Our favorite Asian market in Denver is right in the middle of downtown

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).

In last week’s Staff Favorites, we told you about our favorite Eastern European market in Denver proper. This week, we’re sharing our favorite Asian market — right in the heart of downtown.

When I was a kid growing up on a tiny rural peninsula in Northeast Ohio, if you wanted to sample any food other than burgers, pizza or Italian, it required a two-hour drive to one of several nearby cities — usually Detroit or Cleveland, where I would marvel at international enclaves and dishes and cuisines I’d never even heard of.

Fast-forward to 2019, when I finally moved near the nucleus of a major American metropolitan area — Denver. But by now, the rising cost of doing business in a city center has driven many cities’ best international cusines out to the suburbs, and I hate the idea of 20 minutes in the car just to find decent fresh lemongrass, galangal or pork belly.

Which is why I fell deeply in love with Pacific Mercantile Company at Lawrence and 19th streets, a Japanese grocery that carries everything from handmade ceramics to specialized cookbooks and an incredible selection of teas, snacks, confections and fresh seafood. Even better: The Sakura Square grocer has been owned by the same family for more than 75 years, and you can feel the love in their sourcing.