You could drive past it without a second glance. But behind an unassuming storefront on Westheimer sits Daido Market, Houston’s oldest Japanese grocery store, with roots stretching back nearly five decades.
Inside, imported snacks and drinks share space with ingredients for Japanese home cooking. The real lunchtime draw? A deli making rice balls, bento boxes, pork cutlet, grilled fish and shrimp tempura in-house. Come for groceries; leave with lunch.
A Little Market With A Long Houston History
Daido opened in 1978 as Houston’s first major Japanese grocery store. It became much more than somewhere to stock the pantry: customers checked community notices, found tutors and music teachers, and picked up foods for Japanese holiday celebrations. Some traveled from Louisiana and Oklahoma with ice chests to take their shopping home.
In September 2019, after 41 years in business, the market closed amid declining sales and growing competition from larger Japanese retailers.
For longtime customers, the loss was personal. Store manager Toyo Hagiwara described shoppers becoming emotional and asking whether there was anything they could do to keep it alive.
The closure proved temporary. By December 2019, Daido had reopened under new ownership granting a new chapter to the neighborhood institution.
Go For The Bento, Browse The Shelves
For a first visit, the deli offers a straightforward introduction. Daido lists rice balls, bento, beef bowls, pork cutlet, grilled mackerel, salmon, fried oysters, shrimp tempura and broiled eel among its prepared foods, which it says are made in-house daily. Then explore the Japanese sweets, snacks and groceries—whether you’re stocking up on familiar favorites or choosing something new.
Daido Market is located at 11146 Westheimer Road. Its hours are Monday–Saturday: 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m; Sunday: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
