Expanding your food horizons beyond the supermarket can be tough. But if you're looking for hard-to-find items from distant lands, an ethnic market is your best bet. Many of these shops are tucked around Rochester and are full of character. They offer ridiculously low prices that most (if any) grocery chains can't beat. Here's a list of some of the most prominent Asian markets around Rochester.

Asian Food Market

This large store in a former furniture outlet is about as close to the Wegmans experience as you'll get in the local Asian market scene. Tiled floors, bright florescent lights, wide aisles with well-stocked shelves, dozens of frozen-food coolers, and three checkout aisles: it's an impressive operation. You'll also find fresh fish - and by "fresh" I mean "alive," with tanks of live striped bass, black grouper, Dungeness crab, lobster, and more, plus more whole fish (and snails!) for sale on ice. Asian Food Market also has a decent selection of fresh produce, including exotic items like Chinese celery, long squash, and lotus root. The soda-beverage aisle is like something out of Willy Wonka's factory, filled with items of all different colors and flavors. (1885 Brighton Henrietta Town Center Rd, 292-9888)

Asia Market

Asia Market specializes in Korean food, although it has some Japanese items, too, including an entire aisle devoted to nothing but seaweed wrappers and soy sauce. The atmosphere is similar to a corner store or small-town grocery: very bright and well organized. Refrigerated cases carry tofu, noodles, and soup stock, while the cooler by the register has a small selection of prepared foods, including seasoned dried shrimp, octopus, and more. The adjoining room features a variety of teas, plus knick-knacks, cookware, and even beauty products. (3047 W Henrietta Rd No. 12, 424-3922)

Chang's Oriental Food Store

Chang's focus is on Korean food and goods. In addition to the typical bulk bags of rice, every conceivable kind of Asian noodle, and assorted other dry goods, this is a good place to pick up Korean staples like Korean barbecue sauce and kimchi, of which there are numerous brands. While light on fresh produce, the store has quite a few frozen-food coolers stuffed with a variety of proteins, like beef, pork, and shellfish. The coolest part of the store is the racks of Korean movies available for rent on VHS, plus other unexpected items, like Korean hair care products. Be aware that the interior isn't the most inviting, and the owners seemed less than helpful when we stopped by. (1867 Mount Hope Ave, 426-7660)

Hikari Foods and Grocery

Hikari has a Manhattan vibe: it's a tiny squeeze, but you know you'll find everything you could ever want, including an open fish tank with halibut swimming around in the back. Hikari's selection of Asian food includes fresh vegetables and meats, a good-sized frozen selection, udon noodles, kimchi, teas, herbs, and tons of items with Mandarin writing on them that I couldn't totally identify. Prices are very low, and you'll also find toys for the kids. (1667 Mount Hope Ave, 461-3180)

Lee's Oriental Food

Lee's is located in one of the warehouses in the Regional Market, although it originally opened on Lake Avenue in 1976. It made the move to Henrietta 10 years ago to better serve its Asian restaurant clientele, and features products from a variety of different cuisines - Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Laotian, Vietnamese, Korean, etc. The refrigerated cases are a wonderland of fascinating foods: cooked salted duck eggs, pickled plums, fish balls, mochi ice cream. Toward the back you can buy roasted duck by the whole or half, plus roast pork by the pound. The dry good selection is tough to beat, with myriad options for rice, noodles, sauces, and sweets. You'll also find a nice selection of fresh produce, including Thai eggplant, Chinese cabbage, and more. The employees were extremely friendly and happy to answer stupid questions from unenlightened reporters. (900 Jefferson Rd, Suite 1, 272-7020)

Ocean Garden

Ocean Garden offers hard-to-find Asian foods at low prices. It mostly specializes in Cantonese and South East Asian options, but the selection includes frozen items, spices, noodles, sauces, teas, pickled ginger, and bamboo shoots. The staff is very helpful. Keep in mind that the low-key entrance can be easy to miss  - it's located right next to the Cinema. (971 S. Clinton, 271-3705)

West Lake

This tiny shop with an even tinier parking lot specializes in Cantonese products. It's an odd setup: you walk through several small, wood-paneled rooms filled with tight aisles that are stocked sky-high with all manner of dry goods. There's a very small selection of fresh produce and refrigerated products, and one tank in the back is stocked with live fish (tilapia when we visited). The shop is best known for its fresh noodles, which are apparently made on the premises. But you have to ask for them; they are not stocked on the sales floor. (85 Commerce Dr, 334-0372)

Win Fa Market

Thanks to Win Fa I now know the going rate for fresh octopus ($3.95lb, if you're curious). This neighborhood grocery store has a lot to offer, with a bulk section offering mung, red, and soy beans, a large array of canned goods, whole sections devoted to cookware (perhaps you need a Mr. Bean soy milk machine or bamboo steamer?) and Chinese novelties, plus an extensive refrigerated section for a space so small - I counted 13 coolers. Those cases were stuffed with seafood (more octopus, in every possible permutation), chicken feet, and more. The deli case carries even more exotic options, including pork tongues, stomach, heart, and uteri available by the pound. (4 Lake Ave, 546-1250)