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Asian food distributors in Chicago

Chicago's Asian retail is famous and its Asian wholesale is invisible, sitting in Pilsen warehouses and Elk Grove Village docks that nobody photographs. Below is what their own websites say, including who owns them, which turns out to matter more here than on any other page in this directory.

  • 16 suppliers, verified in September 2026 against each company's own website.
  • Three of the largest are owned by Japanese public companies. That is in each listing, because two suppliers with one owner are not two suppliers.
  • The supermarkets you know are mostly not on this page, and there is a section explaining exactly why.
Browse all 16 suppliers

At a glance

Suppliers listed
16
Each verified against its own website
Independent houses
10
Local specialists and regional distributors
Deliver to you
13
Say so on their own site
Walk-in options
2
Cash and carry, so no delivery minimum
Products covered
22
Distinct lines across these suppliers
Oldest still trading
1960
Wismettac Asian Foods

Every asian food distributor we verified in Chicago

Filter by what they carry, how the business is set up, who they sell to, how you can buy, and where they are. 13 of 16 publish a phone number and 15 publish a street address; where a company does not, the field is left out rather than filled in.

Filter

Supplier type

How the business is set up

Product
Who they serve
How you buy
Area

Showing 16 of 16 suppliers.

Martinez Produce & Seafood

Regional distributorEst. 2005

Established in 2005 and describing itself as a leader in sushi-grade seafood and fresh produce, wholesaling across the Midwest and the northeast United States. Salmon is sourced from Scotland, Norway, Canada and the Faroe Islands, which lets the company offer several versions of the same species at different price points.

  • Sushi-grade program with salmon from four sourcing regions
  • Carries produce alongside seafood on the same order
  • Runs its own MTZ Marine brand

Named programs

MTZ MarineKikkomanMizkanTetsujinBakkafrostHallvard Leroy

Serves: Restaurants, Sushi restaurants, Retailers

Address
Chicago, IL
Phone
(773) 826-2840
Delivers
Midwest and northeast United States
Visit mpseafood.com

Every Day Fresh Produce

Local specialistChicago International Produce Market

The one merchant on the market floor that names its specialty outright: Asian, Indian and Hispanic produce. For a kitchen buying outside the standard commodity list, that is the difference between a special order and a line that is simply carried.

  • Specializes in Asian, Indian and Hispanic produce
  • On the market floor, unit 14
  • Useful where a broadline would need a special order

Serves: Retailers, Foodservice operators, Distributors

Address
2404 S Wolcott Ave, Unit 14, Chicago, IL, 60608
Phone
(773) 446-4930
Delivers
Chicagoland
Visit edfproduce.com

COWM Inc.

Local specialistPilsenEst. 1993

Trades as Chicago Oriental Wholesale Market. Founded in 1993 as a supplier of Asian goods and now carries over 2,500 products across every food category, from noodles and sauces through to produce, meat and seafood. Delivers six days a week, and offers what it calls full-service delivery, which on its own account means putting product on the kitchen shelf rather than leaving it on the dock.

  • Over 2,500 products across all food categories
  • Deliveries six days a week
  • Full-service delivery, stocked where you want it

Serves: Restaurants, Supermarkets, Caterers, Bakeries, Hotels

Address
1902 S. Lumber St., Chicago, IL, 60616
Phone
(312) 733-9633
Delivers
Chicago and surrounding areas
Visit cowminc.com

Golden Country Oriental Food

Regional distributorPilsen

A direct importer working out of a 215,000 square foot distribution center on Blue Island Avenue, in what it calls the heart of the wholesale food district. Carries over 3,500 dry and frozen products imported straight from manufacturers in eleven countries, and describes itself as one of the few full line distributors left in the food industry. Buyers can take a pallet or a container load.

  • 215,000 sq ft distribution center in the Pilsen wholesale district
  • Over 3,500 products imported direct from eleven countries
  • Carries African and Caribbean lines alongside Asian

Named programs

KikkomanLee Kum KeeErawanLucky MeGrace

Serves: Grocery stores, Restaurants, Food service, Institutional buyers

Address
2355 S. Blue Island Ave., Chicago, IL, 60608
Phone
(773) 847-1700
Delivers
Chicagoland, the Midwest and North America
Visit goldencountry.com

Asian food distributor in Chicago?

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Truong Enterprises

Regional distributorPilsenEst. 2001

Opened in 2001 on the floor of the old South Water Market selling Asian produce, and now works out of a 95,000 square foot warehouse with ripening rooms and 42 foot ceilings. Supplies authentic Asian food products across the Midwest to national chains and to single-site owners alike. The order desk opens at 5am.

  • Started in the old South Water Market in 2001
  • 95,000 sq ft warehouse with ripening rooms
  • Order desk opens at 5am

Serves: National chains, Small business owners

Address
2300 S Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60608
Delivers
Midwest
Visit truongent.com

Lien Hoa Food Co.

Local specialistPilsenEst. 1988

A wholesaler and distributor of specialty Asian food in Pilsen, just off Halsted and Cermak, founded in August 1988. Carries over five thousand items out of a 30,000 square foot warehouse with four loading doors on Cermak Road, and keeps a lit showroom of product samples so buyers can see what they are ordering before they order it.

  • Over 5,000 items in stock
  • 30,000 sq ft warehouse, four loading doors on Cermak
  • Showroom of product samples for buyers

Serves: Restaurants, Grocers

Address
817 W Cermak Rd., Chicago, IL, 60608
Phone
(312) 243-1668
Delivers
Nationwide, with a focus on the Midwest
Visit lien-hoa-food.myshopify.com

HS Midwest Inc.

Regional distributorWood DaleEst. 2014

Founded in 2014 by a team whose founder statement describes twenty years of background experience in the H-Mart grocery chain. Supplies Asian seafood, meat and produce to international groceries and to Japanese and Korean restaurants, delivering across seven states and nineteen cities. Sushi-grade frozen seafood and fresh fish lead the product list.

  • Founded in 2014 by a team out of the H-Mart chain
  • Delivers across seven states and nineteen cities
  • Sushi-grade frozen seafood and fresh fish

Serves: International groceries, Japanese restaurants, Korean restaurants

Address
847 N. Central Ave., Wood Dale, IL, 60191
Phone
(847) 691-0730
Delivers
Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky
Visit hsmidwestinc.com

JFC International

National broadlineHanover Park

The Chicago distribution center of one of the largest Asian food and beverage distributors in the world, serving Asian-American retail outlets, restaurants and major North American retailers. Owned by Kikkoman, which entered Asian food wholesale in 1969 by taking a management stake in the company that became JFC, and which says the JFC Group now runs its wholesale business across 24 countries.

  • Owned by Kikkoman since a 1969 management stake
  • Over 15,000 items across the group
  • Runs Kikkoman's wholesale business in 24 countries and regions

Named programs

NishikiDynastyJBasketBotan

Serves: Restaurants, Asian-American retail outlets, Major North American retailers

Address
815 Turnberry Court, Hanover Park, IL, 60133
Phone
(630) 539-2800
Delivers
United States, Mexico and Canada
Visit jfc.com

Wismettac Asian Foods

National broadlineCarol StreamEst. 1960

The Chicago-area branch of a Japanese and Asian food distributor whose group began in Kobe in 1912 as Nishimoto Trading Co., with the US company established in 1960. Runs its own Shirakiku private brand alongside imported lines, and is listed on the Japanese parent's own group network page.

  • Group founded in Kobe in 1912, US company since 1960
  • Runs the Shirakiku private brand
  • Part of the Nishimoto group in Japan

Named programs

Shirakiku

Serves: Restaurants, Retailers

Address
545 Fullerton Avenue, Carol Stream, IL, 60188
Phone
(630) 784-1500
Visit wismettacusa.com

Yamasho, Inc.

Regional distributorElk Grove VillageEst. 1981

Established in 1981 and importing and wholesaling Japanese foods and restaurant supplies across the Midwest from Elk Grove Village. Mutual Trading acquired 100 percent of its shares in December 2022, making it part of Takara Holdings. Its own domain now redirects to Mutual Trading, so the address and phone here come from the owner's locations page.

  • Covering the Midwest from Elk Grove Village since 1981
  • Acquired outright by Mutual Trading in December 2022
  • Part of Takara Holdings

Serves: Restaurants, Retailers

Address
750 Touhy Ave., Elk Grove Village, IL, 60007
Phone
(847) 981-9342
Delivers
Midwestern United States

True World Foods Chicago

National broadlineElk Grove Village

The Chicago arm of a sushi-focused supplier with more than four decades in premium seafood and Japanese specialty items, running Toyosu Express and Fukuoka Express air shipments from Japan. Note the source: True World publishes its locations only as a map with no text addresses, so the Chicago address here comes from a Japanese government trade body and is corroborated by the FDA's shellfish shippers list, not from the company itself.

  • Toyosu and Fukuoka Express air shipments from Japan
  • Chicago address published by JETRO, corroborated by the FDA
  • The company itself publishes no Chicago address or phone

Serves: Sushi restaurants, Japanese restaurants

Address
950 Chase Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL, 60007
Delivers
Chicagoland
Visit trueworldfoods.com

Walong Marketing

National broadlineBolingbrookEst. 2000

Established in 2000 and distributing over 6,000 Asian products from eight distribution centers across six states, with the Illinois site in Bolingbrook. Runs its own dry, refrigerated and frozen warehousing and its own trailer fleet. Its published customer language is retailers and wholesalers rather than restaurants.

  • Over 6,000 products from eight distribution centers
  • Own dry, refrigerated and frozen warehousing and trailer fleet
  • Sells to retailers and wholesalers, not directly to kitchens

Serves: Retailers, Wholesalers

Address
582 Territorial Drive, Building 201, Bolingbrook, IL, 60440
Delivers
Nationwide from eight distribution centers
Visit walong.com

Tai Nam Market

Cash and carryArgyleEst. 1993

Established on Argyle in 1993 and describes itself as the leading Asian food wholesaler and retailer in the region. Carries goods from nine countries of origin, and says many of its loyal business customers are Thai, Korean and Philippine restaurants. It sells wholesale and retail off one floor and publishes no delivery claim, so collection is the buying route.

  • On Argyle since 1993
  • Names Thai, Korean and Philippine restaurants among its business customers
  • Nine countries of origin on one floor

Serves: Thai restaurants, Korean restaurants, Philippine restaurants, Retail shoppers

Address
4925 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL, 60640
Phone
(773) 275-5666
Visit tainammarket.com

Joong Boo Market

Cash and carryAvondaleEst. 1992

A Korean market that opened on Kimball in January 1992 and runs a wholesale office on the same site, servicing Chicago-area restaurants with delivery available. It is the one supermarket on this page, and it is here because its own about page says that in as many words, which no other Chicago Asian supermarket we checked does.

  • Wholesale office onsite, with delivery to Chicago-area restaurants
  • Trading on Kimball since January 1992
  • Grocery, produce, meat and seafood departments

Serves: Restaurants in the Chicago area, Retail shoppers

Address
3333 N. Kimball Ave., Chicago, IL, 60618
Phone
(773) 478-5566
Delivers
Chicago area
Visit joongboomarket.com

Thailand Food Corp.

Local specialistArgyleEst. 1975

An importer, wholesaler and distributor on North Broadway in Uptown, established in 1975. Imports and distributes foods, kitchenware and gifts from Thailand and Southeast Asia, which makes it one of the few Chicago suppliers whose line is built around a single country's pantry. The company publishes nothing about delivery or collection, so that field is left empty here.

  • Trading on North Broadway since 1975
  • Imports direct from Thailand and Southeast Asia
  • Kitchenware alongside the food line

Serves: Restaurants, Grocers

Address
4821 N Broadway St., Chicago, IL, 60640
Phone
(773) 728-1199
Visit thailandfoodcorp.com

Nam Phong Oriental Wholesale

Local specialistNear South Side

Describes itself in four words: Asian grocery and food service wholesaler. Trade buyers order through a login-gated catalog with separate customer and sales-rep accounts, and that is the whole of what the company publishes about itself. We have left the rest of this listing empty rather than filling it from elsewhere.

  • Trade-only ordering portal, no public pricing

Serves: Food service

Address
1829 S Normal Ave., Chicago, IL, 60616
Phone
(312) 421-3888
Visit shopnpchicago.com

Your two Japanese suppliers may have the same owner

Every other page on this site tells you to keep a second supplier so your pricing stays honest. On this page that advice needs a warning attached, because three of the largest Asian distributors serving Chicago are owned by Japanese public companies, and the ownership is not obvious from the names on the invoice.

JFC International, whose Chicago distribution center is in Hanover Park, belongs to Kikkoman. Kikkoman's own corporate site says it entered the Asian food wholesale business in 1969 by acquiring a management stake in the company that became JFC, and that the JFC Group now runs its wholesale business across 24 countries and regions. Yamasho, in Elk Grove Village since 1981, was acquired outright in December 2022: Takara Holdings published the filing, in which Mutual Trading acquired 100 percent of the shares issued and outstanding. Wismettac Asian Foods in Carol Stream traces to Nishimoto Trading, founded in Kobe in 1912, with the US company established in 1960.

There is one more turn of the screw. Golden Country, the largest genuinely independent house on this page, lists Kikkoman first among the lines it represents. So a buyer who moves part of an order off JFC to Golden Country for leverage is, on that part of the order, still buying the same brand. None of this is a reason to avoid any of these companies. It is a reason to know the answer before you build a buying strategy on a comparison that may not be one. Nationally the pattern is heavier still: about one row in five across our Asian food pages is a branch of a national company, and which suppliers import directly is the other half of the same question.

  • JFC International, Hanover Park. Owned by Kikkoman since a 1969 management stake in its predecessor. Kikkoman says the JFC Group runs its wholesale business in 24 countries and regions.
  • Yamasho, Elk Grove Village. Mutual Trading acquired 100 percent of the shares in December 2022, putting it under Takara Holdings. Yamasho's own domain now redirects to Mutual Trading.
  • Wismettac Asian Foods, Carol Stream. Part of the Nishimoto group, founded in Kobe in 1912, with the US company established in 1960. Runs the Shirakiku brand.
  • Golden Country, Pilsen. Independent, and the largest of them, but it names Kikkoman first among the lines it distributes. Independence of ownership is not the same as independence of supply.

The kinds of supplier on this page

The scale gap here is wider than on any other page in this directory. Golden Country runs 215,000 square feet in Pilsen and Truong runs 95,000, while Nam Phong publishes a four-word description and a login. Walong runs eight distribution centers nationally. Both ends of that range are useful, for different orders.

Supplier typeCatalogCuttingMinimumDeliveryBest for
Local specialist5 hereNarrow, protein onlyCuts to your specificationUsually negotiableScheduled, local routesMenus where the cut is the dish
Regional distributor5 hereBroader, may run past proteinSome, varies by houseSet per accountMulti-state or multi-marketGroups wanting fewer accounts
Cash and carry2 hereWhatever is in the caseCut to order at the counterNone, you collectNoneSmall volume and mid-week gaps
National broadline4 hereEverything, one invoicePortion programs, fixed specsDrop-size drivenFixed schedule, wide coverageConsolidating staples and dry goods

The count column is computed from the listings above. The rest describes how each business model typically works, not a term any individual company has published. Minimums and delivery days are always set per account, so treat this as a shortlist tool, not a quote.

The trade is in Pilsen. The shopping is on Argyle

If you went looking for Chicago's Asian food trade you would go to Chinatown, or to Argyle Street, or to Devon Avenue. Those are where the restaurants and the markets are. The wholesale trade is somewhere else entirely, and once you see it on a map it is hard to unsee.

Lien Hoa is on West Cermak, Nam Phong on South Normal, COWM on South Lumber and Truong on South Halsted, while Golden Country sits on South Blue Island and describes its own location as the heart of the wholesale food district. That is five of the city-limits suppliers inside roughly one square mile of Pilsen and the Near South Side, in the footprint of the old South Water Market.

That is not a coincidence, and our produce page tells the same story from the other side: the South Water Market traded on 15th Street from 1925 to 2001 before the produce trade moved southwest to Wolcott Avenue. Truong Enterprises opened on the floor of that market in 2001, selling Asian produce, and now runs a 95,000 square foot warehouse with ripening rooms a few blocks away. The rest of the metro's Asian wholesale sits out by O'Hare, in Elk Grove Village, Wood Dale, Carol Stream, Hanover Park and Bolingbrook, which is where the import volume and the freight actually land.

The shape of Chicago's supplier base

Counted from the 16 listings above. Change the view, then narrow by supplier type to see how the mix shifts.

Asian14
Dry goods11
Frozen9
Seafood9
Produce8
Japanese4
Meat4
Beverages3
Noodles3
Sushi grade3
Sauces2
Wagyu2
African1
Caribbean1
Fruit1
Korean1
Shellfish1
Snacks1
Specialty1
Thai1
Vegetables1
Vietnamese1

16 suppliers in view. Bars count suppliers carrying each product line, so they add up to more than 16: most suppliers carry several.

Why the supermarket you love is probably not here

Chicago has some of the best Asian grocery retail in the country, and people say so constantly in the comments further down this page. H Mart, Mitsuwa, 88 Marketplace, Park to Shop, Tensuke and Patel Brothers are all excellent and almost none of them are on this list, which will look like an omission unless we show you the test.

The test is simple: does the company publish, on its own site, that it sells wholesale to trade? Joong Boo passes it, in one sentence on its own about page, which says it runs a wholesale office onsite to service restaurants in the Chicago area with delivery available. Tai Nam passes it, describing itself as a wholesaler and retailer and naming Thai, Korean and Philippine restaurants among its business customers. The others do not publish anything comparable, so they are not here.

That is a deliberately narrow test and it will exclude a supermarket that would in fact sell you six cases if you asked. We would rather under-list than tell you a company does something it has never claimed to do. If you know one that publishes a wholesale offer we missed, the submit page is one click away.

1

Ask for the wholesale desk, not the manager

Several of these companies run a trade counter that is not on the shop floor. Joong Boo's is a separate office on the same site.

2

Expect a login, not a price list

Nam Phong's entire public site is a gate. That is normal for this trade and it is not a bad sign, it just means pricing is per account.

3

Match the supplier to the pantry

These houses specialize by cuisine rather than by product. A pan-Asian menu almost always means more than one account.

4

Go early

Truong's order desk opens at 5am. Produce and fresh lines move first thing, and the good stuff is a morning conversation.

Specialist by country, not by category

The meat page sorts its suppliers by what they cut. The produce page sorts by where they trade. This page sorts by cuisine, because that is genuinely how these companies differ, and it changes how you build the account list.

Thailand Food Corp has imported from Thailand and Southeast Asia since 1975. Tai Nam has been on Argyle since 1993 carrying nine countries of origin. Yamasho, Wismettac, JFC and True World are Japanese houses. HS Midwest was founded in 2014 by a team out of H-Mart and supplies Japanese and Korean restaurants. Golden Country spans Asian, African and Caribbean at once, which is unusual enough that it is worth knowing on its own.

The practical consequence is that a pan-Asian kitchen in Chicago is nearly always running more than one account, and the second account is rarely a price check. It is a pantry you cannot get from the first one. That is a different reason to hold two suppliers than the one the rest of this site gives, and on this page it is the more important one.

  • Check ownership before you count your suppliers. Two Japanese distributors can share a parent. The section above names which ones, and it is public information.
  • Two listings here are deliberately thin. Nam Phong and Thailand Food Corp publish nothing about delivery or collection, so those fields are empty rather than guessed.
  • One address comes from a government list. True World Foods publishes no Chicago address. The one shown comes from a Japanese trade body and the FDA, and the listing says so.
SupplierAsianDry goodsSeafoodFrozenProduceMeatJapaneseSushi gradeNoodlesBeveragesSaucesWagyuDeliversWalk-in counterSame-day availableShips nationally
Martinez Produce & Seafood
Every Day Fresh Produce
COWM Inc.
Golden Country Oriental Food
Truong Enterprises
Lien Hoa Food Co.
HS Midwest Inc.
JFC International
Wismettac Asian Foods
Yamasho, Inc.
True World Foods Chicago
Walong Marketing
Tai Nam Market
Joong Boo Market
Thailand Food Corp.
Nam Phong Oriental Wholesale

A blank cell means the company does not list that line on its own site, not that it cannot get it. Most of these houses will source outside their published range for an account they want. Columns showing only one supplier are hidden to keep the grid readable.

Unfiltered

What people say about buying asian food in Chicago

24 comments quoted verbatim from public threads, researched specifically for this city rather than reused from elsewhere on the site.

r/chicagofood140 points
Tai Nam for Vietnamese, Joong Boo for Korean, 88 Marketplace for Chinese, and Mitsuwa Marketplace (technically in the suburbs) for Japanese. Personally, I rotate through each of these and go to one about once a month to get everything I need.
Read the original comment
r/chicagofood56 points
Just as an FYI, Argyle is mostly Vietnamese restaurants, and deserves that folks know and understand that distinction. With that said, Hai Yen is great. The Catfish in a clay pot and the cubed Filet with Watercress are not to be missed. I also love Nhu Lan for Bahn Mi, and Miss Saigon for their short ribs and Pho. For Chinese, Sun Wah which specializes in Roast Pork and Roast Duck. Yoo Yee is also good.
Read the original comment
r/chicagofood36 points
That's because HMart is Korean. 88 Marketplace for Chinese, Argyle Street for Vietnamese stuff, and Mitsuwa for Japanese.
Read the original comment
r/AskChicago30 points
Old World Market (Broadway & Foster) - West African & Caribbean Tai Nam Food Market (Broadway & Argyle) - Vietnamese Seafood City (Elston & Kimberly) - Filipino Joong Boo Market (Kimball & Avondale) - Korean
Read the original comment
r/ChicagoSuburbs25 points
There is no suburban Chinatown in Chicago. There are a few Asian markets near Evanston. Then in the Arlington Heights/Schaumburg area, there is a Mitsuwa and Hmart, so there are a few Japanese and Korean restaurants that have cropped up. Nothing Chinese though ETA we moved to the Chicago area from Southern California (growing up in Pasadena and lived in Orange County). There is no 99 ranch market. The Chinese markets in Chinatown are pretty small. There’s a small Asian grocery around Roselle/Golf where the owner is super nice and will special order stuff for you. Otherwise, Hmart and Mitsuwa will carry moon cakes. The other option is to order online.
Read the original comment
r/chicagofood29 points
Adding 88 marketplace near Chinatown and park to shop in uptown. I like Joong Boo but I personally get too stressed cause it’s small and tends to get crowded lol
Read the original comment

Pulled from 74 Chicago threads across r/chicagofood, r/AskChicago, r/ChicagoSuburbs and r/chicago. Its own corpus: no comment here appears on the homepage or on the Chicago meat, seafood or produce pages. Comments are unedited and link back to the original thread. They are individual experiences, not evidence about any distributor in general, and we deliberately do not aggregate them into a score.

Most Chicago asian food distributors still take orders the way they did 20 years ago

Phone calls, voicemails, emails with attachments, then hand-keying it all into a system. VoiceOrder Solutions gives food distributors a voice and web front door on the process they already run, so orders arrive digitized and reps get back to selling.

Talk to VoiceOrder Solutions

Questions

Asian food distributors in Chicago: common questions

Who are the biggest Asian food distributors in Chicago?

By scale, JFC International in Hanover Park and Wismettac Asian Foods in Carol Stream are the largest, both being US arms of Japanese groups. Golden Country in Pilsen is the largest independent, running a 215,000 square foot distribution center, and Truong Enterprises runs 95,000 square feet on South Halsted. Walong operates nationally from eight distribution centers with its Illinois site in Bolingbrook. Most of these are private and do not publish revenue, so we do not rank them by size.

Are any Chicago Asian food distributors owned by the same company?

Yes, and it is worth knowing before you pick a second supplier. JFC International is owned by Kikkoman, which took a management stake in its predecessor in 1969. Yamasho was acquired outright by Mutual Trading in December 2022, putting it under Takara Holdings. Wismettac is part of the Nishimoto group, founded in Kobe in 1912. Golden Country is independent but lists Kikkoman among the lines it distributes.

Why is H Mart or Mitsuwa not listed here?

Because neither publishes a wholesale offer to trade on its own website, and that is the test this page applies. Joong Boo Market is listed because its own about page says it runs a wholesale office onsite servicing restaurants with delivery available, and Tai Nam is listed because it describes itself as a wholesaler and retailer and names restaurant customers. The others may well sell you cases if you ask, but we do not list a claim a company has not made.

Where is Chicago's Asian food wholesale district?

Pilsen and the Near South Side, not Chinatown or Argyle. Lien Hoa on West Cermak, Nam Phong on South Normal, COWM on South Lumber, Truong on South Halsted and Golden Country on South Blue Island sit within roughly a square mile, in the footprint of the old South Water Market. Golden Country calls its own location the heart of the wholesale food district. The larger import operations sit near O'Hare instead, in Elk Grove Village, Wood Dale, Carol Stream and Hanover Park.

Can a small restaurant open an account with an Asian food wholesaler in Chicago?

Usually yes, and the range here helps. Lien Hoa runs a showroom with product samples and a 30,000 square foot warehouse in Pilsen, Tai Nam and Joong Boo both sell off the floor so there is no minimum if you collect, and COWM delivers six days a week. Terms are set per account, so the answer comes from a phone call rather than a published price list.

Which supplier should I use for Japanese, Korean or Thai specifically?

These houses specialize by cuisine rather than by product category, which is the main way this page differs from our meat and produce pages. Thailand Food Corp has imported from Thailand since 1975. Tai Nam carries Vietnamese and eight other origins. Yamasho, Wismettac, JFC and True World are Japanese houses. HS Midwest supplies Japanese and Korean restaurants. Golden Country runs Asian, African and Caribbean lines together. A pan-Asian menu almost always means more than one account.

Is this directory paid or independent?

No distributor paid to be listed and there are no affiliate links to any of them. The directory is published by VoiceOrder Solutions, an ordering software company, and that relationship is disclosed in the footer of every page and on our about page. Listings are ordered by supplier type, not by any commercial relationship.

How was this list of Chicago Asian food distributors built?

We ran search passes for Chicago Asian wholesale suppliers, then captured each candidate company's own website and read the details off it, in September 2026. Ownership was traced through the parent companies' own corporate sites and investor filings. Companies were excluded for being retail with no published wholesale claim, for being in another metro, for blocking capture, or for having closed. One listing, True World Foods Chicago, carries an address published by a Japanese government trade body and corroborated by the FDA rather than by the company, and says so.