Oriental Market

Stopped by for some freshly cut BBQ meats but the grandmother butcher wasn’t around. Supposedly she comes in when she wants and it’s usually past or around noon. The opposite side serves banchan dishes and while the signs were all in Korean, the friendly proprietors were super nice and I bought a few items to try. Everything tasted great and it’s nice to see a small mom and pop location like this.
Will have to come back and try my non Korean luck with the grandma butcher.
Cash only.

I had no idea ahjunma had a Unilocal page, otherwise, I’d have written a review eons ago.
This place has been here since I can remember and I’m getting pretty up there in age. The description of the owner is so dead on in the reviews below that I won’t even bother. And I’ll continue this review once I stop laughing…
Okay… hands down, this place has the best quality meat in the bay. It’s worth the wait. If you speak Korean, call your order in. No guarantee it’ll be ready by the time you get there though lol
People say she’s rude, but I like to think she’s just bluntly honest. I laugh at her mutterings and she thinks I’m crazy, so we get along perfectly. She knows my mom and they have their own barter system which I find hilarious.
Whether you speak Korean or not, get to know her. Joke with her, don’t take her grouchiness personally, and she’ll laugh and you’ll have made a new friend who can give you the best cuts of meat.

Their cuts of meat is mama wassuh. The granny at the store ain’t the nicest lady in town but I guess as a 1^st gen asian old timer in Murica you gotta be tough like that. I like how she got good strong morals and on her good day great service. But seriously doe dat samgyups and dem chadols PAwAUH!

This place is a «secret» among ah-​juh-​mahs (older korean women) and I can see why. It’s nearly impossible to find if you’re an Americanized Korean and also nearly impossible to order unless you know how to speak Korean.
The sliced meat is the BEST here but you have to suffer the following:
1. Must know how to speak Korean — the grandma here is as KOREAN as you can get.
2. It’s slow: Because she is a grandma and because she’s the only one slicing the meat… it’s SLOW. Be prepared to wait about 20 minutes for about 5 lbs. of sliced meat. Plus she cuts off all the fat from the meat (which is a huge plus… but also takes FOREVER)
3. It’s HOT: There’s literally NO AC in. It’s as if I was transported to one of the villages in Korea. There’s vegetables growing outside and all the windows are covered with paper (why they do this, I don’t know).
4. It’s Expensive: But you pay for quality right?
5. There is a minimum: You must order a min. of 2lbs. per type of meat. That’s a lot of meat if it’s just for you and your hubby
All in all this place has the best sliced meat in town. If you know how to speak Korean — call ahead and order the meat in advance. Though there is no guarantee that she’ll cut it before you arrive. But I guarantee you it is GOOD stuff. I will definitely be back here again. The kimbap here is pretty good too… definitely one of the better ones I’ve tried. But seriously, you need to be in Korean mindset when you visit this place.

My only complaint is that this is next to «adult-​world.» They share the same parking lot and I do not want anyone misunderstanding me in any way… I really only come for the meat, kimbap and banchans (side-​dishes). I promise.
The butcher lady is the boss. She’s been cutting meat in the same location for over 30 years. She can be slow and rude, but if you want the best meat, you need to go through some suffering. She comes in whenever she wants (around 11AM-11:30AM), doesn’t take credit card and kinda does whatever she wants. Korean people still come daily because you can’t get any better meat around here. The price isn’t bad either.
One time, I waited an hour and half and seriously, when it was my turn, this old lady came into the store. The owner told me to get back in line since we ought to serve the elderly first. I was so mad… but I wanted her precious Sam Gyup Sal… so I went back in the line and waited… if this happened anywhere else, i would probably say something and leave. Here at Oriental, those who are patient and faithful till the end receives the prize.
She cuts most of the fat out so that it doesn’t get weighted in and you feel healthier about yourself. She knows I’m a pastor and for church orders, she gave discounts! The meat is really good. I mean, there were few times where is wasn’t that great, but generally, it’s spectacular.
now, on the other side, there is this old lady who also makes authentic banchans. You need to buy side-​dishes from grandmas. They know wutsup. Their kimbap is one of the best I’ve had and their side-​dishes are not only organic but also delicious. I would never buy banchans fron anywhere but here.
i asked the butcher lady if she’s not sick of meat or the smell of meat (30 years? come on…). And she tells me, «I actually ate kalbi (beef ribs) for breakfast.» Wow… she’s so gangster. She’s authentic, yo.

*Red flag for vegetarians*
So. this place has been around for as long as I can remember which is more than 15 years and the owner hasn’t changed once. It’s the same crabby and brusque lady that knows what the best meat is all about. (Some one said meat nazi below and I 100% agree)
She can basically cut you any kinda of beef. tenderloin, sirloin, shortloin, round, brisket, rib eye, galbi, shank, flank, etc. Yes, she cuts them for you on the spot. This is good and bad. Good is that once you build rapport with her (which is going to take some patience and skill), you can watch the chunk of meat she brings out and ask her for better part and since she cuts it on the fly, your meat will be fresh and exactly how you want, thick, think, slice, etc. Bad is that she doesn’t really take pre-​orders so you will basically have to wait in line to get your meat cut. Even when you order on the phone, there is no quarantee that it will be ready.
Is it worth all the waiting and rather unfriendly environment? Hell yeah. For me it’s all about the quality of the meat and so far I haven’t see such quality in any other markets in south bay. And this market also supplies the meat to some of Korean bbq places in the town. The marbling in their meat is… THE best. All that you had to go through to get them meat, once you start hearing the sizzling of the best quality meat at your kitchen, none matters and you start brainwashing yourself that she has all the rights to be the way she needs to be to supply such quality meat. I find it hard to believe myself saying this but this place hasn’t failed me once for 15 years. Funny thing is she wouldn’t reveal her meat source. It’s a top secret.
Oh. I don’t think I have seen any non-​Korean in the market and I am not sure if she takes orders in English. So best bet would be to bring a friend that can speak Korean. And their pork belly (sam-​gyup-​sal) is real good too.
I give 4 stars just because service does matter to lots of people and wanna be fair for them. If it was just for me, I’d give 6 stars.

I really love this place, both meat and catering sides. They have been always friendly to me, but it helps that I’m Korean and can speak the language. But catering side owner’s son is there, so I’m sure speaking Korean is not always necessary.
The meat market owner is a very hard working lady. She works alone and makes sure that she only sells quality meat and cuts out all the fat before weighting the meat. She just had a surgery for hernia. She’s out of commission, but her cousin is doing a fine job filling in. She may come across very abrupt and rude but she really is a very nice lady and really takes pride of her store and product she sells.
Same goes for the catering side. They are very friendly as well and their food is just to die for. I just had my daughter’s birthday party with catered food and meat from there and everyone couldn’t stop talking about how great the food items were. We had a diverse group (name a race and they were there). Every single one of them loved the food. We ordered chicken wings, traditional korean noodle dish called Japchae, fried shrimps, meat stuffed jalapenos, egg battered white meat fish (no bones or skin), bite size meat pancake, freshly made kimchi (not fermented kind).
I ordered medium size trays for all the items and they were enough to feed more than 50 people, along with another meat items. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone. Only negative is they do not take credit card, and they don’t like to accept checks if you are a new customer, since they had been burned before on several occasions with bounced checks. So be sure to bring cash with you.

Good hole-​in-​the-​wall Korean butcher shop. A middle-​aged Korean lady works the meat shop alone and shares the space with a Korean catering shop. The catering shop didn’t appeal to me, but the meat counter was all the rave by my long-​time Santa Clarian neighbors.
The lady’s a bit stoic and you absolutely do not want to argue with her. If she cuts you 3 pounds of meat, you take 3 pounds of meat. But the meat is pretty decently priced, fresh, and hand cut for you on the spot. I get my shabu shabu meat from her, and definitely noticed that it’s a lot less fatty than the stuff I buy pre-​packaged at the markets.
Also, she certainly takes her time, so be prepared to wait patiently.

I should say «meat nazi» for this place. meet here is really good, especially cha-​dol-​bae-​gi & sam-​gyop-​sal. but the old lady who sells the meat is quite agressive. one day i was trying to order some meat on the phone (yes, you can order it by phone and pick it up when you get there), and I said «cha-​dol-​bae-​gi for three people, please». She said, «what are you talking about? how do I know how many pounds you three are gonna eat? Say it right. How many pounds?» but I like her, except she’s always trying to sell a bit more meat. Be cautious.

This is a small store, the title also stated catering. It is supposedly a sides/​banchan store but there didn’t seem that many, around 12 compared to Kyo Po around 20 and Han book around 30. Their meats and butcher section seems to be popular. I didn’t find much. I went at 6pm and they were out of the kimbap.

Nevermind its sketch ‘Adult Book Store’ and carwash neighbors. It is all about the kimbap here (rolled rice with seaweed & stuff). For anyone that’s made an earnest attempt to assemble these puppies at home, then you KNOW it is, like many korean dishes, kiss-​your-​afternoon-​goodbye– make-​an-​appointment-​at-​Burke-​Williams labor intensive. I’ve typically settled for the boring pre-​packaged ones at various korean delis along the «El», but all rate grossly under my mom’s recipe. Not at Dong Yang Shik Poom (Oriental Market). This place got wise and sells rolls with marinated beef and ssukgat (fragrant asian green of the chrysanthemum family)! Oooh nelly, get your kimbap on.
*Pick them up before 4pm — they sell out daily.