Lotte Market, a Korean market, opens in Henrico

She stands in a condiment aisle at Lotte Market, buying plant-based foods, golden kiwis and prepared dinners. The market spans 50,000 square feet, is located at 7801 W Broad St. in the Olde Towne Shopping Center and opened in May. It is unique because it offers Korean products that Richmond’s growing Asian population has difficulty obtaining.

“There are a lot of fruits that you can’t find anywhere,” Spencer says. “I’m obsessed with their plant-based chicken dinner options because I’m allergic to red meat and get hives if I get them.”

Besides hard-to-find produce, prepared foods and condiments, there are also four restaurants, a fresh fish market, household items like high-quality pots and pans, dry goods and snacks.

Yongyeol Choi, general manager of Lotte Market, said: “Convinced of the growth potential of Richmond, we opened (Lotte Market)… to offer a variety of Korean products, (as well as) to quickly get the trending products in Korea… We will try to provide better products for the convenience of our customers. »

On a recent Friday morning, the store was packed with customers, with wooden crates of merchandise being moved around before being opened and items placed on shelves. Shoppers found one-pound bags of lychees, durian melons, dried anchovies and winter melons in the produce section that was filled with other, more exotic items, some of which this reporter had never seen before. never seen before.

In the restaurant section of the supermarket adjacent to the produce section, there is a Korean bar-be-que offering dishes like Golden Original Fried Chicken, Kimchi Fried Rice, and Rose Ddeok-Bokki. Yogi Tea Bubble Tea sells jasmine green milk tea and brown sugar milk with boba, among other options. Joen, Koren Restaurant, makes spicy pork bulgogi and spicy squid stir-fry. Chanabi, the Japanese restaurant, prepares Hanabi udon, chicken katsu and vegetarian yakisoba for customers looking to fuel up before or after grocery shopping. There are tables and chairs in a seating area in the center of the food court where shoppers ate with their children.

Some less familiar items shoppers can find here include Korean pain relief pads, cuttlefish chips, El Manar sardines, packaged coconut milk served in the shell with a straw, as well as a huge range of melons and of Asian and Southeast Asian products.

The fresh fish market sells live crabs, live tilapia, and various fish fillets prepared on the spot (in some cases, right before your eyes). The variety of seafood and fish they offer is exceptional, with large aquariums lined up against the back wall where the live fish are kept before being filleted and prepared. Lotte Market also offers squid and other hard-to-find fresh seafood, prepared while you wait.

In the frozen food aisles, there was a wide range of vegan and plant-based prepared meals, traditional Korean frozen meals, and various rice dishes. Visitors will also find an entire aisle of the supermarket dedicated to ramen and noodles.

For meats, Lotte Market offers a wide range of halal products, freshly cut and barbecued meats, ready-to-grill ribs and a fresh meat section with Korean barbecue seasoned bulgogi. All items are packaged and prepared for immediate preparation at your home.

Around the perimeter of the store, there is a bakery that sells Korean baked goods, household items like colorful plastic utensils and tableware, dry goods like snacks and cereals, and yogurt and cereals. dairy products.

In the wine and spirits section, you can find Korean and Japanese sparkling drinks, Japanese wine and bottles of beer on the refrigerator shelves across the aisle among a huge assortment of pastas for cooking.

The store staff is helpful and very knowledgeable about the products sold by the store. If you’re unfamiliar with the merchandise or want to try something new, they’re on hand to help you get started on your foray into Korean cuisine. just to find what you went there for in the first place.

Richmond’s Asian population continues to grow, and this business brings a taste of Korea to Virginia, where these products are in high demand.

Aubriel Rivera is the co-founder of Richmond’s Kasama Collective, which serves to support Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned businesses in and around Richmond. “The Asian population increased by 183% between 2000 and 2022 (in the Richmond region),” she said. “In 2022, Richmond’s Asian population was the third largest ethnic group, comprising 54,200 people, or 4.12% of the total population. »

“It’s fair to say that Richmond’s (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community is constantly growing, and the arrival of Lotte Market in Richmond plays a vital role in our city and community by providing greater access to authentic ingredients, food products and cultural experiences for the community and beyond. Being a larger franchise grocery store, I find it has brought Asian cuisine to the forefront, increased the interest and appeal of our dishes and made it more accessible to the Richmond community as a whole. »