More than 400 people waited in line for H-Mart to make its Las Vegas debut

More than 400 people waited in line for H-Mart to make its Las Vegas debut

The mega-popular Korean grocery outlet opened in true Las Vegas style with showgirls and lion dancers on April 24

By Janna Karel

Eater Las Vegas

After being in development for nearly three years, Las Vegas’s first H-Mart is finally here. More than 400 people lined up outside of the Korean grocery store ahead of its 10 a.m. opening on Thursday, April 24, with some arriving well before the sun came up. At the front of the line were Mel and Alex Laureno, who had been camping out since 4 a.m. for Las Vegas’s first H-Mart location to open its doors. “We want to get first dibs on the freshest produce like the cases of Champagne mango,” says Mel Laureno. “Plus, get Hello Kitty toilet paper and Lotte melon ice cream.”

Customers arrived armed with detailed shopping lists — curated by visits to the store’s other locations or recommendations found on social media — and eager to get their hands on the store’s robust selection of Asian snacks, hard-to-find produce, and TikTok-famous ice cream bars. The Korean grocer celebrated with traditional Chinese lion dancers backed by tanguu drums and cymbals, all performing beneath a balloon banner. In true Vegas fashion, feather-headdress-wearing showgirls danced to “Viva Las Vegas” just before the doors opened. By 9:45 a.m., the line to H-Mart, located at 2620 South Decatur Boulevard near Sahara Avenue, had snaked around the perimeter of the parking lot, ending out on the sidewalk on Decatur Boulevard.

Local fans of the Korean grocery store have waited far longer than a few hours to get inside — rumors circulated about an opening for years before the company finally put a banner on the wall and officially announced an anticipated 2024 debut. “I’ve been waiting five years for it to open,” says Erin Koch, who picked up a $31.99 store-brand hot pot kit, discounted to $19.99 for the grand opening. “There is other Asian food in Las Vegas, but the stores aren’t comprehensive. There’s more variety here and there’s food from everywhere, not a singular region.”

The store occupies a sprawling 54,552 square feet and, as it opened its doors for the first time, was delightfully unmarred by the reaching fingers of customers — untouched rows of snacks were perfectly uniform, stacks of vibrant produce flowed from shelf to shelf, and refrigerators storing meat and fish brimmed with pork belly, brisket, and more. “There’s more of everything than I expected,” Alex Laureno told me after getting inside. “And it’s so orderly, there are no boxes lying around like at Greenland [Supermarket].

H-Mart earned its cult following in part for its impact online and for its appearance in Michelle Zauner’s popular memoir “Crying in H Mart.” Still, some customers know the brand from its other locations: Mel and Alex Laureno, for instance, make sure to stop at the store in Torrance when driving back from trips to California. The lengthy line of people waiting to get in was a testament to the brand’s demand, given that it wasn’t even the only regional grocery store to debut today. Two locations of Aldi hosted their grand openings this morning, with far fewer lines and nary a showgirl to be seen.

While shopping, Las Vegas locals were eager to show off their must-buy products. Here’s what they recommend.

Fruity Ice Cream Bars

“We came to get the TikTok peach ice cream,” says Tiffany Castro. “We saw them on TikTok, and they don’t sell them anywhere.” The TaoQi Peach Ice Cream Bars are presented under plastic domes as upside-down peaches with a perfectly orange-pink hue. The Propitious Mango Ice Cream bars look convincingly like mangos, with mildly sweet ice cream enrobed in a white chocolate shell.

“They look so satisfying and make the most satisfying crunch when you bite into them,” added Castro’s friend Jessenia Montenegro.

Perilla Leaves

Yong Kwon-Peterson, 73, expected only Korean people to attend the grand opening and didn’t anticipate nearly 400 people in line. A manager let her skip the queue shortly after the doors opened. In the produce section, she recommends getting super fragrant and almost minty perilla leaves (ggaenip). “I put it with ground miso, rice, and cilantro and green onion and roll it all up in the perilla leaf,” she says.

Soon Kimchi Noodles

Carreen Chau hefted two boxes of Soon Kimchi noodles. “It’s rare to find good vegan ramen,” she says. “Kimchi is the best flavor — it’s spicy. And it’s hard to find.”

All the Snacks

Aaliyah Judkins had a cart brimming with snacks. “These are fire,” she says, hoisting a bag of flaky Orion Choco Churros Turtle Chips. “And these,” she says, pointing at two bags of Honey Butter Chips, “Lord Jesus, these are so good. Just a little bit sweet and buttery.” She says that a bag of butter- and soy sauce-flavored roasted seaweed flakes is something she used to have to order online. “You put them on everything — tteokbokki, ramen, hot pot, rice, anything.”

Binggrae Banana Milk Drink

“This is what I came for,” Marlette Bernabe says about a six-pack of Binggrae Banana milk drink boxes. “And you can’t leave without getting the steamed sweet potatoes. I went to Korea and everyone lined up at the street vendors to get it.” The sliced purple potatoes are steamed in-house and served warm.

Hello Kitty Toilet Paper

“Hello Kitty toilet paper is usually $25. Here it was $11.99,” says Maddie Saxby. “And LA short rib is so expensive, but here it’s pre-marinated and I got a family pack for $30. It will last a week!”

Wagyu Beef

Marco Diaz’s shopping trip focused on the meat section. He added two boxes of delicately sliced and rolled cuts of Wagyu beef (packs are sold frozen). “I cook it up hot pot-style with broth and eat it with sesame sauce,” he says.

The store’s exit leads right into the food hall, which has vendors that serve food popular in South Korea and within the U.S., including South Korean chain Paik’s Noodle, tteokbokki restaurant Jopok Topokki, Moobongri Soondae, Bb.q Chicken, Tiger Sugar, and Oh-K Dog & Egg Toast. Marketing manager Douglas Kim says that he expects the line to span about 200 people throughout opening day, but that crowds should level out by Friday, April 25. So while Las Vegas locals have waited years for H-Mart to open, they needn’t wait that much longer to get in.

H-Mart is now open daily from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. at 2620 South Decatur Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89102.