Palama Supermarket

Today I ordered take out for my folks and husband from the Makaloa Palama Market.
The Spicy Squid Plate was so full of onions, zucchini, carrots with VERY VERY FEW squid.
The sauce was bland and watery. I could not believe how little their portions were, but in this case since it was so horrible it did’nt matter.
The Meat Juhn plate, my Mom tossed it out since it was so mushy and the beef was way too thin. So basically, you get the batter over rice.
Bi Bim Plate. Okay, but there were very stingy on the vegetables and there was about 1 tablespoon of beef. Really got ripped off here.
The manager was off today for me to complain. I will call again, but truly I don’t think my complaint will do any good. They hire cooks that just don’t know how to prepare food.
So here I prefer to inform all who care to forget this MAKALOA branch and go straight to the Dillingham PALAMA MARKET with cooks who knows the flavors of Korean dishes.
Don’t waste your hard earn money here. I will never return to this store ever again.

Get your Korean ingredients here! Fresh veggies and prepared raw meat ready for your grill. Lots to choose from at the pickled veggies/​kimchee bar, take what you want and the only thing I think you can’t buy here to complete your meal is mac salad (I concede that’s not Korean, but I always wish I could buy it there also).
Other stuffs like Korean cosmetics and cookware, frozen mandoo and take & go munchables.
When I lived in Korea I became a fan of canned pepper tuna and I finally found it here! Add rice and gim (Korean nori) and go to town on it!

Great to load up in korean goodies! Kim chee to seasoned anchovies! There small food court is pretty Guud. I really enjoy the chicken katsu! A cute little corner with Korean cosmetics! Amorepacific lovers you will enjoy the other products the company has to offer. Only down side small parking lot thus 4 stars.

My goodness. Why are things so pricy in Hawaii? A jar of kimcee is $ 22… wow! The parking is bit hectic but free. We bought ghimbahp (korean sushi roll) and japchae (potatoe noodles). They were both a ok. There were variety of Korean side dishes which were sold per lbs. Will be buying kimchee from Costco which is $ 6.99 per jar.

Since moving to the Ala Moana Center neighborhood, I’m finding that I’m surrounded by many wonderful businesses, most of which include various ethnic restaurants and supermarkets. When I cook at home, yes, I actually do cook and bake… I’ve recently added Korean cuisine to my so-​called repertoire. Palama Supermarket has come to my «rescue» when I look for ingredients for some recipes or when I want to experiment.
This market has its own parking lot at its street level entrance and additional spaces on its rooftop. To aid customers with its limited parking at its entrance, there is usually an attendant who will direct you to a space or have you wait if the lot is full. This 2-​story building has other businesses above the market such as a nail and hair salon (I haven’t wandered upstairs so I’m not really sure).
Anyway, from the entrance, to your immediate right is their food court. The Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) place, Vons, is located here. As you pass by the cashier stands, you’ll proceed into the clean, bright and amazingly quite odor-​free market. They have a great selection of freshly prepared food items that are wrapped and ready to go or if you’re looking for banchan, there is a bar from which you select items from and you’re charged by weight of your selection. There is a smallish area of fresh produce and fruits where you can buy scallions, turnips, potatoes or mangoes and more at quite low prices. Fresh meat, poultry, seafood can be found in refrigerated display cases toward the back of the market. As you roam further about this Korean wonderland, you start to see small electronics, liquor and beer, rice, grains, snacks and more that can aid you in your daily life.
Even if you don’t read or speak the Korean language, you can ask their friendly clerks for assistance or read the product translations, if available. Most times, if it looks good, I’ll just buy it, take it home and play «Mad Scientist».
#563

I like to stop here to pick up by banchan/​side treats as they have a pretty good array of dishes, my favorite is the fishcake, spicy raw crab, and the oysters. It’s all tasty and fresh.
They also have good choices of rice cake and wrapped meals to go.
The prices of the plate lunches and food is very affordable, $ 6 – 8 for most dishes which you can’t beat!

I am a Kim Chee enthusiast, so you can imagine my enjoyment when I walked into Palama Market and set eyes on their Kim Chee bar!
More than just the enormous selection of Kim Chee, Palama Market offers a variety of Asian food products, and both fresh and frozen meats and produce.
I went down every single aisle in fascination, eyeing all of the sauces, noodles and vegetable. They even have cleaning products! My favorite part is obviously the Kim Chee bar, but also the food court! Not only can you buy your Asian products but you can eat the real thing too!
My only hesitation with rating this five stars is that Palama Market is kind of daunting for the «non-​Korean». It can be a bit overwhelming as everything is in Korean and most of the patrons and workers are speaking Korean. :/

Well it’s small, but it got pretty much every thing I need, so I like it. Even the same item, their price is cheaper than the one across the street. Maybe the quality sacrificed a little. They got bonus point for the food court enbedded in it!

Daekbokki with pork, with the bits of meat a little fatty, $ 5.
Pumpkin and mochi rice dessert, $ 5. Chewy, nutty (from the black or mung beans), not overly sweet, with a hint of salty/​savory. Just a hint.
Perfect dinner to end a tiring holiday afternoon of shopping and endless cooking prep.
If you don’t wanna pay Von’s chicken prices, and don’t mind fried (versus broasted) chix, there’s KFC (Korean fried chicken) as an offering in the kim chee bar – around $ 7/​lb, if I recall correctly.
Go to the many pre-​made food tables in the middle of the day; you can have a decent meal for under $ 10, with two dishes included. Or, if times are hard, for under $ 5 (one dish).
Grocery/​fresh fruits and veggie sections seem well priced and reasonably fresh. Competitive with local stores, if not CostCo/Sam’s Club.
As others have mentioned, some relatively inexpensive dishes in the main K-​bento section of the food court. Some dishes as cheap as $ 5 – 6, but most around $ 9 – 10.
Overall, well worth the trip.
Parking lot sucks; feels designed so you might crash into another car or shopper – leave your car at the Don Quixote covered lot, walk over.

When you think of Korean market, Palama is the first to come to mind. They have a great selection of whatever you are looking for in Korean. I love to come here when I make my own bi bim bap as they have a great selection of banchan. When I want to cook other Korean dishes, I simply ask the clerks for help and they are very accommodating. Nice store with full shelves which makes coming here enjoyable.

Conveniently located and great options in their grab and go sections. I got some choy sum and seasoned squid from their hot/​cold line and a kim bap with fish cake. The cashier spoke very little English but was very sweet as I returned because I just bought spoiled milk.
I was very disappointed that they didn’t have ‘Potato Noodle Soup’ but I was able to finally get my hands on it next door.

Unfortunately we don’t have much choices when it comes to korean markets here in Hawaii. Palama market has all the basic korean goodies to keep me feeling Korean but always wished they had a little more authentic food there. But couple things to come here for sure… Soju if on sale (usually 2.99), spicy ramen, and check out the meat section and get the pork belly! Great prices!
On and I must mention that these guys have the least friendly cashiers on the island. I know majority of the no speak engrish but smiles go along way.

Not a bad place to have a meal. it’s my first time to eat at a food court in a supermarket and let me tell you that it is a good place to eat and relax after shopping and enjoy. It was my very first time to eat something like this because since I had korean food recently, i think that it was a wonderful experience for me to try and let me tell you can’t find good Korean food like this anywhere else and thensome. I’m glad to try this place out and it is highly recommended that you try it out so that way you can experience going to eat and relax after a day of shopping and just anywhere that you want to go. i hope that i will be able to go there again soon and will be able to go again soon to eat again soon.

While walking to Don Quijote from the bus stop, I stumbled into this gem of a market. Palama is Korean grocery store which has every Korean item you can think of. I was quite impressed with their Kimchee bar, selection of fish, Korean cookies and fresh produce.
**** A very organized and clean store ***

I really like this Korean supermarket, it is big and has a lot of stuff to offer. I like the fact that this supermarket is bigger and has a kimchi bar. Thus, you can put as much kimchi as you want in a to-​go plasticware and you can put the type of kimchi that you like. They have an assortment of things here like the different types of radish kimchi.
They did not have the sesame leaf kimchi when I went last time though. I was really looking forward to getting this, but that’s alright.
This place was really nice and they have food ready to eat which is great too!

Been going here for a few years for their very authentic Korean food. The restaurant in the back to the right corner (confusing as there are several now) makes ‘real deal’ Soon Du Bu for 7 bucks and is really good Korean comfort food and totally authentic. 4 real Korean Aujimas are at the wheel of this place and serve the tasty and spicy tofu stew in boiling clay pots with with rice and side veggies (you can order brown rice for an extra 50 cents). Full of clams, calamari, shrimp, veggies, tofu, and a dropped in egg that cooks while you are eating. So yummy and pleasurable, even on a hot day like we have been experiencing lately in HNL (hot food seems to cool down the exterior heat). Yes, only a corner of a grocery with minimal comfort seating; but oh so good and oh so cheap. Highly recommended for a quick, no-​hassle, Korean foodie fix.
PS– the new Korean Chicken stand that just opened looks interesting and they seem to be getting a lot of business. Will check them out next time.
PS2– Their newer store on N. King serves similar food, but this one is closer to home

Since I live in Waikiki, I just hop on the #2 bus and stop by when I need to pick up Korean groceries. I buy my usual jar of Kimchi (less than $ 20), kelp, and Korean drinks, sides, or sauces. You can get a few things cheaper at Don Quito (sp?) next door, but by far Palama has the best kimchi. And I’ve tried all kinds of brands and places. Their kimchi reminds me of Korea. It’s not watered down like the other ones.
The food court isn’t bad too. Not the biggest portions, but a good place to eat and then shop. I just wish their already made food was protected from flies.
They let you use all kinds of cards (credit/​debit) and even EBT. So, that’s a plus!

During my first couple days on Oahu, I woke up sometime between 7−8am and found myself starving. Thanks to Unilocal,I learned that Palama Supermarket was only a block away from my Airbnb. I’m not the type that needs to eat a certain thing for breakfast, so I made my way there with an open mind, ready to try anything. Would it be a gigantic spicy squid? Soy-​sauce soaked red snapper? Pork bulgogi? I’m down for whatever…
While the sample size is small, I have to say that Palama is one of the nicest Korean grocery stores I’ve ever been to. Let’s go down the list, shall we?
PRODUCE: All sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits one could ever want, with seemingly lower prices than other grocery stores I visited during my time there. Dare I say, some things were even comparable to the mainland? Also, I got really excited when I saw dragon fruit, logan, and other rare fruits. Ugh, so good.
LUNCHABLES: So. Many. Banchan. Items. The island of self-​serving fermented and spiced vegetables and meats made my mouth drool. Sadly, I opted to stay away from spicy food, because I didn’t want to be gassy when I would be on the beach later that day.
SNACKS: If only I could read Korean, I would better understand the goods being sold in the aisles… Nonetheless, there were cookies and chips of all sorts. They ranged from $ 3.50 — $ 12. Not to mention, they had tons of pre-​packaged Korean snacks. Most of them were egg based.
I really liked Palama, and would gladly return if back on Oahu!

Fresh produce, ready to eat Kim Bap, panchan bar with spicy tofu, taegu, chicken wings, and kim chi.
Checkout is really fast.

Palama market has 3 locations. But my favorite is the Makaloa location even though it’s smaller than King street location.
Outside of the store reminds me of being in Korea. Palama store is one of the store in this very small two-​story mall of different stores.
Inside, right side of the store is the food court. You can get plate lunches of different Korean food. Left side of the store is where you can shop for different food things. If you like Korean side dishes, they have a buffet line of them. You can choose and pack them in a container.
My favorite is the snack aisle that has Korean munches like shrimp chips.
Parking is available for free but stalls are tight and traffic flow isn’t so great sometimes. I wish they made a spacious entrance. So big careful.