On the whole, I'm a huge fan of H Mart. When they finally made their long-awaited expansion into…read morethe Bay Area, I was more than happy to make the hour-long drive just to check them out. In the years since, I still default to my longtime go-to markets out of habit/loyalty, but I've never been let down by H Mart either. Regardless of which one I'm at, I've never had a problem finding what I'm looking for. With that being said, though, I'd be lying if I said this wasn't my least favorite one I've been to.
Compared to the others I've been to, whether it be around OC or back in the Bay Area, this location feels notably smaller. While they still have all of the usual offerings and staples, whether it be their fresh produce, seafood, meats, frozen goods, and pantry staples, the range and depth of options feels comparatively lighter (fewer brands to choose from). What's more, parts of the store feel a bit cramped to maneuver around, especially when the store is really busy. With that being said, we've still been able to find what we're looking for, their meats, seafood, and produce have generally been fresh, and they still have a solid selection of sushi and prepared foods to choose from (they also have a couple of food counters inside).
Much like the store itself, the other parking lot here feels a bit small as well, especially given how many popular stores and eateries there are in the complex. Besides H Mart, there's also a Daiso, Baekjeong, SUP Noodle Bar, 85 Degrees, and several other eateries and businesses. It may not be so bad on weekdays and at off-hours, but I imagine finding a space on weekends and at peak times can get pretty competitive.
One other thing that we've found to be kind of annoying is that both times we've been here, there were folks soliciting customers as they were going in and out of the store. Now, that's not H Mart's fault, and they do try to shoo those folks away, but it doesn't necessarily make coming here any more appealing, especially with how aggressive some of those folks seemed to be (we saw one woman practically harassing her as she was trying to rush to her car).
Despite how I haven't exactly loved my experiences here, it's not like they went terribly either. Every time, we've been able to get what we needed for potlucks/BBQ's with friends and get out of here relatively quick. What's more, it's not like it would have been enough to affect my affinity for H Mart anyways. More than anything else, this just makes me like and appreciate the one by me in SF that much more!