H-Mart, a family-run supermarket chain specializing in Asian foods and products, will open in Austin this coming Feburary. The store is set to occupy a 68,670 square foot space near the Lakeline Mall in north Austin, about 20 minutes from downtown. While the chain currently operates locations in Dallas and Houston – the opening of this Austin outpost is significant because not only is it the first location in Central Texas, but it will also be the first of several new stores to open nationwide that will include a food hall concept called “Market Eatery.” Stacey Kwon, the daughter of H-Mart founder and CEO Il Yeon Kwon, serves as president of H-Mart and all Market Eatery concepts.
Featured Eateries
Each Market features up to 10 dining experiences of mostly of local eateries and vendors, as well as two concepts from celebrated Korean chef and author Deuki Hong featuring:
- Sunday Bird (Korean Fried Chicken) and
- Sunday BBQ (Korean Barbecue).
- The Austin store, will feature local vendors like Snow Monster (Taiwanese Shaved Ice, Boba Tea, Waffles)
- MIX (Korean Snack Food)
- Sushiya (Japanese Sushi)
- Sogongdong Tofu House (Korean Tofu Soup / Comfort Food)
- Lai Lai (Authentic Chinese)
- JeonJu Korean Grill (Korean-American Street Food)
- Tous Les Jours (Korean bakery).
The Market will sell an assortment of beer, wine, and sake, and makgeolli, which is a traditional Korean rice wine with flavors like peach, banana, and black soybean. Korean plum and raspberry wine will also be available. Guests are encouraged to enjoy their drinks, after purchase, in the bar-inspired space called “Let Them Talk” – which will also feature a performance stage with regular programming from local artists, and large projectors for movie screenings and sports events. Drink specials such as $1 beers and $10 bottles of wine will be available daily.
H-Mart is short for “Han Ah Reum,” which means “One Arm Full of Groceries” in Korean. The H-Mart brand started in 1982 as a small corner grocery store in Queens, NY, but today, serves as the largest Asian supermarket chain in America. There are currently over 60 locations around the United States serving over 50 million customers a year.
H-Mart + Market Eatery opens on Feburary 15th and will be located at 11301 Lakeline Blvd. in Northwest Austin.