H Mart is a Korean chain supermarket with a large cult following. This one is in Burlington, MA. It opened quite recently in 2009. It also has a bakery, food court, beauty store, and stationery store inside. I have visited other H Mart locations in my travels and this one is spacious! One of the key things that I like to emphasize about this particular Asian market chain is that it is very clean, organized and there’s an abundance of Korean items. There are certainly Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai items as well, but the focus here is on Korean foods. There’s a household section that has very interesting kitchen and cleaning supplies.
Banchan- small assorted side dishes served with rice
Produce here can be good buys. If you don’t shop wisely however, some of the foods are not exactly as cheap as in other Asian Markets. Other downfalls include the limited parking which makes the market very busy. It’s best to go during off-hours. On weekends, H Mart is a madhouse! Plus there are tons of free samples every corner you turn. In a short walk, I tried steamed mussels, yakitori, kalbi, fried scallion pancake, fried rice, miso soup, gyoza, a melon ice pop, ginger soda, and honey tea. An entire meal really! The meat and seafood areas have a wide selection that can be overwhelming. There’s whole aisle of interesting things to find. The food court is a bit over-priced but also a good experience.
I always like to pick up some bulgolgi or kalbi for grilling, mochi in black sesame, strawberry or green tea with adzuki filling, pork and leek gyoza, super spicy ramen in economy packs for those quick meals, or red bean doughnuts and creme choux from Tous Les Jours. You should check out H Mart even if it’s just a one time thing to check out the crowds.
