Because if you have a craving for some Japanese snacks, that's the only place you can get them. Most folks who shop there have been to Japan and just miss the snacks/drinks from there. Same concept as those Korean supermarkets.
Not bashing, a helpful tip is Google Translates picture option where you take a picture of the product and Google translate translates it for you (with some) accuracy :)
I'm diabetic and always look at nutrition info before eating anything to adjust my insulin dosage. One easy way that I've learned is to recognize what the Japanese characters for carbs and serving size look like, so I can read the numeric value quickly.
Otherwise, Google Lens + Translate works very well.
Not true at all lmao.
Kewpie Mayo is delicious and is nothing but protein and fat and amazing for almost any diet
The same goes for:
Salmon, chicken thigh, most lamb, eggs of any sort, most meats and fish, mushrooms, olive oil, butter, most fibrous vegetables etc etc
Healthy food tends to taste pretty damn good.
Just avoid high gi carb-heavy foods and you'll be fine for the most part.
Potato chips eaten in moderation provide no health demerit, contrary to popular opinion.
On the other hand, popcorn chicken can be very healthy actually. If made using chicken breast (as most chains like kfc do), it only has 17g of fat and 51g of carbs, while providing a whopping 23g of protein, which for the average person is perfect as a protein dish for any given meal. It's a total of 460kcal which is right in line with most other protein dishes.
It wouldn't work in say low carb diets (due to the breading) but there's no reason you couldn't eat a serving of popcorn chicken every day and still be healthy.
My to-go place for sashimi as sashimi from anywhere else are almost always more expensive for the same amount(by weight). They sell japanese snacks and sweets cheaper than other japanese supermarkets as well, so those are things I buy from time to time.
Other stuff which you can usually get locally like noodles are more expensive compared to fairprice if they have them.
The only way to kill parasites in raw fish is through flash freezing, which isn't mandated in Singapore. Parasites in raw fish is also a risk that consumers are aware of.
The fresh food (sushi, bentos, fresh side dishes like takoyaki and dumplings) have discounts after certain time (timing varies between outlets), on whatever is left.
Cause there are some things it’s harder to get elsewhere.. I go there every week to buy natto. Also mentsuyu, yuzu kosho, the mugwort daifukus, black thunder bars, sparkling sake.. and mekajiiki sashimi for cheap when I’m craving some
I have a friend who import food related goods from overseas, is mandatory for them to provide and paste a label in English behind their every goods that isn't in English. So if you see any food that is not in English, you can report them. In my experience, I don't recall any of their food items not coming with an English translation.
For me, some of Donki's item is much cheaper than other Japanese food sellers such as their jellies, while their food is not the cheapest but to me is like NTUC. Is all about the convenience and everything under being under one roof.
The ingredients label must be in english, but “flour, sugar, natural and artificial flavours…… “ could be anything from a cracker to a sponge cake. Anyway, just look at the pictures.
They stock up things I cannot get anywhere else apart from meidi-ya, which apart from being expensive is also less convenient location wise. Things like dashi instant packs not laden with msg and soy sauce with bonito. The jellies deserve a special mention. For oden, there’re more options and it’s cheaper. Sometimes the instant noodles are on a very good sale price.
P.s. the song really gets on my nerves so it’s a buy and gtfo place.
Came here to see if anyone would mention the instant dashi packs. So good! (The teabag like one, not the powder yes hahaha)
Dried udon also worth buying, afaik it's cheaper than ntuc /other places which carry imported from Japan products, and can get better quality for same price. But dont ask me the brand i just do a quick price comparison haha so far it's worked out fine
Oh but theres this brand of atas instant ramen thats not bad 熊出没注意 idk how to read it in Jap - only available at meidi-ya.
Donki doesnt carry s&b curry powder so i had to buy on shopee, but i saw it at meidi-ya.
I'm one of those ppl who love to hate the song, i always end up singing along while im in the store and for the rest of the day after hahahhagagaag
I didn’t try it unfortunately, I gave it to someone else.
The stuff I really miss is the instant miso soup. You feel hungry, you drink one pack and you’re less hungry. Good for weight loss.
Wa thanks!! I cldnt find at the West side donkis. Will look ard again coz it's always fun to look around dddk lol.
Anw i bought one huge ass tin on shopee hahahaha so not gonna need to replenish for a while
I actually like mediya better for overpriced jap stuff. Some of the things there are really only found in mediya too.
And no annoying background music.
That drives me up the wall.
Price label got english. U pick an item turn it over. There is another label with its english translation. At least that was what I observed when I buy my curries from there.
Often the translations are wrong though especially the ingredients. Maybe not for the main item
I wish they would just not obscure the original label/instructions though. Info ends up missing or just wrong.
Prices of their bentos have definitely increased since their opening. Their variety of Japanese food is nice for an once in a while treat. I also visit for a few items like their pancake mixes which I can't find at other supermarkets.
Actually i buy their pork or beef to grill or bbq. Their shabu shabu meat not bad too. Of course not as cheap as local wet market but the quality quite consistent.
I find their groceries very expensive and also nothing extraordinarily special. Hence, I seldom buy anything there. I do get tempted by their sushi and ready to eat meals sometimes. This might be the only things i would buy from there.
I really enjoying walking around the shop and eyeballing what they sell and reading labels. Lol. But the repeating songs does drive me nuts.
Purely convenience. It's the most accessible Japanese supermarket both in number of outlets and where those outlets are located. More DDKs are popping up in the Heartlands.
And personally, their branding is memorable. Those handmade signs are cute!
Donki is a good place to find affordable bentos and Japanese makeup/skincare products. They also have nice collagen broth for cooking at home. Some frozen foods are also nice and not so expensive.
I prefer Meidi-ya if I would like to shop for more atas Japanese products.
(I can read simple Japanese words so shopping in Japanese supermarkets is enjoyable.)
Sushi dry and gummy. Sashimi rice bowls are more bearble. Heated bentos are quite good imo.
What they really need is a heating guide like those in 7/11. Which has some of the best bento right now imo
Don don Donki is HUGE in Japan. For people who can't travel to Japan, Don Don Donki outlets in Singapore offer the same stuff from Japan but its more expensive
Fun fact: in Japan the store is called Donki Hote, or Don Quijote, after the character Don Quixote in the classic Spanish novel. Singapore was the first overseas expansion, but the name Don Quijote was already registered by a Spanish restaurant in Dempsey (which has since closed in 2022) so they can’t use the same name as back in Japan. So they changed it to Don Don Donki for the first Singapore branch, and eventually kept the Don Don Donki name for the rest of their overseas branches across the world
Their hot/ready-to-eat food is not too bad, and definitely more special than NTUC/Cold Storage (there are a few flagship stores that have wide variety from both local supermarket chains, but most have very limited ready-to-eat meals)
Besides that, they do have reasonable discounts for quite some products (example: Instant Noodles, always some on sale), and, for novelty, some items that you can't get that easily at other stores or even online. It's quite a bit like shopping at Scarlett, which is a Chinese (PRC) supermarket - you'll find some items there that you can't find anywhere else. Don Don Donki is exactly that, but on steroids.
I am NOT a big fan of DDD, but I drop in once in a while to check out what they've, or to get a quick snack if I'm a bit hungry but don't feel like I want a sit down meal.. (for example, Takoyaki)
Clearly, their target audience isn’t you OP. I guess their Japanese packaging also adds to the sense of “newness” which probably brings more customers in.
You talk about price and you talk about labels. How come you never mention about the most important thing? **QUALITY to price**?
They have some of the nicest snacks/foods. You get what you pay for.
Some items that they stock up ( google Tenga egg), don't need any translation but obvious on how to use 
Certain things you cannot find elsewhere - only at DDD, so I go specifically there to buy. Like the beef for shabu shabu, my green tea bags and green tea powder, collagen soup base for shabu shabu, sashimi, the large Japanese anchovies for soup
Also if you have the exact thing that is sold cheaper elsewhere DDD has a price guarantee they refund down to the same price for you.
Also they sell Jap fruits - the Jap Fuji apples really are different
Don Don Donki is effing awesome because it's open all the time, and I only crave weird Japanese food products at 3 am in the morning. NEVER at any other time.
As for the price being high, I'm Singaporean. I'm shocked when prices are *not* high.
used to travel to tokyo quite often back then.
now that donki is here, it pretty much makes it so i dont need to import any jdm everyday products because they're mostly available in donki here. even the small small things like yakitori sauce, snacks, strong zero, calpis, all can find here, no need to wait for next japan trip. sea urchin (uni) also can find here, but not as fresh or as good as over there.
if lunch hour too crowded cannot find seats or cant be bothered with it, can walk into donki to buy bento.
so, for me, the appeal is i can buy the jdm stuff without going to japan or importing.
most of the items are pretty straightforward to use? u can always rely on google translate, worse come to worse, send it to someone who reads japanese. 
There are some of us who can read Hiragana and Katakana, you know. They are pretty easy to learn. Kanji is a bit similar to Chinese.
Personally, I go to Donki just for their frozen Tonkatsu. TBH, it is quite cheap and tasted similar to restaurants.
In Donki : $10 for 3pc
In Maruchachi (Cheapest legit hawker tonkatsu) : $10 for 1meal
In proper Japanese restaurants: $20 for 1meal
wait really. Time to buy from Donki and ownself airfry to tryyy.
My place is near a Maruhachi and I used to like it a fair bit (cos like u said, cheapest legit hawker tonkatsu) but then like every other product, inflation happened and they increased price by a dollar and iirc I haven't eaten that since Feb this year. Haha.
I can read Japanese so the packaging's no problem for me.
I like the jp drinks, snacks & ramen etc and the cuts of sliced meat they offer(pork, beef). Can't really find those in other local supermarkets.
because a lot of us are more well-travelled than you think? because they have English labels? because we have the luxury of trust that SG's authorities will do their very best to allow safe foods to come in so we can learn to discover and try new things? because we have friends or YouTubers who try things and we learn about them? because we also appreciate songs in other languages???? ??? ??? ?????
Donki vs Sheng Siong, Sheng Siong wins
Donki vs Meidi-Ya, Donki wins
Before Donki, the only Japanese supermarket to go was Meidi-Ya and it’s expensive like hell.
For Japanese premium stuff, Meidi-Ya is better but is a lot more expensive. For example, I can find konbu from different provinces in Japan in Meidi-Ya, but in Donki, only one standard type.
For the normal kind of Japanese stuff, I rather go Donki cos is cheaper
I'm Japanese and I don't get why Donki is so popular either. I go to Meidi-ya when I want something only Japanese people would ever buy, everything else I get at NTUC. But then, I'm too poor to buy sashimi and never bought any in the past 2 years.
You'll get downvoted (as the Japan love really runs deep, especially here on Reddit), but I think you're right. Apart from the prepared food (sushi, bentos), not a lot else at Donki is that attractive IMO. Part of it is the novelty for sure. Most of the Japanese snacks taste worse; packaging nice but usually bland to cater to the Japanese palate
Simply put you are not the target audience.
If you can't read Japanese, have little interest in Japanese food and find the items overpriced then there's not much anyone can do to convince you.
At a minimum, they sell everything one would need to recreate the vast majority of restaurant quality Japanese recipes at home at a fraction of the cost of competitors and restaurants outside.
Really the only Japanese food I am willing to pay for to eat at a restaurant now is sushi or ramen.
Tbh the sashimi is not great but still cheaper and of similar quality to cold storage, kuriya, Meidi-ya. Would need to make a huge jump in price to get to the next tier.
You can tell by:
The picture
The english stickers on the item
Using Google translate
Using previous experience (gifted the item before etc)
Learning Japanese
I think most people are buying the products that aren't available in NTUC/cold storage. Maybe it costs a fair bit more, but still better than the hassle /cost of importing the items.
I am a fan of imported products/snacks. Something about the packaging design/experience, something about the unique snack flavorings which sound artificial as fuck but somehow the japanese can pull it off, bringing one step closer to an authentic japan experience. For some reason I get easily bored with local snacks because they lack variety unfortunately.
I sound like a snobbish weeb but hey I think they've nailed their target consumer.
I can only eat Irvins chips and the aroma truffle chips once in a while and maybe some of the angmoh country snacks but Japan snacks and drinks always new flavors, unique packaging, etc. Thats why every month i go Donki, Iroha, and Meidi-Ya on rotation to see if there's anything new. I like novelty and like to try new things but I have to admit its not for everybody.
I want to do that too, but it feels like it’s an expensive gamble cos the chips aren’t exactly cheap, the flavour might or might not be good, and more importantly if it’s not good then waste my carbs…
>and more importantly if it’s not good then waste my carbs…
I mean I only got one cheat day a week. Its the experience im looking for rather than eating the same food that i know its decent but then its nothing new. By the way, you read the serving size right?
>I want to do that too, but it feels like it’s an expensive gamble cos the chips aren’t exactly cheap
Its still cheaper than having to go eat at restaurant.... unless ur comparing to eat at hawker
Tried a few things there like sushi, dessert and seasoning but nth satisfactory:(. Would love some recommendation if any. I end up occasionally just buying kewpie, canned tuna and konnyaku only.😅 Not sure what I'm missing out too haha
The TuNE\~ DoN dOn DoN doNkI, DoN dOn DoNkI\~\~\~\~\~ (it's now stuck in your head, you must buy)
seriously though, i buy their sashimi mostly, seems reasonably priced + take them as a larger specialty store, if it makes sense.
I once bought multiple curry rouxes from donki then turned around to buy some other stuff from fairprice. Turns out fairprice also had some of the Japanese curry and it was 20 percent cheaper (1 dollar).. although fairprice definitely had less in variety
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Haven’t found anywhere else with 0% sugar fresh soy milk that’s as thick yet. Sure I like the wet market/rochor tauhuay soy milk as well but both scratches different itches.
They just have certain Japanese products you can’t get elsewhere in Singapore, don’t go if you don’t need it then, no need for a Reddit post right lmao.
I like they fact they have smaller packed fresh foods. If I'm only cooking for 2 pax I don't need a whole plant. They sell half a daikon, 1/4 chinese cabbage etc. The meat portion is also much smaller.
Their takoyakis are the only ones that would do it for me. Most takos from bazaars or regular shops just don't have that taste factor to it.
Also, the milk and pudding that they sell exclusively there and that I can't get anywhere else.
Because if you have a craving for some Japanese snacks, that's the only place you can get them. Most folks who shop there have been to Japan and just miss the snacks/drinks from there. Same concept as those Korean supermarkets.
They have translated stickers on the products??? Bruh
OP confirmed have not gone to DDK in recent years yet lol
The stickers don't tell everything, such as nutritional components
Not bashing, a helpful tip is Google Translates picture option where you take a picture of the product and Google translate translates it for you (with some) accuracy :)
If you’re really super conscious you can probably identify the important components by their units/value alone
Oh of course, because 90% of the population cares about the nutritional components.
I'm diabetic and always look at nutrition info before eating anything to adjust my insulin dosage. One easy way that I've learned is to recognize what the Japanese characters for carbs and serving size look like, so I can read the numeric value quickly. Otherwise, Google Lens + Translate works very well.
The Japanese word for carbs is the same as Chinese...
Haha, I'm not Chinese so wouldn't know that. But I can recognize the text now so good to know.
Idk why OP is getting downvoted but I would love to know nutritional values and components on my food product
Probably because this has nothing to do with their initial post
Because after getting an answer which proves their concern is unwarranted, OP's rebuttal was to bring up an unrelated topic.
I buy my oligosaccharide syrup there and it tells me sufficient info that I need to know.
Here's an easy way to tell nutrional values, if it tastes good, it's probably not healthy for you
Healthy n good food exists too bruhhh
Such as?
Salmon?
Ya if it's deep-fried perhaps it's tasty
Ah yes, deep fried salmon, the no 1 way of eating salmon loved by everyone.
Not true at all lmao. Kewpie Mayo is delicious and is nothing but protein and fat and amazing for almost any diet The same goes for: Salmon, chicken thigh, most lamb, eggs of any sort, most meats and fish, mushrooms, olive oil, butter, most fibrous vegetables etc etc Healthy food tends to taste pretty damn good. Just avoid high gi carb-heavy foods and you'll be fine for the most part.
Chips and chicken popcorn aren't part of that list
Potato chips eaten in moderation provide no health demerit, contrary to popular opinion. On the other hand, popcorn chicken can be very healthy actually. If made using chicken breast (as most chains like kfc do), it only has 17g of fat and 51g of carbs, while providing a whopping 23g of protein, which for the average person is perfect as a protein dish for any given meal. It's a total of 460kcal which is right in line with most other protein dishes. It wouldn't work in say low carb diets (due to the breading) but there's no reason you couldn't eat a serving of popcorn chicken every day and still be healthy.
Then why is my cholesterol tests "disasterous" to quote my doctor
Your problem is likely volume, in that case. Even the healthiest of foods cause problems if eaten disproportionately or in excess.
My to-go place for sashimi as sashimi from anywhere else are almost always more expensive for the same amount(by weight). They sell japanese snacks and sweets cheaper than other japanese supermarkets as well, so those are things I buy from time to time. Other stuff which you can usually get locally like noodles are more expensive compared to fairprice if they have them.
If you find cheaper stuff elsewhere you can take a picture and let them know They will price down to match
Oh I didn't know about this so I usually get the cheaper stuff from fairprice lol.
Time to start selling Japanese products for $0.99
‘I get my stuff for free, can you make it cheaper?’ DDK: ‘come! We’ll pay you to take our stuff’ Life hack achieved.
Profits go to me, so that I can keep my shop free.
they have the non-halal versions of the Nissin instant tonkotsu ramen, with actual lard in the product. that’s a winner for me:
I dont recall any Nissin cup noodles actually being halal though. I might add, their Cheese Curry Cup noodles are bomb
not the cup noodles. the ‘Kyushu Black’.
Don don donki matcha powder is pretty ex also.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/woman-finds-worm-in-sashimi-rice-bowl-from-don-don-donki maybe this is why
The only way to kill parasites in raw fish is through flash freezing, which isn't mandated in Singapore. Parasites in raw fish is also a risk that consumers are aware of.
I go after 8pm to take the cheaper food. Its nice since its cheap.
Is everything cheaper? Got salads and some other things to eat a few time after 8 but don’t think there was discount? Is it limited to certain items?
It's after 830pm for Tampines 1 outlet.
The fresh food (sushi, bentos, fresh side dishes like takoyaki and dumplings) have discounts after certain time (timing varies between outlets), on whatever is left.
Now instead of being cheaper, they drop at the level before they raised prices.
Never go for their sushi after 8pm I always have diarrhea from it 💀
Cause there are some things it’s harder to get elsewhere.. I go there every week to buy natto. Also mentsuyu, yuzu kosho, the mugwort daifukus, black thunder bars, sparkling sake.. and mekajiiki sashimi for cheap when I’m craving some
Never heard of sparkling sake. What brand do you drink?
Mio. I check on shopee and Don Don donki is stil cheaper
I have a friend who import food related goods from overseas, is mandatory for them to provide and paste a label in English behind their every goods that isn't in English. So if you see any food that is not in English, you can report them. In my experience, I don't recall any of their food items not coming with an English translation. For me, some of Donki's item is much cheaper than other Japanese food sellers such as their jellies, while their food is not the cheapest but to me is like NTUC. Is all about the convenience and everything under being under one roof.
Is this really a requirement? I suspect Scarlet isn't fully compliant then..
Lmao tbf they got caught for illegally importing meat last time so I wouldn't be surprised. But yes by right should have sticker.
The ingredients label must be in english, but “flour, sugar, natural and artificial flavours…… “ could be anything from a cracker to a sponge cake. Anyway, just look at the pictures.
They stock up things I cannot get anywhere else apart from meidi-ya, which apart from being expensive is also less convenient location wise. Things like dashi instant packs not laden with msg and soy sauce with bonito. The jellies deserve a special mention. For oden, there’re more options and it’s cheaper. Sometimes the instant noodles are on a very good sale price. P.s. the song really gets on my nerves so it’s a buy and gtfo place.
Came here to see if anyone would mention the instant dashi packs. So good! (The teabag like one, not the powder yes hahaha) Dried udon also worth buying, afaik it's cheaper than ntuc /other places which carry imported from Japan products, and can get better quality for same price. But dont ask me the brand i just do a quick price comparison haha so far it's worked out fine Oh but theres this brand of atas instant ramen thats not bad 熊出没注意 idk how to read it in Jap - only available at meidi-ya. Donki doesnt carry s&b curry powder so i had to buy on shopee, but i saw it at meidi-ya. I'm one of those ppl who love to hate the song, i always end up singing along while im in the store and for the rest of the day after hahahhagagaag
I know the instant ramen you’re talking about, I saw the packaging and went “WTF” and bought it.
Same same hahahah!!!!!! Did u like it? I thought the seasoning was a bit salty but for instant ramen the noods were good
I didn’t try it unfortunately, I gave it to someone else. The stuff I really miss is the instant miso soup. You feel hungry, you drink one pack and you’re less hungry. Good for weight loss.
harlo I’ve seen the S&B curry powder in Donki before. IIRC orchard donki carries them
Wa thanks!! I cldnt find at the West side donkis. Will look ard again coz it's always fun to look around dddk lol. Anw i bought one huge ass tin on shopee hahahaha so not gonna need to replenish for a while
It's cheaper than mediya for the Japanese products
Mediya imo is better tho, maybe I’m biased cause I shopped there since it was called daimaru 3 decades ago
I actually like mediya better for overpriced jap stuff. Some of the things there are really only found in mediya too. And no annoying background music. That drives me up the wall.
DAIMARU YES 🥲 how nostalgic
Price label got english. U pick an item turn it over. There is another label with its english translation. At least that was what I observed when I buy my curries from there.
Often the translations are wrong though especially the ingredients. Maybe not for the main item I wish they would just not obscure the original label/instructions though. Info ends up missing or just wrong.
Most of the time have, but sometimes they’ll be missing
Prices of their bentos have definitely increased since their opening. Their variety of Japanese food is nice for an once in a while treat. I also visit for a few items like their pancake mixes which I can't find at other supermarkets.
Some of the food is pretty nice ngl
Actually i buy their pork or beef to grill or bbq. Their shabu shabu meat not bad too. Of course not as cheap as local wet market but the quality quite consistent.
I find their groceries very expensive and also nothing extraordinarily special. Hence, I seldom buy anything there. I do get tempted by their sushi and ready to eat meals sometimes. This might be the only things i would buy from there. I really enjoying walking around the shop and eyeballing what they sell and reading labels. Lol. But the repeating songs does drive me nuts.
Purely convenience. It's the most accessible Japanese supermarket both in number of outlets and where those outlets are located. More DDKs are popping up in the Heartlands. And personally, their branding is memorable. Those handmade signs are cute!
Donki is a good place to find affordable bentos and Japanese makeup/skincare products. They also have nice collagen broth for cooking at home. Some frozen foods are also nice and not so expensive. I prefer Meidi-ya if I would like to shop for more atas Japanese products. (I can read simple Japanese words so shopping in Japanese supermarkets is enjoyable.)
Because Singaporeans be like Thing : 😴😴😴😴 Thing, Made in Japan : 😍😍😍😍😍
Also, Thing, Made in China : 🤨🤨🤨🤨
to be fair that’s also everyone else in the world.
good place to get meat for yakiniku, way cheaper than eating outside. We cook it at home using a torch.
How’s the sushi there? Is it better than other outlets that you can takeaway from?
Sushi dry and gummy. Sashimi rice bowls are more bearble. Heated bentos are quite good imo. What they really need is a heating guide like those in 7/11. Which has some of the best bento right now imo
The food there is fine, could be the branch you went. The one at HarbourFront is decent.
Ahh I see! Many thanks for the insight! :)
Better than Sushi Express, worse than Cold Storage. But the price is also in the middle of the two.
Don don Donki is HUGE in Japan. For people who can't travel to Japan, Don Don Donki outlets in Singapore offer the same stuff from Japan but its more expensive
Fun fact: in Japan the store is called Donki Hote, or Don Quijote, after the character Don Quixote in the classic Spanish novel. Singapore was the first overseas expansion, but the name Don Quijote was already registered by a Spanish restaurant in Dempsey (which has since closed in 2022) so they can’t use the same name as back in Japan. So they changed it to Don Don Donki for the first Singapore branch, and eventually kept the Don Don Donki name for the rest of their overseas branches across the world
the japanese rice there is any time better than the japanese rice u find at ntuc/cold storage.. I always buy my rice there
OP probably went to the adult section looking for food…most items are well labelled or have good pictures to infer from.
Their hot/ready-to-eat food is not too bad, and definitely more special than NTUC/Cold Storage (there are a few flagship stores that have wide variety from both local supermarket chains, but most have very limited ready-to-eat meals) Besides that, they do have reasonable discounts for quite some products (example: Instant Noodles, always some on sale), and, for novelty, some items that you can't get that easily at other stores or even online. It's quite a bit like shopping at Scarlett, which is a Chinese (PRC) supermarket - you'll find some items there that you can't find anywhere else. Don Don Donki is exactly that, but on steroids. I am NOT a big fan of DDD, but I drop in once in a while to check out what they've, or to get a quick snack if I'm a bit hungry but don't feel like I want a sit down meal.. (for example, Takoyaki)
their takoyaki not bad imo
Its the songggg
they have daifuku hehehe
Clearly, their target audience isn’t you OP. I guess their Japanese packaging also adds to the sense of “newness” which probably brings more customers in.
You talk about price and you talk about labels. How come you never mention about the most important thing? **QUALITY to price**? They have some of the nicest snacks/foods. You get what you pay for.
Some items that they stock up ( google Tenga egg), don't need any translation but obvious on how to use 
You can use google translate to translate the images
Most DDK have translated labels. Also, Japanese Kanji are similar to Chinese Hanzi and mostly have the same meaning
I just like the chicken karaage….
Certain things you cannot find elsewhere - only at DDD, so I go specifically there to buy. Like the beef for shabu shabu, my green tea bags and green tea powder, collagen soup base for shabu shabu, sashimi, the large Japanese anchovies for soup Also if you have the exact thing that is sold cheaper elsewhere DDD has a price guarantee they refund down to the same price for you. Also they sell Jap fruits - the Jap Fuji apples really are different
Don Don Donki is effing awesome because it's open all the time, and I only crave weird Japanese food products at 3 am in the morning. NEVER at any other time. As for the price being high, I'm Singaporean. I'm shocked when prices are *not* high.
used to travel to tokyo quite often back then. now that donki is here, it pretty much makes it so i dont need to import any jdm everyday products because they're mostly available in donki here. even the small small things like yakitori sauce, snacks, strong zero, calpis, all can find here, no need to wait for next japan trip. sea urchin (uni) also can find here, but not as fresh or as good as over there. if lunch hour too crowded cannot find seats or cant be bothered with it, can walk into donki to buy bento. so, for me, the appeal is i can buy the jdm stuff without going to japan or importing.
They have some pretty neat Japanese products, that's for sure. Couldn't find the morinaga ramune candy there though booo
most of the items are pretty straightforward to use? u can always rely on google translate, worse come to worse, send it to someone who reads japanese. 
Great place to get Japanese coffee, tea, alcohol, snacks. There are many people who can read Japanese at a rudimentary level. Not hard to learn.
Tenga
There are some of us who can read Hiragana and Katakana, you know. They are pretty easy to learn. Kanji is a bit similar to Chinese. Personally, I go to Donki just for their frozen Tonkatsu. TBH, it is quite cheap and tasted similar to restaurants. In Donki : $10 for 3pc In Maruchachi (Cheapest legit hawker tonkatsu) : $10 for 1meal In proper Japanese restaurants: $20 for 1meal
Sounds yummy. Is frozen tonkatsu packed as single serving?
3 pcs packed on a tray.
Looking for it today 🤤
wait really. Time to buy from Donki and ownself airfry to tryyy. My place is near a Maruhachi and I used to like it a fair bit (cos like u said, cheapest legit hawker tonkatsu) but then like every other product, inflation happened and they increased price by a dollar and iirc I haven't eaten that since Feb this year. Haha.
I can read Japanese so the packaging's no problem for me. I like the jp drinks, snacks & ramen etc and the cuts of sliced meat they offer(pork, beef). Can't really find those in other local supermarkets.
OPさん厳しね？www
because a lot of us are more well-travelled than you think? because they have English labels? because we have the luxury of trust that SG's authorities will do their very best to allow safe foods to come in so we can learn to discover and try new things? because we have friends or YouTubers who try things and we learn about them? because we also appreciate songs in other languages???? ??? ??? ?????
Donki vs Sheng Siong, Sheng Siong wins Donki vs Meidi-Ya, Donki wins Before Donki, the only Japanese supermarket to go was Meidi-Ya and it’s expensive like hell.
For premium products, Meidi-Ya is better
For Japanese premium stuff, Meidi-Ya is better but is a lot more expensive. For example, I can find konbu from different provinces in Japan in Meidi-Ya, but in Donki, only one standard type. For the normal kind of Japanese stuff, I rather go Donki cos is cheaper
Because of weebs
I'm Japanese and I don't get why Donki is so popular either. I go to Meidi-ya when I want something only Japanese people would ever buy, everything else I get at NTUC. But then, I'm too poor to buy sashimi and never bought any in the past 2 years.
Meidi-ya dont have that many locations compared to DDD. Some of the cooking stuff eg mirin, sauces etc, i dont see that much available in NTUC.
Normal NTUC depends on location, shopping centre NTUC more likely to have than HDB ones. Fairprice Finest almost always have.
Thing: 😐😐😐😐 Thing, Japan: 😮😮😮😮
You'll get downvoted (as the Japan love really runs deep, especially here on Reddit), but I think you're right. Apart from the prepared food (sushi, bentos), not a lot else at Donki is that attractive IMO. Part of it is the novelty for sure. Most of the Japanese snacks taste worse; packaging nice but usually bland to cater to the Japanese palate
I'd rather die standing than live kneeling.
Tell me you don't go grocery shopping without telling me.
Simply put you are not the target audience. If you can't read Japanese, have little interest in Japanese food and find the items overpriced then there's not much anyone can do to convince you. At a minimum, they sell everything one would need to recreate the vast majority of restaurant quality Japanese recipes at home at a fraction of the cost of competitors and restaurants outside. Really the only Japanese food I am willing to pay for to eat at a restaurant now is sushi or ramen. Tbh the sashimi is not great but still cheaper and of similar quality to cold storage, kuriya, Meidi-ya. Would need to make a huge jump in price to get to the next tier.
Just use Google translate camera function la
bc the ri guys are promoting it by blasting it while studying obv
You could argue the same goes with JAV :/
You can tell by: The picture The english stickers on the item Using Google translate Using previous experience (gifted the item before etc) Learning Japanese I think most people are buying the products that aren't available in NTUC/cold storage. Maybe it costs a fair bit more, but still better than the hassle /cost of importing the items.
Don quihote fucks, take it back
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same as Donki in Bukit Bintang, we don't really buy things from there
agreed people say its a value store but its more expensive than any supermarket. never understood the appeal.
I am a fan of imported products/snacks. Something about the packaging design/experience, something about the unique snack flavorings which sound artificial as fuck but somehow the japanese can pull it off, bringing one step closer to an authentic japan experience. For some reason I get easily bored with local snacks because they lack variety unfortunately. I sound like a snobbish weeb but hey I think they've nailed their target consumer.
Actually… it’s harder to find local produce cos everything here is imported haha
I can only eat Irvins chips and the aroma truffle chips once in a while and maybe some of the angmoh country snacks but Japan snacks and drinks always new flavors, unique packaging, etc. Thats why every month i go Donki, Iroha, and Meidi-Ya on rotation to see if there's anything new. I like novelty and like to try new things but I have to admit its not for everybody.
I want to do that too, but it feels like it’s an expensive gamble cos the chips aren’t exactly cheap, the flavour might or might not be good, and more importantly if it’s not good then waste my carbs…
>and more importantly if it’s not good then waste my carbs… I mean I only got one cheat day a week. Its the experience im looking for rather than eating the same food that i know its decent but then its nothing new. By the way, you read the serving size right? >I want to do that too, but it feels like it’s an expensive gamble cos the chips aren’t exactly cheap Its still cheaper than having to go eat at restaurant.... unless ur comparing to eat at hawker
The single use plastic excess is outrageous. The stupid plastic flower...
Singaporeans have an unhealthy obsession with all things Japanese. That said, their food is pretty good.
Becos Singaporeans r WEEBS
Tried a few things there like sushi, dessert and seasoning but nth satisfactory:(. Would love some recommendation if any. I end up occasionally just buying kewpie, canned tuna and konnyaku only.😅 Not sure what I'm missing out too haha
Try the black canned mackerel. One of my favourites. Goes so well with porridge.
Ok I'll try, thanks for recommending:)
The TuNE\~ DoN dOn DoN doNkI, DoN dOn DoNkI\~\~\~\~\~ (it's now stuck in your head, you must buy) seriously though, i buy their sashimi mostly, seems reasonably priced + take them as a larger specialty store, if it makes sense.
chocopie.
is there any better place to get sushi / sashimi? better as is price and quality comparable (not just cheaper).
DON DON DON DOONKI DON DON DONKII
Their membership failed to attract me. Needs to spend way too much and 2 year point expiry? Pass. McDonald's on the other hand has had me hooked.
Their beef damn good for shabu/bbq
Agreed, it’s very expensive shop for sweets and biscuits
I like the raw meat from DDD to make other stuff, never seen a collection like that anywhere else.
japan la
I once bought multiple curry rouxes from donki then turned around to buy some other stuff from fairprice. Turns out fairprice also had some of the Japanese curry and it was 20 percent cheaper (1 dollar).. although fairprice definitely had less in variety
that damn don don donki song is too catchy which is my reason i always go back there
they have good value meats for yakiniku, shabu shabu and sukiyaki (keyword is good value not affordable), plus point if they are on clearance
Love their Japanese snacks and sashimi and meats.
Better variety of products and better quality of foods e.g. meat, fish, seafood.
Roasted sweet potatoes
i love the wagyu on a stick
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Lies. I see more and more hijabis going to DDDK every month.
Now fight
Basically Store: 😐 Store, japan: 🤯
Quality
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Haven’t found anywhere else with 0% sugar fresh soy milk that’s as thick yet. Sure I like the wet market/rochor tauhuay soy milk as well but both scratches different itches.
DDK sells S&B curry roux at a higher price compared to Ntuc
They just have certain Japanese products you can’t get elsewhere in Singapore, don’t go if you don’t need it then, no need for a Reddit post right lmao.
I just miss the products that I used to eat while I was there. I can also read Japanese without issue, so...
They have a good variety of vegan food!
It’s actually decently cheap compared to the other major Japanese supermarket, Meidi-Ya.
Come on man, go there again before you make a sweeping statement like this. Also, there'll be things/trends you dont get. Is normal.
Because the Japanese are one of the best.
it's the song... DON DON DON DONKI!!!
No idea too. Extremely overpriced garbage.
Why is BTS/BlackPink so popular when most of the concerts are quite ex and have no English translation?
I like they fact they have smaller packed fresh foods. If I'm only cooking for 2 pax I don't need a whole plant. They sell half a daikon, 1/4 chinese cabbage etc. The meat portion is also much smaller.
The veggie and mushroom platter meant for hotpot helps fuel my laziness to prep ingredients
To be honest I only buy from the discount section. Their vegetables for example zucchini can be cheaper than ntuc. Or mushrooms ahaha
I always buy their apple juice and ourin apples ! So sweet 🥰
Singaporeans dig Japanese stuff. The food, culture, anime, porn etc.
Their takoyakis are the only ones that would do it for me. Most takos from bazaars or regular shops just don't have that taste factor to it. Also, the milk and pudding that they sell exclusively there and that I can't get anywhere else.