88 MARKETPLACE

I love this market! I’ve always come to Chicago for H-Mart but lately their selection is lacking or equal to items I can get in the Twin Cities markets. This market was obviously smaller but just seemed more organized and their selection of items was more my taste. There were lots of items I’ve

never even seen at Hmart. The bottom part is restaurants separate from the store upstairs. Upstairs you will find Chiu Quon Bakery which I’m a newly huge fan of! The 2 desserts I photographed were so good! The towel or rolled up blanket was a mango crepe cake filled with whipped cream and pieces of mango. It was wasn’t a heavy dessert. I ate the whole thing after having dinner and I could of ate another. It isn’t overly sweet and just so light and airy. The Sakura Mousse cake had a chocolate base with cheesecake texture (thicker than mousse) and the the top layer was a flavorless gelatin used for the visual of the flower . There is a free parking lot across the street.

This place is really cool. I wish I wasn’t so ignorant and actually knew what to buy here. It’s like an Asian Mariano’s on crack. There’s a nifty little food court with a fantastic sushi restaurant among others. Downstairs is some sort of mall. I could spend hours here just exploring.

It’s very clean and spacious and there’s quite a bit of seating in the food court.

The prices seem a bit high, but again I don’t have much to compare to…but the meat department seemed pricey. The produce was decently priced from what I could tell, though.

I got a good laugh when I saw hot pockets smack in the middle of the frozen section…scores of Asian seafood and noodles and BOOP *Hot Pockets* (and yes, we all just sang the slogan).

This is really a hidden gem! I live like 2 blocks from here and barely knew it existed! Definitely off the beaten path and NOT in Chinatown proper (its more East Pilsen).

Free parking is super awesome!

Can’t wait to visit again, next time we won’t wait til almost closing time.

Good God Almighty. Probably the best-kept secret in Chicago. This Chinese Super Grocery is a place chefs, home cooks and foodies alike, will take utter delight in.

Moving to Pilsen, at the urging of my daughter, was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. This neighborhood is magical. Living right on the border of Pilsen/Chinatown, I have access to the best of 3 worlds: quick and easy access to downtown, 18th Street and Chinatown. Veritable food Mecca’s.

Due to my daughter’s diligence in finding out everything about our new neighborhood, a search brought her to 88. On a grocery shopping day, we put this place on our list. Let me tell you, we were lost in the M effin sauce. Aisles upon aisles of the most amazing snacks, noodles, spices, sauces, oils, seafood, poultry, chicken, dumplings, kitchenwares, produce, sweets etc. This is a place you could spend a couple of hours in. Literally.

And the food court. Ohhhhh, the food court where olfactory, visual and tasty pleasures abound. I’m not a corn dog gal, but my teenage TikTok addict insisted I try a gourmet corn dog ) from Ssong’s Hotdog ( I had the sausage and mozzarella and she had the basic) and they were gooood. We also enjoy the variety of buns and sweets at the bakery right next to Ssong’s.

I especially love it’s large selection of vegetables you can’t find at just any grocery store and appreciate the fact they sell frozen crawfish and oysters (thst are also difficult up find) for my famous gumbo.

If I haven’t said enough, let me say this: get your ass to 88, ASAP. And thank me later.