Han Ah Reum Supermarket

I’ve been coming here for years and always loved wandering the aisles + purchasing Korean food ingredients. Once I came in and asked one of their staff for ingredients for two of my favorite Korean dishes (in half-​broken Korean, picked up from a college roommate of mine) and she walked me around the store and filled my shopping basket with everything I needed. Their prepared foods are pretty killer too…

I was there yesterday around 11:30 hoping to grab some Korean groceries. Their opening time is till midnight but the store was closed. Keeping the opening time is important since it is the promise they made with customers. Hope they can improve the customer care. I just wasted my time and money.

Stopped by today and saw that they moved across the street to a bigger space.
1. There’s an entrance and exit finally
2. The aisles are wider, more space
3. Check out process is better
Still the selection of meats/​veggies are poor, unless you can drive out to fort lee… there’s really no other choice nearby. Good for the basics (ramen &kimchee…maybe some banana milk too)

Let me preface this by saying I love H-​Mart. But this H-​Mart is disappointing. I’m used to H-​Mart being huge with a giant produce section, a giant meat department, and a giant seafood department. Not so with the Midtown location. Not only is this location tiny, but it doesn’t accept the H-​Mart rewards card. I can’t accrue points by shopping here! The staff is friendly and efficient. However, I wish this location would expand their product offerings.

This place is nice but rather expensive. I walked in wanting a banana milk and some kimbap and realized that the banana milk was $ 1.25 and the kimbap was $ 5.49. I guess the kimbap was reasonable but as I took a sip of my banana milk, it was so delicious. It had a strong banana flavor which made me wanting to come back for seconds. The kimbaps also tasted good.
Overall, id come back for their banana milk when I get the chance to and try other things.

Good selection but definitely on the pricey side. Only come when I need to pick up Korean groceries as everything else is expensive. I’d stay away from the prepared foods.

I wish I could give them 0 star if it’s possible.
This place has THE WORST customer service EVER!!!
People (guys) who work during night time are so rude, and they think they are above customers. They treat customers with 0 respect, and they get annoyed when customers ask them question about products. They also chase customers out of the store when its close to closing time. They literally yell «GET OUT!» seriously? If you dare to talk back at them, they’ll tell you to «SHUT UP!» I told them not to yell at my ears, and they told me to «SHUT UP» This kind of behavior is what make people to think that Koreans are rude as hell. I’m Korean, and I’m so embarrassed about how they are treating customers. They think they can behave however they want since they are the only one (big) Korean supermarket in manhattan. It’s Monopoly for them. SHAME ON YOU HAN AH REUM!!!

So I love my Trader Joe’s, Fairway and Key Foods like any other New Yorker but sometimes the «normal» grocery stores are a bit lacking in their Asian food department.
This is where Han Ah Reum comes in handy. I am so addicted to the enormous selection of Asian food, spices, veggies and snacks. It feels like I’ve stepped into a grocery store in Korea. Everytime I’m in there I feel the urge to buy almost everything in sight. And their rice bean cakes are on point!
But $ 5 minimum, seriously homie? That’s my sole complaint (not that it’s that big of a deal). Oh and prices are sky high — kinda like the Empire State building that it’s right by.

We all know there’s a dearth of Asian invasion in Midtown, so to satisfy as many needs as possible, it’s probably best to stop by Han Ah Reum.
Their focus is Korean, but you’ll find some Chinese and Japanese pre-​packaged goodies too, ranging from ramen to snacks. Whenever I’m in K-​town, I like to stop by here and stock up on their freshly made banchan – in particular, my obsession, Sukjunamul (mung bean salad). Theirs is always crisp and delicately sesamed without being too oily.

This is the Korean supermarket that has smallest space with highest price tag (well. about $ 1 – 2 more) I’ve been in US. You can find just about every usual suspect here, korean ramen, cookies, instant seasonings and etc including Kimchee. Stop by if you are in emergency situation to get Korean food/​ingredients, otherwise you can venture out to Flushing Korean town or Japanese market in NJ (just 20 min via public transportation) to get more variety and better price.

I come to this tiny, tiny, TINY sad little H-​Mart in the heart of Korea Town only when I’m too lazy to go to Trader Joes/​Fairway or when I need some Asian goods without having to go all the way to Chinatown. That being said, there’s definitely a premium being paid to have a convenient Asian grocery store in Midtown. I only get stuff here when I absolutely have to, or when I have a craving for the following items that I can only find here:
1. That kimchi in a jar ($ 7.99) — this stuff is in the cooler in the back left of the store and it is oh-​so-​good and oh-​so-​addictive and oh-​so-​freaking-​expensive.
2. B B Big Red Bean Ice Bars — ($ 6.99) — $ 7 for a box of 8 B B BIG Popsicles that aren’t very B B Big.
3. Melona bars — $ 6.99 — ‘nough said.
They also have various banchan for sale near the front.
Very small produce section in the back.
Aisles are extremely narrow.
Basically the only good thing about this H-​Mart is the location, convenience, and that they carry some of the specialty foods I can’t find elsewhere, though at a premium.

When I lived in this neighborhood, the Union Square market, Whole Foods, and Han Ah Reum comprised my regular grocery shopping choices. The most difficult part of visiting this store is navigating the incredibly thin aisles because this store is stuffed with items. The cashiers are unintentionally comical in their competitiveness to get you checked out as quickly as possible. I stocked up on my favorites of seaweed and spicy tofu on my recent NYC visit.

Manhattan prices, tiny crowded store — basically typical Manhattan. But they have pretty much everything Korean you need. Not the best quality but not the worst either. Good variety, service at checkout is quick and efficient.
Their packaged ready-​to-​eat food is okay. I’m from LA, so the Korean food in Manhattan makes me cringe then cry a little when I see the price tag.
That said, this is one of the few places in Manhattan to get your Korean cooking basics, without which, I would never survive. So kudos on existing but not much more than that.

Shame on you Han Ah Reum! I went to one of your stores in NJ and they sold uni for 7.99 while you charge 15.99!!! I won’t deny yours is fresher but still double?! NYC never ceases to shock me. I gotta say their batch of uni is fresher than dainobu for all you nyc locals. The portion is bigger too so it’s kind of worth it for 15.99 compared to the 11.99 uni at dainobu.

Coming from Virginia, where they have Super H-​Marts that are shiny and gleaming with free samples in every aisle, this one fell short.
Like the other of the reviews said, the aisles are narrow and the items are limited.
You’re going to run into somebody at least 20 times while you’re there but if you need something and don’t feel like trekking down to Chinatown, this will do.
The ban chan are good but pricey. Everything looks decently fresh and they have ready made food to buy near the registers.
It’ll do in a pinch but it just makes me a little sad knowing how amazing they are in other cities. I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore.

Good Old H Mart.
If you’re a wider person… skip shopping here. The place isn’t that big and the aisles are tight.
H Mart is great for getting basic cooking things, but don’t fall in love with something like I did, as it will disappear.
That being said, you can buy almost anything that you’d normally pay big bucks (not really) at a sit down K town restaurant for. There is fresh produce in the back, packaged fresh seafood, tons of seaweed, rice and soy sauces.
It’s a little overwhelming if you don’t know what you like and it’s kind of strange that this is the only grocery store for a while in this area. They have «American» items as well and the prices aren’t too crazy. I’ve found candy I’ve only seen in Korea or China and the price reflected that, but I really wanted it!
It’s a great place to drop into before you hop on the train, as it’s in the heart of K Town. I do wish it was a tiny bit bigger though!

My experience with asian supermarkets is limited — encompassing the uwajimaya chain in the PNW, and the standard asian market found in virtually any 100,000+ population city (often providing a good spectrum, but seldom pallets of uni).
This Korean market consistently provides a non-​Korean like me 1. Uni (at the fair price of $ 16) 2. Quail egg and 3. Toro. It’s my third time in the span of a year — and the above is always stocked.
So… It’s those three VERY IMPORTANT items that give this a well deserved FIVE STARS!

«You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have…» — Donald Rumsfeld (2004).
K-Town’s H-​Mart is rather spartan for H-​Mart standards, and is rather cramped and cluttered for general supermarket standards. And it lacks the excellent cut-​to-​order seafood selection available at nearly all of its suburban locations. But for Korean food, this is the best we’ve got.
High points include its small prepared banchan refrigerator, which offers the same selection as its larger counterparts. And if early enough in the day, seafood pancakes and ttuk are warm, soft and delicious (and available).

Sooooo… grocery run w/​a group of friends before hitting another spot during the night.
Place is mad small. But, they have Chinese & Japanese groceries here that I have a hard time finding anywhere else in the city. Items are priced a bit high (unless it’s alcohol), so do your research before buying here. You may be better off buying your item (s) on
in bulk or from Phil Am in Jersey.
The spot is worth checking out at least once if your curious.

This H Mart location is my last resort for groceries when I am on the brink of desperation caused by Melona ice cream deprivation. They have a decent selection of Asian groceries (mostly Korean; obviously, but they have some Chinese and Japanese items thrown in the mix too).
This place is too packed for its own good, resulting in only about a 16 inch width between the aisles. Just be prepared to get your ass swiped by carts or baskets passing by if you so much as try to bend down to reach for something on a lower shelf. Also, don’t be surprised to pick up a 4 pack of instant ramen only to find that you can’t afford it because it costs $ 7.49. No, it is not incorrectly marked so don’t ask for a price check at the register and no, your eyes didn’t deceive you, it is just highway robbery in there.
On top of all the above, the cashiers looked like they’ve never cracked a smile in their lives and are surly at best. Just grab your 8 pack of ice cream bars, pay for it, and get the heck outta there.