An Asian retail boom may be well underway in San Antonio, but there’s one large missing presence that has locals pleading. As of yet, there are no plans to quell the deep-seated desires to cut down travel times to one of the biggest names in K-beauty and Asian snacks – H Mart. But San Antonio keeps asking.
A decades-long, beloved Korean restaurant (Koreana) is getting a glow-up. TESO Life is expanding across the city faster than folks can keep up and there’s now a big-name Asian market on just about every side of San Antonio. Yet one name keeps coming up in the comment sections of MySA’s stories.
“H Mart please. I really don’t want to drive to Austin anymore,” Kim McKeen pleaded on a MySA post about the Koreana building renovation – a sentiment echoed for months, or even years, across comment sections and threads.
Mass excitement has been sparked by the introduction of several Asian stores, such as Daiso and Miniso, leading to lines that wrap around buildings for days after opening. Yet H Mart remains on the lips of eager shoppers, even though the brand repeatedly overlooks the Alamo City in favor of Austin or Dallas.
For the uninitiated, H Mart is the largest Asian supermarket chain in the U.S. While it has Korean origins, the stores – everywhere but San Antonio – carry a wide range of products from several countries across East Asia. It’s a staple for those seeking Asian foods or ingredients that may not be available at Texas favorites like H-E-B or Aldi.
MySA reached out to H Mart last year, just as another wave of petitions for a San Antonio location arrived, and it was clear the company was seeing these demands.
“We do receive a high volume of inquiries and enthusiasm from the San Antonio community, and it’s certainly an area we would love to be in at some point,” an H Mart spokesperson told MySA.
However, the company said in late November that there are many “contributing factors” and long wait times that can affect the timing when they land the right location. As of yet, there’s no clear project in the Alamo City moving forward or a storefront secured. But San Antonio is clearly ready whenever H Mart is.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other local spots and national chains to fill the gap. Pan-Asia and MT Supermarket are opening up near Koreana. Plus, Korean Market and Seoul Asian Market and Café have been operating off Rittiman Road just around the corner for years.
H Mart issued the following statement on Monday when asked again about any updates:
“We’ve definitely seen a lot of interest and inquiries about H Mart request for San Antonio, and we’ve shared that enthusiasm and feedback with the appropriate team. Unfortunately, we don’t receive updates on potential new locations until plans are officially finalized, so we don’t have any news to share at this time. That said, we’re incredibly grateful for the love, patience, and support that San Antonio residents continue to show H Mart. We truly appreciate the excitement, and we hope that one day we’ll be able to bring positive news!”