Skip to Content

Everything You Need To Know About Mitsuwa Marketplace

Mitsuwa Marketplace is the largest Japanese Supermarket in the USA and is a Japanese grocery store chain offering a wide variety of Japanese food, household goods, and cosmetics. It also has a food court with various Japanese restaurants.

Mitsuwa Marketplace

Mitsuwa Marketplace was founded in 1982 and now has over 10 locations across the United States. The company is headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

japanese food court

You can find pretty much everything you need within this location – including a wide variety of Japanese groceries including fresh produce, meat, seafood, and packaged goods. My personal favorite part to visit is the food court filled with various Japanese restaurants.

where to eat japanese food in jersey

I recently had a chance to visit with the family and ended up spending a full afternoon exploring everything Mitsuwa had to offer. Whether you’re looking for fresh produce, delicious sushi, or just some snacks to bring home, Mitsuwa Marketplace has you covered. So next time you’re in the mood for Japanese food, be sure to visit!

Like I said – Mitsuwa Marketplace is most certainly an experience. Nothing is in English, everything is authentic and if you are a little reserved with your eating preferences, you will certainly be thrown out of your comfort zone. Japan is one country that I will absolutely visit in my lifetime, so I looked at this afternoon as a stepping stone in the right direction. You know, East. 🙂

 

Each restaurant has a wall of plastic food that resembles what they are serving. You check out the visuals and then order at the stand. I REALLY wanted to try a noodle soup, but I chickened out and opted for my staple – chicken teriyaki. The kids enjoyed chicken nuggets and Bill went nuts and tried a rice dish with an egg on top that you break and mix into the meal. After he finished that, he ran up and got black sesame seed ice cream. Once that was finished, he got up again (not kidding) and found a few desserts. And as if that wasn’t enough – my man took a bunch of stuff to go. He was in HEAVEN. But tonight – you know he’s going to be running on that treadmill for like 6 hours!!! LOL!

what to eat at mitsuwa

green tea ice cream

Once we were full, we took a walk through the supermarket. WHAT A FIND! So many amazing things I was dying to try. The kids were pretty much done at this point because we had a long day with friends, so we didn’t really get to sort through as thoroughly as we wanted.  I will absolutely return.

japanese supermarket

buying fresh food

local markets for fresh food

In closing – the point I wanted to make with this story is when times are hard, and we find ourselves on a budget, IMPROVISE. This little trip was adventurous and memorable. The kids had fun, Bill was in his glory and we got to see and try a variety of new things. While it’s no substitution for the real deal, it did make a really fun Sunday afternoon.

Do you have an area in your town that specializes in ethnic cuisine? You’d be surprised at all the treasures there are to find. 🙂

Leslie

Saturday 22nd of May 2010

Your kids are great eaters! I am not used to that AT ALL! You must have started them very young? My nephews and kids I used to babysit were all very finicky.

Tristin Fox

Tuesday 18th of May 2010

I can't believe how brave your kids are! I have been reading your blog for the past year, and I have seen them eat some things that I would never even try!

Also, I cannot believe how big Liam is getting! He is almost as tall as Natalie! Too cute :) Good job Vera!

Comments are closed.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.