Knowing that my mother was coming to visit left me with the mission of finding a good Korean/Asian store for her to shop and I found just the right store at the Super H Mart in Naperville, Illinois. Ironically, I was looking for a Chinese restaurant when I rounded the corner of a plaza that had stores and restaurants for all ethnicities. The Super H Mart was on the corner and it was a far cry from being a small mom and pops shop. It was easily the size of an average Wal-Mart and located at the end of the plaza directly in front of one of the street entrances.
When my parents arrived I took them straight to the Super H Mart so my mother could get her basic necessities for her stay. She could not have been more pleased. When entering the store we walked directly to an assortment of fresh produce. The prices are legibly marked in Korean and English and we learned that the Super H Mart runs hourly specials on certain products. On this day the blueberries were $.99 for a pint, asparagus was $1.99 and vine ripened tomatoes were $.79lbs. Looking around we realized the Super H Mart carried everything from boxes of packaged noodles, sheets of sea weed, long green beans, nearly one foot in length, fresh Kimchi, gyoza, fish cakes, pickled daikon, pickled plums, and etc.
In the Super H Mart in Naperville there is also a small food court area where servers make fresh kimbap, fried gyoza and select vegetables that have been prepared with traditional Korean sauces and many other things that can be purchased as lunch entrees. There is a huge selection of Kimchi sold here and it is very fresh. Kimchi can be made from Napa cabbage, Bok Choy or radish and is prepared with an amount of hot spicy powder pepper, among other things, to create the proper fire in your mouth!
Seafood including mackerel, flounder, shrimp, lobster, shark, squid and octopus can be bought fresh here. Some of the seafood is live and a handler can pick/catch the fish of your choice. Meat, which has been sliced paper thin, can be found fresh and frozen and bulgarbi meat can be readily found here. This meat is a type of spare rib that has been sliced through the bone and is very tasty after it has been marinated. There is also a full section of Westernized food and many traditional Hispanic items carried in the Super H Mart.
There is also an indoor courtyard area that sells everyday house hold goods such as traditional tea kettles and cups, bowls, noodle spoons, rice pots and many other things. Nearly everything can be found here.
For someone who is not accustomed to Korean/Asian food but is interested in it I would highly recommend visiting the store on a Sunday. On Sunday, the Super H Mart has samples of many types of foods so anyone in the store can taste them. Fresh sliced fruit, fried gyoza (dumplings) and other delectable goodies are set up on tables. Super H Mart has employees that also prepare fresh Kimchi right here in front of you on Sunday. One of the employees will take an entire head of Bok Choy and place it on a station that has all of the spices for Kimchi. The cabbage has already been soaked and wringed of its salt water and then an attendant will pack the Bok Choy with the spices. Once you get it home you can cut the core out and cut the leaves into smaller pieces or leave it whole. Buying Kimchi this way assures that it is fresh and can be eaten with rice or noodles.
With such a large diversity of the food the Super H Mart is a shopping haven for many ethnicities of people. The combination of the fresh food and vast options make it a great place to shop. The employees are very helpful and can answer any questions that you may have. If you enjoy great, fresh food the Super H Mart is the place for you.
1295 East Ogden Avenue
Naperville, Illinois 60563
630-778-9800
http://www.hmart.com/
Reference:
- www.associatedcontent.com/user/463057/rachel_ellis.html
- www.associatedcontent.com/user/256965/cathy_a_montville.html
