A very clean and impressive Korean minimart. A big variety of kimchi noodles and spices. Friendly gentleman, inside helping customers. Outside there is a lady selling rice, noodles, and chicken skewers. read more

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Sambok is a Korean grocery store on one of the Strip District's busiest blocks as Wholey's and Mancini's are down the road. This shop was not on my radar, but I was intrigued as I walked by it as they have a stand in front selling Korean snack foods. I noticed it was selling mung bean pancakes which I colloquially call Korean pancake and got a piece. It was a sizable portion for $3 and had a bit of spice to it which I enjoyed. If you are interested in getting some Asian street food while walking the Strip District, this stand is worth checking out. read more

Sambok Korean Groceries - Mung Bean Pancake ($3) - International Grocery Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

One of my favorite places to go to in the strip. I load up on their homemade kimchi, veggies, dumplings, precooked rice packs, noodles, beef bulgogi, Korean sauces and seasonings. Friendly service and always well stocked. read more

I LOVE this store and the hot food stand!!! Been coming here for years!!! The best Kimchi I have ever had, so fresh and flavorful and such a variety.... Typical cabbage, vegan cabbage, radish two ways chunks or strips, green onion kimchi (one of my favorites) and well, if you love kimchi chi and don't make your own, please make a trip! Bring your cooler and try many different vegetables!!! Haven't had anything bad yet, and for a while they were the only place who had Korean tuna (in a can)!!! Such nice people too!!!! RUN don't walk!!! read more

Always make a "Pitt" stop here to get my kimchi. Great Korean grocery store for their kimchi and all things Korean. It is in the Strip District so on the weekend it is very busy. read more

A very friendly lady that cooks and serves the food outside at the front of the store. The chicken on the stick has this sweet teriyaki flavor. I asked to have Sriracha on it. Very good. The Mung Bean is spicy so if you are not a fan of spicy food, don't get it. I'll try to go back and try their lo mein and dumpling next time. read more

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The chicken on a stick was phenomenal!! I also ordered the mung bean pancake which was delicious, crispy and flavorful with a bit of spice. The woman working the stand was very friendly, and the store owner inside was kind as well. Recommend to those looking for a quick bite in the strip district! read more

Sambok Korean Groceries - chicken on a stick and mung bean pancake - International Grocery Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Kim-Chi was fresh and very good, stimulating my appetite. The store is rather small, and packed with items, mostly Korean. I was able to find what I needed such as roasted Kim, which is lightly salted roasted seaweed that I eat wrapping fresh steamed rice. Comfort food. The store keeper was an accommodating, hard working Korean man, I can tell. It is located in the Strip mall in Pittsburg near downtown. I would guess every local knows about this busy, bustling, high energy place packed with stores and people of many ethnic backgrounds. Street parking with a meter, I was lucky to find a spot for parallel parking, a woman on the street was yelling out for me, "You got it, you got it!!" The 2nd attempt for parallel was a success. Haha. read more

bought needle outside. DISGUSTING !!! no flavor no taste nothing. Large is $6, small is $4. What a rip off !!! read more

Walking through the strip district, who doesn't love a little bit of street food! We stopped at New Sambok Oriental Foods for their Chicken on a Stick and it was phenomenal! You have the choice of having it with either barbecue sauce or sriracha sauce. My friend and I both had ours with the sriracha sauce and it was incredible! They pull it off of the grill right in front of your eyes, so you know that it is very fresh! Definitely would recommend this place to anyone that wants a quick bite to eat in the strip district! read more

I always go here for my Korean bbq needs It definitely is pricey but similar in cost to other Asian marts, and provides meat cut thinner than any non-Asian store so unless u can cut ur own meat, this is prob the best option Also the people are super nice Their mung bean pancakes are quite spicy, want to eat them with rice read more

Every time we come to the Strip, we eat at a different restaurant usually as a premeditated decision. This past weekend, even after brunch at Cafe Raymond, we decided to go for it and give into the amazing aromas wafting from this little food stall. Many a times I have passed by only to wish I had to room to chow down here. The chicken skewers are awesome! Tender, juicy and drenched in BBQ sauce. I got the pad thai too and that left something to be desired. It looked like it would be seasoned but alas, it was quite bland without the sirarcha sauce. The old man serving me was super friendly, as was the lady putting my brown bag together. It cost $10 and just reminded me of the lamb skewers in Xi'an but you know, 10x as expensive. I will definitely be back to try that giant egg roll and/or fried rice. I didn't see the mung bean pancake as a menu item but maybe it's not there on Sundays? read more

Very well organized Asian market. staff friendly and knowledgeable, and the outside counter with meat kabobs and pancakes are delicious!

The mung bean pancake was phenomenal! Possibly my new favorite food in the Strip if not all of Pittsburgh, it's that good. And it was spicy which was a welcomed surprise. The grilled chicken was also tasty. But the mung bean pancake was out of this world and only $3 which is insane. So filling that I didn't even finish one for lunch, although I wanted to be a glutton and force myself to do it because it was delicious. Also, the woman working outside is pleasant and personable. I love this spot and will absolutely be back. read more

Best chicken on a stick ever! You can't make a trip to the Strip without getting a few!

If you're not looking careful enough, you could miss New Sambok Oriental Foods on Penn. It's a very small Korean market, very hole-in-the-wall Strip storefront, on the corner of Penn and 18th St. There is a decent selection of your typical Korean products, snacks, drinks, red pepper, ready made sides, and ramen. They sell kimchi which I bought once, to save time, and it didn't go to waste. If you're not used to old style Asian markets, you might have second thoughts about shopping here, it's a little on the dark side lighting wise, and small. On the weekends, the owner cooks Korean snacks on the sidewalk in front of the store, my fave is the Korean pancake with kimchi sprouts. The owners are a friendly, older couple. Not the worst store I've ever been too, I've been to better. Can't complain too much since there isn't a large Korean population in Pittsburgh. Just be sure to look for best by dates, since turnover is probably pretty slow. read more

The packing of the food is very bad. Bought grocery yetserday. The food package was placed in the bag with a cake I bought from her. First they should not have done put food product with the cake in the same bag. The food package was so loose and not properly sealed and spilled all over the cake in the bag and in the car. When called the owner (lady) there complained about it, she blamed me and refused to acknowledge and was very rude. She hung up and said bad words. She doesn't care about customers and I had been a permanent customer. I will never go back to this store. Stay away from this place! read more

Chicken on a Stick! Yum! It's $3 and consists of 2 perfectly grilled large boneless thighs on a skewer. They are juicy and delicious. The marinade they use caramelizes on the chicken during grilling resulting in a super flavorful char. A great snack when eating your way through the Strip District-- this is "street meat" done right! The Sam Bok food stand also makes mung bean pancakes, lo mein, fried rice, and egg rolls, which I saw many people ordering but didn't get to try myself. Be sure to check out the Asian market Sam Bok is connected to & pick up a jar of their homemade kimchee! read more

Sambok Korean Groceries - Chicken on a Stick -- extra Sriracha (duh.) - International Grocery Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I've been going to this store for 6 years and have always loved their products. I am beyond disappointed that they added an extra charge of $11.99 onto my tab without me noticing. I come back home and break down the cost of each item and cannot find the missing $11.99 charge. I probably should of looked but I trusted this business since I have been going to them for years. Well, I guess it's time to support another local place because this family does not care and will rip you off. Makes me wonder if I have been scammed before. There are other Asian markets in the strip so go to those first!!! This is the equivalent of shop lifting in my opinion because I would never steal from a small business but they're stealing money from me. read more

We stop here every time during our monthly Strip district food shopping visit. We will go inside to get Bulgogi meat and other sauces. I hear their kimchi (lots of varieties) is really good too, but didn't get any so far. I never pass getting Mung Bean pancakes from the lady making them in front of the store. She is super sweet and always smiling. It's spicy but oh so goood! read more

Love this little Korean market! Great but small selection of Korean food! Nice selection of Korean cut beef and nice selection of kimchi!!! Friendly staff and good prices! Prepared food outside is tasty. read more

Stopped in while checking out the various Asian grocers on the strip for the first time. They have a bigger selection of Japanese tsukemono (pickled veggies) than I've seen at any store thus far, along with Oden kits, varieties of fish cake and a good variety of sauces and soy sauce. It is one of the smaller stores, however I personally could find everything I would need to prepare several staple Asian dishes. The highlight of the visit: chicken on a stick. I was weary of the simple name until I took a bite into the luscious, caramelized chicken and the juicy marinade and oils flowed down my chin. Not to mention, it's a gigantic skewered piece of meat for $3.50. read more

Sambok Korean Groceries - International Grocery Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Super cute and well-organized korean market with a stall outside selling chicken on a stick, mung bean pancakes, and more. We tried the chicken on a stick and it was yummy, but nothing phenomenal. It came out piping hot, nicely charred around the edges and had a mild curry flavor. The size was a bit small for the $4 price. Glad we tried, but it definitely isn't a flavor that I'll be craving enough to try again anytime soon. read more

Good market, we tried the pancake and chicken in a stick it was so good. Now it is my favorite place to eat delicious chicken on a stick with hot souse. read more

Yeah, awesome. A fond childhood memory of mine is walking down Penn Ave and smelling the aroma coming from Sam Bok's food carts. Since I was obviously unfamiliar with Korean cuisine at that time, I was always curious about it and I just couldn't resist those delicious aromas - and apparently neither could my Dad. I remember very vividly at just six-years of age, I was deligted when he handed me two crisp dollar bills which bought us four skewers of deliciously marinated chicken with a side of kimchi - stunning. One of my favorite family dining experiences. I was instantly a fan and went there all the time ever since. The groceries are also excellent too and very very fresh. To me, this is what a true food cart experience is - fast, cheap, delicious. Not slow, inefficient, yuppified, self-important, and super-expensive. (read my review of grilled-cheese sandwhiches for $8) read more

I love home made food ;p Extremely small..but better then nothing... some areas don't even sell Korean foods.. I went here hoping to do a little oriental food shopping... I heard they just sold Korean food, but there's some products a general shop would have as well...don't come here..if your looking for specific products...stuff is over priced...and this place is really limited when it comes to produces...kinda disappointing... read more

The street food on the weekends is great for those looking for some Korean comfort food. They offer Mung Bean Pancakes with Kimchi, Lo Mein, Fried Rice, huge Egg Rolls and Chicken Skewers. True, some of these items are not Korean, but the Mung Bean Pancakes are as Korean as they get. I was surprised they offered this (rather than the more common seafood pancake) because it takes more effort to make; the base is not flour origin, but of mung bean origin, so maybe it's healthier for you. The ladies working the grills are nice and remind me of the vendors I saw in Korea. The grocery is not really well stocked as others have mentioned. This is probably due to the low foot traffic due to it's neighbor, Lotus. I usually grab certain essentials at Lotus and get my Korean-specific items here. You should be able to find what you need. read more

This review is just for the food stand outside! I didn't even walk inside the actual grocery store so I have no idea what/how that is. I'm a huge fan of good, cheap street food :D Reminds me of being in Asia. I mean this is only one food stand... but their chicken skewers and mung bean pancakes (spicy) were off the chain. Or maybe I was extremely hungry that day. I shared the one skewer and pancake with the bf, but still finished feeling extremely satisfied. Just that tasty! Def give it a try. read more

As a grocery store, I'm not much of a fan. The grocery items here are way too expensive. The only thing I buy here is seaweed wrap, but other than that I avoid buying grocery here. The one thing I love about this place is the hot street food in front of the store every weekend! I have tried everything: chicken on a stick, fried rice, egg rolls, vegetable lo mein and pancakes. Everything is well prepared, well seasoned and well cooked. Overall, I don't recommend the grocery store, but highly recommend the hot food if you're in the strip area and craving a quick, cheap snack. read more

I was first introduced to Korean food my freshman year in college. It was a match made in kimchi heaven. This love affair has now extended to the Korean culture and language. Sam Bok is the perfect venue to get anything Korean cuisine related and has some wonderful Ahjummas (ladies) who will let you try out you newly mastered though limited skills at speaking Korean. I love making my own kimchi chigae - not proficient enough to make my own kimchi though. Sam Bok sells really good cabbage and radish kimchi that you can pick up anytime. It's available in several sizes. I also like their black bean sauce, yam noodle packets, spices and spicy ramyun packets (Asian ramen that will blow your socks off). I recently picked up a couple of bread rolls with cream filling which is a Korean delicacy that satisfies your sweet and savory cravings. Sam Bok's bread was wonderful, I will definitely go back for more of those. I suggest giving Sam Bok a shot, it's unique, local and always inviting. read more

The best Kim chi I've ever had! And the owners/ staff are extremely helpful and nice. I make a point to stop every time I'm in Pittsburgh.

This place is just amazing. Chicken on a stick and mung bean pancakes are delicious. This place is small and simple. Food options are very limited but they are really good. It's reasonable too. read more

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They carry a good selection of soy sauces and have decent prices for bulk rice. Do note that there is a $10 minimum on debit/credit card usage. read more

This review is for the Sam Bok food stand. I found a review (kind of) for it but I feel as though it's good enough to have its own review. PLUS, my gal from China Express (now closed, was downtown) cooks there, so I had to make it happen. This place is simple. It has chicken on a stick, mung bean pancakes, & I think some sort of spring roll. The only thing I've ever tried is the chicken on a stick, and really, it's all I need. these little thingers are delicious, and they're only $3. They have two different sauces to dump on it, and I get it with both; one is some sort of Korean BBQ sauce & the other is just Sriracha. Then it's wrapped in foil, and handed off. Make sure you get extra napkins, as they're messy. Any time I run to the strip to get a few staples, I inevitably swing through and get a chicken on a stick. You should too...you won't regret it. read more

Had a great super-sized egg roll here while on a jaunt around the Strip on a sunny Saturday afternoon. A good two inches thick, it was filled with chicken, cabbage and other shredded veggies and the wrapper was still crisp despite being under a food lamp. For only $3 it was a great on-the-go snack. read more

I usually go in and browse around this place every few weeks or so and am never really impressed. The aisles are tight, shelves over-flowing, variety poor, and just not that great of a grocery store. They do have a selection of utensils and cooking equipment that you do not normally find at some of the other Asian stores, but I have never purchased any. Even though it is available at other places I frequent, I do tend to purchase my kimchi here. I'm not sure how the quality differs from other places, but I have no complaints about it. The food stand in front is alright, but I'd rather go elsewhere. The mung bean pancakes are good, but most of the other food is always a little too bland for my taste. I do know several other people who enjoy eating here often, but it's just not for me. Overall, I would think of this as a Korean specialty store and not much of an "oriental food market". If you're looking to find common Asian foodstuffs or good produce/frozen foods, I'd suggest going elsewhere. If you're looking for some Korean-specific items, then this place should be your choice. Sambok is a perfectly okay store and I plan to continue stopping in from time to time. read more

This is not a huge H-Mart with a ton of produce and thirty aisles of stock. That said, for such a tiny store they had a lot of variety. Quite a few frozen and chilled items, as well as your typical kimchis, Korean snacks, instant coffees, sauces, and already made banchan. The food they sell outside the store is also amazing and I highly recommend it. I moved to the Pittsburgh area in the last year and was needing a Korean grocery. After living in Korea, I find myself in pretty constant need of some kimchi or naengmyun. I was very pleased with Sambok and what they had to offer! Definitely the best Korean grocery I have found in Pittsburgh. If you are coming from a place like NYC this might seem small and disappointing, but I am very happy with it! Bonus: The couple who were running the store today (I'm assuming the owners?) were super friendly and kind. read more

Great hole in the wall market. Love the street foods they offer. Mung Bean Pancakes are spicy and fresh.

As a guy who lived in Korea and who is married to a Korean lady I like to think I know a thing or two about Korean fare. Sambok is a decent little grocery store for Korean food stuffs and we can find things here that are more expensive at Seoul Mart in Oakland. The woman who owns the place is very friendly and helpful and speaks decent English. If you're searching for ingredients to make some Korean favorites head to Sambok. Now if you're anything like me you go to the Strip to eat and walk and Sambok has some fantastic street food. My wife and I are often craving mung bean pancakes and Sambok makes the best they rival what you could find anywhere in Seoul. Crisp, spicy, and full of fresh ingredients, a must try. The chicken on a stick is also a go to for many less adventurous Strip walkers. A huge portion of chicken slathered with a Korean-American sauce and grilled right there. The food is so cheap and good you'd think you were somewhere in Korea. read more

I come here for chicken on a stick & mung bean pancakes every time I am in the Strip District. I don't know what else to say about it besides that it's awesome--everything is prepared quickly and the little Korean woman who I always see working the stand is very pleasant. I always recommend the food here to everyone I know whenever they say they're going to the Strip. It's cheap and delicious. This would be a five star rating if I wasn't considering the grocery store, but this place IS indeed a grocery store and not just a street vendor (unfortunately). The grocery store is very poorly organized, things are dusty, and many of the things don't have expiration dates. That's actually pretty typical of imported Asian food, but I was really skeptical about buying anything from the grocery store because no one really shops here (there are better competitors down the street, like Lotus Food Co) and that means that the food remained on the shelf for who knows how long. The first time my friend and I came here, she purchased a pack of mango mochi ice cream and found that it had freezer burn and smelled a bit off as well. The store manager/owner kindly refunded the purchase, which was nice, but I would still never buy anything. Also, compared to Lotus Food Co, some of the items in this store are more expensive. The mochi ice cream was definitely more expensive--I can't remember exactly how much, but after we realized that we bought a bad item, we went to Lotus Food Co and bought a box of mochi ice cream that was perfectly fine, delicious, and less expensive. read more