Kyoto Mart & Deli Inc. — Attraction in Town of Huntington

I really like to come to this place when I can. Even though it’s a small store, it has a wide range of products from East Asian countries (Like Japanese, e.g. their melonpan and pudding, Korean e.g. their bingrae milk products, and Chinese with their Pokémon themed konjac jelly snacks). Many of these products are special because even at larger Asian supermarkets, they don’t really have this a lot of the products this store sells e.g. melonpan, coffee pudding, and Japanese pudding. Some products are a little more expensive, but that’s completely logical considering they’re a small business.

The reason I’m finally writing a review is because of what the staff there did for me. For context, on the day I’m posting this, June 2, I found out my grandfather on my mom’s side had passed away. I was an emotional mess. I couldn’t stop sobbing throughout the day. I even regressed in ways that made me feel even worse. I have so many regrets. So many things I wanted to do with him and for him e.g. spending time with him, cooking for him, just caring for him in general. But now I’ll never be able to do those things for him. And while Father’s Day was around the corner too…I wanted to make something special for him and I can’t even do that anymore. I was just in a dark place for the whole day.

Today, I ordered from them on doordash. I know it’s not good practice or manners, but I called their store and told her about my loss. She was a very sweet, empathetic soul. They all are. I know it was selfish of me as a customer, but all I asked for was a note. Anything positive to help with the grief and pain. I told her she could even write it in her native language if she wanted to. She agreed to do it for me. Even though she didn’t even know if I was telling the truth or not (I am), she still did it for me.

What makes particular order extra special was I saw a smily face on the order bag—already made me smile back for some silly reason. But when I opened the bag, I realized that they had done more than just sent a note. The note was heartwarming, it helped, it actually helped a lot. And there was even a small toy attached to it. I’ve taped it to a wall of my room. They even went above and beyond and gave me an extra item I hadn’t ordered—this made me feel so—like they genuinely cared. They are wonderful people.

To the staff of Kyoto Mart: thank you from the bottom of my heart. This all really meant a lot to me. Thank you for understanding my grief, I am extremely grateful for how you all went above and beyond for a random customer like me.

Also, their melon pan is the most delicious thing they have and I’ve shared this and their other products with my friends who are also into East Asian culture. They loved everything. ESPECIALLY the melon pan. By the time our meeting was over, everything had either been completely devoured or taken home. I recommend everyone try their melon pan and other products, they will not disappoint you, I promise! Edit: They sent me another note thanking me for my review…I’m crying of happiness…and they gave me extra food as well. I’m so grateful to you. All of you. Thank...

Update to owner’s response:

Unprofessional, extremely petty & passive aggressive response to my pretty neutral tone review. If you can’t take feedback with courtesy, you have no business owning a business. I never mentioned anything about poor service/ manner in my original review. When the cashier greeted me, I most definitely responded back. Whether or not the cashier heard or noticed my response isn’t my problem. There certainly was no chef in the kitchen, which I checked twice. Why would I go ask for a menu if I didn’t even know one existed for the kitchen? Your business does a very poor job demonstrating to customers that there is even a menu to ask for. As for the comment about me throwing my finished Dunkin donut drink in the trash, would you have preferred I left it somewhere in the store for you to clean up or for me to throw it in the trash where it belongs?

I intentionally came by to explore and see if there was something I’d like to buy here, clearly nothing was appealing to me thus I walked out without purchasing a thing. This disgusting, weird & petty response from owner is very telling. I’d rather drive 10 mins further to another Japanese market/ deli for better customer service/ attitude than this location’s owner. I will not be returning.

Original review: Ehh, I’m glad they opened a Japanese mart in Huntington. However it definitely has room to improve for more customers & business. Very little prepped food options at 4-5 pm. No one in the kitchen, no menu for the kitchen. Only one employee (cashier). Would love to come back and see such improvements implemented if they’d wish to take...

I found out about this place today and decided to check it out with my mom after work. The 2 employees there were so friendly and made me feel comfortable and welcome. As a vegan, it was awesome seeing how many fresh options they had. They didn’t have any premade, but that was no problem. They were happy to make what I wanted, I did not mind having to wait at all. While waiting, I just kept finding more and more things to try! My first time trying onigiri has been amazing, I am OBSESSED. The employees were so nice and offered us a free snack on them for our business. I immediately left overjoyed and checked doordash to see if they were able to deliver to me, and they do! I will be coming here for the experience and ordering all the time for the best quality food. Thank you for making this such an...