Marukai Market Little Tokyo

I love this supermarket. Its filled with a lot of japanese food and items with quite reasonable prices. I always have to check out their prepared meals and desserts when im here. We dont have Don Quijote directly here in the mainland states but this is close enough,its related to them anyways.

Always love visiting for groceries and eating out while in the area! Always good quality and prices!

Their old school automatic door closed on me (and almost on my daughter). Those doors have a lot more force than you would imagine. I had to pry open the door to let my daughter out. It was very scary to be honest. Please be very careful if you visit this store. I hope they fix this issue promptly.

Marukai feels exactly like a grocery store in Japan. They have it down with the daily fresh sushi and rolls, signage, and employees that will greet you in Japanese. I had to visit a couple of times before I felt comfortable walking around the store to and figure out what I wanted. It can feel like you’re going in circles cause you are, but the layout does make sense after a few visits. Sushi and bento boxes are 20% off after 7PM. Parking is free with $25 purchase for up to 1 hour. Personal checks are no longer accepted at checkout. Alcohol sales end at 9PM. They have a self check out and a regular check out, and microwaves by the exit to heat up meals. You can get all kinds of specialty groceries, frozen food, Japanese snacks and fresh produce here. The price points are similar to that of a Ralphs or Vons.

The problem is it’s size. It’s small. I asked if they had corn starch and they only had potato starch. They’re both thickeners but one ends up being clear and the other opaque. I found out these are the most important differences between them on google much later because I had poor reception there. I’m not sure if Japanese cuisine rarely uses corn starch as opposed to potato starch or something but it wasn’t great that there was no corn starch. All in all I was very frustrated. Maybe I deserved it because, alas I was going to make orange chicken lol. Getting stuff for orange chicken at a Japanese grocery store? Well, I must admit that I chose this store because it had one of my favorite items. Ponzu sauce. The ponzu sauce was made in Japan and it was not terribly expensive. I always look for items that are made in Japan as opposed to China. Items like wakame. Yeah, some of it isn’t produced in Japan. Of course the Japanese stuff is more pricey but it’s worth it. I like to think the Japanese stuff will be less carcinogenic or something. I found everything besides the corn starch. Chef grade soy sauce, Kadoya sesame seed oil and ponzu. The store is overflowing with snack foods. Maybe they could calm down with the snack foods and bring in other things? Just maybe, so I can maybe find corn starch next time? Lol Parking in the underground structure is validated.

Great selection of Japanese products from Japan and embodying Japanese culture. Picked up a few snacks to go. Area is busy at all hours. Great diversity in snacks, produce, and home goods. There is plenty of English translation and labeling to help understand what products are.

Extensive selection of all your fav Asian market products at really good prices. Grab some fresh sushi from here and grab a seat at an outdoor table to make for a quick and affordable lunch or dinner on the go! All your most eclectic instant ramen brands and flavors as well as cute gift section right at the entrance. Don't miss out on the boba ice cream bar which is amazing and at a reasonable price for a package of 4.