How to Find Asian & Halal Groceries in Portsmouth: A New Student's Guide

Moving to a new country for university is exciting, but one of the first things every Bangladeshi student asks is: "Where do I even buy rice, dal, or halal meat here?" The big supermarkets (Tesco, Asda) won't have everything you're used to cooking at home — and finding halal meat you can actually trust takes local knowledge.

The good news: Portsmouth has a solid cluster of Asian and halal grocery shops, mostly concentrated in two areas — Fratton and North End — both an easy bus ride or short walk from most student accommodation and the University campus.

Fratton: closest to the city centre and train station

Fratton Road is the first place most of our members point new students to — it's walkable from Fratton railway station and close to the city centre.

Portsmouth International Food Centre — 47-49 Fratton Road, PO1 5AB. A solid all-rounder: groceries, fresh halal meat, and vegetables under one roof.

Salam International Food Centre — 46-48 Fratton Road, PO1 5BX. Known locally for halal meat plus the spices and essentials you'll need for proper Bangladeshi cooking — turmeric, cumin, garam masala, and more.

Fratton Food Store — 41B Fratton Road, PO1 5AB. A cash-and-carry style shop — good for buying rice, oil, and spices in bulk if you're cooking for a shared house.

North End & Kingston Road: good for bulk buying

A little further out, the Kingston Road corridor (which runs between Fratton and North End) has a few more options worth the extra walk or bus stop.

Eastern Stores Grocery — 212-216 Kingston Road, North End, PO2 7LR. A reliable Asian grocery stop for everyday essentials.

M A Food Cash & Carry — 154 Kingston Road, Fratton, PO2 7PD. Great for bulk staples.

Afro-Cart Foods — 150 Kingston Road, Fratton, PO2 7PD. Not Asian-specific, but a useful extra stop if you can't find something elsewhere — Portsmouth's international food shops tend to cluster together, so it's easy to check two or three in one trip.

A few tips before you go

Halal certification varies shop to shop. Look for HMC or similar certification signage in-store, and don't be shy about asking staff directly — most are used to the question and happy to explain.

Bring cash as a backup. Smaller independent shops sometimes prefer it, even though most now take cards.

Go with a friend the first time. It's a great excuse to explore the area together, and you'll learn which shop has the best price on what.

Opening hours can change, especially for smaller family-run shops — if you're going out of your way, a quick phone check first can save a wasted trip.

Still not sure where to start?

This is exactly the kind of thing SWAP exists for. If you've just arrived in Portsmouth and don't know where anything is yet, reach out to us — someone in the community has almost certainly done this walk before and can point you in the right direction, halal shop by halal shop.