The Plaza Market

I’ve been scouting out all the different Ktown grocery markets recently so it’s fun to compare.
PROS
+ They carry fresh ginseng here. Yayyy!
+ Clean
+ Good selection of banchan (side dishes)
+ Free parking with validation for the first 3 hours (wow, who needs longer?)
CONS
— Smaller selection on meat, specifically pork belly.
— Smaller selection on Korean soft drinks
— Less sales/​specials :(
Overall, it’s a smaller grocery market compared to Galleria Market or even Han Kook Market. I’d probably be back if I’m conveniently trying to purchase kimbap at Awoolim, which is also in the same plaza…

While they don’t have many sales here they do have clean produce. I would come more often if they had some sales tho. I like the plaza in general. They have a good bakery and coffee shop here.

Our family comes here, bc this market is close to our home. The Galleria Market is better than The Plaza Market.
There is a food court on the first floor.

I have been shopping here since the past three or four months, and especially today, I was happy the manager was present to notice the lines were long and he kindly opened a checkout line for me so I didn’t have to wait today.
Service is always pleasant and the store is generally clean and efficient.
English/​Korean is spoken here.

Today was my first time shopping here and I enjoyed:
1. the service
2. the availability of organic broccoli and spinach
3. the availability of organic milk and coconut water
I bought various banchan (sprouts, lotus root, radish, kimchee) and mung bean pancakes and marinated bulgogi and kalbi. I don’t have a good sense of pricing for Korean produce /​food /​meats so I cannot rate them relative to their market values.
+ service +
The woman behind the marinated meat /​banchan counter was really sweet to me. She was happy that I had picked up kimchee to go along with mung bean pancakes — saying that they paired well together. She also gave me two pounds of bulgogi and two pounds of kalbi and maintained her friendly demeanor the whole time she was transferring meat with tongs from one container to the next. Before I left the counter, she recommended a cart rather than the basket I was holding, because she was afraid the weight would hurt my arm!
+ organic products +
I honestly didn’t expect any available, since I don’t see too many organic items in Thai, Chinese, or Japanese markets so I was impressed about finding the above-​mentioned items. Some of you won’t be looking for these things here, but for the people who are like me, it matters a lot that I don’t have to drive to another grocery store after this one to get some organic products. That saves me time and one less parking lot and one less checkout line.
First world problems (yes) but also mental and emotional health benefits (YES).
+ conclusion +
Why is one star missing if the store is great? I believe a few other larger Korean markets have more food selection like ready-​made broiled fish, deep-​fried fish, etc. but if I don’t need all those things (like today) I would much rather come here. I specifically tried this market because I read some recent negative reviews of the Galleria Market (where I used to shop) regarding alleged racism, and I didn’t want to chance it, because I’m a Thai/​Chinese guy who looks like a Japanese guy — and that can invite less than polite stares and treatment from some conservative people (like even my parents’ friends!).
I experienced only politeness here.

I wanted to love this place. I really did.
The good:
Amazing deals in the frozen and canned foods section. You have to watch out for these kinds of deals, because often the market will place an item of similar type at full price directly next to the discounted item and then vaguely-​label the sale sign.
(for me) very close to where I live. Of course, this is
The bad:
Produce quality is consistently sub-​par. After less than a week, I can already see most of the fruits and vegetables start to become rotten… under constant refrigeration, nonetheless.
The prices are typically 30% higher for certain commonplace items (such as avocados, pasta sauce, beer, milk, eggs, etc). While I agree that this grocery store does specialize in Korean items and goods, this is no reason to command a higher price for North and South American-​style items. Especially when an equivalent store is less than two blocks away.
Also, what’s the deal with the reviews that state: «cleanest market in koreatown»? Is that supposed to be a brag? I realize that the other K-​town markets are… less than sanitary… but still… this place doesn’t exactly exude cleanliness.

Too bad there’s not a big Korean market in LB. There should be!
I LOOOOVE this place! Recently, I had the opportunity to check out Koreatown. Long overdue cause I grew up eating lots of Korean and Asian food in Hawaii.
THE BIGGEST wall ever of kim chee. I drooled again. Damn!
And now I can make my own homemade kim chee cause I bought an XL bag of gochugaru and another in a container so I can refill it… it’s all about the spices and everything else is just thrown in a glass jar ready to ferment!
Cheapie prices on soba and udon noodles. I love this brand too but pricey at other stores. (Vons, Ralphs, Gelsons, etc)
I didn’t get any ‘stink eye’ drama from any of the workers and I’m not Korean. Security guard was the one who gave me the stink eye but I was already paying, LOL! Hey I got proof of receipts for everything!
I just go on my business, spend my money and go on my day. You won’t get the 5 star Hollywood treatment here. Don’t expect that, it’s just a grocery store!

One of the original korean grocery stores in Los Angeles. You can find all your asian needs here too. Prices are similar to other markets do dot worry about unnecessary mall mark up prices here. They also have an exceptional location because there is a good court across and also shopping mall upstairs. The size of the market is average although some of the newer ones may be bigger, then one isn’t lacking anything. Customer service is great here too

Very polite to Koreans. If u’re not one, they don’t even acknowledge you. The manager saw that the line was long, pointed to the person behind me, spoke in Korean to her and waved her to the new register. The staff bow and thank people in Korean. Wow! I didn’t even get a thank you. Even if the staff doesn’t speak English, they can at least smile and say «thanks.»

Just wanted to purchase 20oz gatorade (orange, grape and lemon flavors). The cashier scanned the grape one and it was marked 1.99 while the other two 1.19 only. Cashiers calls manager who was so stupid that checked the bottles and instead of fixing the price to 1.19 the dumb asked me «do you want to take it or remove it?» i think first grader will do a better job than this useless manager. Horeiblr customer service and total lack of common sense.

very clean and friendly meaning i feel i am in a japanese market, not korean. meat quality is excellent and they carry eclectic brands. veggies are fresh and banchan is tasty. ample parking in good secure environment.

We were in the area to try a place at the food court, but had to pop in here on the way out when we saw it. It’s funny — the veggies were for the most part a little pricier than other Asian markets I’ve been to, though also notably looked much fresher and better-​organized (and there were a few exceptions in price; we did buy a ton of celery for like nothing). Their seafood also couldn’t really compare in price to the much closer Asian market we shop for seafood at on a fairly regular basis. On the other hand, some stuff was extraordinarily cheap: chicken was *so* much cheaper than where we usually buy chicken, and they also had a great selection of alcohol for great prices. I’d been wanting some more nigori sake for a while; they had a number of brands available, at totally reasonable prices. We bought some other stuff while we were there too, but those were the notable purchases.
As has been said a number of times already, this place was super clean, well organized, prices were clear, everything you expect from a good market. I did also like all the veggie banchan options.

I love love love this place. Located in the corner of a giant plaza, there’s ample parking in the structure.
Prices are great, there’s always a huge selections of fruits and veggies on sale. For the most part everything is really fresh, you just have to do some picking to find the good stuff.
They’re super organized and everything is always fully stocked. Staples like beansprouts, onions, and cabbage are always on sale. I think the last time I went the onions were on sale for $ 1 for 4lbs!
They have an enormous selection of Kim Chee… as should any korean market. but I love this place just because everything is so easy to find.
The employees are helpful and the location is clean.

I feel like it used to be a really great market, but for awhile now I just feel like there’s really not great of a selection. Anytime I come here, I find myself having to go to another Korean market just because they didn’t have a few of the things on my shopping list. Came here for shabu shabu stuff and they didn’t have the type of meat I wanted and ended up having to go to Galleria Market for a 2^nd market trip.

One of the pricier Korean supermarkets, but it’s also one of the cleanest!
The produce section is super organized and everything is so neatly stacked up.
This is my favorite store to get banchan for nights when we do some Home BBQ.
My recommendations are the fresh namul (vegetable) banchan like beansprouts, spinach, and sweet potato stems, or whatever else is in season.
It’s super fresh, tastes yummy, and this is one section that’s cheaper than most other markets!
A large container will only cost between $ 2 to $ 4… Yes, you heard me right!
Call me wierd but I also love that they put a paper bag inside a plastic bag.
It’s easier to carry and much more stuff can fit!
Oh, but parking’s a BITCH. It can be a looooong walk to your car, so try to buy only the light stuff =)

Best little Korean market in the area. My favorite part of this place is the small, but really fresh produce. I can’t get over how well stocked it is and sometimes you find great prices.
The meat area is good as well. What really makes this my favorite spot is that the market has a huge variety of items, but it is merchandised well.
Like others have said, it’s very clean and I just enjoy having a plentiful market so close to home.

Yes, its clean and parking is convenient for this part of town.
The mark up prices are still okay.
But what does it for me… their specials on soju and the bakery right around the corner!
The only thing I cant stand are the old people who cut in line and ask the workers to go fetch something for them, meanwhile everybody just stares.

The Plaza Market carries organic produce, locally baked breads, natural meats, and a ton of Japanese and Korean foods, spices, alcohol, teas, and beauty/​bath products. The great staff (I love the cashiers and baggers!) includes a manager who cares about the customers. They close at 9pm, so get there by 8:30 to pick up your last minute dinner items! It’s located in the basement of the pink, three-​story, Koreatown Plaza building at 9^th and Western. Parking is free with validation, or take the Dash, Local Metro 20 bus, or just walk from your apartment like I do!

Smaller than the Galleria that’s about half a block away, and with a smaller selection of premarinated meats and no fresh banchan bar. However, it is a much cleaner feeling market, as you can probably tell from all the other Unilocal reviews. The produce seems fresher compared to the Galleria Market as well, though not as wide of a variety. This is a great place to come if you want a cleaner environment, and fresh produce. I personally would come here if I only needed a few items, and for the fresh produce. However, I think I will still find myself visiting the Galleria more often just because there is a wider selection of everything there.

THE cleanest market in koreatown!
my parents have been going here ever since I was born… and that’s a LOOOOONG time… hahah
sometimes things are a lil more pricey here… but its definitely of better quality… vegetables, meat, etc.
their snack selection could use a lil more work in terms of variety… but they do still have a decent amount
they don’t open as late as other markets because they are part of a shopping mall… so I think they close at 9pm… kind of early for a market…
don’t forget to get your parking ticket validated on the weekdays…3 hours free with validation!