this is a really flavorful dish which you cannot go wrong with. But it wasn't as good as I expected. Flavors were off, and the quality fo meat was not as good as I expected.Stir fry chicken mei fun was my favorite item from Bowl Bowl Rice. It came hot and was flavorful. I also had a tea leaf flavor egg. It was just $1. But it came with egg shell. I had to peel it. Egg was slightly less flavorful than I expected.Mochi donut is the main item in Glazed. There were some food items as well, but I didn't find takers for that. I went for 3 donuts - Oreo, honey dew and churro. The flavors were all interesting. May be oreo was my favorite. Donut texture was more chewy.From S&B Hmong Kitchen, I went for a fried rice from this place. It was flavorful. Cilantro and scallion on top gave a nice flavor kick.From Poké Mì, I went for a drunken noodles as my entree. It was not as good as I expected. Flavors were off. May be I should have gone for bahn mi. I haven't seen sugar cane juice anywhere else in Madison. So went for one. I thought it was just ok."

El Rey Plaza

★★★★☆ 4.3 (32) • $

"Words cannot express how much I adore El Rey. They have it all - cheap, fresh produce, friendly people, the most amazing deli and fresh salsa.My favorite part of shopping here is the in house cafe. Everything is crazy cheap, very authentic and delicious. Today I had a carne al pastor torta. Holy Sh**! It arrived in less than 5 minutes, the bun overflowing with tasty, tasty al pastor, lettuce, tomatoes and big chunks of creamy avocado.Normally I can only finish half of a torta, because they are really big but today's was extra delicious and I polished the whole thing off, much to the dismay of my husband who had hoped for leftovers. Too bad for you!Did I mention this sandwich masterpiece was less than $5? I love you El Rey."

Zaika Mart And Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (31)

"Kebab!This place is amazing. The grill is inside the grocery store and everything is made to order. I've had the sandwiches twice now and they are super good, and cheap to boot. I can't think of any other place in town where they grill the meat and make the bread using the same style of cooking, it's fun to watch! Friendly staff and it's never a long wait. I definitely want to try their meatless options on a future visit."

Hmong Legacy Market

★★★★☆ 4.2 (25) • $$

"The Papaya Salad here is the cheapest around town and they give the most generous portion I've seen. I was in a mood for papaya salad and remembered reading about the hidden snack corner in this store. I went on a Friday afternoon and there was only one other patron in the snack area. I ordered the papaya salad ($5) and the man behind the counter asked "how many peppers?" then began to make the salad from scratch using a mortar and pestle. FYI if you want it spicy, tell them '4' peppers. I love and tolerate spicy food well, but this had my mouth sweating.The end product was a crisp, hearty sized to-go container of salty sweet goodness. The young green papayas were finely shredded and well balanced throughout. Also sprinkled atop were generous helpings of roasted peanuts. If you like your papaya salad a little saltier and fishier, ask for it in Laos Style. Thai style is what they serve at other Thai restaurants around town, which is more sweet and sour.Super friendly folks, mom-and-pop run business that I'll definitely support and recommend all my yelpers to try out! They also serve other favorites such as Larb, Pho, and fried fish! They have rearranged the store a bit and are now offering a nice area for a sit-down meal by the order counter."

Parthenon Foods - European Market

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (45) • $$

"What a hidden gem in town! Lots of European food and great Varieties. StaffVery helpful and even fresh seafood and bakery items"

Bombay Mart

★★★★★ 4.8 (11)

"I've been coming here since the store opened. Since then, Bombay Mart has grown in both inventory and in size. They carry just about all of your Indian grocery essentials. I'm loving the availability fresh mithai (sweets) and snacks right at my back door vs a trip to cart-congested Patel Brothers. Don't get me wrong, we all ultimately end up going to Patel Brothers but 1, it is far from me, and, 2, it has always been and always will be a place where personal space is violated (social distancing is non existent there) The young men who work at Bombay Mart are very helpful. They have made sure to take all precautions since the pandemic started. What stood out for me is that, upon request, they are willing to provide curbside pickup, or at least they offer that to my elderly parents who still arent comfortable entering stores. If they do not carry an item, they will try their order it for you. It is clear. Bombay Mart will continue to remain a very convenient, well-stocked Indian grocery store with helpful store owners that always strive to satisfy."

Istanbul Supermarket

★★★★☆ 4.2 (14) • $$

"I was there mainly to get fresh mutton. While there I got some food items as well. Lamb kabob and chicken gyro were my entrees and both were ok. The pastry display was tempting, so I went for a beef pastry and a chicken pastry. Beef pastry was my favorite, and it was over in the display within 10 minutes of my purchase. I also tried 2 Wisconsin made drinks - Cucumber ginger and ginger hibiscus. Both had extreme ginger punch. Fresh mutton was also just ok."

Madison Oriental Market

★★★★★ 4.8 (8) • $

"So excited to see the deli up and running, following the remodel! Hot foods available can vary on a day-to-day basis. I have tried the following (starting with my faves):- Stuffed Wings (5/5): Packed with filling, and flavorful!- Chicken Eggrolls (5/5): Filling is very similar the stuffed wing, and good sized! Perfectly golden sand crispy. It comes with a sweet and sour sauce (1/5). I would prefer a spicy peanut sauce.- Papaya (5/5): Legit, with remnants of tamarind and crab! Definitely why I will be returning to the deli. This is made more Laos-style (dark and fishy), rather than Thai-style (light and sweet).- Purple Sticky Rice (5/5): Pairs perfectly with everything on their menu! - Steamed Tilapia (4/5): Good flavors! But if you're not a fan of picking thru all the little bones, this may not be for you.- Hmong Sausage (3/5): Flavors are okay, but nothing special. I would rather buy the frozen ones and cook them at home.- Pepper Sauce (1/5): This comes with the meats that you ordered. It's watered down, sweet with a couple slivers of Thai chili and cilantro. I did see that they sell small containers of a more potent pepper sauce for an extra $1. I assumed that was what came with my order, but it was completely different. Will definitely pay extra for that next time!!The seating area is clean and very spacious. The new refrigerators look beautiful and hold a lot more products--from Asian greens, to dairy products and an array of beverages! The owners are great, and have reached out to the community for feedback on products and services. Aside from Asian products, they strive to provide African, Latino and American products. This includes fresh produce and meats, dry/canned goods, sweets, frozen products/foods, and so much more! Check it out for yourself!"

Asian Island

★★★★☆ 3.6 (14) • $$

"Can't still Bilieve the owner actually gave me a free biryani and a bottle of water, never ever met such a nice guy and that too on my first visit ... I highly recommend this place to all desis."

Karen Supermarket

★★★★★ 5 (2)

"I initially thought this was the sort of place privileged suburban White women could come in and demand to see a manager but it turns out that I was making a homonym error. This humble Southeast Asian grocery caters to the Burmese refugees from the Karen State, and as such is very unique unless you're from Minneapolis (or the border region between Burma and Thailand). Turns out the pronunciation is Kah-REN (accent on the second syllable), and there's nothing unreasonable or biased about these people at all, quite the contrary. As the victims of genocide they seem to think the Silver City area of Milwaukee is a very nice place to end up though I would think that the other type of Karen (of viral-Internet infamy) would find the neighborhood very unpleasantly not Anglo (should I say...Angla?). It's all relative, you know. Certainly this shop is a peaceful place to visit, if you're looking for Southeast Asian ingredients especially specific to Karen cuisine there's no better choice. I also recommend shopping here if you're the sort, like me, who has fun buying groceries that are unfamiliar and not translated into English. Just across from the Domes and conveniently near to the Hank Aaron bike trail (though a pretty mean (uphill) - fun (downhill) ride is involved to get here from the trail."

Rayan Supermarket

★★★★★ 4.5 (2)

"This is hardly a "supermarket," it's a Middle Eastern grocery with some very good food. Kind of pricey, which gets out of hand if delivered (use Door Dash, Grubhub is awful) but the best thing about this place is the fish and rice dinner. None of my favorite Middle Eastern places regularly have a fried fish and rice dinner, but even if they did, this one is so delicious. I don't like all the use of plastic, I'm going to try washing the plastic container my fish and rice dinner came in and see if they will use it again when I bring it back. I will be back, instead of ordering delivery I'm going in person to get the fish again. It's all I may ever order from here."