Choi's Supermarket Zuid
A family-run Chinese-Surinamese grocery institution in Paramaribo Zuid
Why Go
Since 1982, the Choi family has been quietly stocking Paramaribo's pantries ΓÇö and their south-side branch on Johannes Mungrastraat is one of the easiest ways for a curious traveler to decode Suriname's Chinese-Creole food culture in a single aisle.
The Experience
Choi's Supermarket Zuid sits on a residential stretch of Paramaribo's south side, a low-slung, brightly lit shop that feels more neighborhood pantry than modern supermarket. Push through the door and you're hit with the particular smell of any good Surinamese-Chinese toko: dried mushrooms, ketjap manis, cardboard, cold soft drinks and just-baked puntjes from somewhere nearby. The aisles are narrow, the shelves stacked high, and the mix is quintessentially Surinamese ΓÇö Chinese sauces next to Dutch stroopwafels, Javanese sambals across from local peppers, Guyanese rum below Brazilian coffee. Regulars greet the staff in Sranan Tongo, expats scan for imported comforts, and everyone eventually ends up at the freezer chest debating which Bakkeljauw to bring home. It's less a destination than a window: fifteen minutes here tells you more about how Suriname actually eats than any restaurant menu.
What to Try
Grab a bottle of Fernandes soft drink (the local classic ΓÇö try Green Punch or Red Cherry), a bag of Surinamese pinda's (peanuts) roasted with skin on, and a jar of madame jeanette pepper sauce for a fiery souvenir. Look for Chinese-Surinamese staples like ketjap asin, tauco (fermented soybean paste), and rice noodles in bulk sizes. Cold cases usually hold telo (fried cassava) fixings, saoto ingredients, and Parbo beer for the walk home. Bakery corners sometimes carry fresh puntjes and pom mix.
Insider Tip
Bring small-denomination SRD cash ΓÇö card readers work but can be temperamental, and the Choi's crew appreciates exact change during busy mid-morning rushes. If you're self-catering from a nearby guesthouse, come between 9:00 and 10:30 when produce restocks land and the queues are shortest. Ask staff to point you to the 'echt Surinaams' shelf ΓÇö they'll steer you past the tourist-friendly imports to the pepper sauces, peanut butters and cassava products locals actually buy.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Johannes Mungrastraat 17, in the Zuid (south) area of Paramaribo, about a 10-minute drive from the historic center. Cash (SRD) is safest; some cards accepted. Parking is available on the street directly out front. Typical toko hours run early morning to early evening, six days a week ΓÇö Sundays are often shorter or closed, so plan around that. Bring your own bag if you can; plastic bags are usually charged.
Pair It With
- Central Market (Waterkant) — After Choi's for packaged and imported goods, head to Paramaribo's Centrale Markt for fresh fish, tropical produce and the raw, open-air side of Surinamese food culture.
- Warung Mini Javanese food stalls — Pick up ketjap and sambal at Choi's, then taste them in action at a Javanese warung ΓÇö the flavors on the shelf make immediate sense over a plate of bami or saoto.
- 101 Suites Guide — A nearby stay option if you're basing yourself in Paramaribo Zuid ΓÇö Choi's is a natural stop to stock the kitchenette before a longer Suriname trip.
- Fort Zeelandia — Combine a morning of colonial history downtown with a swing through Choi's on the way back south to pick up snacks and cold Fernandes for the afternoon.