Palama Supermarket has hands down the best marinated kalbi I've ever had--so flavorful, tender, and always hits the spot. I also love their Korean side dishes (banchan), especially the daikon, which is so fresh and delicious. I find myself coming back at least once a week because everything is just that good. That said, I did have one experience where I found a hair in my marinated kalbi, which was disappointing. Since then, I've been more careful to double check before cooking. I'd really recommend having staff wear hair nets to help prevent this in the future. Overall though, still one of my favorite spots for kalbi and sides! read more

See all

For All Your Korean Grocer Needs, No Need To Go Into Town... Tons Of Parking Out Front! read more

Palama Supermarket - Got The Goods For Japchae and More... - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

See all

A shout out to my dear friend...LLOYD ! Thank you so much for telling me about the STELLAR DEALS that you have been getting from...PALAMA SUPERMARKET! The prices on the Korean BBQ cuts of meat are super CHEAP! Much cheaper than places I've shopped at. He did mention to me that the meats are partially frozen so I should keep that in mind. The meats are sliced thinly so they do thaw out pretty quick. I usually buy my meats the day before I cook it. In addition to the meats, they do sell a ton of ban chan's (sides) nearby so check those out while you are there. So, if you are planning on having a cook your own Korean BBQ, go and check out PS. You'll thank me for that! read more

See all

This review is about their $7.50 bentos! Yes! $7.50 bentos! All day! There's a variety to choose from - meat jun, fish jun, bulgogi, spicy pork, tofu nuggets, and more! I've tried the bulgogi and tofu nuggets - both are so good. I wanted to try the fish jun, but there's only 2 small pieces in there, so only teeny bit of protein compared to the other protein options :( read more

Palama Supermarket - $7.50 bentos - Tofu nugget bento and bulgogi bento - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

This is my spot for when I need authentic Korean Mat Kim chee. They have nice thin sliced pork belly meat here for making Korean soup dishes. Vegetable section always has a good assortment of choices and reasonably priced. The grab and go Korean sushi selection is always good when I need something quick to go. Lots of free parking in front. Cashiers are fast and never do I have to wait long to pay for items. read more

Palama supermarket at Waimalu has been around for some years, it is my go-to place for Korean items when I live in the west side of the island. Inside the market, there are seating areas that you can eat and drink, there are also some other stores to sell watches, beauty products and other small items, but they are not always open. They also have some coin machines for stuffed dolls, etc. Next to Palama is Von chicken, you can also buy fired chicken. This supermarket has drinks, bentos, vegetables, Korean specialty food, noodles, frozen food. Pretty much like H-Mart but has less selections. They also have other Palama market in town that I use to visit from time to time too. Recommended. read more

See all

Nice selections for a small grocery store. Needs a lot of TLC, too. They have premade hot and cold foods along with fresh produce. Even have an eating area. read more

I was working in the Aiea neighborhood & my original plans for lunch was to go to - Ige's Lunchwagon and Catering, but bad luck kicked in again, just like this past Tuesday when I tried to round up some grub from some of my favorite joints on da westside - Scoopers Kitchen, K's Bento-Ya, & Tanioka's, which I failed miserably, only to be saved by 7-Eleven (because it was just next door to Tanioka's). Lol! After finding out that Ige's was on vacation, I really didn't have a plan "B", so I decided to drive across the highway & head over to Waimalu Shopping Center to look for some grub, and that's how I ended up at Palama Supermarket. Supermarket for lunch? Yes gangies, Palama Supermarket makes quite a lot of pre-made local style Korean grubbage, and if you take da time to look at what they have to offer, garans you'll find something ono to eat! Upon creepin' up on da Korean Bentos, I came across a Korean BBQ Chicken Bento that came with kim chee, mandoo, & rice. All of this for just ($7.85 w/tax), can we say DEALAGES Yo!!! While paying for my bento at the register, the nice cashier gave me a pair of chopsticks & napkins. Luckily as you enter the supermarket, there are lots of picnic style chair/tables where you can sit & eat your bento. What can I say about the Korean BBQ Chicken Bento??? You'll be hard pressed to find a plate lunch or bento for under $10 bucks now-a-dayz, so getting his bento was a great deal! The BBQ Chicken was marinated perfectly, and of course the kim chee & mandoo added a nice touch to the bento. Of course since the bento was just sitting out for awhile, if would have been great to have some kind of microwave to warm the bento, but aside from that, overall it was a pretty satisfying meal. read more

See all

I went to the Palama market by Shiro's in Aiea on the hunt for chi forest lychee fizzy sparkling water. Sadly the male cashier said they don't carry it here. I pretty much scoured each row picking up a few items since I was there. Got there after hub's pt so it was slim pickings for prepared food. read more

See all

Palama Supermarket in the Waimalu Shopping Center. They took over the old Maru Ju Market site. Specializing in Korean groceries and prepared foods. It's like an all in one store. Besides the groceries, there's a Beauty and Health section, an Accupuncture and Herbalist section, and a Tasty's restaurant. Cashiers and clerks are helpful and efficient. Great place to shop for Korean groceries and food read more

Palama Supermarket - Front entrance - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Another Palama Market this one is located in the Waimalu shopping center . Smaller than the other stores although it has all the Korean stuff you need. From their grab and go bento and their produce area . Parking available although it gets very full especially on the weekends because they share the lot with other businesses. Support local read more

Palama Supermarket - Bentos - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Located in Waimalu strip mall this is a smaller version of the Kalihi location of Paloma supermarket. This location has to go Bento plates, vegetables, and sushi right behind the cash registers. They also have a small meat and seafood department. They sell most seasoning for many Asian dishes. read more

See all

Every time we eat or pick up take out at Shiro's Saimin, I walk over to Palama Supermarket. Sometimes it's for a treat, corn shape ice cream or to pick up ttekbokki or other ready made items. Today I was happy to find the Lotte drink Milkis on sale for $4.99. It normally sells for $7.99 at another market I frequent. I picked up all flavors (original, melon, strawberry and banana). There was also a coffee version so I picked one up to try. The market wasn't too busy at the time of our visit. I also picked up tteokbokki for my dad. The floors and aisles were nice and clean. Lighting inside the store was bright. Cashiers were pleasant and courteous. Great place for Korean delicacies. read more

See all

Palama Market is primarily a Korean supermarket. Freshly made Korean bentos and other Koream staples. Today, we picked up some Korean sushi rolls to go with what I was going to cook. The store is smaller than the two other stores. There is one in Kalihi and one in Ala Moana. Enjoy read more

Palama Supermarket - New vender in market - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Bought their bottled coffee drinks, there were 2 signs for the coffee drinks.. one display showed a higher price and the other one was much lower.. I showed the cashier and she called her coworker and they tried to play it off and gave me the higher price. She removed the signs. Never googling back to this location.. bad service! read more

People who work here are not kind. For some reason there's always only one cash register associate and they always give me a hard time and are super rude. read more

I am so done with this place! You have to check the price at the counter. Sale price is often wrong. Not every time but consistent enough for me to notice. It is not matter of money but rather business ethics and customer service that bother me. I let it slide for awhile to not get stressed over a few dollars but today I've had it. Non Korean cashier was trying to argue with me when the scanned price was incorrect, she told me it was different flavor that is on sale so we went back to the sign and she was still trying to prove me wrong so told her I can read Korean and the item is on sale then the price got adjusted. There is H Mart near by, it is little further so used Palama when I feel lazy but it is less than 10 more minutes so going forward will just drive 8-9min extra and go to HMart. They have bigger and fresher selection anyway. read more

K-Pal...that's my love with Palama Supermarket ;-) This cutie is in the Waimalu Shopping Center right along Kamehameha Highway and yes it's much smaller in comparison to some others though if I'm not mistaken so is the one in town that we all do love as well. Though due to it's location it does have more parking stalls without any challenges and I did check them out of curiosity and was surprised to have found many items I really wanted. Sometimes the condensed version limits the insane abundance to search and they did manage to have a decent amount of items with fresh produce, lots of my favorite noodles, neatly arranged of rice and alcohol and seafood and side dishes section in the back even some bentos and snacks. They do share space with some other biz including a newbie "Straight Outta Husk" now that's the place to get all sort of fixes. Thank you! read more

See all

Beware! Food poisoning from vegetable kimbap. Manager said I needed a doctor's note for a refund. Unreal.

Asked for tweezers as I seen that they have ear picks and other grooming necessities. The male cashier in front is SOOOO RUDE! "No no no - we don't". Sheeesh. Never need for get nuts. I was looking in the showcase container for other things too but since u wanna snap - I was outta there!!! Byeeee. read more

It's been awhile since I've been here but I was excited to return. Lots of new changes since I've been here last with more eateries with a small sit down area (yes it been that long)! While here I've noticed it wasn't too crowded and I thoroughly enjoyed my shopping experience. A lover of Korean foods I enjoy the variety that I feel that only Palama can bring. Loved the kim chee as well as the bento style to go dishes at the front. Can't wait to come back again soon read more

See all

I was overcharged twice recently. Be sure to look over your receipt before you get home. I assumed my purchases were correct and didn't bother looking over the receipt until lately. Cashiers are quick to refund you and apologetic. read more

See all

Mr G. And I frequent this store for all his Korean food Cravings. I just tag along for the Asian finds. For some reason, I don't find as many good things as I did with the Kalihi location. I'll try harder next time... I don't care for the parking lot. It's full of pot holes and only one way. Not everyone follows the arrows. Because the stretch is so long, lots of drivers get impatient and start driving erratically. I have witnessed many fender benders in this parking lot because of this. read more

See all

Palama Supermarket ready made food. Pig's trotters and spicy sushi. For a quick snack. There's something great to be able to grab some food, take it anywhere and live the life. I love them . There's something for everyone. I also bought some marinated kalbi to take home and put them on the grill for dinner. It's the place I go to get the herbs and Cornish hens for my Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup. read more

Palama Supermarket - Palama Supermarket ready made food. Spicy sushi roll, sesame leaves and pig's trotters. - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

This is a much smaller store than their other locations. However, it has some of your Korean food basics, soju, frozen items, and packaged ramens. There is ample parking. However, don't expect to carry the full variety of items like the main Palama store. read more

I love Palama Supermarket! Not only for their Korean and other Asian products, but also for all the packaged foods they sell. It ranges from many Korean foods like gimbap, kimchi fried rice, mandoo, banchan, etc. I love the banchan, but I recently tried the vegetable gimbap, fried shrimp gimbap and little jin dui. It's all very affordable too. I almost picked up a kimchi fried rice and fried mandoo, but I technically had lunch at work so I needed to limit myself LOL. My favorite gimbap was the fried shrimp. I was lucky enough to buy the last one. I loved it more than the vegetable gimbap. I actually took that home and ate a rolled egg with it. The jin dui was really good too. It was way smaller than an average jin dui and it was sweeter. I'm not sure what Koreans call it since it looked exactly like jin dui (Chinese sesame mochi balls), but it was labeled as "sweet mochi balls". I'd buy that again and again since it was sweetened perfectly. The only thing that I wish we could improve on is the size of the store and a bigger Korean produce section! I did notice they actually have a restaurant inside of the store that sells Korean foods, but the ones I got were all pre-packaged in plastic containers in front of the registers. I'm assuming it's the same things they make in the restaurant too, but can't confirm! I'd come here again for the pre-packaged foods since there's tons of different ones to choose from. read more

Palama Supermarket - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Small Korean supermarket that has a bunch of other restaurants in it, Von's Chicken, a Korean Take out, and a Mexican take out place. There is a small dining area I don't think many people eat in. I love their Kimbap, Korean sushi rolls, their mandoo, and their Kimchee. They are not the cheapest but I don't mind paying for quality locally made food. There is also Korean and Japanese snacks also and they have a seafood section in the back. read more

Awesome varieties of Kim bap! Palama Kim bap (includes Choi sum and beef), Vegetable, Gobo and beef (my new fave), shrimp tempura ($6). Most are $5 each. Conveniently packaged so u can surprise a friend or easily tuck it in your handbag! read more

Fresh veggies, packaged Korean snacks, to-go sushi and mochi, etc. Busy little market with two registers that move relatively quickly. There is a variety of items to choose from. They also have a window to order hot food for take-out. I tried to find the original Milki in the store area, but they only had banana flavor left. I did find a few childhood favorites which I got to share with my kids. Parking wasn't crazy. My mom is here regularly for fresh veggies. read more

See all

Located in the Waimalu Shopping Center, this store doesn't seem as big as the other ones. They do sell similar things as the other locations, but maybe not have what you are looking for. Parking is shared with other businesses. read more

Great grocery store to get your favorite Korean foods, beauty care, K-pop and beauty products.

My parentals retired and moved to the mainland so I've been deprived of my mom's korean food. Sometimes I go to the restaurants but nothing comes close to your own genuine Korean mamasan cooking. This supermarket is quite small compared to the bigger ones in town or the super marts on the mainland but I can find most basics here if I come early enough in the day. My must haves: palama kim bap, korean yogurt drinks (tastes better frozen) and korean pears. I occasionally pick up the marinated spicy pork in the meat section and cook it at home. Sometimes they are already sold out for the day which makes me sad. The kim chee here is good but I prefer HMart's kim chee bar in town. I also get the coffee ready to mix packets, the extra large aloe drink bottles and occasionally ice cream or frozen juice bars. My son loves to get the spicy ramen from here that got famous a few years ago for being way too hot to eat. The produce and meat here are reasonably priced. Checkout is always easy but you have to bring your own bags now, they don't have any for sale. They have an Instagram you can follow to watch for weekly specials and food ideas. read more

I'm sure they must be hurting quite a bit since H-Mart opened in Pearl City last year. Its seems slower inside. Some items they can still out price them and some they can't. I will say their branded/housemade Kimchi is waaay better compared to H-Mart. Comes in small, medium and large size containers. I go here solely just to buy the kimchi. read more

Palama Supermarket - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Call me the Kdrama Queen......enjoying so much of "all things Korean".....watching everyone eating on these dramas have put me into high gear to trying to cook some wonderful Korean dishes....I especially like making the side dishes....pickled cucumbers, bean sprouts come to mind....@Palama Market in Waimalu is my choice...haven't been there for awhile and the store and eating places looked a bit different....nevertheless the produce was plentiful and organized neatly...there were various types of sauces, teas, chilies, soybean paste, noodles, quick ramen packages, seafood, fresh n frozen meats, prepared sauces, mochi, cooking utensils, prepackaged lunches, soju and the list goes on... Trying to stay on my budget I selected my fresh Korean cucumbers, chili, soybean paste and three packages of noodle (Seafood, soybean, seaweed beef).....all reasonably priced...hopefully I'll return to buy more if I go crazy for the taste of these noodles....I noticed their lunch area is much much smaller....and quite a large empty space, hopefully for more interesting food products!! ......there's a beauty product area....multitude of skin care products are displayed...a super friendly assistant Tiffany was eager to explain how each one is applied and it's benefits....face masks are all the rage...and yes I bought a few...one for everyday of the week...seeking that epic smooth skin..spa day everyday sounds good to me...let you all know the results... 4* Covid protocols: all customers/workers wearing masks 4* Store cleanliness: very neat n organized 4* Customer service: pleasant Overall: Enjoyed my visit, did notice that the Kapalama store has a better selection of vegetables....and their hot food area/selections is much bigger. On the other hand, Waimalu has convenient parking and so many yummy eating places! read more

Palama Supermarket - Palama Market....Waimalu....Kings Gift & Beauty.....Tiffany! - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

See all

My mom and I were on a mission to get boba ice creams because this seemed to be everyone's go-to's. I've never been to palama market in my life so i didn't know what to expect. I thought it was a big and decent asian supermarket, comes to my conclusion, it's the size of two bedrooms and a bathroom combined. I was disappointed to say the least that there were no boba ice creams in stock. Not even the things and foods they sell interested me. This trip seemed like a waste. So my mom and I just decided to get kimchi so we could at least walk out this store with something. Their kimchi is by far the best kimchi i've tasted. Super expensive though for so little. read more

Palama Supermarket - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Relocating from Northern CA, I wanted to find Korean grocery store. After skiing around, I decided to stop by Palama. First of all, it doesn't sound Korean but they are just like a Korean store. One thing I miss about NorCal. Korean grocery stores galore and the prices were not as high as here. Well, it's expected I suppose. It's somewhat smaller than what I. Used to and not too much too choose from. I can drive to Waikiki to H Mart but that store isn't as big and very pricey. I live in paradise so I guess I can't complain about the prices. It's not like I need it but if I need some spices or snacks at least I have Palama. It's a good go to place for spices and perilla leaves, seasoning etc. They also have alot of hot food to go like kalbi fried rice, meat, fish, zucchini jun, Kimball, and other food. The store is conveniently located in a plaza with other eateries. read more

I love that this Palama is SO wide with a larger variety than the ones in town! They have a flower shop and a Von's Chicken in the shop as well with a good assortment of everything. read more

It saddens me that I'm rating such a low score but this is just how I feel about this location. The store itself was on the older side and seemed quite unorganized. I had hoped to walk in to find some items that appealed to my eyes although there was none. Don't get me wrong, the age of a store doesn't determine their quality but overall I would have appreciated better service and pricing for items would've sufficed and it did not. Since I found nothing interesting, I decided to try the in-store Korean restaurant. I ordered the Fish Jun, no rice. When compared to other local places the portions here weren't large, especially the sides. In all honestly, the food was pretty good although they really could've gave more portions of the sides. For future shopping, I will most likely shop at their other location. read more

See all

Came to get one item, honey butter almonds. GREAT snack, a little pricey, but oh so delicious. Also got other flavors. As far as store, it's a little dated, and smaller than other location. But Wasn't as crowded as other locations. Will comeback to try Korean food. read more

Palama Supermarket - Honeybutter, brown sugar boba, tiramisu, spicy shrimp - International Grocery Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

The kimchi is at the back. When I go to Vons chicken (I know you read that review), I visit this place to grab last minute things and to kill time as I wait for the chicken. They're next door so it's a win win situation for me. This place is like Pacific Supermarket or Seafood City Market (I know you read those two reviews), where they cater to the Asian palate. Palama carries more of the Korean flare. Here they import Korean goods from Korean pears, to bean paste, to the Korean beer, to the makeup, and even some Korean body soap. And in the back is the freshly made Korean sides you see at a restaurant. All the various kimchi veggies to numerous for me to write. The market is pretty small so it's limited in stock but their organized well enough to have the basics yo make dinner at home or get a bento. Overall four stars. Nice market with plenty of parking available and one eatery inside for a quick takeout or indoor seating. Signs saying where things are or item description would be great seeing how I understand only some Korean letters and words. Well only naughty words. Now excuse me, time to see Shoots for my Vons. M read more

See all