We had no intention of visiting the new Japanese store Don Don Donki which opened at Orchard Central Singapore last Friday. We were using the Orchard Road underpass crossing from Centrepoint when we saw the big crowds. Curiosity got the better of us and we made a detour to see what the store with the weird name was about. It was quite crowded and so we only did a quick and scattered visit. This short post is not meant to be a comprehensive review of Don Don Donki, but hopefully will provide enough information to our readers to make a decision whether to make a trip down to the basement of Orchard Central.
Don Don Donki is known as Don Quijote in Japan. In Singapore, they are spread over parts of basements one and two of Orchard Central mall. The retail section is located on B1. This section is like a mix of Daiso, Uniqlo and a Japanese gift shop. Household items, snacks, cute things and garments are located here. The supermarket is located in B2. This is where we begin our tour.
Don Don Donki Supermarket (B2)
To us, the most interesting section of the supermarket was the Don Don Donki ready to eat items. The store operates 24 hours which means that there is a ready supply of food available around the clock. This will be especially useful when we don’t feel like cooking or if we have to serve food on short notice. The food items that we would like to try in future are the dessert items and the grilled tuna dishes. The tuna heads were huge and steaks look like bricks. They cost $50 and $30 each respectively.
Don Don Donki Meats
Japanese meats, beef in particular, are highly regarded in the culinary world. There were lots of choices available at Don Don Donki. The Hokkaido wagyu beef at $20 per 100g looked enticing.
Don Don Donki Seafood
No Japanese supermarket will be complete without the seafood section. We found lots of raw fish options, especially salmon. This will be a crowded place when people shop for raw fish for the Chinese New Year yu sheng dishes.
Don Don Donki Foods and Beverages
Apart from the meats and seafood, there are other Japanese food and produce available. There is also a big sake section. The sake ranges from modestly priced ones in cardboard cartons to premium sake such as the Dassai sake. Japanese whisky Yamazaki is also on sale.
Don Don Donki Retail
Now we take you one level upstairs to basement one. Here you can find household items, clothes, toys, snacks and health food. There is a large collection of alarm clocks. Here are pictures of some of the things (including the most disgusting drink from Japan) on display.
The Cashiers
Although there was a crowd, the shopping areas in the Don Don Donki store were manageable. The most jammed places were at the cashiers. The queue to pay at the cashiers at B1 was a long straight line (not so bad relatively speaking). The cashiers at B2, the supermarket, had longer lines that snaked around the place. Since the place is open 24 hours, perhaps its best to visit in the off peak hours (if possible).
Don Don Donki
Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road, Singapore 238896
Open 24 Hours
Nearest MRT Station : Somerset MRT
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
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in my opinion, pales in comparison to the shops and supermarkets in Japan.
i was there too, on Dec 6.
many items have prices more than double of those in Japan.
my daughter had taken a few photo.
for example, ladies branded facial masks that sell for
S$12 in Japan, are sold for S$24
I had expected prices to be about 20% more than Japan.
granted cost of air / sea freight to be included in costing but many goods are stacked
into high 40 foot Cube
Containers do not have high freight cost. therefore prices
should be nearer to the Nihon prices and not 100% dearer.
there are also locally made products such as Nissin instant noodles,
made in singapore,
not cheaper than local supermarkets.
not forgetting that this fella markets himself as a Discounter.
Hi Maurice thanks for your comments. We will put the ice cream on our to do list on the next visit!
nonetheless do try their ice cream.
flavours :
milk, green tea and grape.
i ordered the grape but other customers order
mixed.