Doraville’s Korean Supermarket, H Mart, has yet to gain the popularity it deserves. It is located in a spacious area, centered in a plaza near Brandsmart and surrounded by many other stores. H Mart is unique because, unlike other mainstream grocery stores, it has a high selection of Asian food.  This gives people the chance to find more specific items within their culture and have access to them all in one place. While H Mart is focused on Asian cuisine, other popular items like orange juice, produce, and even house appliances are all within the same doors. 

As you pull into the H Mart plaza, you may feel overwhelmed with the variety of services and goods provided. There’s always parking available, and it’s never overcrowded. Usually, the sale selection is displayed outside of the supermarket, but if you’re just here to browse, then head on in. As you enter, there will be a produce section in front of you and flowers to the right; you will continue right because the left is the exit side. As you continue, you will enter the home section; there are pots, silverware, plates, etc. They have lots of ethnic designs and themes for cutlery; Hello Kitty is one of the most popular designs. As you continue left, you will enter a refrigerated area. This area is fairly small; it contains the typical items you can get at your local Kroger such as orange juice, milk, eggs, yogurt, etc. I don’t recommend getting these items here because they are usually more expensive than the typical grocery stores. Another turn comes up to the left, where you enter the meat section. My mom and I always make sure to grab some pre-marinated Bulgogi beef, but there are so many options for different meats, marinated or not. If you continue straight, you will get to the seafood section. I have never taken a close look at this area because the smell of fish is too strong in this area. Instead, I take the first left, leading us to the first couple of aisles. 

The aisles are pretty clear on their selections; there’s a whole aisle dedicated to different types of dumplings you can buy. My mom and I always try to grab something new whenever we go to H Mart. You’ll notice while you’re walking that there are many shelves filled with the popular spicy “Buldak ramen” in many different areas. Nevertheless, there is still another section devoted to all the different flavors and styles of ramen. There is a condiments area and lots of seaweed in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can wander these aisles for hours, but you’ll eventually reach the checkout. Hopefully you picked something up along the way because this is the only way to get to the food court. Of course, they will let you through if you say you aren’t buying anything, but how could you not? 

Now it’s time for the best place here: the mini food court. When you pass the checkout in front of you, you will see five to six mini restaurants with a fairly similar menu and the large photobooth.  My mom and I always head straight to our favorite restaurant, serving Korean cuisine.  We always order the Bulgogi beef, and it comes with sides and white rice. It’s around twenty dollars, but it has enough to feed my mom, me, and my twelve-year-old sister. If we’re still hungry, sometimes we return to order some steamed dumplings. This restaurant is always quick, and the food always tastes very fresh. Even if I’m not hungry, I will never miss the chance to grab some tanghulu from the Ok-dog restaurant. Tanghulu is fruit, typically grapes and strawberries, covered with sugar that was melted and left to harden. This sweet treat is a classic for your trip to H Mart. Ok-dog also sells the popular Korean hotdogs seen on YouTube and TikTok, they are corn dogs covered in potato. On the very right side of the restaurant is a dessert shop with tons of unique menu items. If you turn around, not facing the restaurants, you will see a big Mochi cafe with beautiful wall designs. When you’re ready to leave, you have two choices: continue straight to the “hidden” door, or take another left and check out some mini shops on your way out. There is a mini arcade at the very end of this route, so if you have small children who would be tempted, I suggest you do a 360. If your time here has ended, I suggest you quickly stop at the photo booth to capture the moment. I hope you enjoy it and return for more!