Visiting H Mart for the First Time? Don’t Miss These Must-Have Items

H Mart opened its first location in Queens, New York City, in 1982, and is perhaps the most well-known Asian chain grocery in the United States. There are now more than 97 stores spread across the U.S., mostly centered in more urban areas of the country. At these stores, customers can find a wide array of both Asian and Western products, ranging from food to housewares and beyond.

If you’ve been to H Mart before, you know it’s one of the most fun places to shop for groceries; it has a variety of snacks and treats to choose, high-quality produce, various plain and pre-seasoned cuts of meat that you often can’t find at Western grocery stores, and pantry staples that can help you make recipes from a wide variety of cuisines. But if you’ve never visited the chain before, there’s a chance that you’ll feel a little lost the first time you shop there.

No worries — we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite products you can get at H Mart. Of course, these are far from the only products worth checking out, but by reading through these products, you might find yourself more motivated to visit your local H Mart sometime soon.

Looking for a sweet snack that’s just as cute as it is delicious, with a mild sweetness that even dessert skeptics will love? Then look no further than Tokyo Banana, a soft, packaged sponge cake you can find at H Mart. The flavor of the cake itself is rather mild. Most of the flavor comes from the banana custard cream inside the cake. It tastes like fresh banana, although it doesn’t quite have that same permeating, lingering flavor as the actual fruit has (although it’s made with strained banana puree). That custard cream is deeply decadent, which will make you want to open a second package as soon as you finish the first.

To us, the real appeal of this snack cake is that it offers a restrained sweetness that won’t overwhelm your taste buds with sugar. Yes, it’s sweet, but it’s so mild that it’s far from being cloying. This is a treat that hails from Japan, which means it’s not necessarily easy to find at every grocery store in the U.S. Luckily, though, if you live near an H Mart, you can easily snag some for yourself when the sweets cravings hit.

Freshly made topokki at your favorite Korean restaurant will always be an undeniable treat and one that’s worth going out of your way for, but sometimes, you can’t spend the money and time going out to eat. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a quick topokki meal at home or need to be a pro at cooking the dish from scratch. Enter Dongwon’s Cheese Topokki, which is available at H Mart. It’s easy to make this prepared meal, even if you have minimal cooking skills or equipment. The stick-shaped rice cakes have a special soft, chewy texture that makes topokki so delicious. There is also a rich, spicy sauce that gives the dish both moisture and most of its flavor.

But you won’t find cheese in every topokki recipe, which is what sets this product apart from many others like it. It has a lovely creaminess, thanks to the cheese, along with a mild, clean dairy flavor and the kind of added richness you can only get from a generous serving of cheese. Eat it all on its own, add meat, fresh scallions, or even some steamed veggies to the mix for a heartier, more filling meal that comes together in a few minutes.

We love potato chips in all their forms, but we’ve perhaps never had better chips than Haitai Honey Butter Chips. These offer a very specific, savory-sweet flavor profile that we’ve never experienced in any American brand of chips. When you first taste a chip, you’ll notice that luscious, buttery flavor that makes them feel so decadent. After that, there’s the saltiness that most potato chips offer. Finally, you’ll get that lovely, honeyed note from the honey flavoring, bringing the flavor together beautifully. The sweetness is minimal, so you won’t be overwhelmed by sugar. Rather, it’s there to augment the saltiness of the chips, so we’d ultimately categorize this as a predominantly salty, rather than a sweet, snack.

The texture of the honey butter chips is also superior. They’re especially light and airy, but they’re still substantial enough that they have a nice crunch to them. In other words, they’re more substantial than, say, Lay’s chips but not quite as crunchy as Cape Cod potato chips, for example.) There’s also very little oiliness, and they’re well-balanced on the fat front. If you love salty and sweet flavors together, then these chips may just be your new go-to.

If you’ve only ever eaten KitKats in the United States, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Sure, we have some KitKat flavors, but most of them are pretty standard and unsurprising, generally tending toward the plain chocolate end of the sweets spectrum. However, in other parts of the world, KitKats maintain a much larger and more significant space on the sweets scene and are offered in a shockingly wide array of options. Luckily, you can try some of these flavors by visiting the candy section of your local H Mart.

One of our absolute favorite KitKat flavors is the Mini Orange Chocolate variety. With a subtle but citrusy orange layer in each cookie, you get a light touch of fruitiness in this otherwise chocolatey snack. If you’ve ever had a chocolate orange before, then you know that these two flavors work together. With both a lightness and a richness to the dessert, it feels more balanced than heavier, less fruity varieties of the candy. Give it a try the next time you want to expand your KitKat palate.

You can’t find baby octopus everywhere, much less baby octopus that has already been seasoned with a spicy and savory sauce that makes a seafood-based dinner easier than ever. That’s why we love snagging some Plz Stir-Fried Baby Octopus at H Mart. This prepared seafood has a nice, springy, and perfectly chewy texture, but it’s the seasoning that makes it shine. It packs some heat, but it’s not overwhelmingly spicy. You can always add extra gochugaru if you want an extra dose of heat. It also has a lovely nutty complexity to it, which rounds out the flavor. And the best part? It comes together in only a few minutes.

Pick up some prepared banchan at H Mart to pair with this stir-fried baby octopus for a fast, tasty meal, or add some noodles to the stir-fry to make it more filling. Either way, having some of this octopus on hand makes it easy to throw together a meal that feels special and indulgent on any day of the week.

Love the flavor of an especially decadent latte, but don’t want to drink too much caffeine late in the day? Head to H Mart to get yourself some Binggrae Coffee-Flavored Milk. This might just be one of the most delicious dessert drinks you can find in a grocery store. This creamy, decadent milk tastes like coffee, although that flavor is light, but it doesn’t contain any caffeine. That makes it a great option for people who are watching their caffeine intake or want to enjoy a coffee-flavored drink later in the day. 

This drink is ideal for a simple, drinkable dessert or a non-caffeinated breakfast treat that will get your day off to a flavorful start. It’s not super sweet, but it does contain enough sugar to keep the drink from tasting too bitter. Its creamy, milky texture makes it filling and decadent without being too heavy. There are so many delicious bottled drinks to choose from at H Mart, but this is one of our favorites.

H Mart is a great store to visit when you want to stock up on pantry staples, and one of our go-to pantry picks at the chain happens to be Dongwon Tuna with Hot Pepper Sauce. If you like seafood and spicy foods, then this is a must-try product that can elevate so many different tuna-based dishes. Simply serve it over rice with pickled vegetables for an especially easy meal, or use it in your next homemade kimbap. You can also pair it with noodles or use it to make a salad with spicy tuna. Whatever you do with it, though, it’s sure to spice up all of your favorite tuna recipes, since this can packs a lot more flavor than a brand like, say, StarKist.

Our suggestion? Buy it in a pack of four so you always have some on hand when you need to make an especially quick meal; that way, you’ll be covered the next time you want a protein-packed meal that requires little to no cooking, or simply want to get your seafood fix for cheap.

Everyone needs some basic spices on their spice rack for basic cooking, whether you consider yourself a pro chef or you’re simply trying to avoid getting takeout several nights a week. For example, you might always want to have salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemongrass, and ginger on deck for whenever you need to spice up your meals. But another spice you should always keep on hand is Chung Jung One MSG. MSG, or monosodium glutamate, can instantly enhance basically any savory food, imbuing it with that umami flavor that can otherwise be difficult to capture in a dish, especially when it doesn’t contain cooked meat, mushrooms, or other umami-heavy foods.

There have been misconceptions in the past about whether MSG is healthy or not, with critics tying it to Chinese food specifically and claiming that it caused a group of health issues dubbed “Chinese restaurant syndrome.” However, it’s been determined that this idea had racist roots, and MSG isn’t bad for you after all. And considering that it’s in so many of the snack foods and processed foods you already enjoy, it doesn’t make sense to omit it from your cooking when it can make just about any dish more flavorful. It’s a good seasoning staple to have, and you can easily find it at H Mart.

If you’re looking for a snack that’ll be appealing to nearly everyone in your household, grab yourself a bag of Nongshim Sweet Potato Snack from H Mart. These thin sticks are made from sweet potatoes and offer a lovely, ridged texture and a nice crunch. Despite that crunch, though, they’re still airy, making for a lighter, less filling snack for those times when you want to mindlessly munch a bit. The flavor of the sweet potato itself is lightly sweet, with that earthy, vegetal flavor sweet potatoes are known for. At the same time, there’s also savory saltiness there that creates a nice balance of flavors.

Whether you’re craving a familiar Korean snack or you want to stock up on foods that will cure your munchies, these chips are ideal for all the sweet potato lovers out there. Make sure that you check out the entire snack section at your local H Mart, though.

Love the flavor of wasabi, but can’t always get the fresh stuff when you’re craving it? You don’t have to go all out with a meal of sushi or soba to get your wasabi fix when it’s available in snack form with Nisimoto Wasabi Mate Crackers. These rice-based crackers are pretty standard in terms of texture, but they’re super-flavorful because they’re dusted with wasabi powder, with a flavor that comes on slowly but powerfully. But don’t worry — these aren’t so strong that you’ll feel like you’ve gotten too much wasabi in one bite. They’re balanced, with the starchiness of the crackers moderating that heat.

Pack them as a snack for your next road trip to sate all of your crunchy food cravings, or simply have them stashed away for whenever you start craving a midnight snack. For those who love the flavor of wasabi, these are an undeniably fun snack to eat.

We love having fresh mushrooms on hand, but since they can go bad relatively quickly, it can be hard to keep them stocked in your fridge at all times. That’s why it’s a great idea to pick up some dried shiitake mushrooms the next time you’re at H Mart. These may be one of the most versatile ingredients you can have in your pantry, since they can add a ton of flavor and texture to a wide variety of dishes. We love incorporating dried shiitake mushrooms into broths and soups, where they add a meaty richness and umami flavor to any liquid they boil in for several minutes.

But they’re not only good for their flavor — you can also incorporate the whole mushrooms into basically any dish that calls for them. Make sure you soak them so they get nice and soft, then throw them into sautéed dishes and stir-fries when you don’t have a ton of other fresh veggies on hand. They can play a role in pasta dishes or be used to make meat-free stuffings and fillings for dumplings and so much more. You can even use them to make gravies and various other sauces. If you have a food processor on hand, you can use it to grind the dried mushrooms into a powder to use as a flavorful, umami seasoning. The possibilities for dried shiitake mushrooms are nearly limitless.

One of our favorite meals on a cold winter night is Japanese curry. It’s hearty and warming, and it somehow always hits the spot. But you don’t have to order takeout to indulge in a rich and creamy Japanese curry. Instead, simply pick up some Medium Hot S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix the next time you’re at H Mart. This stuff makes Japanese curry a breeze to pull off at home. Begin by cooking your meat, potatoes, and veggies, then throw in the cube near the end of the cooking time. Allow it to thicken until it becomes thick and gravy-like. Eat it on its own or over rice or another starchy carb for a rich and filling meal that always hits the spot, especially when it’s cold out.

We like the Medium Hot variety to appeal to both spicy and non-spicy food lovers, since it has a touch of heat that’s accessible to most palates but can be spiced up even more with the addition of some dried chili flakes. However, the brand has different heat levels, so you can choose the right variety for you. Keep this seasoning mix on hand whenever you want to make a relatively easy meal that comes together in a matter of minutes (but doesn’t taste like it).