Thanh Thao Market, located on a strip of Northeast Sandy in the Rose City district, may not be Portland’s largest Vietnamese market or it’s most varied (in terms of sheer selection), but—since I’ve moved here over eight years ago—it’s been the market I’ve appreciated the greatest.
You’ll find Thanh Thao has all the dried goods and noodles you’ll ever really need, meticulously arranged throughout their shelves.
The meat department features all the primal cuts favored by discerning Vietnamese cooks.
I love their dressed and pre-sliced meats that ease the homestyle pho prep.
The seafood department may not feature any filets, but you can satisfy your whole fish fetish quite soundly here. A quick nod to the fishmonger and, after weighing your fish, he will use the bandsaw to cut the fins and tail off and section your cleaned fish into nice manageable chunks for your next canh chua.
The frozen meat section also features a wide variety of compartmentalized carcasses from the land and the sea.
Their superlative produce section is stocked with all the vegetables, fresh herbs, handmade noodles, and eggs that make up an essential component of any Southeast Asian cook’s repertoire.
You’ll be able to score your next claypot in their very small housewares nook.
The true area where Thanh Thao shines, however, is their deli department.
Caramel catfish, canh chua, stuffed bitter melon, whole roast duck, roast pork, and other hot savory and sweet delights are available by the pound.
And right in front of the cashier, a refrigerated “island” is chock full of Vietnamese favorites, ready to take-and-go.
Each time I hit up Thanh Thao for groceries, I find it irresistible to not pick up a loaf of cha chien (fried cha lua/Viet bologna) and a $5 package of banh cuon.
And construct my own dish at home, punching it up with fresh herbs, blanched bean sprouts, cucumbers, chili-spiked nuoc cham, and chopped peanuts. I can stretch three meals like this out the affair. Seriously.
Thanh Thao Market
6517 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97213
Neighborhood: Northeast Portland
(503) 284-4129
Thanks for the great post and especially all the pics of Thanh Thao Market. I was just searching for Vietnamese markets in the Portland area and this was super-helpful. (Your banh cuon looks awesome, too! Yum!)