Which SoCal Costcos are the ‘most Asian’? (Hint: Look for the durian and lumpia)
Lunar New Year is coming, and at our local Costco stores here in Southern California that means pineapple cakes, mochi, glutinous rice cakes, red and gold willow arrangements and a New Year collection of frozen dim sum. There are also products specific to the zodiac calendar, like the Lego Auspicious Dragon set, Year of the Dragon gold and a Napoleon XO bottle of brandy shaped like a dragon.
Surprised you can find baijiu (Chinese sorghum liquor) at Costco? Frankly, we are constantly surprised by the Costco offerings that one might assume could only be found in Asian markets, and it sparked a burning question: Which Costco is the “most Asian”?
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On Jan. 12, we sent a call-out and asked readers to help us find SoCal’s most “Asian Costco” for Lunar New Year. We received 78 passionate responses and read through everyone’s stories about how surprised they were to find bird’s nest soup (currently only available in Southern California); how they wish the freeze-dried mangosteen and mullet roe they’ve heard about in other Costcos were at their location; and how their Costco has the Taiwanese peanut candy that you can’t even find in San Gabriel Valley Costcos (not true).
According to the membership warehouse club’s official website, there are 602 Costcos in the U.S. and 135 (22%) are in California. And according to the data company Numerator, Costco shoppers skew toward Asian and Latinos residing in urban communities: In the Pacific Northwest, Costco shoppers are 52% likelier to be Asian; nationally, they’re 83% likelier to be Asian.
Costco warehouses carry about 4,000 SKUs (stock keeping units), and there’s a semi-permanent collection of goods that can be reliably found in most locations: the $4.99 rotisserie chicken, the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, the Kirkland clothing that comedian Sheng Wang jokes about in his Netflix special. (“When you buy pants from Costco, that’s when you don’t care anymore,” he said. “That’s when we let go of our egos and we begin our spiritual journey.”)
But the inventory continuously changes, and different Costcos carry different items depending on the demographics and buying patterns of the shoppers. Costco die-hards who go multiple times a week to multiple stores can tell you the differences between the Marina del Rey Costco near their apartment, the City of Industry one near their parents’ house and the Irvine one they stop by on the way to San Diego.
But what makes a Costco Asian? Frozen dumplings? Curry? Pocky snacks? No, that’s in most Costcos! We’re looking for items beyond the types of Asian food you can also find in a Ralphs.
We’re looking for abalone, grass jelly and red ginseng drinks, lumpia, paneer, multiple choices of oyster sauce and a variety of seafood.
Christopher Yu, from Diamond Bar, thinks it’s the variety of dried goods and shelf-stable items in the four or five rows between drinks and the snacks and pharmacy that determine how Asian the Costco is.
“Bro, when I saw Chinese cured pork belly — lap yuk for my fellow Cantos — that’s when I knew we were in a new era.” (He found it in Chino Hills.)
Some other signs:
1. The durian trifecta: Most shoppers probably remember being shocked when they saw durian ice cream at a Costco. But that was so 2023. Now, you gotta see if the store has these three durian items in the freezers: ice cream, pulp and the full fruit.
2. The alcohol selection: Many Costcos don’t have a lot of Asian alcohol. But the Asian Costcos will have Yuzubay sake, Good Day soju, Tsingtao beer, Hibiki Suntory whisky, Kweichow moutai and other baijiu.
3. The Lunar New Year offerings: In the past few years, Costco has upped the ante on Lunar New Year products. The more Asian the Costco, the more likely it is to have a standalone, prominently placed Lunar New Year display with a plethora of choices for gifts. This year, the collection of mini-bottles shaped like Zodiac animals is only available in 13 Costcos in the L.A. area.
But it’s not a (real) competition. The benefit of living in California, which boasts many of the largest Asian diasporas outside of each home country, is that there are not only a lot of Asian Costcos, there are the Chinese Costcos, the Korean Costcos and the Vietnamese Costcos. And most of them will reliably have South Asian and other Southeast Asian offerings.
Based on the 78 responses we received from our call-out and our own Costco shopping research, we present the top 11 Asian Costcos in Los Angeles and Orange County for Lunar New Year.
Alhambra Costco
The Alhambra Costco is a treasure trove of Asian snacks, produce and ingredients you’re more likely to find at your local 99 Ranch market than your average Costco. It feels specifically geared toward the neighborhood, with durian three ways (fresh, ice cream and pulp), abalone, a selection of Suntory Whisky products and even a $259.99 bottle Wuliangye baijiu. If you’re looking for something to bring over to an Asian household, this is the place.
There are dozens of Asian finds peppered throughout the store, but here are some highlights: A yakisoba stir-fry kit and marinated bulgolgi meat in the prepared food section near the poke, Irvin’s salted egg salmon skin chips, abalone and braised abalone in brown sauce, a sizable Lunar New Year display with liquor, sweets and plants, and a frozen foods aisle with multiple iterations of dumplings and fried rice you won’t find at other locations.
Reader remarks: “Alhambra, stop your search,” said David Lara, from Alhambra. He acknowledges people might consider Monterey Park, which is a newer Costco, but he calls Alhambra the “OG 626 Costco and we win! ... They had some weird mushroom root that everyone was buying massive amounts of and fish things I don’t know,” he said. “Brother, I usually just buy rotisserie chicken, but I know my Costco is hella Asian.”
Asian population in Alhambra: 51.3% Asian
Monterey Park Costco
Like the Alhambra Costco, the Monterey Park location feels stocked with an Asian clientele in mind. Items like the cake seasoned with chicken meat floss are given priority treatment on the larger displays at the ends of the aisles. And the inventory list rivals that of an Asian supermarket. The shoppers seem to skew older, and less patient if you happen to be standing in front of the bottles of oyster sauce for longer than a few seconds. Many shoppers seemed to know what they wanted and exactly where to find it.
This Costco had a noticeably large selection of popular Asian snacks including large bags of Choco Churro Turtle chips, IndoMie Mi Goreng instant noodles, Happy shrimp garlic chips and Tao Kae Noi tempura seaweed snacks.
Reader remarks: Arthur Guzman, from Montebello, has been a once-a-week Costco shopper for the last two decades. Recently, he moved within walking distance of the Monterey Park Costco, and it’s “by far the most Asian Costco I have ever been to. There are two aisles dedicated specifically to Asian products.”
Asian population in Monterey Park: 64.8% Asian
Irvine Costco
The most Costco thing we can say about the Irvine Costco is that the amount of Asian products is comparable to the Costco stores in San Gabriel, but with a slightly lower sales tax (7.75%). On a recent Sunday, there were eight different types of Asian liquor (inlcuding Wuliangye baijiu in a glass case), and that’s not even counting the five other non-Asian spirits that had Year of the Dragon packaging to celebrate the New Year.
Reader remarks: Lin Lu, from Spring Valley, San Diego, shared that when she goes to Los Angeles for the weekend, she’ll often drop in at a Costco “to see if we can find any special Asian treats there.” She was pleasantly surprised when she found teriyaki sardines at the Irvine Costco one time.
Asian population in Irvine: 44.3% Asian
Torrance Costco
While braving the parking lot on a Saturday afternoon requires an energy bar and some slow exhales, you’ll find this warehouse is sleek and dependable — and has long served as an unofficial gathering place for South Bay Asian Americans. Near the frozen food section is a festive Lunar New Year display, stocked with items like brandy encased in a glass dragon, Lego’s 1,171-piece dragon set and pastries filled with lotus seed paste.
Reader remarks: Ellen E., who visits the Torrance Costco once a month, said she regularly finds “durian ice cream, lap cheung, preserved duck leg and pork for clay pot rice, Chinese new year pastries, and shrimp chips.” Grace Peng, a Taiwanese American from Redondo Beach, wrote the Torrance Costco’s eyewear section even has a notably better selection of glasses for Asian faces, which often have smaller nose bridges. “So good that, when I went to pick up my glasses, they initially handed me glasses for a different Grace Peng who lived in Palos Verdes.”
Asian population in Torrance: 37.8%
City of Industry Costco
City of Industry might not have a particularly large Asian community, but it borders Rowland Heights (60.5% Asian) and Hacienda Heights (41.7% Asian), which boast strong immigrant Chinese and Taiwanese communities. You can find all the staples of the Asian Costco, like teokbukki. Right across the street from the Costco is a TS Emporium, where you elevate your Asian shopping to another level by checking out the store’s ginseng, Chinese medicine and other Asian delicacies.
Reader remarks: Though Jeanette Chon, of Arcadia, calls Alhambra a more Asian Costco, she thinks that the City of Industry Costco has a more impressive variety of Asian products. She was surprised to find the viral Korean shampoo, Dr ForHair, at City of Industry.
Asian population in City of Industry: 8.2%
Garden Grove Costco
Fun fact: The Garden Grove Costco is the Los Angeles regional headquarters, so the second floor of the warehouse is where the Costco buyers work. These are the hard-working analysts who look at the demographics of each location and try to provide the best new products for each population. The Garden Grove Costco is another that’s in the heart of Little Saigon, and it has the unique Vietnamese products to show for it.
Reader remarks: Lui Tran, from Garden Grove, who shops at Costco once a week, said that both Garden Grove and Cypress Costcos “carry typical Vietnamese products like fish sauce (nước mắm), phở noodle soup and durian cake.”
“Garden Grove Costco is the most Asian Costco,” Linhberg Nguyen from Long Beach said via X. “It’s the only Costco where I’ve seen Asians climb up multiple levels of shelving to pick out a cherry blossom.”
Asian population in Garden Grove: 41.7% Asian
Cypress Costco
Which Costcos do Cerritos’ Asians go to? (Cerritos, which borders Cypress, is 60.7% Asian.) Some might choose Norwalk or Lakewood, but according to our call-out, most opt for the Cypress Costco. It’s newer, and it has easier parking, and Costco shoppers love nothing more than convenience. It has a full aisle of Lunar New Year gift items, and it reliably carries products like kimchi, abalone and ginseng slices year-round.
Reader remarks: Craig Asato, who shops at the Cypress Costco weekly, said, “You can purchase lap cheong sausage, Korean instant noodles, moon cakes and Japanese whisky — which sells out very quickly, so you’d better buy it when you see it.”
Asian population in Cypress: 37.1% Asian
Tustin Costco
Tustin is a rare California city that boasts two separate Costco stores (Tustin and Tustin Ranch). Though Tustin is only 25% Asian, it borders Irvine, which is 44.4% Asian. If you are driving south and don’t have time to make it all the way down to the Irvine Costco, the Tustin and Tustin Ranch ones are very reliable — and close to the freeway.
Reader remarks: Sandy Oh, from Los Angeles, drives to the Tustin Costco once or twice a month. Her favorite Asian products are Irvin’s salmon skin chips, durian cakes, whole fried shrimp, green tea and Fly by Jing chili crisp. Shanna Kerr, from Santa Ana, who shops at Costco two to three times a week, said the Tustin Costco is the most Asian Costco she’s ever been to. Her favorite food products are the Taiwanese sausage and pork belly, and she was most surprised to find bird’s nest soup and abalone soup.
Asian population in Tustin: 25.4% Asian
Chino Hills Costco
Though the shopper demographics of Chino Hills on a recent Sunday were by casual observation only about 30% to 40% Asian, there was also a sample of Irvin’s salted egg salmon skin that shoppers of all backgrounds were trying. So that’s pretty Asian. Bonus points for a grand Lunar New Year stand, two out of three durian items in the durian trifecta and multiple bird’s nest options side by side. It’s also in a super Asian plaza, which has a 99 Ranch, Daiso, Meet Fresh and many noodle and dumpling house options for lunch. And it’s worth noting that Chino Hills borders Diamond Bar (59.4% Asian).
Reader remarks: Jenn Kim, from Diamond Bar, shops at the Chino Hills Costco weekly. She was most surprised by the ready-made Korean soybean soup (doenjang jjigae) in the non-refrigerated section. “It’s hard for me to imagine a non-Korean picking one of those up,” she said. She adds that her Costco also used to stock little anchovy broth tablets that she’d only previously seen when her mom brought them home from Korea.
Asian population in Chino Hills: 40% Asian
Huntington Beach Costco
We know what you’re thinking. Huntington Beach? How is that even in the running? But hear us out. The Huntington Beach Costco in Bella Terra is on the northeast side of the city, which borders Westminster (50.7% Asian), Midway City (43.8% Asian) and Fountain Valley (37.4% Asian). It’s likely more convenient for most of Little Saigon than the Fountain Valley Costco, which is closer to Costa Mesa (9% Asian). Pro tip: Get some ComeBuyTea boba while you’re there; drinks are made using a teapresso machine.
Reader remarks: Ken Wong, from Seal Beach, goes to the Huntington Beach or Cypress Costcos once or twice a week, and he finds “quite a few Chinese and Korean items from japchae to har gow, lap xiang, lots of different brands of ramen, udon and sushi. They used to have a bird’s nest used to make soup, [the Korean soft drink] Milkis and a few types of Asian herbal and green tea.”
Asian population in Huntington Beach: 12.5% Asian
Fullerton Costco
The interesting thing about Costcos in Los Angeles is that there’s a huge Costco desert in the middle of L.A., all the way from Culver City on the west to Commerce on the east, Glendale in the north to Inglewood in the south. Right smack in the center of that are the Koreatown Koreans who don’t get to have the experience of waiting in a long Costco gas line for an hour to save 60 cents per gallon. But many Orange County Koreans live in Buena Park, Garden Grove and Fullerton — where the Costco has a reliable Korean Costco.
Reader remarks: Cathy DeLeon, from Cerritos, shops at the Fullerton, Cypress and Norwalk Costcos, and she thinks Fullerton is the most Asian of the three. Her favorite Costco Asian products are “Bibigo soup dumplings, calamansi juice, shrimp chips, ramen [and] tuna poke.”
Asian population in Fullerton: 25% Asian
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