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H-Mart Korean Grocery Store
Rating Details »
Categories: Ethnic Food, Korean, Grocery [Edit]
Neighbourhood: Downtown590 Robson St
Vancouver, BC V6J 5L1
(604) 609-4567
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Delivery:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
8 reviews for H-Mart Korean Grocery Store
As soon as I returned from a trip to Japan I was already craving a local source for the foods I'd become addicted to (Natto, kabocha creations, fresh soymilk/tofu and the ubiquitous (even in Japan) cabbage kimchi). Within hours of being back in Canada, I'd already planned a trip to T&T, but when I passed by the H-Mart on my way towards Chinatown I felt strongly that this supermarket would carry most (if not all) of the obscure Asian edible products that I was sure to miss upon my return to the pacific northwest. (also I was tired and still jetlagged)
So perhaps this grocery store focuses mainly on Korean staples, but the majority of the departments were practically identical to those I'd giddily encountered in Japan. Pickled foods, burdock root, cheap agar, fancy tamari's, fresh noodles, fresh wasabi...they truly boasted it all.
Of course I'm incredibly enthused to try T&T for the first time, but this place certainly swayed my Japan homesickness into a profoundly inspiring jolt of Vancouver's multiculturalism.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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)
