What is Hmart?
Hmart is the largest Korean supermarket chain in the United States. From a single store operating out of Queens, New York, it has grown to almost 100 stores (and continuously expanding) across America with some locations in Canada and the UK as well.
Although primarily a supermarket catering to the Korean market, it does try to cover the basics for Asian cooking in general. Staples like milk, butter and bread can be found there as well. It is rapidly expanding and can be seen on the National Retail Federation’s Hot 100 Retailers list (2020 source). The NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association with members like Costco and Amazon.
What does Hmart stand for?
The “H” in Hmart has anglicized the Korean phrase 한아름 (HanAhReum pronounced Han-Arum). 아름 Arum apparently refers to the amount (of groceries in this case) you can carry with outstretched arms. 한 Han means one. Put those together is how much you can carry in an armful.
I am going to assume it’s a positive metaphor relating to a bounty of groceries? Although now I know this, it’ll be hard to think of Hmart without picturing a person carrying too many groceries.
Up to this point, I thought it was something about beauty because 아름 (Arum) can also refer to something beautiful. Nope, it’s about how much you can hug with outstretched arms. The Hug Mart, if you will.
Who owns Hmart?
The CEO of Hmart Il-Yeon Kwon is the original founder since 1982. His daughter, Stacy is the president of the company. Hmart operates under a parent company, Hanahreum Group which is headquartered in New Jersey. It is a family-run private company.
Where are Hmart stores?
According to their site in 2021 (Hmart locations map here), there are 71 stores across the United States. The About Page says it’s actually 97 so I’m not sure where the discrepancies would be. They are constantly growing so it may be worth doing an up-to-date check to see if one has opened up near you!
Currently serving Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. There are 15 stores in California alone.
There are 13 stores across Canada, mostly in Toronto (Ontario) but also in Vancouver (British Columbia) and one in Calgary (Alberta).
The UK has 5 locations in the London area.
What does Hmart sell?
Hmart being a Korean-owned supermarket with roots serving the Korean community specializes in mostly Korean food products. However, they market themselves as an Asian supermarket so you may be able to find Chinese, Japanese and even some Thai and Vietnamese pantry staples.
They are laid out like a regular grocery store, so you will find a produce section, meats section and dried goods aisles. They will have things not found at your local Kroger’s/Loblaws/Tesco like a Banchan (Korean side dish) section, Kimchi section, Korean frozen/prepared foods and rows upon rows of rice and noodle varieties.
And the Korean booze section. Get your jollies on trying the myriad of flavours of Korean soju.
What to buy at Hmart?
Korean Ingredients (Fresh): Imported Korean peppers, mushrooms, herbs and fruits.
Korean Ingredients (Dry): Pantry essentials like Gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder), Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), Doenjang (Korean Fermented Bean Paste), Korean soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, fish sauce, salted shrimp. There are also dehydrated seaweeds, mushrooms, herbs and spices. Not to mention less essential oils, vinegars and liquid sweeteners. Dried seaweed sheet snacks, don’t forget the Gim.
More blog posts to read:
Meats: Thinly sliced meats or marinated meats (Bulgogi!) ideal for your next Korean BBQ.
Seafood: In addition to fresh fish and seafood, there are pre-made packs that include everything (like fish, spice sauce, herbs and seasoning). All you have to do is dump the contents in water and boil.
Rice/Noodles: Be amazed at the sheer variety.
I’ve got a blog post for that:
Banchan (Side Dishes): Kimchi has its own section, but there are dozens and dozens of different types of prepared banchan you can enjoy right away with a bowl or rice. Go beyond kimchi. I recommend the spicy seasoned squid.
Frozen Foods: Mandu (Korean dumplings), fresh noodles, Tteokbokki in sauce, heat-and-eat soups and stews. Oh, and the ice cream, don’t forget the ice cream section.
Prepared Foods: Delicious Korean foods that just need a quick zap in the microwave before putting in mouth.
Instant Foods: Yes, Korean ramyun (fire noodles) are amazing. Have you tried instant rice? 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave to fluffy, sticky Korean rice.
Canned goods: Canned fish is a good way to consume healthy fishy oils and add some protein to kimchi stew on meat-free days. Tuna with kimchi is a popular pantry item too.
Beverages: Korean drinks come in really small containers. Also you’ll find unexpected flavours like melon, soy and rice. Be adventurous!
Soup/Broth Ingredients: Korean recipes often use fish-based broth. Dried anchovies and dried kelp are commonly used. They sell separate packages of these, but also check out convenient products like pre-made broth packets. They come in tea bags filled with umami-making ingredients and you just pop one in boiling water. Instant broth.
Fish Jerky: There are dried fish to add to soup. Then there is fish jerky that’s been flavoured to make perfect chewy bar snacks. I recommend Jwipo, an oval-shaped sweet fish jerky. Just make sure to give it a char on the stove for maximum deliciousness. Cut into strips and drink with a cold one.
Snacks: All the snacks.
What snacks to get at Hmart?
Dip your toes into the delights of the sweet and salty junk foods from another country. Hmart understands the nostalgia of Korean immigrants and always keeps in stock old-fashioned snacks like Matdongsan (my mom’s fave), a sticky sweet treat with a break-your-teeth crunch.
This Los Angeles Times article was a nice read: “Yakult, ramen or Asian pears: What does your Hmart purchase say about you?”.
It’s always worth checking back once in a while because they will import the most popular food trends from Korea, like Honey Butter Chips (2014) and Turtle Chips (2018). Trust me, Koreans always have a new food trend going on. It’s good fun.
Is Hmart open?
Keep up to date on recent openings by visiting Hmart’s Grand Opening page.
Hmart Food Court
Depending on the size of Hmart stores, there will usually be restaurants attached to the store in case you get hungry while shopping.
Most commonly, there will be Bunsik (After-School Snack Foods) items like Gimbap (Korean rice burrito) and Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes in sauce). Some kind of Korean soup place is another favourite. A steaming bowl of spicy Kimchi Stew served with rice and side dishes will restore your energy. If you’re lucky they’ll have a Korean fried chicken place (with that awesome crunch and addictive spicy-sweet sauce). Don’t forget to visit the bakery!
If the store is large, there may be a full-blown food hall with other Asian food offerings. If the store is a smaller size, they will at least have prepared foods you can devour as soon as you get home.
Does Hmart deliver?
Yes, Hmart has a delivery service available to most in the US and UK.
In the United States, Hmart delivers to “most addresses” in the 48 contiguous states (excludes Alaska and Hawaii). There is a minimum order of $49 for free shipping (and there are ineligible for free shipping products you need to watch for). This is the delivery information for the US here.
Otherwise they will tack on a $5.99 delivery charge, which doesn’t sound bad at all, but then it goes on to allude to handling and shipping charges which are calculated upon check-out.
Some lucky zip codes New York and New Jersey have something called H-Fresh Direct Delivery which brings you, you guessed it, fresh items like produce (DIY Kimchi), meats (K-BBQ time), frozen foods (Korean popsicles are the best!) right to your door. There is a minimum spend of $35 and free shipping starts at $49. Check out eligible zip codes here.
Hmart in Canada only offers Pick-Up services and if you want it delivered you will have to go through a third-party delivery service like Instacart or UberEats. Read their pick-up policies here.
Hmart in the UK will deliver to “most addresses…in all UK areas”. They use a courier service that picks up items from their warehouse in New Malden. There is a minimum order requirement of £30 and free delivery starts at £60. Delivery may take 2-3 business days and you get a tracking code. There is an extra charge for fresh/frozen items.
If your groceries don’t tally up to £60, I’d say don’t bother because then you’re billed by zones and shipping costs range from £6.99 to over £40(!). See the details about delivery here and shipping zones here.
What’s your favourite buy at Hmart? What’s your Korean kryptonite food?