I walked into my first T&T in the NE about 2 years ago with one of my friends. It was a bit of a culture shock, I mean.. there were things still alive in big tanks of water... what!!?! Not to mention the rows upon rows of food I knew nothing about.. and still don't.

Help understand and navigate the world that is a Chinese grocery/food store dear yelpers. I'd really like to understand, but I don't know where to start! What are the good ones? Besides really yummy steamed buns, what are the must tries?

ALL THE SNACKS! Whenever I go to T&T, I fill up a shopping cart full of mystery Asian snacks. Some I know, some I've never tried before. Lychee jelly cups (Sarah Louise! Lychee jelly cups are vegan! They're usually made with Agar-Agar instead of gelatin :D). Durian candies for my enemies! Kidding. I give them to my friends to see the looks on their faces :D. Men's Pocky to give to my guy friends for their birthdays. Aloe chunk juice. Face masks from the beauty section that make me look like a serial killer.

I also like to get mochi while I'm in T&T's bakery, loaves of bread with a coconut or purple yam swirl in the middle, puto (Filipino rice muffins, not a slutty Spanish dude), and halo halo. The lady there is really nice and makes it for me with coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.

I've never actually been into one of these places, mostly because I'm not sure what I would buy.... but the bread with coconut or purple yam swirl that Tiffany mentioned sound yummy and fun!

Pastries!  Their cakes aren't very sweet.  The mocha rolls are pretty good too.

BBQ meat. All of it. In copious amounts.

Wendy the sauces are a great way to start ! So many varieties of soy sauce, chili sauces, bean paste like miso and hoisin, fish sauces, the list goes on and on! I have experimented plenty of sauces and come up with some great mixes. Like mixing miso with maple syrup ,rice wine and sesame and mayo. The possibilities are endless!!!

Mamma Sita sauce pouches! Mmmm Calderetta stew!

Don't forget to get a fresh mango bubble tea with pearls for the drive home.

@Koz cosigned on the Mama Sita sauce pouches! They make attempting vegan versions of Filipino food that much easier.

I totally forgot to mention Nagaraya cracker coated peanuts. The spicy garlic flavored ones are my favorite. Also, the instant noodle section is overwhelming and amazing. Sometimes I'll find vegetables in the produce section that are tough to find at places like Sobeys. Like watercress. Or thai bird chiles and thai basil. My family likes the cakes from the Chinese bakery in T&T, because they're not as cloyingly sweet as a Safeway cake and usually are beautifully decorated with fruit. And yeah, haha, try bagoong. It's fermented fish and shrimp paste. When it's strained, you get fish sauce. To this day, my Grandma thinks I'm cuckoo-bananas for being vegan and "not even having fish sauce or bagoong for flavor!"

I would be wary of getting the BBQ at T&T in Harvest Hills; they got a massive shutdown one time because of rodents, improper food storage (open containers left out at room temperature for days at a time) and improper handling of the food.

@Wendy, I think for the most part, if you're unsure about places like T&T, you can rely on the bakery, and the snack and spice aisles for awesome finds! Sometimes, Superstore's Asian aisle will carry a small amount of what you can find in the Asian supermarket, but you won't get the fresh baked goods there.

T&T is the best place for Chinese groceries

BBQ
Take-home hot foods
Pastries
Noodles
Fresh fruit

@Angelo nice shot at Mexican boxers! I spit my coffee out laughing. @Tiffany, even I, a registered meatopian, would try vegan Calderetta. =)

Lucky Supermarket is the best place for spices and grocery items. DIRT CHEAP!

Whenever I go to T&T, I like to get those family sized packs Koala Biscuits in Chocolate. Yum. Don't eat durian unless you're a brave soul. Also, those buns with the hot dogs baked in are fantastic! Sounds gross but sooo good!

@Angelo, T&T's Japanese cheesecake is good, but Yamato's cheesecake is the BEST!

Simple must trys:

-Most of the cakes and desserts.
-Some bread and pastries (I like the bakery store next to Sun Chiu Kee more, most of their buns are good...not as much variety, but they have the general ones that everybody likes. If you don't know which ones to choose as it's really hard to explain here on Yelp, I recommend to go to the bakery in Sun Chiu Kee)
-Snacks (pocky, vita lemon tea, egg rolls, pretz, moon cakes - maybe not anymore as mid-autumn festival has just passed)
-Frozen unagi (BBQ eel)
-Frozen mochi (ice cream inside...a little more expensive, but it's a nice treat once in a while)
-Bubble tea at the Tea place (Not bubblicious...this place sells tea leaves) is great
-Sushi tray at the hot food store across from the cafeteria

If you are more adventurous, you should try Chinese hotpot, just get some beef / pork meat balls, fish balls, thin sliced frozen beef / lamb, some tofu, various veggies, and chicken stock....that's the basic hotpot that you can make at home (you might wanna get some soy sauce on the side)! T & T's got all you need for that!

Alright... so many suggestions. Time to get on exploring this! Not to mention Vishnu already wrote a review about one of the stores he frequents. Let my cooking adventures begin!

One thing we bought from that place was a neat soda. It is a uniquely shaped glass bottle that has a plastic ball in it. When you crack it open it causes the ball to go to the bottom causing a carbonation effect. It's hokey but actually tastes ok. Not sure what the flavors were since it was all in chinese!

Ramune Soda! I love that stuff :D. Also, it's Japanese. Lychee is my favorite flavor, although someone told me they saw a Wasabi flavor somewhere.

Suggest the Mochi Vanilla Ice Cream Ballsin the Ice Cream Section. The brand name is Lotto (i think). Load up on Japanese Udon  and Soba noodles. The deserts are less sugar sweet and more fat tasting which is how it should be. And yes, of course Ramune. But really, you have to shown so the next time grab one of us before you go.