H Mart is one of our favorite places to shop. Any time we go there, it’s like we’re transported back to Korea. Our strong connection to the Korean grocery store was made even stronger after read Michelle Zauner’s incredible memoir Crying in H Mart.

When we go to H Mart, we usually leave with a cart packed full of 40 things. To help you find some delicious new things, we’ve put together a list of 15 of our favorite items at H Mart. On this list, we’ve tried to avoid listing some of the more popular items that you can find at Costco and Target (e.g.: Buldak ramyun, Shin ramyun, Melona ice cream bars, etc.)

Let’s get into it:

1. Tteok

Tteok, or Korean rice cakes, are one of the most versatile items you can find at H Mart. We recommend buying plain tteok instead of a pre-packaged tteokbokki kit, so you can use it in all kinds of dishes. Turn it into tteokbokki, make tteok-kkochi by frying, skewering it, and drizzling it with a sweet gochujang glaze, add sliced tteok to make tteokguk, or simply pan-fry it and dip it in honey.

2. Soondae

Soondae is Korean blood sausage. It might look unappetizing at first, but you need to give it a chance. It’s filled with glass noodles and delicious seasonings. Once you dip it in seasoned salt or tteokbokki sauce, you’ll find out why it’s so popular in Korea. You can also make soondae-guk with it.

3. Paldo Bibim Men

Paldo Bibim Men is one of the most underrated instant noodles in the world. It’s different than most instant noodles in that you remove the water before eating it. These spicy and sweet cold noodles are absolutely amazing in the summer.

4. Pulmuone Bibim Naengmyeon

The world needs to know more about the greatness that is Korean cold noodles. Pulmuone Bibim Naengmyeon seriously tastes like a restaurant noodle dish. These slightly chewy noodles are paired with the perfect sweet and spicy sauce to make a perfect lunch. You can add some sliced cucumber and a boiled egg to take it to the next level.

5. Chapagetti

We love jjajangmyun. Chapagetti is not jjajangmyun, but it’s the closest you can get in instant noodle form. The savory and slightly sweet noodles make for an awesome comfort food. You can take it to the next level by adding a little bit of pork with some danmuji (yellow pickled radish).

6. Bibigo bungeoppang

Bungeoppang brings us right back to the streets of Korea. It’s a really popular street food in Korea, but it’s difficult to find good bungeoppang in the freezer section. We specifically like the Bibigo bungeoppang because the red bean-filled, fish-shaped pastry tastes just like the ones we get from our favorite street vendor in Korea.

7. Hotteok

Hotteok is our other favorite Korean street food. We don’t have a preferred bran for this one. Hotteok is a sweet Korean pancake filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and occasionally seeds or nuts. The frozen version is easy to heat up at home, and it gives you that crispy outside and gooey inside without needing to make dough from scratch. However, if you have time, you can buy boxed hotteok powder to make the dough and fry it.

8. Banana Kick

Banana Kick is incredible. These super light and airy corn puffs are coated in sweet banana-flavored powder to create one of the most addicting snacks we’ve ever had. There’s a reason this is snack is so beloved by so many K-pop stars.

9. Cosomi

Cosomi crackers are thin, crispy Korean crackers with a sweet sesame and coconut flavor. We never realized how perfect of They’re simple, nostalgic, and perfect with tea or coffee when you want something lightly sweet but not too heavy.

10. Jollypong

Jollypong is a puffed grain snack that can be eaten as a cereal or a snack. We love pouring milk on it and eating it for breakfast, but it’s just as good as a midday snack. This is kind of like the American cereal Honey Smacks, but it’s a bit less sweet and a lot more airy/light.

11. Sweet potato bread

Sweet potato bread, or goguma ppang, is one of the most fun frozen treats you can find at H Mart. This went viral on Instagram and TikTok a couple years ago. Initially, it blew people away because it looks like an actual sweet potato on the outside, but it’s actually a really soft bread that’s chewy and filled with a delicious sweet potato filling.

12. Bosok Bar

Bosok Bar is a Korean frozen dessert/ice cream bar that hasn’t yet reached viral status yet stateside. We’re surprised that it’s not as well-known as Melona or Papico. It’s really light, low in calories, and full of crunchy “jewel” pieces that taste a bit fruity. This is the perfect ice cream bar if you’re counting calories or just want something really light.

13. Kkaennip

Kkaennip, also known as perilla leaves, is our favorite thing to buy in the produce aisle at H Mart. We love wrapping samgyeupsal (pork belly), galbi, and any grilled meat in it. It’s perfect to add to tuna kimbap as well.

14. Jongga uncut kimchi

Jongga uncut kimchi is a great option if you want kimchi that feels closer to what you’d get in a Korean home or at a Korean restaurant. Because the kimchi comes in larger pieces, it stays juicy and tastes better than pre-cut kimchi. It’s so much better because you can cut it to whatever size you want for rice, noodles, stews, or kimchi fried rice.

15. Banchan

The prepared banchan section is one of the best reasons to go to H Mart. You can pick up small containers of Korean side dishes like seasoned spinach, bean sprouts, fish cakes, marinated cucumbers, or braised potatoes and instantly make any meal feel more complete.