Asian market and restaurant to open in Tupelo this fall
Apr. 13—TUPELO — With more than a dozen restaurants in Tupelo offering dishes ranging from Chinese to Japanese to Thai, there is a definite demand for Asian-inspired foods in the area.
For those who like to cook at home, the ability to find the ingredients to make similar Asian meals has been mostly limited to small sections at grocery stores like Kroger and Walmart. While soy sauce, chili sauce, oyster sauce and other common Asian pantry items are available, the All-America City has lacked a true Asian grocery store.
That will change later this year when an Asian market and restaurant will open on West Main Street, in the former Advance Auto store.
Owner Kevin Yang, whose family opened Asian Foods Restaurant & Market in Starkville in 2018, looks to replicate their success in Tupelo.
"There's no rush to open, so we're waiting until August or September," he said. "But it's going to be the same exact concept as in Starkville — we're going to bring a taste of the world."
Shoppers looking for some of the more exotic spices, canned goods and vegetables from Asia have typically had to go to Memphis or Birmingham to fill their needs.
That was the case with Yang, whose family moved from New York to Starkville decades ago to open a buffet restaurant.
"From childhood, we had to go to Birmingham to buy stuff, so I know a lot of people around here try to go find it, and they want some home town cooking, too," he said.
About 5,000 square feet will be dedicated to the grocery store, which will carry Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian and "everything in between," Yang said.
The restaurant will be Chinese-based, with popular dishes like fried rice, lo mien, egg rolls, etc. But as a special treat, some dim sum dishes also will be on offer.
Dim sum is Cantonese, meaning a "touch of the heart," and refers to small bite-sized dishes such as dumpling and buns that are served in bamboo steamer baskets or on small plates. The dim sum can be savory or sweet and are either steamed, baked or fried.
Dim sum restaurants are typically found in larger cities, particularly those with Chinatowns in the U.S., and such restaurants are popular in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China.
"We're not going to specialize in it, but we'll definitely have some," Yang said. The restaurant also will have another popular Chinese delicacy — roast duck.
The restaurant will occupy about 1,500 square feet, and according to plans submitted to the city's planning department, will seat about 30 people.
But the emphasis will be primarily on the grocery side, which Yang said will specialize in meat, live fish, clams and lobster. Vegetables and fruits popular with Asians also will be available.
"We're really excited about coming to Tupelo," Yang said.
When the store opens, hours will be weekdays from 10 .m. to 8:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
