7 Items To Buy From H Mart’s Produce Section (and 3 To Skip)

Grocery stores are a dime a dozen, but specialty retailers like H Mart really stand out from the crowd. The Asian supermarket chain is wildly popular and is known for carrying a wide array of foods you can’t find anywhere else. When it comes to Asian food, H Mart has just about everything you could ever want, but the store is especially known for its extensive produce section. To better understand what all the hype is about, I took a trip to my local H Mart and came up with a list of seven items to buy from H Mart’s produce section and three to skip.

Since its origins in 1982, H Mart has expanded to include nearly 100 stores across the United States. In addition to Asian foods, the store also sells a variety of Western groceries and has in-store food halls.

Going into this experiment, I’d never visited an H Mart before. Once I stepped inside, I was amazed by how unique the store is and I began to understand why the parking lot outside was so packed. Once I started researching H Mart’s produce selection on social media, I discovered that many items have a large following.

Whether you’re an H Mart newbie like I was or you’re looking for a few new items to pick up on your next trip to the store, here’s a list of the best items to try and a few to skip.

Does H Mart Have Organic Produce?

Similar to other grocery stores, H Mart has a selection of organic produce. The products you find in stores can vary by location and depending on the time of the year when certain foods are in season.

7 Best Items To Buy from H Mart’s Produce Section

1. Rambutan

These spiky, hairy fruits are smooth and sweet inside. When it comes to flavor, rambutans are sometimes compared to lychee fruit, but are a bit more tart.

One TikToker described the fruit as “beautiful,” “vibrant” and “fresh” while tasting it in a video. Another social media user said she prefers rambutans more than lychee and said rambutans taste “sweet and mildly floral, with a juicy, slightly firm flesh.”

One Instagram user described the fruit as “the perfect mix between a pear, a sweet apple and even lychee.”

Related: 9 Items To Buy From the Sam’s Club Produce Section (and 2 To Skip)

2. Lychee

According to America’s Test Kitchen, lychee fruits are native to China and feature “red, scaly, leathery skin.”

“This tough sheath protects a knob of soft, ultrajuicy flesh surrounding a long waxy, inedible seed. The translucent flesh is sweet and floral, with flavor notes reminiscent of strawberry, watermelon, and pear. It’s also rich in vitamin C,” the website reads.

One TikTok user described the fruit as “super juicy.” When the official H Mart Instagram page shared a post about lychee fruit, many social media users shared their love for the food. “Yummm 😍 one of my favorite fruits!” one commented. Another shared the following reaction: “Lychee is the best!”

3. Korean Melon

These colorful fruits are Korean melons, and a lot of H Mart shoppers adore them.

One Reddit user said they buy them “by the box” when they’re on sale. Another said the center and seeds are the “sweetest part of the fruit.” My local H Mart had plenty in stock, but supplies can naturally vary by location.

Related: 7 Items To Buy From the Whole Foods Produce Section—and 5 To Skip

4. Bok Choy

Bok choy can be a bit more difficult to find in traditional grocery stores. For this reason, many Reddit users have said it’s one of their go-to produce items while shopping at the Asian supermarket.

5. Chinese Eggplant

When they’re in season (like now, in the summer), you’ll find Chinese eggplants in many H Mart stores.

One Reddit user noted that they enjoy buying them at the specialty store since their normal grocery store doesn’t sell them. “I swear they are just tastier than the big round ones, definitely recommend trying them fried up with a simple sauce,” they wrote.

6. Durian

H Mart shoppers say durian is a bit of an “acquired taste,” as one Reddit user put it. The smell, in particular, is divisive, and one Reddit user said whoever eats it “will absolutely reek with the smell coming out of your pores.”

However, many people love the fruit. “Mmmm, durian. I love durian. I realize I’m in the minority, but I just think it’s delicious,” one Reddit user wrote. “I grew up eating durian. The King of Fruit is delicious,” another commented.

One Instagram user described durian as having an outside shell that’s made of “spark spikes.” On the inside, they said it has “oval compartments or pods, each filled with soft, meaty pulp that is bursting with flavor and aroma.”

Related: 9 Items To Buy From the Sam’s Club Produce Section (and 2 To Skip)

7. Dragon Fruit

Harvard Medical School describes dragon fruit as a “cactus plant native to Central and South America.”

“Red dragon fruit is usually bright pink, while yellow dragon fruit is bright yellow, with smaller scales. But the real drama happens when the fruit is cut open, revealing juicy white, pink, or purple flesh studded with tiny, edible seeds. Dragon fruit tastes like a cross between a pear and kiwi, and has a kiwi-like soft texture when ripe,” the school’s website reads.

A lot of shoppers on Reddit say White Flesh Dragon Fruit, which I came across during my shopping trip, is “extremely bland and watery.” However, one Reddit user said yellow dragon fruit are “very sweet.” Either way, it’s a unique item you won’t find in many other stores.

3 H Mart Produce Items You Can Skip

1. Tomatoes

The tomatoes at H Mart certainly looked extra ripe and juicy, but if you’re only going to the Asian supermarket to do your basic grocery shopping, you’re missing out. Plus, some other retailers have better deals.

2. Potatoes

H Mart has several varieties of potatoes in stock, but the store really shines with its collection of more unique potatoes. If you want something different, consider trying the store’s Korean sweet potatoes.

3. Lemons and Limes

If you’re doing some one-stop-shopping at H Mart and also need some lemons and limes while you’re there, there’s nothing wrong with them. But there’s also nothing special about them. Lemons and limes can be found at every grocery store, and you might even find a better deal at another store.

Final Takeaways

Whenever I travel, I love going to local grocery stores to see what the local delicacies are. While browsing my local H Mart, I got that familiar feeling, like I was getting a glimpse into something special. Some of the produce items at H Mart are a bit intimidating if you’re a picky eater, but the store offers a great variety of items for adventurous eaters.

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