Forget your Tescos and your Morrison’s, there’s a truly massive supermarket in Manchester that in any other superstore would be reduced to half an aisle. If you’ve ever had a stroll or commuted along Oldham Road in Manchester, running through Ancoats, you’ll most likely have come across Wing Yip supermarket, whether you realise it or not. The red brick building takes up a massive plot, with amazing Chinese style detailing adorning the top like some sort of temple, but if you’re not looking it’s easy to miss.
To those in the know, Wing Yip is an emporium of oriental cuisine, stocking everything from noodles and rice, to dried mushrooms and jackfruit. A lap around will teach you more than you ever knew about Asian food and culture, with at least half of the store being generally unknown in English cuisine, from dried chrysanthemum to all the canned jackfruit you could ever need.
It’s difficult to overstate the size of and selection that Wing Yip supermarket has, but with an entire aisle dedicated to countless different type of noodles, you can imagine the depths that you can delve into at the Manchester superstore. Whether you’re looking for raw ingredients to assemble an Asian inspired menu, or desperate for a quick meal to bang in the oven after work, Wing Yip has it all.
On top of the usual Asian spices such as turmeric and ginger, there’s huge bags of cumin, dried chillies and madras curry powder for just a couple of quid, even less in some cases, which is a theme carried through the whole shop. Wing Yip is the very best supermarket to provide authentic, no-nonsense Asian ingredients (often wholesale) for really affordable prices, and it’s the perfect place in Manchester to pick up bits and bobs, or even do a big shop if you’re a fan of the cuisine.
Another great point about Asian cuisine, especially Chinese and Japanese, is that if things aren’t already vegan or vegetarian, it’s so easy to make it fit with your diet. The amount of seaweed, tofu and mushrooms knocking about the shelves of Wing Yip is simply ridiculous, and proves that the Chinese are one step ahead, as usual. It’s a great place to rely on if you’re looking to mix up your diet or if you’re sick of not being able to find certain ingredients and sauces at your usual supermarket.
Wing Yip not only caters for many types of diet, but also stocks some really cute kitchenware such as bowls, chopsticks and woks. There’s also an authentic Chinese restaurant called Glamorous sitting above Wing Yip, which brings that same no-nonsense approach to Chinese food, with so much to offer on their extensive menu.
Wing Yip was founded by Woon Wing Yip in Birmingham in 1970, and soon grew to become the UK’s leading Oriental grocer. If there’s something specific you want to find at Wing Yip, the team will be more than happy to let you know if they stock it, just ring on 0161 832 3215.
A trip to Wing Yip is always worth it, even just for a look around the 4,500+ products, to explore wonderful little treats like ‘Wife Biscuits’, and unlike some other cash and carry style supermarkets, Wing Ying doesn’t require customers to have a membership, so anyone is welcome to have a look round.
Wing Yip, Oldham Rd, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 5HU.