Arirang Oriental Food Store

Sushi night with me lady was a hit, thanks to Arirang’s. Everything I needed, and a few Japanese Kit Kats, made for a great date. 1^st timers, have a good 20 minutes set aside; its not big but its got big selection. The whole strip mall is worth a visit so take a chance on the Beltline.

This is one of my favorite grocery stores to walk through.
I like to stock up on my korean and japanese groceries here as they have much more selection than one would find at T&T, and the prices aren’t too bad either. There are times where I look at items, and wonder if they’re stored at the right temperature… but I don’t find that it keeps me away from it. Just gotta be cautious about it thats all. They have the hard to find korean and japanese snacks here for much cheaper than T&T as well.
I love getting their seasoned squid and premarinated bulgogi. They have kimbap as well for $ 5 a tray if you’re looking for a quick lunch or snack. Staff are always super nice and make you feel right at home even if you don’t speak korean: D

I have to say this supermarket is awesome!
They are the best for Korean and Japanese groceries and they are so conveniently located downtown. It’s great because I go to downtown often.
The place was clean and staffs were helpful. They have variety of snacks, sauces and ramens (my favourite). A lot of options!
Oh! and they have homemade kimchi too! so exciting!

In terms of cleanliness, I found raw fish (Pollack) that was not refrigerated and had been left out for over a month on a shelf see attached pictures. ( Unilocal deleted the picture of the rotting food placed on the store shelf, citing it was not adhering to Unilocal photo guidelines). Since the photo was deleted I’ll describe it. It was raw fish that was wrapped in plastic wrap. It had turned brown and was growing mold with fuzz on it.
This place is also a death trap case and point leaving box cutters on shelves accessible by young kids. See picture.
I will not be returning here anytime soon.

Has all the Korean things that you need!
haha.
even like if you want the soup bowls, steel chopsticks, etc!!!
lots of sauces, and different red pepper pastes!
I agree with Jay D. prob many things that you can’t find @ T&T.

My only regret about Arirang Oriental Food Store is that it’s not closer to home. I come here once a month for all my Korean and Japanese staples, including some of the harder to find items that you can’t find at T&T Supermarket. It’s always fun to just wander the aisles and look at all the new and interesting products I may have missed on the last visit and everytime I come back, I am surprised.
Arirang carries a vary vast selection of everything you could possibly need for Korean and, to a smaller extent, Japanese cooking. All the basic staples like rice, seaweed, gochujang, ssamjang, house-​made kimchi, pickles, sauces and spices are all here. They also have a fully-​stocked meat department with all the great cuts you’re used to.
The staff is kind and helpful, always friendly and willing to help you find what you’re looking for. If you go next door through the doorway by the freezers, there’s a great shop for all kinds of houseware items like dolsot stone bowls, ceramic pots, butane burners, plates, serving ware and more.
If you come by on a nice Sunday afternoon, the bakery next door may have some nice hot Bungeoppang (the red bean fish pastries) fresh from the iron!
The convenient location is perfect if you want to do all your grocery shopping since Community Natural Foods is next door and Co-​op is a short walk away. My only other complaint is that the parking situation can be a little frustrating on a busy Saturday afternoon. But the parking is a non-​issue compared to the experience you’ll have when you come here.

i like coming here for my hot and spicy noodles. i think its a family owned business. they are very friendly Koreans. if you love korean food, come here for your grocery needs. they also have those beef thinly cut for bibimap… yummy

I wish they had more selection in Calgary, when it came to buying Japanese ingredients. Many have come and gone over the years, and it seems in order for these places to stay in business they need to over-​inflate their prices and not worry about the décor.
I always make it a point, to stop in at a japanese food store while visiting a major city in the U.S. (L.A. or San Diego). They actually have A Japan town that supports an area dedicated to just Japanese foods.
I find in a city the size of Calgary, they actually split both Korean/​Japanese foods together in the same store. Or Chinese/​Japanese in the same place. I guess whatever works.
At Arirang, they carry the usual things you might expect to find in a Korean supermarket. I find the Japanese selection is slowly dying.
I agree with other reviewers, when they say the service isn’t the greatest. I find unless you speak Korean in these stores you get treated like a second class citizen. I thought it may have been in my head, but believe me when I say they are very indifferent towards you, and it gets worse if someone they know who speaks Korean walks in the door starts to interrupt and wants something.
Items they carry on the perimeter of the store are as follows, from the left working clockwise as you get in the door. a drink cooler with coffies etc, bags of rice, coolers with noodles & soups, mayos, wasabi etc, coolers with gyoza, freezers with seafood, coolers with miso paste, a small produce section with green onions, bok & suey choy, etc, cooler with kimchi various size containers, next to that is a meat counter with pre-​cut meat for making your own Bul-​go-​gi, or Sukiyaki. Next is an open refridgerator with some homemade sushi and takeaway Bul-​go-​gi, and other items they like to put on special to «clear out «. Next is some more items, weird stuff (don’t know the name’s). thern a cooler with some frozen items you can take home to make your own sushi. Oh yeah they also have a sort of «salad bar» thingy cart for weird Korean side dishes here too.
lined from left to right in the middle (inside) of the store from memory are as follows freezer with fish, dried seaweed (nori), soups, sauces, soya teriyaki etc, seasonings, crackers, teas, chips, cookies, candies, etc.
The front ends have tea and some other items that may not normally tie in with a grocery store, like shampoo or hair dye, or massage stuff like tiger balm or something like that.
It might have something to do with the fact that theirs a small Korean merchandise type store next door (accessible from within the grocery store itself).
In conclusion, I think that they whole little strip mall may be Korean leased. Their is also a Korean bakery, restaurant, and chicken restaurant. They also have at least one more Korean leased space in the mall I can’t recall at the moment what it is.

Great little Asian market in downtown that specializes in Korean/​Japanese groceries (right next to the community food store). There are all sorts of surprises here. For example, besides T&T it’s the only place I get real Japanese curry, mochi, real Kim Chi, and asian sweets, crackers and candies. The mark up here is high, but it sure beats having to travel all the way to T&T when making asian dishes. The staff aren’t the most friendly here either. However, these type of ethnic food stores are hard to find in Calgary, so its a real oasis despite its flaws.

Decent (but smallish) Korean market near the heart of Calgary. Surrounded by other Korean stores (bakery & rice cake shops), which is convenient.

Here’s a refreshing change in grocery store; Arirang whisks you away to the Orient just by stepping through their doors.
There are grocery staples here plus attached to the store is an area with kitchen accessories and beauty products also from Korea and Japan.
There is everything here from oriental sauces to Japanese candy.
Don’t worry there are English translations too, to make shopping for everyone really easy. Prices seem reasonable but what impressed me the most was the size of the store, there must have been 10 rows of produce and hard to find food staples here.
So if you are a fan of Asian cooking, at Arirang you don’t have to travel all the way to the T & T or pay for high parking in Chinatown, this grocery store has a free parking area in front and is located just behind the Staples store on 10^th Avenue SW.
An added bonus is the Korean and Japanese butcher area which carries fresh meats and poultry.
Arirang, a nice exotic option for grocery shopping right downtown.