New Sambok Oriental Foods

This is not a huge H-​Mart with a ton of produce and thirty aisles of stock. That said, for such a tiny store they had a lot of variety. Quite a few frozen and chilled items, as well as your typical kimchis, Korean snacks, instant coffees, sauces, and already made banchan. The food they sell outside the store is also amazing and I highly recommend it.
I moved to the Pittsburgh area in the last year and was needing a Korean grocery. After living in Korea, I find myself in pretty constant need of some kimchi or naengmyun. I was very pleased with Sambok and what they had to offer! Definitely the best Korean grocery I have found in Pittsburgh. If you are coming from a place like NYC this might seem small and disappointing, but I am very happy with it!
Bonus: The couple who were running the store today (I’m assuming the owners?) were super friendly and kind.

I love home made food ;p
Extremely small. but better then nothing… some areas don’t even sell Korean foods.
I went here hoping to do a little oriental food shopping… I heard they just sold Korean food, but there’s some products a general shop would have as well… don’t come here. if your looking for specific products… stuff is over priced… and this place is really limited when it comes to produces… kinda disappointing…

Stopped in while checking out the various Asian grocers on the strip for the first time. They have a bigger selection of Japanese tsukemono (pickled veggies) than I’ve seen at any store thus far, along with Oden kits, varieties of fish cake and a good variety of sauces and soy sauce. It is one of the smaller stores, however I personally could find everything I would need to prepare several staple Asian dishes.
The highlight of the visit: chicken on a stick. I was weary of the simple name until I took a bite into the luscious, caramelized chicken and the juicy marinade and oils flowed down my chin. Not to mention, it’s a gigantic skewered piece of meat for $ 3.50.

The street food on the weekends is great for those looking for some Korean comfort food. They offer Mung Bean Pancakes with Kimchi, Lo Mein, Fried Rice, huge Egg Rolls and Chicken Skewers. True, some of these items are not Korean, but the Mung Bean Pancakes are as Korean as they get. I was surprised they offered this (rather than the more common seafood pancake) because it takes more effort to make; the base is not flour origin, but of mung bean origin, so maybe it’s healthier for you. The ladies working the grills are nice and remind me of the vendors I saw in Korea.
The grocery is not really well stocked as others have mentioned. This is probably due to the low foot traffic due to it’s neighbor, Lotus. I usually grab certain essentials at Lotus and get my Korean-​specific items here. You should be able to find what you need.

Had a great super-​sized egg roll here while on a jaunt around the Strip on a sunny Saturday afternoon. A good two inches thick, it was filled with chicken, cabbage and other shredded veggies and the wrapper was still crisp despite being under a food lamp. For only $ 3 it was a great on-​the-​go snack.

I come here for chicken on a stick & mung bean pancakes every time I am in the Strip District. I don’t know what else to say about it besides that it’s awesome – everything is prepared quickly and the little Korean woman who I always see working the stand is very pleasant. I always recommend the food here to everyone I know whenever they say they’re going to the Strip. It’s cheap and delicious. This would be a five star rating if I wasn’t considering the grocery store, but this place IS indeed a grocery store and not just a street vendor (unfortunately).
The grocery store is very poorly organized, things are dusty, and many of the things don’t have expiration dates. That’s actually pretty typical of imported Asian food, but I was really skeptical about buying anything from the grocery store because no one really shops here (there are better competitors down the street, like Lotus Food Co) and that means that the food remained on the shelf for who knows how long. The first time my friend and I came here, she purchased a pack of mango mochi ice cream and found that it had freezer burn and smelled a bit off as well. The store manager/​owner kindly refunded the purchase, which was nice, but I would still never buy anything. Also, compared to Lotus Food Co, some of the items in this store are more expensive. The mochi ice cream was definitely more expensive – I can’t remember exactly how much, but after we realized that we bought a bad item, we went to Lotus Food Co and bought a box of mochi ice cream that was perfectly fine, delicious, and less expensive.

$ 3 chicken on a stick. The best value I know of in Pittsburgh and one of the tastiest things I can think of eating. Love that stuff and get it every time I’m in Pitt early enough to make it to the Strip District. They have a little table outside you can sit and eat at as well. The grocery store is alright, but I have no clue what most the stuff in there is, I always just go for the chicken.

As a grocery store, I’m not much of a fan. The grocery items here are way too expensive. The only thing I buy here is seaweed wrap, but other than that I avoid buying grocery here.
The one thing I love about this place is the hot street food in front of the store every weekend! I have tried everything: chicken on a stick, fried rice, egg rolls, vegetable lo mein and pancakes. Everything is well prepared, well seasoned and well cooked.
Overall, I don’t recommend the grocery store, but highly recommend the hot food if you’re in the strip area and craving a quick, cheap snack.

I was first introduced to Korean food my freshman year in college. It was a match made in kimchi heaven. This love affair has now extended to the Korean culture and language. Sam Bok is the perfect venue to get anything Korean cuisine related and has some wonderful Ahjummas (ladies) who will let you try out you newly mastered though limited skills at speaking Korean.
I love making my own kimchi chigae — not proficient enough to make my own kimchi though. Sam Bok sells really good cabbage and radish kimchi that you can pick up anytime. It’s available in several sizes. I also like their black bean sauce, yam noodle packets, spices and spicy ramyun packets (Asian ramen that will blow your socks off). I recently picked up a couple of bread rolls with cream filling which is a Korean delicacy that satisfies your sweet and savory cravings. Sam Bok’s bread was wonderful, I will definitely go back for more of those.
I suggest giving Sam Bok a shot, it’s unique, local and always inviting.

$ 3 chicken on a stick. It’s juicy and delicious. Get it.

They carry a good selection of soy sauces and have decent prices for bulk rice. Do note that there is a $ 10 minimum on debit/​credit card usage.

Yeah, awesome.
A fond childhood memory of mine is walking down Penn Ave and smelling the aroma coming from Sam Bok’s food carts. Since I was obviously unfamiliar with Korean cuisine at that time, I was always curious about it and I just couldn’t resist those delicious aromas — and apparently neither could my Dad. I remember very vividly at just six-​years of age, I was deligted when he handed me two crisp dollar bills which bought us four skewers of deliciously marinated chicken with a side of kimchi — stunning. One of my favorite family dining experiences. I was instantly a fan and went there all the time ever since. The groceries are also excellent too and very very fresh.
To me, this is what a true food cart experience is — fast, cheap, delicious. Not slow, inefficient, yuppified, self-​important, and super-​expensive. (read my review of grilled-​cheese sandwhiches for $ 8)

As a guy who lived in Korea and who is married to a Korean lady I like to think I know a thing or two about Korean fare. Sambok is a decent little grocery store for Korean food stuffs and we can find things here that are more expensive at Seoul Mart in Oakland. The woman who owns the place is very friendly and helpful and speaks decent English. If you’re searching for ingredients to make some Korean favorites head to Sambok.
Now if you’re anything like me you go to the Strip to eat and walk and Sambok has some fantastic street food. My wife and I are often craving mung bean pancakes and Sambok makes the best they rival what you could find anywhere in Seoul. Crisp, spicy, and full of fresh ingredients, a must try. The chicken on a stick is also a go to for many less adventurous Strip walkers. A huge portion of chicken slathered with a Korean-​American sauce and grilled right there. The food is so cheap and good you’d think you were somewhere in Korea.

Korean /​Asian grocery. Small but a little bit of everything.

Chicken on a Stick! Yum!
It’s $ 3 and consists of 2 perfectly grilled large boneless thighs on a skewer. They are juicy and delicious. The marinade they use caramelizes on the chicken during grilling resulting in a super flavorful char. A great snack when eating your way through the Strip District– this is «street meat» done right!
The Sam Bok food stand also makes mung bean pancakes, lo mein, fried rice, and egg rolls, which I saw many people ordering but didn’t get to try myself.
Be sure to check out the Asian market Sam Bok is connected to & pick up a jar of their homemade kimchee!

This review is for the Sam Bok food stand. I found a review (kind of) for it but I feel as though it’s good enough to have its own review. PLUS, my gal from China Express (now closed, was downtown) cooks there, so I had to make it happen.
This place is simple. It has chicken on a stick, mung bean pancakes, & I think some sort of spring roll. The only thing I’ve ever tried is the chicken on a stick, and really, it’s all I need. these little thingers are delicious, and they’re only $ 3.
They have two different sauces to dump on it, and I get it with both; one is some sort of Korean BBQ sauce & the other is just Sriracha. Then it’s wrapped in foil, and handed off. Make sure you get extra napkins, as they’re messy. Any time I run to the strip to get a few staples, I inevitably swing through and get a chicken on a stick. You should too… you won’t regret it.

If you’re not looking careful enough, you could miss New Sambok Oriental Foods on Penn. It’s a very small Korean market, very hole-​in-​the-​wall Strip storefront, on the corner of Penn and 18^th St.
There is a decent selection of your typical Korean products, snacks, drinks, red pepper, ready made sides, and ramen. They sell kimchi which I bought once, to save time, and it didn’t go to waste. If you’re not used to old style Asian markets, you might have second thoughts about shopping here, it’s a little on the dark side lighting wise, and small.
On the weekends, the owner cooks Korean snacks on the sidewalk in front of the store, my fave is the Korean pancake with kimchi sprouts. The owners are a friendly, older couple. Not the worst store I’ve ever been too, I’ve been to better. Can’t complain too much since there isn’t a large Korean population in Pittsburgh. Just be sure to look for best by dates, since turnover is probably pretty slow.