This review is not the supermarket but one of the restaurants inside the market. Not only the oxtail soup the worst (tasteless salt water) compared to others, the older Korean woman (the owner?) rudest customer service. She even got angry for an extra napkin. It seems the restaurant serving the Tofu Stew might be good to go. Edit: Oh, one more thing....without getting too graphical, I had to spend some time in a bathroom after eating the soup. read more

In case you are unaware, Palama market is a Korean market filled with Korean groceries, Korean food, Korean smells, Korean people, and authentic scowling Korean cashiers who will have conversations with each other in Korean while you pay for your groceries. With that said... How to make the most of your Palama Market Shopping experience: 1) Order your food at the snack corner prior to shopping then pick it up on your way out. Inexpensive and pretty tasty although they recently replaced their super delicious meat jun sauce with a lame shoyu packet. This angers me, but I still order the BBQ chicken plate, kimbap (sushi), oden, dukbokki (spicy rice cake), and bibimpap. Do not ask the cashier any questions, it will be an exercise in futility as the the English language does not take up residence here. 2) Stop at the snack table and peruse the selection of dduk. These Korean rice cakes are NOTHING like Chinese or Japanese rice cake/mochi, and if you want vague sweetness then read the ingredients as half the selection does not even contain sugar. My favorite is the pumpkin. If you are one of us sad folks who oft attempt to be wheat free, a nice dduk dipped in honey will get you through your day without smacking someone. Also good at the snack table: Japchae (Do not purchase after 1:30 pm), roasted sweet potatoes, and fried chicken wings. 3) Do you like instant ramen? The nongshim brand instant ramens are delicious and knock top ramen out of the water. For an authentic Korean drama flavor, eat it out of the lid of the pot you cook it in and slurp loudly. I once ate instant nongshim ramen complimented with a fat slice of rum bundt cake for a solid week during the holidays and managed to lose a pound. Go figure. 4) If you have small children, take them with you during the holidays and the cashiers may give you things such as a neon green piggy bank with no slot that at first seems like rubbish but somehow becomes your 1 year old's most favorite plaything. Your children may also score little dollies from the aggressive Korean church ladies soliciting your soul in front of the entrance. 5) Buy kimchi. Consume in large quantities with every meal. On a side note, my husband once stood in line behind THE Daniel Dae Kim at the snack corner and even got to give the star his keys because he left them on the counter. Had I been there I would have seductively dropped the keys down my shirt. Although they probably would have fallen straight through to the floor... read more

So I came here because I wanted some Korean food for dinner. I chose the Kalbi and Cabbage plate. The wait was 20 minutes long. There was only 1 piece of beef in the soup. It wasn't even Kalbi! And they gave me an entire bone! So basically all I got was rice, veggies, 1 piece of meat which was supposed to be kalbi, and an entire bone. read more

Palama Supermarket - Picture is not what you get - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I'm just going to lay it out there: the parking is HORRIBLE, if not horrific. Plus, the ajuhshee (middle-aged/old man) directing the parking or leaving cars that seems ever present in times of heavy traffic/inflow of customers and cars does not always have the best judgment. In fact, I just think he's being plain stubborn & obnoxious screaming "ORAI ORAI, OKIBARI.. SSUTOPPP" (which is typical of Koreans, but still) Besides the parking, however, I'm in Korea-heaven! I always get extremely giddy and quite frankly ape-shit (mind my language) over being inside the store. It sounds ridiculous and pathetic especially since I am originally from Korea and have lived there for several years, but I can't help myself! I love being surrounded by Korean writing, angry Korean people (occasionally), and Korean food & snacks! I love getting Milkis (a canned calipico-like soda), which was a childhood favorite drink of mine growing up in Korea. I also love buying groceries there, their produce is frequently cheaper than that of regular grocery stores (e.g. enoki mushrooms for 60 cents/pack! My mouth dropped in blissful disbelief). They have the best instant ramen choices and pre-made side dishes for those of you that love Korean food/sides, but don't have the time or energy to learn how to make them yourself! The workers aren't the friendliest, but like I said, sometimes you just need to embrace the stereotype and go with it. read more

Must Get: Korean pancake (jun) flour, raw meats for yakiniku I love Asian supermarkets! There's just something about exploring foods and ingredients totally different from what you normally use. I mean, yeah there's a slight intimidation factor in not being able to read the packages (is this gochujang or fire paste??), but you eventually figure it out. Or ask someone very nicely to tell you what it is. Here at Palama there is a small produce section. I get the sleeves of garlic here. Way cheaper than a grocery store but just a smidge more than Chinatown ($1.40 vs $.75). There's also a kimchee/ban chan self serve section. Occasionally I'll get the cucumber kimchee from there. In the back you'll find the meats. Ohhhh the meats. If you're an avid home yakiniku-er like my family, you'll love getting your meats here. They have all the yakiniku staples like sliced pork belly (it's not quite bacon people!), thinly sliced beef, marinated meats, etc. You can order how many you like (not all are pre packaged) or even ask them to slice up some for you. Lastly the rest of the market will have your various Korean (and a smattering of other ethnicities) ingredients. I get the flour used to make shrimp jun. There are also a lot of other goods & ingredients if you're adventurous! FINAL VERDICT: Will keep returning! read more

Not a bad place to have a meal..it's my first time to eat at a food court in a supermarket and let me tell you that it is a good place to eat and relax after shopping and enjoy. It was my very first time to eat something like this because since I had korean food recently, i think that it was a wonderful experience for me to try and let me tell you can't find good Korean food like this anywhere else and thensome. I'm glad to try this place out and it is highly recommended that you try it out so that way you can experience going to eat and relax after a day of shopping and just anywhere that you want to go..i hope that i will be able to go there again soon and will be able to go again soon to eat again soon. read more

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During my first couple days on Oahu, I woke up sometime between 7-8am and found myself starving. Thanks to Yelp, I learned that Palama Supermarket was only a block away from my Airbnb. I'm not the type that needs to eat a certain thing for breakfast, so I made my way there with an open mind, ready to try anything. Would it be a gigantic spicy squid? Soy-sauce soaked red snapper? Pork bulgogi? I'm down for whatever... While the sample size is small, I have to say that Palama is one of the nicest Korean grocery stores I've ever been to. Let's go down the list, shall we? PRODUCE: All sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits one could ever want, with seemingly lower prices than other grocery stores I visited during my time there. Dare I say, some things were even comparable to the mainland? Also, I got really excited when I saw dragon fruit, logan, and other rare fruits. Ugh, so good. LUNCHABLES: So. Many. Banchan. Items. The island of self-serving fermented and spiced vegetables and meats made my mouth drool. Sadly, I opted to stay away from spicy food, because I didn't want to be gassy when I would be on the beach later that day. SNACKS: If only I could read Korean, I would better understand the goods being sold in the aisles... Nonetheless, there were cookies and chips of all sorts. They ranged from $3.50 - $12. Not to mention, they had tons of pre-packaged Korean snacks. Most of them were egg based. I really liked Palama, and would gladly return if back on Oahu! read more

My wife and I like to eat at the food court. This time we had the bibimbop with the marinated raw crabs we bought from the store prepared food counter. The price is always good and many varieties to choose from. This is my favorite place for grocery shopping and dinner at the same time. read more

The parking lot here is so frustrating. The store itself, OTOH, is delightful. I can find just about everything I like from a Korean market at Palama, except for one item: plum candy. You know the kind, the hard candies which taste like a plum in love? Those ones. The selection is pretty standard for a Korean supermarket. I did find it somewhat irritating that when I asked the lady making bung-o-bang how much they cost, she replied, "$1 each" !!! What on earth is going on here?! A whole dollar for a single bung-o-bang? Seriously. That is crazy talk. I would maybe, MAYBE, spend 50c each if I was really in desperate need of one, but under no circumstances would I pay $1 for a single bung-o-bang. Get a grip, people. Oh yeah, their Korean melons were sooooo good! read more

Quick! I need 20 different varieties of kim chee, a cell phone plan, floor tiles and a pigs feet bento. Look no further than Palama Supermarket. My wife and I came here looking for chives as she likes to make korean pancakes for her mom. Very fresh produce here! I love the korean pear gift box for $30. I wonder if it will last until Christmas. Luxury Squid? Check! Donald Trump move over, this way better than the second class variety. Don't miss a trip down the cosmetics/heath supplement isle. Plenty of products to clean your colon while keeping your skin bondo fresh. Don't confuse the floor/cabinetry section for a cafe. Although the chairs look inviting. Kitchen tools and regular tools in the same section. Smart! Beautifully cut meat for kalbi, yakiniku, and bulgogi. And the impressive center piece: the Kim Chee island. They should schedule tours around this thing. Every variety of Kim Chee you can imagine. And its all sooo good. And stinky. Don't forget to pick up your bento on the way out the door. The only part I was mildly disappointed with was the service. The lady was too nice. I was at least hoping for a scowl or two. She was just a cashier in training. read more

"PALAMA.....PA LA MA......MAHKET!" Am I the only one that sings that in their head every time I go there? We frequent this Palama Supermarket at least once every other week. It's our go to place for jalapenos, corn tea, korean rice cake mix, won bok, japanese cucumbers and enoki mushrooms. Most times Palama Market has cheaper produce than Don Quijote. Every time we go, the hubby and I split their kalbi plate. It's so massive that it's just the right amount for us to share. For only $10.50, the plate is a deal. We normally take the plate to go though, cause their eating area is small and not the nicest looking. Now here's where you'd be able to spot that I'm part Korean. We carry a special meat scissors in our (f.k.a. "diaper bag". I need to think of a new name for this bag since our daughter gets all huhu when we call it a diaper bag. She insists we can't call it that since she no longer wears diapers). This meat scissors was the best $1.00 we spent in our life. It's a life saver when you have to cut meat into tiny bite sizes for your infant. Just try and attempt it with those rinky dinky plastic knives they give you. Parking lot is rather small and congested. The old korean man that is trying to help by the entrance sometimes makes matters worse by unknowingly blocking the way...but he means well. # 7 / 100 Yelp 100 Review Challenge 2014 read more

After drinking the tea at O-Bok Restaurant, I had to have it for my own pantry. The waitress directed me to Palama for the roasted barley tea. This place is congested with old people and smells unpleasant, but I was happy to see it was well-stocked with all the goodies my Korean friends would bring to school in the hanabata days. They also have fresh food, which I found out was not-so-fresh 2 hours later. My tummy immediately felt weird after eating the Korean sushi--I think the beef was either old or or from a mad cow. Either way I threw up my intestines as a result. Like Alyssa M. who had a similar experience, I won't be revisiting the deli. Anyway, it's been almost 6 hours and I still feel really sick, so I can't give Palama a better rating--it messed with my health. Not cool at all. read more

I like their sushi and pre cooked vegetable near the cashier. Shoppers seem friendy. Nothing wrong with the store but... Parking: no rule, aggressive drivers and walkers, hard to get in and out of the store. YELP 365 - 28/365 read more

One word: DUEK. Jk here are a few more words: I think that for all 20-ish times I've visited this store in the past year, there have been only THREE occasions when they actually have their brown rice steam buns. Come on, Palama, get with it!! They sell out quickly, so MAKE MORE PLZ! Also, there is a nice selection of exotic soda drinks. I had a weird cinnamon-persimmon, which tasted funky and surprisingly delicious. They also carry kelp noodles, which are triple the price at the veggie market across town. I love all of the fancily-boxed fruits, like Asian pears and persimmons, but they are far too pricey for my budget. read more

Every now and then I will stop in at the Palama Supermarket on Kaheka Street to order from the take-out counter their kalbi plate lunch. This is one place where I will go to get my fill of kalbi ribs. Thick pieces of ribs (with the bone) are marinated in their special sauce and cooked to perfection. I received three pieces of meaty and tasty ribs with lots of rice and vegetables. So much food and so good! read more

They have the cheapest mushrooms I can find in town. Enoki, eringi, shitake, hiratake, nametake, maitake you name it they got it for cheap! They got the best BBQ chicken plate lunch too. Portions are big, I once got an 8 pieces of chicken in one order! For $5.50 you can't go wrong. Swap out more veggies for the mac salad if you like. read more

Palama Supermarket, you know, the one located like about 10 miles from Palama. If you overlook the absurdity of name, you will find that this is one good Asian market. Since this is a Korean market, you will find many Korean things here, including....Gangnam Style. Yeah, they play Gangnam Style here and soft tofu, and enoki mushrooms, anchovies, and chili powder. Yes, all you need to make your own Gangnam Soondubu. Palama is the spot to buy your yakiniku or shabu shabu ingredients. Also, they sell day old Saint Germain's bread for $1.87 a loaf. What a deal. There is also a mini food court there to the side, and I highly suggest trying them out as they do have pretty good food. 100 Reviews, 1 Day 85/100 January 12, 2013 read more

Unfortunately we don't have much choices when it comes to korean markets here in Hawaii. Palama market has all the basic korean goodies to keep me feeling Korean but always wished they had a little more authentic food there. But couple things to come here for sure... Soju if on sale (usually 2.99), spicy ramen, and check out the meat section and get the pork belly!! Great prices! On and I must mention that these guys have the least friendly cashiers on the island.. I know majority of the no speak engrish but smiles go along way.. read more

Palama Supermarket - Pork belly from palama palama market! - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

You see a lot of korean celebrities if you work here, I saw 2 during my brief part time experience. Koreans love hawaii. They offer free lunch for employees. Friendly owners. Good products. Go to the kalihi location if you want cheaper price. I am customer turned employee turned customer again. And will keep going back! read more

Good food, fruits are iffy. Sale item check for dates. Check careful at register cause might get overcharged

Parking sucks here. I like buying those korean odor reducers for the fridge and freezer - there's a picture of a hippo on them. They work much better than plain old arm and hammer. I HATE the parking here. I ate a roll of kimbap because I was starving and it seemed pretty good. It fell apart which I think is a bad thing but I didn't care as I inhaled it in that INSANE parking lot. read more

This is the place to go for your Korean grocery items. They have different kinds of kimchee and banchan. In fact, they have a whole banchan bar where you can pick out what you want, put it in a container and they charge you by the weight. I usually get cucumber kimchee, regular kimchee, seaweed, and raw crab. They're also known for their kimbap (Korean Sushi). It's the best! The only negative thing about this place is the parking. It's always so congested going in and out. Whoever designed the parking structure for this place is an idiot. I hope it wasn't one of my "Seoul" sisters or brothers hehe. read more

What a cute little super market. I personally love all things Asian. I love woorimart. I love Shirokiya. Everything. so coming to palama which is curiously named as it is not in Kalihi is like so super fun. All Korean labels. Adventurous looking snacks. Tons of fresh veggies and fruits. Hot food and cold side dishes galore. If you're not familiar with Korean culture. One. They love food. All of the food in there is legit. Two. They are a little pushy judgy snobby. Don't mind it if you're not Korean and get a weird stare or if you don't get greeted. It's because you're not Korean. Three. There are mini stores/restaurants in this market. So pay at the mini places separately. Four. Every item imported from Korea is over priced. Cosmetics are $100 plus. Check out Tony moly if you're looking for good customer service and cheaper rates. Gum is $6. Actually anything that says lotte on it is a rip off. read more

Want to buy Korean food and make it at home? This is the place! Want to shop where the Koreans go? Come here! Want to go to a grocery store that has their own parking guide to help you park your car? Come here! Want to enjoy a Korean food court in a Korean Supermarket? Look no further! read more

When you think of Korean market, Palama is the first to come to mind. They have a great selection of whatever you are looking for in Korean. I love to come here when I make my own bi bim bap as they have a great selection of banchan. When I want to cook other Korean dishes, I simply ask the clerks for help and they are very accommodating. Nice store with full shelves which makes coming here enjoyable. read more

I didn't have anything in mind to purchase but we were in the area and I wanted to check out the supermarket. I agree with Norm G. in that customer service isn't really a priority at Palama Supermarket because while we were in the store, none of the employees ever acknowledged us. I spotted several familiar items. The prepared foods bar had kim chee, different pickled things, and even korean fried chicken! I'd like to come back to try the food court because their pricing seemed very reasonable :) read more

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Always tasty fresh food, and sometimes super cheep veggies. Love love love the spicy chicken wings. They have just the right amount of crunch vs sticky spicy. I know Don Quixote is next door, but it's often more crowded dip for a quick trip i love palama. Good sales, short lines read more

The only Korean supermarket on the island? Kinda dirty, some stuff has dust on it. The food court is alright but i've only eaten the nyeungmyun which was better than average for the island. My friends have ordered stuff with mac salad on it which was covered in mayo and butter. gross. wish they had better kimchi read more

I love grocery shopping here, makes me feel like a kid in a candy store...so much stuff to buy! I always come here to buy my staples - frozen rice cakes, frozen kimchee dumplings, duk bok ki, kimbob, jap chae, kimchee, korean ramen and produce. I gave 4 stars b/c I wish the panchan selection was better. I guess I was spoiled with the wide selection at Kukje Supermarket in Daly City. read more

Palama Supermarket near Don Quijote is a good market alternative if you need various Korean and/or other Asian ingredients. They have good produce, a nice selection of imported items and also hot food for hungry customers. It is not a very big market, but it is big enough for the produce that they carry. When I was there earlier this week, there was a group of children who were eating ice cream and popsicles out of the fridge, their mother just let them start eating. She seemed to have work there since she was coming in and out of the stock room. This is merely a pet-peeve because these kids were blocking every aisle while blissfully enjoying their dessert, and while their mother enabled them. I don't like when kids are allowed to just grab and eat instead of waiting until after they leave the store. It truly bugs me. Why eat something you haven't paid for yet? Can't you wait? We should teach our kids better. If this were just a customer I wouldn't include this, but the woman giving these kids treats seemed like a worker who had the day off. Plus, they kept running into me. Ugh. In addition to fresh produce and other foods, the supermarket has a skincare section as well as an electronics section with Korean rice cookers and kimchee refrigerators. I'm not sure how many people in Hawaii have a kimchee refrigerator, but if you need one, Palama has them. They have a hot food section modeled after Shirokiya's yataimura, not a great selection, but good enough and there is space to eat as well. Every time I go to Palama there is always a table outside with people trying to either sell me something or get me to join their church. Eh. Sometimes they are more aggressive. No offense, but I came to buy vegetables, not join a church. To infrequent customers, this might be rather inappropriate or a turn off. Girl scouts cookies? Go for it. I just don't think setting up shop for religious and/or political purposes is necessary. Other than that, Palama is a good place to shop, whether you are in a rush and need quick bite, or if you are cooking dinner for your family. read more

I go to this place at least once a week for grocery shopping and picking up my lunch! The restaurant portion has very good food with reasonable pricing. I love their soup, all kinds. :-) Their grocery is fresh and reasonable pricing too. The store is small enough that I don't get lost looking for things. read more

Located inside the supermarket, there's a place which caters and sells food all day. All the staple korean dishes. Note, they do have a sign that says they don't use MSG. Food comes out as soon as they cook it = the BEST way to eat hot soup/soontofu... (which by they way they drop an egg in it...the ONLY way to eat soontofu!). Parking is a little crazy but nothing outside the norm for a korean establishment. ;) The market itself is a little smaller than the market on Keeaumaku, and also has ready made "banchan" (or side dishes) as well as kimchi. read more

Got my Korean plate lunch fix here due to change of plans. Ordered the spicy pork and it lived up to its name. Hot and tasty is how my mouth felt. The sides were less desirable though. The kim chee was good, as well as the bean sprouts. But the cucumber kim chee needed to be marinated a bit longer as it had no taste. The watercress was okay and I didn't eat the macaroni salad. After finishing my plate, I downed a body mint tablet, as I knew I would smell like garlic the rest of the day read more

Well it's small, but it got pretty much every thing I need, so I like it. Even the same item, their price is cheaper than the one across the street. Maybe the quality sacrificed a little. They got bonus point for the food court enbedded in it! read more

My to-go place for Korean goodies as they have a variety of products sold. And have some great, cheap deals sometimes. Parking is usually a pain so I always stay longer by picking up food (my favorites are the kimchi stew, spicy squid or bibim kooksoo) from the Snack Corner. It's a good break after your exhausting Korean grocery shopping trip or in my case, after checking out their wide selection of goodies and pretend to know everything that's written in Korean! 15 of 31 Yelp 31 Day Challenge read more

Been going here for a few years for their very authentic Korean food. The restaurant in the back to the right corner (confusing as there are several now) makes 'real deal' Soon Du Bu for 7 bucks and is really good Korean comfort food and totally authentic. 4 real Korean Aujimas are at the wheel of this place and serve the tasty and spicy tofu stew in boiling clay pots with with rice and side veggies (you can order brown rice for an extra 50 cents). Full of clams, calamari, shrimp, veggies, tofu, and a dropped in egg that cooks while you are eating. So yummy and pleasurable, even on a hot day like we have been experiencing lately in HNL (hot food seems to cool down the exterior heat). Yes, only a corner of a grocery with minimal comfort seating; but oh so good and oh so cheap. Highly recommended for a quick, no-hassle, Korean foodie fix. PS- the new Korean Chicken stand that just opened looks interesting and they seem to be getting a lot of business.. Will check them out next time. PS2- Their newer store on N. King serves similar food, but this one is closer to home read more

It's a supermarket of course. But they sell Korean products mostly. So it's good to buy some different foods here. They also have a food court where you can buy Korean plates lunch/dinner. I love that their price isn't expensive. And they do have sale items all the time. So definitely will save you some money. read more

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I was sick and wanted some yu-ja-cha. This is especially good when one is sick. In the back of my mind I was also curious: I was in Honolulu when Palama first opened; now, three years later, is it as good as it once was? It is. This is the place to go when you want some Korean ingredients. Sure, you can probably find a lot of these things in other supermarkets, but you won't find the variety and you won't find the low prices that Palama offers. Again, I was sick, so I didn't buy much. I did, however, spend my time browsing. There are lots of good things here: Korean fruits and vegetables (Korean pears; persimmons; sesame leafs); noodles; dumplings; rice cake; pancake mix; lots of rice; lots of teas; instant coffee; pastries; ice cream; soymilk; Korean snacks. On top of all of this there are household items: Korean stone pot; rice cookers; slippers. You get the point. There is also a little food court, which I did not try. The selection was predictable but it smelled good, and it was affordable (i.e. $6 for tofu soup). The only thing that disappointed was Palama's pan chan. I tried three different ones. All were too saucy, too oily, and (dare I say it?) a tad too salty. There is a nice selection of items, and I'd certainly buy some again, in a fix. But if I had the time to make my own I would (or if I found a place that had better pan chan... On that note: This weekend I am going to try pan chan country. I have high hopes for this place. Has anyone tried it yet? read more

I recently discovered Palama Market. Had no idea that they even served hot food at a food counter here, dishes ranged from $6-$8 or so. I've had the SPICY PORK plate and a SPICY CALAMARI/SQUID plate, the perfect amount of spice and flavor. It comes with rice and awesome fresh kim chee if you want. It is super casual, so you order your food at the counter and grab a table. They call your # and you eat, café style. I noticed a bunch of other folks had hot pot stone bowls so I definitely want to try one of those soups next time, just waiting for the weather to cool down so I can enjoy a bowl comfortably. The parking is very limited and can get super busy during the regular lunch hour, so I suggest going early or late. Can't wait to go back for an inexpensive meal. read more

Palama Supermarket - Spicy Tako plate, delicious! - International Grocery Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is probably the best Korean Supermarket you'll find in the island. They're selection is much better here but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check out the other small Korean supermarkets since they all have something unique that Palama might not necessarily carry. read more