H Mart, you have my heart! I took me so long to get here but it absolutely lived up to the hype. When the first Florida location opened in 2025, it seemed like every foodie and influencer in the state rushed to Orlando to be among the first to post about it. My social media was flooded with videos of long lines that wrapped around the building. As someone who loves discovering unique grocery stores and food experiences, I couldn't wait to visit.
The H Mart story began in 1982 when Il Yeon Kwon opened a small grocery store in Queens, New York, to provide Asian food staples for local immigrant communities. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the company steadily expanded across the Northeast. Co-founder Elizabeth Kwon helped to redefine the Asian supermarket by designing stores that were bright, clean, and spacious, which was miles away from the stereotypical cramped, ethnic grocery stores. In 1998, the company established its headquarters in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, and in 2004 opened its first large-format Super H Mart in Duluth, Georgia. That concept became the blueprint for today's massive stores, complete with food halls, housewares, and a top notch selection of groceries. Now, with locations from coast to coast, H Mart has become both a cultural landmark and a mecca for foodies
Fast forward to today, and I finally had the chance to experience it in all its glory for myself. H Mart is what happens when you combine an Asian food hall with the Asian grocery store of the future.
Before you even reach the supermarket, you wind your way through a food hall serving everything from steaming bowls of noodles, Korean fried chicken, sushi, bubble tea, pastries, and so many craveable options. There was a Paris Bakery, Kung Fu Tea, Myung Ga, Jaws Topokki, Eggcellent, Chidon, Da bang dessert, and more. I am still kicking myself that I didn't come hungrier. There are also claw machines, video games, and a photo booth, making it feel like an entertainment destination as well as a place to get food. H Mart isn't just a place to buy groceries, it's an experience.
The grocery store itself is incredible. The bright, spotless aisles are packed with every kind of fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery items, frozen foods, snacks, beverages, and pantry staples you could imagine. Whether you're looking for everyday ingredients or hard to find international specialties, there's something delicious around every corner. I found myself wandering the aisles much longer than I planned because there was always something new to discover. They had bags upon bags of delicious rambutan, gorgeous dragon fruit, interesting mushrooms, amazing seafood (those lobster tails were really calling me), the viral crunchy chocolate shell fruit ice cream, so many flavors of Ramune, the no calorie jellies I see all over Instagram, my favorite candies, and I wanted to try lychee everything. I purchased enough snacks to take me from Orlando all the way back to Broward.
Once you step inside its easy to see why this place has earned such a devoted following. They are your one stop Asian superstore. My only question is when are you coming to South Florida? read more