When I first moved to Sydney from India almost a decade ago, I remember being in awe when I walked into one of the shiny, bright supermarkets – rainbow-coloured vegetables, clear punnets of berries, chicken drumsticks in neat packages, instant foods and treats in colourful packaging. Everything was so clean, not like the markets of my childhood where vegetables often came home with soil still clinging to the roots.
The joy lasted for a few weeks until I started craving the comfort of flavours from home.
I went back to the same supermarket chains which seemed to have every ingredient you could think of – except they didn't. So I did what every immigrant student does and looked up the closest Indian grocery store to me.
Instantly, I felt transplanted into a pocket of India. There were ceiling-high metal racks stacked with jars of pickles, ghee and groundnut oil, varieties of rice and wholemeal flour in sacks as big as my torso, fresh green chillies and raw mangoes, and large trays of Indian sweets at the front.
The scent of sugar syrup and rosewater mingled with the slight dustiness of anything that sits in a shipping container for weeks, yet there’s a strange familiarity to it. Old Bollywood music played in the background, familiar packaging surrounded me, and I could hear other customers speaking in Hindi to the shopkeeper – it was in this little corner shop that I found a piece of home.
Specialty grocery stores stock products you can't easily find elsewhere.
"Any time my family and I would move, the desi store (local South Asian store) would be the first place we would locate in our neighbourhood," says culinary consultant Ismat Awan. "It was like stepping into a place of familiarity, with the faint scent of agarbatti (incense) and the rows of organised chaos including bags of spices and boxes of Shan masala [a well-known Indian brand] lining the shelves, instantly finding a place in our baskets and soon into our pantries. I think what made visiting these stores so important was their ability to help you settle into a new environment more comfortably.”
A proud third-culture kid with Pakistani heritage and an Australian and Timor-Leste upbringing, Awan's journey mirrors her parents' experience when they first moved overseas. For her, these stores are a place for sourcing ingredients for her food styling and recipe development, or when a pang for the flavours of her childhood strikes – they feel like a treasure trove of memories.
The history of specialty grocery stores in Australia
Specialty grocery stores have a long history in Australia, first appearing in the 1920s during the Gold Rush when Chinese immigrants arrived seeking the promise of fortune. What followed was an influx of immigrants from around the world, and with them came their eating habits. Melbourne's Prahran Market – one of Australia's oldest – saw an explosion of migrant and fusion cuisines through the 1960s and 1980s, where Greek, Italian, Chinese and other ingredients began appearing regularly across grocery shelves.
Dong Nam A Brothers & Co has become a Chinatown fixture. Credit: Dong Nam A Brothers & Co
More recently, Latin Deli was established in 2005 by Venezuelan entrepreneur Ben Ayala to supply the Latin community with nostalgic foods. Recognising its broader appeal, he expanded across Australia and New Zealand, aiming to share Latin culture while supporting those who have left their homes for new opportunities.
For food professionals like Ismat Awan, specialty grocery stores are like a treaure trove. Credit: Nic Gossage
Most towns now have at least one Asian grocer, while larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne support more niche outlets, including dedicated stores for Japanese, Thai, Korean and Nepalese communities. What was once only found in major cities has now spread to regional areas, as new groceries continue to open to serve Middle Eastern, European, and African communities in smaller towns looking for authentic ingredients.
These stores are often owned and operated by families honouring their heritage, weaving together the stories and traditions of their past to create connections with a new country they now call home.
Gong Grocer, one of Sydney's best-known Asian supermarkets reflects this family-driven approach. Named after the late patriarch of the family known as 'Ah Gong,' the current owners feel a deep generational responsibility to carry on his story.
"Our store exists not only to preserve heritage, but to proudly share it with customers from all generations and backgrounds, offering a space where people feel seen, connected, and celebrated," says Brian Nguyen, Managing Director of Gong Grocer. "It's a space that reflects the heart of family, and proudly celebrates Asian culture in all its richness and complexity."
Similarly, Radhe, an Indian grocery established by the Patel family is a family-run store. Moving from India in 2001, the Patels found a gap in the market for younger generations to access well-priced, accessible Indian groceries.
"We often hear from parents visiting their children in Australia that they can find everything they need here. They note they don’t quite miss India as much when they visit our store, and that feeling of creating a home away from home is incredibly fulfilling," says co-owner Ketan Patel.
From clay diyas (oil lamps) used during festivals like Diwali, to specialty items from regional India like roasted vermicelli, gram flour, and nostalgic staples like boxes of Tata tea next to milk rusk and Parle G biscuits, Radhe has grown to stock not just food supplies, but also traditional homeware and skincare products from the Indian subcontinent. It's both a nod to the growing Indian population in Australia and a genuine appreciation from locals for different facets of the cuisine.
Shaping the future
Specialty grocery stores are not just cultural capsules, but also time capsules for migrants in Australia. For us, it might mean finding the ingredients our parents and grandparents once used, or discovering the stories behind traditional dishes cooked on special occasions.
Despite being rooted in the past, these stores are creating a culturally relevant space for many second and third-generation immigrants too. They have seen significant growth among Australian customers who are increasingly curious and experimental with food, whether they're recreating viral dishes seen on social media, or participating in food tours in suburbs like Sydney’s Harris Park or Cabramatta to learn about immigrant cultures.
“Since opening, we’ve seen our customer base grow into an incredibly diverse community. We continue to serve our core group of Asian-Australians and Asian immigrants, and we've witnessed a growing non-Asian customer demographic. Younger generations are returning to food as a way to explore their identity, and we’ve noticed a real desire for authenticity and convenience,” says Nguyen.
Specialty grocery stores are not just cultural capsules, but also time capsules for migrants in Australia.
For food professionals like Ismat who has collaborated with the likes of Adam Liaw, her work becomes about showcasing the enduring appeal of traditional flavours and introducing the timelessness of diverse cuisines to a broader audience.
And for the owners of these truly special specialty stores, it’s the potential to keep traditions alive and shape how future generations connect with their heritage while simultaneously creating a sanctuary within their communities.
