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22 reviews for H-Mart Korean Grocery Store
Review Highlights
"I would highly recommend getting some of the Korean seaweed."
(in 4 reviews)
"It's a one stop shop for everything you need."
(in 3 reviews)
"Great selection of Korean food and some Japanese."
(in 7 reviews)
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Taylor K.
Vancouver, BC
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
They don't have too many sales or choices compared to the ones out in the burbs but they have a decent stock of most of the basic Korean/Japanese items.
This is a pretty convenient location for me so I tend to go there if I need items needed to make my Korean dishes.
I don't usually purchase Vegetables there unless they are things that I can't find at a regular grocery store not because their quality is poor, it's just I don't come to H Mart for all my daily shopping needs. I treat H Mart as a specialty mart and come here only when I need something specific that I can't find at a regular grocery store.
As for the food court, they are pretty good and reasonably priced as well.
I like the kimbab rolls and the dduk bok go (spicy rice cake) at the smaller store in the food court, locate closer to the mart. The ladies there doesn't seem friendly at a first glance but once you get to them, they are super friendly and nice.
The bigger one has more variety of Korean food. Their soups are pretty good and if you want a more mild taste, I would suggest the Gal-bi-Tang or Sul-lung-tang. (Tang means soup). -
Review from Kim L.
Vancouver, BC
12/16/2011 3 Check-ins Here
For the lack of Korean groceries downtown, I suppose this H-Mart will have to do. Their prices are generally higher (location, location, location), but that doesn't mean you're getting top produce for top dollar. I always skip the meat section since I refuse to pay $20 or more for a packet of not so good looking beef, chicken, pork, etc. They used to have a seafood section, but not it's turned into a sushi/sashimi, do it yourself pre-packaged soup section. Other than that, you'll find lots of frozen meats and seafood (I wonder why) and a small fresh produce section. I usually come here when I'm short on time and already downtown.
They also have a decent foodcourt upstairs bakery downstairs--three in one stop for those who are on the go. -
Review from Diana L.
Vancouver, BC
12/6/2011
Hmart grocery is clean, well-stocked-- blahblah, groceries are groceries. Whatever.
On to their food court!
I love their cheap eats. I have soondae, kimbap, jjajangmyun. It's the best when you're craving korean food and you're alone or with a date you don't need to impress, or with really close friends who don't mind your cheapo desires.
I wouldn't order anything too complicated- their soon tofu stew is not that great. Go for simple comfort food, and think strictly bun-shik style and you can't go wrong.
Plus, you can get a table by the window with views of Robson which I find surprisingly pleasant. -
Review from Ellen L.
11/5/2011
This review is strictly on my dine-in lunch experience yesterday. H-Mart reminds me of a Korean T&T. The hot food section in the Metrotown T&T was a lunch goldmine for me. Sadly, working Downtown means that I am no longer within walking distance of cheap, quick, and relatively decent Asian food. Don't let me even get started on the Downtown food court Chinese places. The selection is abysmal (especially vegetables) and so is the taste. H-Mart came recommended and I had high hopes, which was quickly crushed.
I had the #3 Beef Broth Soup, and chose noodles over rice. The noodles were brittle, not soft and chewy, like they're supposed to be. The soup was just spicy, no other flavours. I was expecting hearty beef broth - nope. Buried within the soup were some bean sprouts, few tiny slivers of really tough beef, and broken up egg (mostly yolk). I pretty much just ate the bean sprouts and beef. I left hungry, but really did not wish to take another bite. It also came with a small plate of kimchi, which didn't taste like much of anything either.
The original recommender was so shocked at my experience. Perhaps there is some inconsistency that just happened to fall upon me. I would give them a second chance, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here and definitely will avoid the noodle and soups.
FYI - debit and cash only at the hot food register. -
Review from Fritz S.
7/6/2011
You know why H Mart is awsome?!?!? u gotta take an escalator to get in... aww yeah!!
Im a new fan of Hot Pot, you know where u put a bunch of raw ingredients in a boiling tasty broth bowl and cook it to your hearts desire!
Whenever i feel the need to entertain and host a hot pot dinner, i go to H mart to get my shit! they already have everything u need to have a successful hot pot party!, From thinly sliced beef, pork and sea food to sliced up veggies and what not
They also got a wide variety Korean Produce, sauces, marinades, (Bulgogi whaaaat) and my new found favorite, Kimchi! i used to hate that shit but now i love it like a fat kid loves cake!!! yum! u can even find things that you normally can't find at other supermarkets, yes even T&T.
If your feeling lazy to cook, there's a little food court just at the side where u can get a quick meal with a nice view of Seymour and Robson on the bottom. Speaking of the bottom, if you want to get your sweet tooth on, there's an Asian bakery downstairs selling all kinds of sweety goodness!
Granted the prices here a little steep top and bottom but hey, your in downtown, what do you expect! the quality is there so give it a try! -
Review from Melissa K.
Vancouver, BC
10/30/2011
H-Mart is one of the best places for Asian groceries. They have a lot of nicely packaged meats that you can't find at IGA or Urban Fare. They're also really clean and have a good selection of everything. There's also a small food court that's my go-to take out place. It's one of the cheaper places on the strip and the quality is decent. There's a bakery on the first floor and they make good cookies. It's a one stop shop for everything you need.
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Review from Andrea L.
Vancouver, BC
10/5/2011
I love this place, gets you in tune with all the Korean goodies available when you are in the neighbourhood. I love the vast array of seaweed, ice cream & snacks they have. The prices are usually pretty good. This week there was a ridiculous sale for Nong Shim Onion rings and some GIANT sheets of seaweed. (8X10!!) and face masks that are even cheaper than Walmart! What's not to love?
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Review from Anthony F.
Vancouver, BC
10/26/2010
This place fills a huge Asian supermarket void in the middle of downtown Vancouver. Although its floor space is rather limited compared to T&T, it does manage to cram in a small Korean food court, two fridge sections of fresh and preserved seafood, a selection of cookware, produce, as well as a couple aisles of sweeta$$ asian snacks. It has an impressive array of various marinated fish roes which is used sparingly in several dishes such as mentaiko udon.
This is the go-to place for Korean and some Japanese goods Downtown. If you're looking for Chinese then head to Tinseltown. -
Review from Mike P.
8/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
Much more expensive than the coquitlam location and the downtown t&t. Still am happy that they have this location. Used to visit regularly when i lived downtown, but now there are much more reasonably priced options closer to me.
Be prepared to pay much much more for such non-asian foods like cheese, yoghurt, cereal...the veggies and meats are reasonably priced it seems :) -
Review from Evilyn T.
10/6/2010
I came to H-Mart for my first time yesterday. First of all, what is the H for? We all know that the K on K-Mart stands for Kanada, so what's up with the H? Someone please enlighten me.
When you go into H-Mart you have to take the escalator upstairs to the grocery department to get your goods. I made my way up there to discover tons of products that I could not read the labels on. It was like taking an escalator to another world. Stairway to heaven anyone? It was food heaven anyways, and I was the minority.
I was looking for miso paste, and it was actually pretty easy to find since the store is not too big. I paid about $6 for some GMO free organic low sodium miso, (the low sodium was actually the selling point for me, I love salt, but not that much.) I spotted some other things in the store that I was curious to try, so I ended up grabbed some veggie dumplings and some gyoza sauce because I just haven't been able to find the right vinegary-spicy sauce that you get in restaurants.
I ended up spending $17 altogether and I was quickly shuffled through the line at the cashier. The cashier did ask me if I had an H-Mart card though.... what is an H-Mart card? Is this some secret society card that I don't know about to give you discounts at this other worldly shop? How do I get one? My questions will go unanswered for now, but I will find answers to your mysteries H-Mart! I'll be back, and this time I will be ready. -
Review from Bethel L.
Victoria, BC
2/19/2009 ROTD 10/23/2009
H is for Happy!
One of the greatest things about moving from Victoria to Vancouver is that there's an H-Mart nearby! I love coming here to buy all the ingredients I need for some good 'ol Korean home-cook'n -- but I also buy my daily fruits and veggies here because the prices are so reasonable! This store has everything you need from chopsticks to body scrubbers to high-tech rice cookers. Upstairs, there's a bakery with all my favorite Korean goodies and a food court with meals that are satisfying and cheap. I've also met the manager a few times and he's a great guy who really cares about his customers. If you're gonna be a regular be sure to pick yourself up an H-Mart card! -
Review from Lou K.
Vancouver, BC
1/9/2010
H-Mart on Robson is located conveniently and serves a function - if you're in the downtown hub and must pick up food for the night.
The selection is mediocre and the prices aren't great - but then again, it is on Robson Street.
To be fair, what this place is good for are specialist Korean items (such as the various pickles and condiments and ready-to-use meats).
If I have the time, I usually walk over to T&T for Asian goods - lot cheaper and a significantly larger selection - or to Konbiniya further west on Robson for Japanese takeaways and specialist items. -
Review from Tim S.
2/9/2010
I lived in Japan for a bit during high school and developed a tragic addiction to vending machine canned coffee. (Suntory BOSS is the boss of them all since 1992 -- did you know?) I'm better these days, but when I really need a fix, H-Mart's got my back.
I first encountered H-Mart back home in Virginia. I didn't expect to find one here; turns out they're an international chain. Sweet! This is a lot smaller than the Super H-Marts I came to know and love: the produce selection here -- while good, and actually fairly complete -- has a much less awe-inspiring breadth. It still has enormous goddamn vegetables, holy hell. You might be able to find daikon and taro root at Safeway, but not like this! The seafood selection is, similarly, smaller but probably sufficient... they have packages of pre-cut sashimi slices, which seemed like a good idea. I wasn't totally blown away by how fresh my salmon fillet was, though, so who knows. They also sell raw beef sliced thin for hot-pot or barbeque dishes.
The whole point of H-Mart for me is the things you just can't get at other supermarkets, at least not for a reasonable price: cans of milk coffee, bottles of Pocari Sweat & Bacchus-D and cans of Calpis Water, big packs of mugicha in the summer, furikake and umeboshi for onigiri, cooking staples like dashi-no-moto and konbu, frozen takoyaki balls, daifuku mochi or lychee jellies for dessert. It's all here! It's like being back in Okinawa.
There's a downside, there: it's a little like being back in Okinawa. This is a small space, and there's especially little room here for Western-y goods compared to some of their bigger stores. I had to duck in to IGA on the way home for a can of black-eyed peas for a recipe out of my Japanese cookbook.
I wouldn't do all my weekly shopping here, but if you do yourself much Korean or Japanese cookin' or just fancy a nibble or sip of something slightly unexpected, this is the place to get it done.
Edit: Fancy extra I forgot about -- if you buy $50 of groceries, they'll deliver it for free within downtown. I live across the creek so I won't have a chance to try it out, but what a neat idea! -
Review from Allen W.
Vancouver, BC
1/8/2010
A medium-sized market located in downtown which carries some unique Korean ingredients I haven't seen elsewhere, like bellflower root.
The aisle dedicated to seaweed snacks was impressive with different varieties toasted with olive oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower seed oil.
Prices appeared reasonable and in line with other Asian markets around town. Will definitely return when making Korean recipes and needing specific ingredients. -
Review from Sheila W.
BC
1/29/2009
A visit to H-Mart is an easy remedy when I'm missing Japan. All of a sudden I'm thrown back into the familiar confusion of trying to figure out what might be in that bottle or box, and what purpose that ingredient might serve.
It's a fantastic way to shake up your home cooking with some new ingredients or whole new style of meal. Although the food is mainly imports, the prices are not crazy.
Keep an eye out for the peanuts covered in a crunchy layer of faintly fishy batter. There's a squid smiling on the package. Don't knock it till you've tried it. They're addictive snacking pleasure. -
Review from Leanne S.
2/20/2010
Great selection of Korean food and some Japanese. Seemed like a lot of people shopped here as it was really busy.
We had some sushi from the food court that was melt in your mouth delicious and ended up buying some of those delicious Korean yogurt drinks.
I'm sure if I lived in Vancouver I'd frequent this market. -
Review from Victoria R.
BC
12/17/2008
Wow! I am in Japan or Korea, but I am not. I am in Vancouver on the corner of Robson and Seymour.
Entering through the glass doors, the teams of Asian students standing outside should have indicated that this is going to be heaven. I love ethnic shopping experiences and especially love it when I can take an escalator to the top floor of the grocery store. It is a gigantic food paradise with sushi, a hot section of Korean and Japanese specialties, seaweed snacks, chocolates and candies and exotic vegetables. So cool! I love the variety of rice dishes and colourful packaging on everything. It's a Hello Kitty heaven for food. Even if you're not hungry or don't need Asian groceries, check this place out for fun. -
Review from Havivah S.
Vancouver, BC
5/12/2010
Alright, the only reason this place gets 3 stars instead of 2 is because it was *sparkling* clean & the service was good. So, those are definitely the pros.
The con, or at least the MAJOR con was the price. I paid nearly 1.30CAD for an apple! And it wasn't organic or fany or anything special. It was kind of big HAH maybe that's why it was so much. At least it was fresh. But yeah the prices were too much :_(
It was very well-organized and put together. So there is another plus. -
Review from Adam K.
Vancouver, BC
4/21/2009
This is basically a Korean Grocery store with a small food court and some Japanese items.
I'm a pretty big fan because they have a really good selection of Korean seaweed which I regularly crave, same goes with sesame oils, frozen Korean dumplings and noodles. Basically, its a very extensive Korean T&T-equivalent. I come here to get my favorite sesame oil (Kadoya brand which is Japaense), seaweed, and a quick snack.
I would highly recommend getting some of the Korean seaweed. Basically, the Koreans oil their seaweed with sesame oil, lightly toast it, salt it, and eat it with rice (sticky Korean-style grains are best). Give it a try, especially if you've only had seaweed at sushi places. It's really a staple in Korean households and they don't really serve it at Korean restaurants. -
Review from Emily S.
Vancouver, BC
10/13/2009
Super disappointed after reading all these great Yelp reviews!!! I thought it was going to be much larger with a wider selection of Japanese items. The food court was barely operating, and I didn't get a discount on an item that I bought specifically because of the discounted price. I guess I shouldn't have expected such a grand Asian grocery in the middle of downtown.
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Review from Bill T.
BC
7/9/2009
One of the more odder places you can go to, H-Mart, which is located a block away from the hideous IGA and shouldnt be as busy as it is, but it is, bringing in the Asian population downtown, where you can buy all sorts of weird stuff with Korean lettering (the ingredients, which are always on a seperate label, don't really help, because it uses rough english language) You can find your staples here actually, everything from vegetables, to frozen stouffers products as well. But why go here when you could go to, yes, IGA? Yes, for the stuff you can't get anywhere else. I come here mostly for the strange potato chips. They seem to have discontinued the great garlic bread cheetos though.. Also, there's a cafeteria there, where, again, you can find all sorts of odd little things. A definite reccomendation to go to if you're in the area!
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Review from Katie O.
9/13/2008 2 photos
So I did some research on Vancouver for my visit and I read about this place on a blog I found. Wasn't planning to come here, but I was walking along on Robson with my husband and daughter and it was right there! AND of course I was hungry so we went to the food court to give it a try. The blog recommended the beef stew, so that was what I ordered. My husband ordered the spicy seafood noodle soup (champong?). They were both delicious! Portions were pretty big. Mine came with rice (or noodle) and kimchi and his came with some of the yellow pickled radish. The noodles were so good, my husband almost forgot to offer me any! (actually, I think he was trying to act as if he had forgotten so he can eat it all!) I definitely recommend trying out the food court if you're in the area! Too bad we were in a rush or else I would of check out the market, it looked so nice inside. I guess I'll have to go again whenever I'm in vancouver. :( (who knows when that'll be...sigh)
