Visiting this Asian supermarket’s massive new location in JoCo? Here’s what to know

When you first walk through the doors of Pan-Asia Supermarket in Johnson County, it’s hard not to stop and gaze at everything the store has to offer.

With towering warehouse ceilings and a bustling crowd of customers — even on a weekday afternoon — the market is less like a grocery store and more like a shopping mall.

In April, Pan-Asia Supermarket moved to its new location in Overland Park’s Southglen Shopping Center at 12035 Metcalf Ave.

The market used to be located just across the street at 11940 Metcalf Ave. The new location — formerly home to a Bed Bath & Beyond — is more spacious and offers an in-house restaurant, bubble tea stand and Korean skin care shop.

The supermarket is next door to an Aldi and 85°C Bakery Cafe, a popular Taiwanese chain that opened its first location in the KC area last month.

First-time customers and seasoned Asian grocery store purveyors alike can spend a whole afternoon meandering through the supermarket’s aisles.

And that’s just what we did.

What are Pan-Asia Supermarket’s hours?

Pan-Asia Supermarket in Overland Park is open 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day.

What food do they sell?

The massive supermarket is a one-stop shop for your grocery needs.

The store sells basic produce, along with more specialty items, like durian — a large, spiky fruit with a pungent smell and creamy texture — and taro — a root vegetable with vanilla and coconut undertones.

The market also sells a variety of fresh meat, including a live seafood section with tanks of lobsters, eels and crabs. You’ll also see some notable cuts of meat not sold at traditional American grocers, like whole pig heads, duck feet and beef kidneys.

At the far left of the store is the frozen food section, fully stocked with ready-made dumplings and ice cream mochi.

Meander through the store’s snack and candy aisles for a shopping pick-me-up. Pan-Asia Supermarket offers classic Asian treats, like White Rabbit Creamy Candy and Shrimp Chips. And fair warning: You won’t leave this section empty handed. (We certainly didn’t.)

The store also offers a smorgasbord of Asian ingredient staples — from soy sauce to gochujang to bulk bags of rice.

Along the perimeter of the store, you’ll find a variety of home goods and kitchen utensils. The supermarket sells Asian cooking must-haves, like rice cookers, woks and bamboo steamers.

What made-to-order Asian food do they offer?

Located along the right side of the supermarket is a fast-casual restaurant offering Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian hot food, along with fresh sushi.

We ordered steamed barbecue pork buns, which were soft and chewy, and xiao long bao (pork soup dumplings) that were piping hot — yet even on a hot summer afternoon, we savored each bite of the tender, juicy filling.

We also tried takoyaki, a Japanese fried dough ball filled with diced octopus and topped with bonito flakes — extremely thin, fermented pieces of skipjack tuna that flutter. They appeared to be alive, but it was the hot steam coming off the fried dough that created the illusion.

Next to the restaurant is a grab-and-go bakery with packaged delights like egg tarts and red bean buns. There’s also a boba stand with every imaginable combination of fruit and milk tea.

We tried the taro milk tea with brown sugar boba — which had a subtle vanilla and honey flavor — and the white peach tea slushy with lychee jelly — which was bright and citrusy.

What else do they sell?

Pan-Asia Supermarket also offers a large skin care section with moisturizers, face masks and makeup.

And when you first walk into the supermarket, you’ll find a Korean-only beauty store immediately to the right, which sells imported skin care products. Manager Gina Shim said there’s a significant demand for authentic Korean skincare in Kansas City.

“We wanted to open because sometimes there’s a danger with online ordering,” Shim said. “It can expire, and you don’t know if it’s safe.”

Shim has taught taekwondo in Overland Park for ten years, but has recently become interested in the beauty industry. She said she’s excited to offer affordable, safe products to customers.

“I want everybody to be beautiful, inside and outside,” Shim said.