Mitsuwa Market in Chicago — You Can Never Finish Exploring!

Spent the weekend at Mitsuwa, the Japanese supermarket in Chicago’s northern suburbs. 🍡 100 E Algonquin Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 The last time I came was four years ago, during the pandemic summer — took the train for a long trek. This time, my friend drove — shoutout to Usagi Mama for the ride 🚗💕. The market is huge and packed with amazing stuff! Right at the entrance is Kinokuniya, a major Japanese bookstore chain in North America — I used to love visiting their New York location. Manga, stationery, figures, home goods… everything! This time I picked up a Chiikawa manga — small joy unlocked 😊. 🍜🍰 Food Court Highlights: 🍥 Santouka Ramen (a bit salty though) 🥞 B-bee Crepe & Boba (they had Haikyuu!!-themed crepes back in 2021!) 🍫 Lady M (now with Dubai chocolate mille crêpe!) 🍬 Royce Chocolate 🍞 Pastry House Hippo Bakery Their sweets are so photogenic — there’s even a Doraemon-shaped pineapple bun, super cute! I didn’t buy that this time but grabbed a Mont Blanc mini cake… though my mom ate it before I could take a photo 😅. 🛍️ So many other stores to browse — better explore for yourself! ✨ Mitsuwa is truly a weeb + foodie paradise. But the northern suburbs are so far… with my “once every four years” frequency, who knows when I’ll be back next 😂. #Chicago #LifeInChicago #JapaneseMarket #ChicagoSuburbs #Mitsuwa #ChicagoFoodFinds