At 41 years old, Super Cao Nguyen is the oldest International Grocery Store in Oklahoma City
Tri and Kien Long purchased the store in 1979 in its original location at 24th and Military Avenue, just down the street from where it currently stands. Refugees from Vietnam, they spent the next two decades expanding their family business, with their sons working in the store along the way. Eventually, the store outgrew the shopping center, and in 2003 the Luongs decided to build a new space for themselves that would carry the business through the next generation.
This is THE place to go for those hard-to-find ingredients
Have you ever clipped a recipe from a magazine, swearing that you'll use it, only to realize that you are missing vital components, and your local grocery chain doesn't have it? Super Cao Nguyen is my go-to spot for nearly any hard-to-find ingredient.
The wide variety of fresh seafood is unparalleled in the city
Whether I'm in the market for live crab, lobsters, mussels, clams or oysters, or one of many fresh fish options, this is where I shop. There are many occasions when I'll go grocery shopping with no particular menu or plan and allow the catch of the day to guide me. Once in a while, if I'm lucky, I'll run into Ba Luong, one of Tri and Kien's sons, and now a Vice-President who manages the business with his brother Hai, and he'll excitedly tell me what rare delivery he's just received. Some of my favorite meals begin with grocery store treasure hunts. The excitement comes from taking recommendations for a protein and then scouring the store for the perfect ingredients to complete the dish, especially if it is one I have never used before.
This isn't your run-of-the-mill butcher counter
While most will allow a certain level of "cut-to-order" service, the Luongs' butcher counter is mostly so. Also, the selection of meats cuts is more comprehensive than a typical OKC grocery counter. When I first moved to Oklahoma City, I asked my husband to pick up some goat meat so I could make a Jamaican curry for the weekend. He looked a bit apprehensive but agreed. A few hours later, he called and admitted that he didn't know where or how to acquire goat. The butchers at Super Cao Nguyen now have his custom-cut 2" chunks of goat ready and wrapped in minutes, all he has to do is ask. Also different from many meat markets, you can find almost any part of the animal available. When I make a rich, nutritious bone broth, this is where I buy the chicken and beef bones, as well as those collagen-rich chicken feet. Love to make crispy BBQ wings? Pick up a pack of duck wings for a heartier spin.
It's like wandering the stalls of a street food market in Asia, without the passport and long customs line.
Every day of the week, you can find delicious grab-n-go snacks as you enter the store. Just past the cashiers, you'll see pre-wrapped steam buns, banana cakes, spring rolls, sticky rice, and seasonal specialties. A few steps further, and you'll get a warm wafting scent of freshly baked bread from the in-house bakery. While you are at the bakery, order a Bahn Mi to go. It's the perfect quick lunch, and arguably one of the best in town. If rice is your carbohydrate of choice, they have freshly-rolled sushi as well. Did I mention that some of the city's absolute best sushi restaurants rely on the fresh seafood here to satisfy their discerning clients? I think it is safe to say the rolls here contain the freshest fish OKC offers. On weekends, you don't even have to make it in the door to pick up breakfast, lunch, or a snack. As you enter, the aroma from cases full of ready-to-eat bao (steam buns) with various fillings, churros, and other pastries, and made-to-order coconut-pandan waffles will stop you in your tracks.
I love a produce section that makes me WANT to eat vegetables.
I am always a fan of the produce section in a good grocery store, but some more than others make it feel more like a candy store. Super Cao Nguyen is one of them. With a variety of mushrooms that I can't resist, herbs you won't find many other places in town, and fruits that make you long for a vacation in the tropics, this is one to explore when you have some time to spare. From the curious-looking rambutan all bagged up and ready to head home to my cocktail bar, to the bright dragon fruit containing delicate black seeds speckled across white flesh, it's a texturally exciting stroll. You might look twice at the almost uncomfortable looking skin on a whole jackfruit, or the tough bruised-looking exterior of the plantains. Try something new, and thank me later.
Oodles of noodles
Fresh, frozen, and dry, you probably never stopped to think about how many types of prepared noodles were available, right in the heart of OKC. You'll find plenty of ramen here, but you can find a variety of other dried noodles as well. Some made with buckwheat, some with yams, and others from rice. You can find bags of fresh rice or egg noodles in the refrigerated section, plus plenty of frozen options. A quick dinner of stir-fried udon with some shrimp and fresh vegetables is life-saver on a busy weeknight.
More spices and sauces, and dry ingredients than you ever knew existed
Once you get past the fresh foods sections, you'll find aisle after aisle of spices, sauces, and condiments that may or may not require Google to identify, even if you are a seasoned chef. Over 50 countries are represented in this truly international grocery. From dried spices, curry pastes, teas, dried mushrooms, tinned meat and fish, or brined and pickled fruits and veggies, you can truly get lost...in the best way. There are around 50 types of soy sauce alone, and more than a dozen varieties of rice. Don't let this intimidate you, look at it as an adventure, and remember that there is always a knowledgeable employee on hand to offer guidance. After all, this is a family business that has been around for more than 40 years. They know their products well.
This is so much more than a grocery store
Do you need fruit trees or unusual herb plants for your garden? They are right inside the door. Cookware, unique dishes, specialty tools, or small kitchen appliances? They've got you covered. Beautiful gifts and decor, including seasonal specialties celebrating holidays, are as colorful and diverse as the food.
If you have never taken the time to explore this fantastic resource we are so lucky to have, you should. The decades of Oklahoma City chefs who have relied upon them for the best ingredients can't be wrong.
Super Cao Nguyen
2662 N. Military Avenue
405.525.7650
