Living away from home doesn't mean bidding farewell to the taste of your culture or abandoning your adventurous palate. Thanks to Belfast's incredibly diverse culture and expat population, international food stores all around the city become your fast friends to recreate recipes from your home countries.

Whether you're craving the correct spices, sauces, or meats for your cooking, local international food stores offer a passport to culinary exploration!

We will embark on a journey to explore the most accessible and diverse South Asian, Middle Eastern, and East Asian grocery stores in Belfast, so you can take your first step in bridging the gap between your home and your newfound home away from home!

Middle Eastern

Madinah Grocery

Madinah Grocery is located in the bustling neighbourhood around Lisburn Road, just off University Street and Queen’s health faculties, perfect if you're looking for fresh produce, halal meats, aromatic spices, and preserved foods.

Makkah Market

A convenient grocery store on Bradbury Place, perfect for stopping by on your way back from university, with fresh vegetables, cheeses, dates, meats, and household products from various Middle Eastern countries!

Istanbul Market

Need to pick up last-minute ingredients for your recipe or want to satisfy your craving for something sweet? The Istanbul Market in Botanic Avenue is the one-stop shop for bagged spices, halal meats, dairy, and collections of fresh baklava that you won't be able to resist!

East Asian

E Kou Xian

Located in Donegall Pass, this store offers pastes, preserved ingredients, spices, herbs, meats, noodles, and much more for your traditional recipes. A range of fresh seafood is also available here!

Lee Foods Oriental Supermarket

Lee Foods Oriental Supermarket is among the most prominent East Asian grocery stores with much to offer! From staple ingredients like meat, fish, rice, noodles, and sauces to various condiments and vegetables (Thai basil, Chinese chives, and Japanese eggplants, to name a few), this store will help bring the authentic taste of Asia to your cooking!

Camseng International Food Distributors

Camseng grocery store, located on Lisburn Road, is perfect for a quick stop if you live further away from the university. Along with various East Asian foods, snacks, drinks, and raw ingredients, it has traditional household items you might've forgotten to pack from home!

If you're looking to buy ingredients in bulk, I highly recommend this store!

Manilla

Manilla, the Filipino store in Belfast, is delightful for anyone seeking a taste of the Philippines. It has your pantry staples like jasmine rice, noodles, and sauces, as well as iconic snacks, dried seafood, and fresh fruits.

It also houses various ready-to-eat comfort dishes and street food options that will immerse you in the warmth of Filipino cuisine.

South Asian

Mr Spice Asian Supermarket

Mr Spice Supermarket on Sandy Row has a wide array of lentils, spices, dairy products, and fresh produce, perfect if you prefer vegetarian foods that take you back home. Whether you're looking for traditional drinks, desserts, or ready-to-cook meals, this store will not disappoint!

Bangla Bazaar

Bangla Bazaar has a genuinely international hub of ingredients with fish, specially cut meat and poultry (halal), and spices.

With diverse ingredients from East and South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, if you're on the hunt for a rare ingredient, don't forget to check out this store!

Whether you find yourself a new student studying in Northern Ireland, missing your traditional cuisines, or an adventurous food lover looking to explore various cultures, the international stores in Belfast are there to help you find your way one step at a time!

 

 

Find out more

Living in Belfast

India country page - information for students from India

United Arab Emirates country page - information for students from UAE

More options for eating in Belfast

Hiya Grover MB BCh BAO Medicine | Undergraduate Student | Dubai, UAE & India I'm a second-year undergraduate medical student at Queen's, originally from India; however, I've lived in Dubai, UAE, for the past 15 years. I am part of a few medical societies, namely Scrubs surgical society, SWOT, and QUB Cardiology society. Alongside these academic endeavours, I'm a committee member for the French society and thoroughly enjoy reading, horse riding, and volunteering in the community whenever I can! My journey to Queen's was a learning curve and a hugely gratifying experience; I hope to help aspiring applicants find their footing in this wonderful new environment.