Find Quality Cuts and Rare Ingredients at Sanyuanli Market

I was so surprised recently when someone told me they’ve never been to Sanyuanli Market. What!? How!? Every person who likes to dabble in the kitchen should visit this place. Sanyuanli Market is where you can find the rare ingredients needed to cook that special dish from home and source specific cuts. It’s where many Western restaurants go for their ingredients and a beloved gem for amateur chefs all over the city.

When you walk in you’re almost always overwhelmed by the fresh fruit vendors all eagerly asking you what you want to buy. Then it’s the nuts, cheese, and sauce vendors. You can find all the lesser-known cheeses and sauces at these places.

Up next, the meats. Each stall sells its own specialty, and most are not the shrink-wrapped stuff you find in supermarkets. Here you can find fresh cuts from the butcher. If you want high-quality wagyu beef, there’s a vendor just for that. And from what I’ve discovered over the years, if you don’t see what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to ask.

At Sanyuanli I was able to purchase turkey in the middle of summer and foie gras all year round. The less common stuff is usually kept in the freezer, and even if they don’t have it there right that second, they can add you on WeChat and source it for you.

Keep walking and you come across the seafood section where you can get live stuff as well as frozen. Then finally, it’s the vegetable section. You’ll see stall after stall of quality greens for you to choose from as well as garnish and seasonings.

If you like to cook, Sanyuanli Market is the go-to place for all your cooking needs. But just because they’re not you’re typical supermarket doesn’t mean that things are cheap. In fact, I find it just the opposite. You can find all sorts of rare quality products, as long as you’re not afraid to pay a pretty cent.