Asian Grocery Gem in San Diego
mom&pop 14
If you are familiar with City Heights, San Diego, chances are you’ve heard of Sin Lee. If you haven’t, allow me to put you on. Sin Lee is a local institution that has been serving the community of Little Saigon for the last 25 years. Sin Lee is your one-stop shop for all your Asian groceries. They offer fresh produce, dry goods, Asian condiments, and a selection of poultry which is what they’re known for.
Sin Lee started as Wing Lee in 1993 a few blocks away from the current location. Andy Tang who is now the current owner and son of the founder shared with me stories and memories of the journey of Sin Lee. Andy’s father after immigrating to the United States was inspired by the lack of quality chicken in San Diego and began to breed and sell his own which quickly became a local favorite. As demand grew, more opportunities opened up leading them into wholesale and eventually retail. The family continues to run the poultry farm in northern California.
Back when they first started they primarily supplied to local mom-and-pop restaurants in the area. Andy reminisced on the early days of doing retail to the public and how some days their total number of sales for the whole day was $200. He had his doubts about how the business would fair. But now Sin Lee is a staple in the neighborhood. They are continuing to evolve, expanding their retail offerings to include liquor and a variety of snacks. I love shopping at Sin Lee for the quality and affordability. I will always grab a whole chicken from there and use it to make soup.
So next time you're in the area, do yourself a favor and stop by SinLee. You get such a sense of community as soon as you step in, and you can tell they have a passion for delivering the best to their customers. It’s more than just a grocery store.
As always I hope you enjoyed <3
This is part of an ongoing passion project of mine called mom&pop where I talk to and photograph small businesses that I discover and love. If you liked the story be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next one (-: