Hikari Foods & Grocery — Local services in City of Rochester

I have not had such rude treatment in a store in well over a decade. Seeking the Korean staple gochujang, which any asian grocery would dedicate feet of shelf space to, I was unable to locate it.

I sought the assistance of the young cashier, the only staff member in the store. After walking up to find her incessantly texting on her phone, I waited nearly 3 minutes before she deigned to notice me. I asked for the location of the gochujang, only to be met by a blank stare. After asking again, she stated, "show me picture."

Fine. It took mere seconds to bring up a photograph of the characteristic red tub shared by most brands. But in the intervening ten seconds, she'd reattached herself to her apparently engrossing texting. Another three minutes ensued in which she completely ignored me, despite having my phone, and an image of the item, thrust in her face.

Finally, she looked up briefly, stated, "come back tomorrow," and blanked me again.

I have never said this about any store, but I shall never return. Asia Food Market, a mile south, had four brands of gochujang, including sizes from small tubs to quart-size, at very cheap prices, an attentive staff, and fast checkout.

Many dusty items on the shelves looked to be ancient, though the limited produce on display at the front was obviously fresh, much of it still in its distribution bins.

One could use this market as an illustration for how to lose control of inventory and...

I've been going here for years. Good range of Asian food products at decent prices. They get a fresh produce delivery a couple times a week, and that's always worth stopping in for especially. The mushroom and baby bok choy are exceptional and inexpensive. They have a good selection of miso pastes, and lots of things like spicy bean paste and sesame oil at better prices than places like Wegmans. There's an extensive freezer section of prepared foods, and asian delicacies-- some have english on the labels, some don't. Several years ago, the staff used to be a lot more helpful to us poor folks who only speak English-- but the past few times I've gone, either the staff on hand didn't speak much English, or they've decided they'd rather serve folks who speak their language, because the service hasn't been quite as warm as it used to be. That being said, if you're willing to poke around, and want to try authentic ingredients-- this is a market...

As others have said, it's small, but it has everything I was always looking for. I am always buying Japanese food products to make Japanese food.... most places only sell Korean or Chinese items. This place has them. There is a special kind of salt/pepper in a single bottle that I always look for (and it's made in Japan stuff - super delicous in ramen, on meat, whatever.. it works on it all)... and they have it. I always buy several bottles of it in fear that it won't be there anymroe. They certainly help me keep my pantry full. Now, for the bad part, sometimes the prices can be quite high as compared to being in Japan itself... but if you've never been there (Japan) then you have nothing for reference and might think this is normal. But, still not too high that it will detract me from making purchases here. As I said, they always have what I'm looking for. Thank you Hikari for being here...