(Above) When H Mart finally opened, hundreds of people showed up to enter the 100,000 square foot store. Many ended up waiting in extreme lines to enter. The company erected tents for the shoppers to have some shade while waiting 30 minutes to over an hour to enter.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to step inside a theme park of groceries? On September 25, 2025, one of the largest Asian supermarkets in America opened in Orlando on West Colonial. People from all over Florida waited hours in the southern heat, excited to stock up and browse the shelves stocked with live seafood, rare spices, Korean BBQ, Japanese staples, and an 11-vendor food hall featuring steaming noodle bowls, corn dogs, refreshing drinks, and desserts. More than a grocery store, H Mart is a celebration of culture and a pure example of how Asian culture has spread across America.
(Above) H Mart offers JAWS Topokki, a South Korean street-food franchise that specializes in teokbokki, a chewy rice cake in spicy-sweet sauce. Along with the rice cakes, which can be served with cheese, quail eggs, fish cake, sausage and more, they serve gimbap, fried items such as shrimp, squid, and sweet potato, and a variety of rice bowls and soup. Diners enjoy the traditional Korean spice levels. Although, almost every meal has an option to add a spicy kick to prioritize a person’s need or want to lessen the intensity of their food. (Mary Collins)(Above) During big events such as grand openings and festivals, musicians such as an Orlando based band, Sheila & The Sound, play on a stage for the food court area. (Mary Collins)(Above) H Mart has played a huge role in bringing ramen and Asian home cooking into the American mainstream. The ramen aisle at H Mart is massive, with shelves of instant noodles from Korea, Japan, and China, beyond the few brands most Americans grew up with. Ramen is affordable, customizable, and comforting, which makes it appealing to younger generations and home cooks. The frozen food section at H Mart is another reason ramen and home cooking have become easier and better. It’s packed with frozen gyoza, udon, fish cakes, seafood, and meats, and ready-to-cook meals that pair perfectly with ramen or rice. These frozen ingredients let people recreate restaurant-style bowls at home without advanced cooking skills. You can throw dumplings into your ramen, add frozen corn or seafood, or serve frozen katsu or tempura on the side. H Mart also makes cooking more accessible through cooking staples. Together, the ramen selection, frozen foods, and cooking supplies show why H Mart has become more than a grocery store. It’s a gateway for Americans to explore, customize, and fall in love with Asian food at home. (Mary Collins)(Above) The fresh fish section is packed with fish on ice and live seafood in tanks, giving shoppers a wide selection that feels like it came straight from the water. Expert butchers clean and prepare the fish on the spot, making it easy for customers to take home restaurant quality food. (Mary Collins)(Above) While entering the shop, customers pass by a small section that offers a mix of skin care, stationery, and travel sets. This includes K-beauty products like cleansers, sheet masks, serums, and moisturizers, which have become popular in American culture due to the influence K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean influencers have made on social media. Alongside beauty, there are stationery items like pens, washi tape, notebooks, stickers, and small figurines. This section is not surprising given H Mart’s broader mission to be more than just a grocery store, once again leaning into Asian culture. This time with a with a cute kawaii atmosphere for all to enjoy. (Mary Collins)(Above) Social media adds a major factor into what products are overstocked in this market due to the popularity some Asian snacks have received. These thin colorful bisuits, by the name of Pocky, are a signature Asian snack that has blown up online. They offer flavours such as chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, banana chocolate, matcha, and more. H Mart aslo offer flavorus usually only found in Asia such as sakura. (Mary Collins)
Mary Collins is a returning member of Lake Highland Preparatory School’s Upper School’s newspaper Twice-Told Tale. Mary began writing for fun when she was around 10 years old and aspires to major in psychology. She loves the beach and spends her free time in her dance studio studying Flamenco. She was born and raised in Miami but later moved to Orlando. She is currently president of the LHP Young Catholics Club, partners with Cooking Through Culture, and works with E.S.T.E.R. and The Ronald McDonald House. Her favorite subject remains English, as she follows in her mother’s footsteps through a love of literature.
