Kyo-PO Market
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
16 reviews
San Jose, CA
"The best "mercado" ever. It's a party in here. It's always jumpin' with good ranchera and banda music playing on the loudspeakers. Oh…" read more »
30 Reviews for Kyo-PO Market
Review of Kalbi to take home and cook only
having been exiled to suburbia
asked my favorite tofu house where to get kalbi to impress at BBQs
was told here.
my hubby ordered over the phone in English a few days ahead. picked up and paid
all was good.
A great place for some Korean/Asian food essentials. It's not particularly huge, but it's got a lot of the basics. First, there's the premade food deli, which has your classics like kim bap, soondae, fried fish, jap chae, etc. My boyfriend likes the soondae and always gets it when we go, and I love the kim bap because it's such a filling treat. They also have a meat counter with lots of premarinated raw meat, so you can do some Korean cooking at home, and they also have such items like pork belly, which is usually fresh and tasty when cooked.
There are lots of Korean snacks, both frozen (like sweet buns, those flat pancake like treats with a sweet paste inside), and non-frozen like crackers/cookies. They also have freshly made pastries towards the checkout stand (rolls, cakes).
They also have many giant jars of kimchee, but the kimchee is hit or miss, sometimes they're very fresh, sometimes they're well on their way to fermenting.
I was a little appalled to read Laurie L's review below about how outdated and disgusting the products are...kind of makes me want to go to the other Korean market that is closer to Lawrence. Eeechh! I had no idea that Kyo-po had such awful stuff. Everytime I've gone I've gotten good items, but just the fact that I *could* get something gross is a little scary.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I've been to this place twice in the past 2 weeks to pick up the beef rolls. They're great for $4. Cheap dinner for me, and I took the leftovers for the next day lunch too. Also tried their japchae (was okay), and the chicken wings (good too) , and the pan fried crab cake(also okay).
Oh it seemed like they're giving aways random items as bonus at the cash register. The guy in front of me was given a big pack of seaweed, and I was given a rubber glove (the kind for doing dishes) LOL. I don't speak korean so I couldn't really ask what's the deal there.
For korean groceries, I would prefer hankook because it's bigger, more organized, and cleaner. Much better shopping experience at hankook.
This place is disgusting. Dirty, old products for sale. I bought a custard cream pastry that comes in a box and brought it home just to discover that it's best by date was April 2006!!!! But more disgusting is when I bought a 25lb package of sweet white rice and brought it home. When I opened it up about 2 months later, it was CRAWLING with little black bugs! They had legs and huge antennas! They were everywhere! There wasn't just one or two! There were SO MANY!! IT was DISGUSTING! I taped up the rice and I am not sure what to do with it but I can hear the bugs THROUGH the packaging. This is just wrong. It was a Haitai sweet rice. I am NEVER going back to this place again!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
A bit expensive because kewpie Japanese mayo is $4. I've been to hankook and by far I can say that hankook is better because there's more to look around compared to kyo-po. If you want some kimbap, it's $4 and contains yellow daikon, beef, spinach and carrots. No kimchi or anything. That part disappointed me because I was hoping to find kimchee in it or go to roll house instead. Their butcher section looks really fresh and you can also buy the side dishes you get at korean restaurants, but not the potato stuff. $2 for choco pie, 0.50 for the korepab in a box and $1 for the ones in the box...shouldn't that be the other way around??? eh well like I said Hankook is much better because not only do they have more stuff, there's a certain section in the market where you can get deli, clothes, cds/stationary and makeup.
A little messy when I first walk in. I wanted to discover a korean supermarket and decided to walk here today to see what finds I can get.
I have never been to a true Korean market before but I think the one in Daly City is a lot better than this one.
I can't believe rice cakes are so cheap and they sell it for $10.00 in restaurants.
This place is a shadow of a Korean grocery store, what with HanKook just five minutes down El Camino. It is a much older grocery store and not as brightly lit. Some items do not seem as fresh either. Still, I love their bulgogi rolls (only $4 for about twenty pieces!!). Best snack ever!
Plus, they have a Morning Glory next door--a cheaper alternative to Sanrio...quite popular during my high school days, not so much anymore? Oh well, kudos to them for staying open this long.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
Nice Korean supermarket located on El Camino Real on a corner spot. Their parking lot is small but functional, and their aisles inside? Welcome to maneuver city!
I highly recommend you try for lunch instead of a restaurant, Kyo Po's fresh daily made variety of traditional Korean food they have under the heating lamp in their Bahn Chan section. When you walk into the store, turn right and head all the way down, following the refrigerated meat counter turn right again and to your left there is the small section of premade foods and side dishes you can get there. I recommend:
-Honey BBQ Wings/Drumsticks, it's really crunchy, not soggy at all.
-Kimbob (Korean sushi made with cooked beef and veggies)
-Battered and Fried Squid Legs
-Soondae (blood sausage made with clear noodles)
-Fried Fish Cakes
-Dumplings
And they have a few other variety of lightly battered and pan fried fish and whole fish amongst several other packaged items you can get. Don't get the Dduk-Bok-Kee, it's not that good. You can come over to my place and I'll make you some hot as hell Dduk-Bok-Kee that you'll be dreaming and drooling over for weeks to come...
Other than that, I'd have to rate their Tong (whole uncut) Kimchi as almost terrible. And I used to buy the Korean Ginseng from here, but they ran out months ago and can't seem to get the actual Korean Ginseng in stock anymore. Limited supply like they said???
Also, try the Korean Fruit, Chah-Mae (Korean fruit, it's yellow and looks like a melon, which it is). I eat the seeds and all, it's really healthy for you too!
And if you have a sweet toothe like me and want something crunchy, sweet, and nutty at the same time, look in their snack's aisle, I swear I think it's their smallest aisle! Look for Mot-Dong-San/Matdongsan, it's from the company Haitai. Better than any American snack, but highly fattening.. :(
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
My coworker bought me Ccholmyun noodles from this market this past weekend. I doubted it at first because the uncooked noodles look nothing like the finished product. However, they were every bit as chewy as I remembered.
I paid homage to Koko House tonight. I made my favorite dish, "Rice Pinkie with Chewy Noodle" (Ccholbokki), extra spicy of course!
The ccholbokki quest has ended. 5 stars for Kyo-PO market. You can bet that I'll remember the Korean symbol for Ccholmyun from now on!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Was not very impressed when I waked inside. It was messy and very crammed. I thought the adult video store next to it was a bit akward too. Some of the prices were high too
Kyo-Po is the most 'mom & pop' of the 3 Korean grocery stores on El Camino Real. It's probably the smallest and the most cramped but for some reason I enjoy navigating the aisles here when I help my mom with the shopping here.
They stock your usual Korean fare and also advertise 'Japanese' & 'Asian' foods as well. Mainly grocerys and a small deli where you can get some bakery goods and premade gim-bop rolls. They won't have the pre-marinated foods and banchans that the HanKook market has so take your non-cooking self down the road.
Parking can be a bootch and a half here and you might have to park next to the 'Adult' Bookstore and have to endure your mom asking you what an 'adult' bookstore is. There's also a Korean video rental store for your drama fix in the same plaza and a Morning Glory where you can get stationary with horrendous English translations.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Nice smaller but cramped Korean supermarket. It's definitely not even in the same league nor size as Hankook further north on El Camino. However, on Thanksgiving day lunchtime I wanted to grab some take out Korean food and Hankook's deli area was closed. But Kyo-Po's deli area was open and came to my rescue. I got some cheap takeout Korean sushi rolls and jap chae at a great price.
Bottom line: 3.5 stars but Kyo-Po was there for me when I needed some food from the Korean deli. So +0.5 star brownie points = 4 stars. Reasonable alternative to Hankook.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
when i first discovered this market...it was like finding gold...only in the form of dried seaweed wraps, chip snacks, candy chews, korean rolls, soju drinks, and many other goodies.
they have everything anybody could need. stuff to make sushi rolls, stuff to make kimchee soup, stuff to make bulgogi. stuff to make kimchee. all sorts of stuff.
not to mention the peeled garlic, i can buy them in bulk and never have to peel another garlic again. i feel liberated.
check out the dishwares and utensils. it's the only place i can find assortments of chopsticks, and for cheap.
fruits are always available depending on seasons. veggies are fresh. kimchee section is crazy, you won't know which one to get because they all look good. check out the pre-made food section.
forgot to mention: i brought home several bottles of soju @ 2.99 each, whereas in restaurants, they charge heaps.
parking lot is nice and big.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (1)
Cool (3)
This is where I bought my beloved Mr. Bento! I use it everyday now. This place carries a lot of random knick knacks that you don't see at other places. It's hit or miss. The pre-made rolls are pretty tasty. So if you want something quick to eat that isn't fast food, then drop by this place.
I go here to pick up my kim chee, kimbop, japchee, crab-egg-veggie things. They have a good selection of other pre-made dishes for those who can't cook.
This place is a lot smaller than Han Kook down the street, but their prices are great--a lot cheaper than at Han Kook. It kinda looks like your typical asian supermarket, minus the stuff they have sitting outside, but it's so much better than just any other Asian supermarket, I think the selection and the service is better than Lion's or Ranch 99. I think my only gripe about this place is that it's not as clean as Han Kook. After shopping at Han Kook, the cleanliness of most places pails in comparison.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
it's a nice korean grocery store.. bigger than galleria but smaller than hankook market.. but overall it's a nice store that has all the amentities one needs to shop n go.. but by far hankook is the best of the best..
They sell TV's here too?!
I've only been here twice, but this korean market has it all. I was suprised by the Apex TV's they had for sale. It's like another asian market. Nothing special. I hear some good things about their Korean BBQ. I'm tempted to try it some time.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (2)
Cool (1)
I like that they have a wide selection of things. I was very excited that they had a variety of banchan. The prices were awesome, I love Asian markets.
It is a little small, so it's difficult to maneuver around the customers who have shopping carts if you're trying to just make your way down the aisle.
The lighting is a little dim.
Okay, the main reason why I gave this place such a low rating was because I felt like the service was not all that friendly.
I mistakenly brought my items to the Cash & Check only lane all to realize that I did not have enough cash with me in my wallet (the fact that I had cash at all was a big change for me). So I told the cashier, "I'm sorry, but I don't have enough cash on me, is it okay if I went to the other lanes?" And he said, "You have cash." Yeah, I realize I have cash but unless he was about to give me $30 worth of goods for $7 in cash, I needed to change lanes. So I started moving my stuff after I politely explained I didn't have enough cash, no attitude from me, just a nervous smile. Then he tutted me! The "tut tut tut" that only Asians do (a version of "tsk tsk").
When I changed lanes, the lady to rang me up looked rather unhappy. I made a simple mistake and apologized for it. I didn't need the condescending tones or the feeling of just not being welcome.
I think I'll just stick with Han Kook down the way.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I actually don't do a lot of grocery shopping here.... but this is one of the few places that I know sell Melona... the creamy melon, popsicle-like thing....
Yeah.. so if there is none there... maybe I stopped by and bought a box or two.. I try and eat them up quickly from my freezer, because I know I have a crappy freezer and it frost-free messes things up and sometimes instead of the stick being in the middle of the popsicle... it's on an edge.. so I know things get screwy.
Anyway.. this place has that typical asian-market feel and smell... lots of weird stuff, and pretty densely packed... I don't stick around much, so I can't say it bothers me much.
This Korean market's not as big as Galleria or Han Kook down the street, but I like it.
So, funny story. My friend's mom came here about a month ago and asked the guy in the meat department to thinly slice 10-15 lbs of beef (for shabu shabu). She wanders off to do her shopping, comes back a bit later, and lo and behold, they've sliced up FIFTY lbs of meat. What could she do but take it all home? I hear all her coworkers got meat for Christmas.
Moral of the story: make sure to enunciate to the meat guys.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (3)
Cool (1)
When I walk into Ranch 99, I feel somewhat out of place. When I walked into Kyo-PO I was like a fish out of water. It's definitely not a Ranch 99 ... but at the same time, it is.
I went here for their pre-marinated meats for a bbq. They have pre-marinated kalbi and bulkogi available for sale there, and at fairly reasonable prices. I got four packages each of kalbi and bulkogi for under $80 which ain't that bad if you ask me.
So, like all my reviews, here's my story. So, I'm walking around in my flip flops--which was my bad to do in ANY Asian market. My friend and I were looking around the pre-prepared area, and as I walked around, I felt a cold, slimy feeling on my foot. I prayed to the Korean Christian God, and looked down. What appeared? Something random entrail? No! Some raw meat? No! It was a lovely, single glass noodle from the jap chae that had landed squarely on to my flip flop. I cracked up hard core cause of this. I flicked it off my foot by shaking it off, unfortunately, it landed on the bottom of my friend's flip flop.
So the moral of the story: avoid wearing your flip flops to an asian market, you never know what might land on it.
It would always be a treat to come here (when I couldn't drive) with my parents, because then my brother and I could stash up on Korean snacks and candy, Korean seaweed, and Korean hair dye.
When you enter the store, on the left side by the door, they have hair dyes in colors like blue, purple, etc. I used to dye my hair with these in high school for a tint that you could see in the sun. I like them better than American hair dyes for sure.
If you like Morning Glory stationery, there's a small shop next door that sells assorted girly gifts. :)
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
I agree that Kyo-po isn't as nice or new as Hankook market but I still like going here a lot. The vegetables are a lot cheaper than Hankook market and usually a lot of snacks or other Korean products are somewhat cheaper too. The isles are cramped so you can only fit one shopping cart at a time.
Kyo-po gets 5-stars from me though b/c those ah-jaa-ma's who cook the ready-made snacks and banchan know how to cook! The fried chicken has just the right amount of ingredients and are never cold. The banchan isn't too sweet like Hankook market and they always get the kimbap and ddok-buk-ki just right. I'd rather eat the ddok-buk-ki (spicy rice cake snack) here anyday over the nicer Hankook market food court.
The only real complaint that I have are some of the employees are kinda creepy so cover up girls! Parking kinda sucks too.. small parking lot.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
This place may look a little run down versus some of the other El Camino Korean Grocery stores, but that only helps to reduce costs to the consumer. It has lower overhead so they can offer lower prices. It's smaller and cheaper but it does lack the "korean deli" element that the other two major grocery stores can offer. But if you're looking for basic ingredients for Korean food, this is a reasonably priced place.
3/22/08 update
This store always has snacks on sale, near the front registers. yeah!
----------------
It is older and not as new and open and clean as Han Book but it has some good sale prices on items. They have sale stuff in bins outside, aways different, this time it was chopsticks, seat cushions, bowls and laundry bins. There is a hot food to go section in the banchan and next to the butcher area.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Another pretty decent Korean market with the usual Korean groceries. They also have a wonderful meat department where you can get the correct cuts of meat for Korean BBQ. Their wide array of panchan (side dishes) is also pretty impressive.
remember...back in the days...when korean markets like this was the norm in the 80's in ktown la....bit clustered and piled high...everything from produce to korean cuts of meat.....makes me feel like a 10 year old in la again....
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
When I first moved up to San Jose, my MIL for some reason or another WOULD NOT TELL ME where the korean markets were!!!!! AUGH! I think she just wanted me to go to Lions or 99 Ranch...in any case, she took us out to Tong Soon Garden one night, then went shopping at Kyo Po. Since I was new to the area, I didn't know that we were in Santa Clara. I thought we were still in San Jose...I didn't even KNOW that there was a city called Santa Clara. Anyways, so the next day, I went online looking for a Korean market in San Jose. After a LONG time, I found the address. I then thought that this was the ONLY Korean market in the area so I faithfully went here for about 5 months before I ventured to drive a little further and found ANOTHER Korean market...Han Kook Market! During the 5 months I was at Kyo Po, I REALLY missed LA. I couldn't believe how cluttered this place was. I went only out of necessity. I wondered why they couldn't keep the small market clean! I almost wanted to just stay and help them clean their store.
Well, for the most part, I don't often go to Kyo Po anymore. I usually just go to Han Kook market. I'd rather pay a little more to shop in a cleaner place. When I do go to Kyo Po, it's usually either for Kim Chee or green onions.
I do have to say that over the past two years, they have been trying to change. It might be worth your while to see just what changes they've made! =)
this korean market is good. it's much smaller than the other further down the street, han kook. think of this place as han kook, but smaller and not as bright and clean.
parking is decent. typical asian grocery smell. aisles more crowded. and you need to spend at least 6 bucks in order to use credit/atm.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Korean, Maglayo!
I created this list with the sole intention of… -
Fav. Grocery stores.
I think the title speaks for itself. I like to… -
My Neighborhood
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Hot and New
- Athena Grill
145 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- Gombei Japanese Restaurant
165 reviews
San Jose, CA
- 99 Chicken
315 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- Gulzaar Halaal Restaurant &…
51 reviews
San Jose, CA
- Kubota Restaurant
98 reviews
San Jose, CA