Marukai Market

Customer service is the worst I have seen for years. There was only one public restroom in the whole plaza and the key was kept only in customer serivce of Marukai Market. You need deposit your ID to have the key. The worst part is that the lady working in customer service could care less. She made my daughter wait for a few minutes and finally opened a drawer and told us the key was not there. We ended up go to the coffee shop across the street. I really wanted to chase down the key and took a look of this top secret restroom if my daughter could hold on for 10 more minutes. If you plan to come here make sure your kids use the restroom at home.

Fun little market where you can find lots of things to nibble on and interesting Japanese items. My children had a blast here going through the isles and picking snacks they have never tried before. I highly recommend here and of course the service is always helpful. Every time I am in the area, I stop by for snacks, a little something to munch on and of course a Japanese soda.

Most of Japanese product you can find in here!!! Pretty amazing !!! The only thing is parking. You have to buy more than $ 35 for valet parking

Snacks up the wazzoo!!! This place is great for anything Japanese BUT if it’s not then just go to Ralph’s. There isn’t much selection of anything that isn’t Japanese and what they do have is expensive…

I work nearby this market and loved discovering this place! It’s a Japanese market that serves a little bit of everything. They have decent sushi and other quick to-​go meals. The food tastes fresh and great for the price.

Major disappointment !!!
I’ve been coming to Marukai in the late evening to purchase all the discounted sushi bentos only to realize today that corporate stopped doing this recently! I’m very disappointed!
I asked the cashier working what Marukai did with their unsold bentos and he said they throw them all away at night. What a waste of money! I came around 8 pm tonight and there were plenty bentos not bought. You’re telling me that all these will go to waste after tonight?
Go back to 20% discount, Marukai!

Heaven on Earth. Hawaii in LA. My greatest discovery so far.
So happy I found a Marukai in LA. It’s got so many of the Hawaii products I haven’t been able to find ANYWHERE on the mainland. Fresh limu, hawaii miso, redondos portuguese sausage, you name it.
Thank you Marukai. Thank you.

How did I never know this market existed until now??? It’s a real winner in the Asian category. They have a great selection of not only Japanese staples but also Chinese and Korean.
Another reason I fell in love with this place is that it’s SUPER clean and well-​stocked. Oh yeah, and did I mention the prices? Not expensive at all. I grabbed a chashu pork bowl for less than $ 5 – NOW THAT’S VALUE!

Marukai is awesome. I mean other than some of the things being expensive it’s awesome. I love how they carry not just Japanese stuff but also Hawaiian, Korean and American. I mean this isn’t the one like Gardena where it’s huge. But it will do since its close by the mom dukes house. What is cool about this place is that you don’t need a Marukai card. Not like Gardena were you had to buy a month or pay $ 1.00 for that day.
The only thing I didn’t like is the workers or stock workers didn’t assist you very well. Not a Vons type experience. LOL Other than that it seemed fully stocked with items and staff.
This market is located in the other part of Little Tokyo. Not the village but on Onizuka where it’s 3 stories high with other restaurant. The parking is street or you can park below the plaza where they give you stickers. And these stickers will take some time off the pay. Or you can be lucky and find street parking.

Marukai is probably the cheapest of all the Japanese grocery stores. Their inventory changes often so it’s sometime to find things. If there is something you like I suggest you buy extras because it might not be there next time. Their prepared food is hit and miss. I almost think they leave food out and don’t replenish til stuff is gone. Lots and lots of cookies and snack items. Fun to choose things you’ve never had. I wish the produce was fresher and they use a hose yo keep the produce «fresh». Not good. If you’re looking for some kitchen utensils or a rice cooker, they have a nice selection. Parking is validated.

Came here after eating ramen to buy a few Japanese goodies like rice crackers and mochi. Spent about $ 22 but they only validate if you spend $ 35! The checkout people were also a bit rude and short. Not a fan.

Every time I go to the bank, I have to stop by here to see if they have specials on their sashimi. Most of the time, it’s 50% off from the weekend, but you have to eat it that day. Other specials in the evening include 10−20% off sushi and combination lunches that did not sell that day, mochi sweets, and other goodies. I come here, since it’s closer, and I don’t have to drive to the Southbay. Also, some of the stores have changed ownership, like in West Covina, so the selection of stores has reduced. I enjoy coming here because I can practice my Japanese with the store clerks, and pick up ethnic foods you can only find in J-​Town. There are discounts on produce as well, and I’m toying with the idea of making taro root for Chinese new year as well. If you crave Japanese food, but can’t make it or on a budget, try this very authentic store in the midst of downtown. Unless you buy $ 35.00 worth of items, parking will cost you though, so build up your shopping list, or dine at Curry House upstairs for validation.

Came to Little Tokyo for the first time after getting kbbq and ditching lame Knotts Very Fun Farm.
They were closing soon because we discovered this place after venturing off from the main Little Tokyo area, but the security guard was super awesome and let us in.
Omgggggg, I was sooooo overwhelmed with colors and cuteness. I didn’t want to leave the store! I giddily went through isles and isles like a kid in a candy store, with my BF tagging along like «facepalm.» & started loading up my cart with various things such as DIY candies, themed candies, themed snacks, you name it! They have super popin cookin diy candies, with prices varying from $ 2.49-$ 5, cheapest I’ve seen as they usually charge $ 6 per box at the Nijiya closest to my home in San Jose. Themed snacks includes Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma, Shin Chan, Pokemon & Yokai Watch.
They have a LOT of Yokai merchandise. I was really shocked that there was hardly any Pokemon merchandise but I guess Yokai trumps Pokemon now in Japan!
We eventually had to leave cuz they were closing for reals so we just paid and left. I was kinda bummed out I didn’t get to experience the whole store but next time I’m in the area I’m definitely stopping by!

Ambience + Décor: 3.5 Stars
Food + Drinks: 4.5 star
Service + Staff: 3 star
I get that Japanese food and trinkets are in right now and that Little Tokyo has evolved into some hipster-​land now. However, I do not understand the prices of the products here. Some things are grossly overpriced. I get it, you import from Japan. It’s specialty food and it’s hard to get, but c’mon. People like me who are simply getting groceries and not buying for a novelty thing cannot afford some prices. Sometimes I leave Marukai spending $ 65 — $ 100 on basically nothing that special. Some frozen foods, veggies that I can’t really get at Ralphs, tsukemono, unagi, mochi, so on. Their bags of rice are anywhere from $ 15 ~ $ 30 per bag. At HK, you can find a bag of the same rice for $ 10! Also find their weekly special thing annoying, wish they had it like all month long.

Marukai, my favorite Japanese grocery store in Nihon Machi/​Japantown. Nijiya is a good place to run in fast to get a few items, but the sheer variety of goods such as reasonable cosmetics, Sake (sah keh), Japanese beers, Sho-​chu-​/​Japanese lower alcohol Vodkas, snacks, PRODUCE, Japanese food in cans, frozen, plastic is overwhelming.
Selection of Arare (ah rah reh), Senbei (sehn beh)/Japanese rice crackers is stellar as well as confections such as Wagashi (wah gah shee)/Japanese rice based pastries, Anpan, Kuri-​mupan which are European style pastries w/​Japanese sweet bean purée or condensed milk filling & Matcha flavoured Kit Kats.
There is something for everybody, at least for those interested in Japanese products. If you’re in here for the first time prepare to stay for about an hour to see what is available & acquant yourself to the layout. I keep hearing that there is a minimum of $ 35 purchase for a one hour parking validation so I will make fewer runs to Marukai but buy more to reach that minimum.
Before shopping at Marukai, there is a wonderful Japanese book store, Kinokuniya, that has great magazines, books on Japanese manga (mahn gah), culture, history, politics in English & Japanese, electronic English-​Japanese dictionaries, etc. If shopping Marukai close to dinner, check out Mako Sushi, which to me, is the best traditonal Edomae (eh doh mah eh) Sushi restaurant in all of Nihon Machi w/​premium Sake pairings as well as wonderful cooked foods. So many good shops & eateries in Weller Court Mall, but Marukai may be the flagship that acts as the anchor. 5 Unilocal stars.
PS If you like Marukai in Little Tokyo, the gigantic mega store Marukai mother ship in Gardena on Artesia Blvd & Western Ave w/​ample parking may be right up your alley.

I do a monthly ramen dinner and am always searching for unique ingredients. This market has a plentiful selection of all the items one would need for ramen, or sushi night. The store also offers plenty of gadgets and kitchen items to make all your culinary favorites, for example, steamer baskets, bamboo sushi rolling mats, knives, etc. I can spend hours in here, the store isn’t that large but all the nooks and crannies hold lots of items.
A really awesome sake selection can be found here too, this is my husbands favorite section. The prices are affordable, and it’s awesome that the selection is large, as it’s fun to try out new sakes. I think we’re only about halfway through their offerings, as we’ve only been doing monthly ramen for about a year.
The produce section is awesome too, they offer many of the hard to find items that many other American grocery stores don’t carry. I recommend nosing around this market, you never know what you might find and what culinary adventures you may feel inclined to test out. Oh yeah check out the candy section too, so many varieties that you’d never see in a regular grocery or candy store… Matcha Kit Kats anyone?

Kimchi Nabe Obsession
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Prepackaged Kimchi Nabe Soup Base. Its the main reason I come to this supermarket. Its a speciality item I really can’t find anywhere else. Hannam chain, Ranch 99, Northgate, and H-​mart all have their ethnic specialities. If you want some Japanese stuff from Japan, this is where you get it.
I usually have a weekly hotpot party and invite people over for my special «Kimchi Nabe.» Its a Japanese take on kimchi soup. When I lived in Japan, I used to eat it it all the time. Coming back to LA I just couldn’t get the recipe right. It was missing the made-​in-​Japan ingredients. I was thrilled when I saw the familiar kimchi nabe soup base package being sold at Marukai.
Marukai has all my kimchi nabe ingredients. In fact they package up a «nabe pack.» It has all the nabe veggies and mushrooms cut up and ready to go. Also I really like that they offer half a head of cabbage for sale. Other veggies like leeks are nicely trimmed and clean. At other asian supermarkets, those leeks can become a hairy dirty mess. I also pick up the various types of Japanese udon.
Marukai Market is «sugoi desu!»

Japanese Grocery store who has every KitKat flavor in the world! Green tea, cookies and cream, crème brûlée, strawberry, peach, dark chocolate. and more! They also have hawaiian chocolates & white chocolate Toblerone. Definitely my go-​to store.

Thank you Yoshiko for all your help.
I called in advance because I noticed the weekly ad for Hawaiian Sun green tea for $ 2.89. First off, I didn’t have to be a member. Secondly, she put it on hold for 2 days. Thirdly she accidently put the wrong one on hold. When I got there I noticed 2 cases of LITE green tea with my name on it. I was super disappointed because it took us 45 mins to get here and it’s not the right drink. Long story short she checked inventory and lucky they had new shipment that came in the morning. She literally went through the cargo to get me 2 cases.
I finally found my green tea:)
Bringing Hawaii back to Cali baby!
48 cans all to mySELF:) craving satisfied

I really like this place after the renovations. The aisles are slightly larger and there’s a lot more stuff provided at this location now. Everyone says this place is expensive, but compared to the Woori Mart, it is much cheaper. There’s also a lot of deals here!
They sell Tsubaki shampoo at a super cheap price of $ 10! Where do you find that? Also, the bento selection is great. I got ramen here once and it was delicious. Their selection of snacks is adequate, but I’d prefer more unique flavors of pocky or kit kats.