Take it from someone who has travelled to Korea multiple times over the years: there’s no way you can go home empty-handed, not with all the snacks and food items available in the country!

One of the best places to buy and satisfy all your Korean food cravings is definitely Lotte Mart. Nothing beats LOTTE Mart – once you’re in, your instinct kicks in to grab a trolley and fill it with all those seaweed, almonds, kimchi, yuzu tea, and ramen.

However, you may be terribly overwhelmed by the amount of choices available! After all, even if you can send stuff back via Korea Post, there’s a limit to how much you can spend before it makes no economic sense.

Having tried and bought a lot of different items from LOTTE Mart, I thought it would be good to compile a list of items that are truly worth your won – and luggage space!

About This Guide

Going to Lotte Mart has somehow become part of almost every Korea trip I’ve taken. I might tell myself that I’m only going in for a few snacks, but that usually lasts until I get a trolley and start spotting flavours and products that either cost much more back home or aren’t particularly easy to find outside Korea.

The problem isn’t finding things to buy. It’s deciding what is actually worth using your luggage space on.

After multiple trips to Korea and more Lotte Mart shopping hauls than I probably need to admit, I’ve tried enough of the snacks, instant food, drinks and random supermarket finds to have a fairly good idea of what I’d buy again and what I’d leave on the shelf. Some of the products in this guide are things I’ve been buying for years, while others were discoveries from more recent trips.

This isn’t meant to be a list of every famous Korean snack you can find at Lotte Mart. Instead, I’ve focused mainly on things we’ve personally bought and enjoyed, together with a few practical tips for shopping at Lotte Mart as a tourist, getting your tax refund and somehow fitting everything into your luggage afterwards.

Who Is This Guide For?

This guide is for anyone visiting Korea who has allocated at least a small portion of their luggage to snacks, food and souvenirs.

It’s particularly useful if this is your first time visiting Lotte Mart and you’re wondering what is genuinely worth buying rather than simply filling your trolley with everything that has Korean packaging. The selection can be quite overwhelming, especially at a large branch such as Lotte Mart Zettaplex at Seoul Station.

I’ve also written this for travellers buying food gifts for friends, family or colleagues. Supermarkets are one of my favourite places to souvenir-shop because you can buy several packets of something without spending very much, and people generally appreciate receiving something they can actually eat.

If you’re from Singapore like us, you’ll recognise quite a few of the brands on the shelves. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not worth buying in Korea. The interesting part is often finding flavours, package sizes and products that aren’t as readily available back home.

Key Takeaways

• Lotte Mart is one of my favourite places to stock up on Korean snacks and food souvenirs because you can compare dozens of brands and flavours in one place rather than hunting through individual convenience stores.
• The Seoul Station Zettaplex branch is particularly convenient for tourists because of its central location and enormous selection. It’s also an easy shopping stop to fit around a KTX journey if you’re passing through Seoul Station.
• Don’t assume everything is cheaper simply because you’re buying it in Korea. I concentrate on products that are difficult to find back home, Korea-exclusive flavours, supermarket promotions and items where the price difference is actually worthwhile.
• Some of my repeat purchases include Bibigo seaweed, Market O Real Brownies, Turtle Chips and Pulmuone instant jjajangmyeon. These are things we’ve actually eaten rather than products I’ve added simply because they’re popular with tourists.
• Leave some space for things you didn’t plan to buy. Lotte Mart regularly has new and seasonal flavours, and these tend to be some of the more interesting things to bring home.
• Think about luggage space while you’re shopping. Seaweed is light but bulky, chips crush easily and glass jars or liquids can add a surprising amount of weight.
• Eligible foreign visitors can get a tax refund on qualifying purchases, so have your passport available when shopping.
• If you’re doing a serious Lotte Mart haul, I’d schedule it towards the end of your Korea trip. There’s little point carrying several bags of snacks around Seoul for a week.

Why buy from LOTTE Mart?

Understandably, some flavours and brands are only available in Korea, so you have to grab them locally.

Based on my observations and comparisons, prices for some sweets and snacks in Lotte Mart are also cheaper than, say, if you buy from convenience stores.

Personally, I also appreciate that you also get to sample some of the food and beverages before you decide to buy, so you don’t end up buying something you don’t like at all. It’s not an option that you get in convenience stores or the random snack stores you find in Myeongdong!

Plus: tax refund and delivery (back to your home country or hotel) are also available – what’s there not to love about shopping in Lotte Mart?

Where is LOTTE Mart and what are its opening hours?

From what I understand, there are a few different branches. However, the biggest one that most tourists visit is the LOTTE Mart Zettaplex at Seoul Station.

Address: 405 Hangang-daero, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

They open from 10am – 12am (that’s right, so you can do your shopping at midnight!), but do note that they are closed every second and fourth Sunday!

So, what’s worth buying at LOTTE Mart?

Let me first show you how our shopping cart typically looks like:

As you can see, we typically have a good mix of snacks and other dried food items for easy cooking! I’ll elaborate more on what’s worth buying:

Freshly-bottled Kimchi

One of the best things we’ve attempted to do in Lotte Mart is buy kimchi – yes, you can bring that back home! It’s way cheaper than buying it overseas.

Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the kimchi station and the kimchi we brought home, but it’s not difficult to spot it right at the back of Lotte Mart.

Be sure to ask the ahjumma to fill up the container, and she’ll wrap it tightly for you in cling wrap to prevent spillage in your hand-carry.

Tip: I highly advise against keeping any kimchi in your luggage, reason being that there’s a high chance it might explode. I’m not even kidding, because apparently it has happened before. It’s safer to keep in your hand-carry – and also much easier to clean up!

Bibigo Seaweed (돌김)

LOTTE Mart boasts tons of cheaper seaweed brands on their shelves. However, trust me when I say none are as delicious as this Bibigo one.

In fact, buy as many as you can because it’s unlikely you can find it overseas – at least I haven’t!

I also like that Bibigo’s seaweed packaging also doesn’t include that bulky, plastic tray that other seaweed brands tend to have. It makes it much easier for you to pack them nicely in your luggage, which might be the intention behind this packaging design?

Market O Real Brownie (Original & Matcha Green Tea)

These Market O Real Brownies are arguably one of the OG snacks that everyone buys back from Korea. And for good reason!

The more popular and common flavour is the chocolate brownie, but in recent years they’ve launched the matcha flavour and it truly blew me away.

In all honesty, I love matcha and I prefer the green tea ones. If you only had space for one box in your luggage, I would definitely recommend buying the matcha green tea flavour instead of the original.

P.S. they’ve also launched a version of the chocolate brownie that supposedly boasts 25% more chocolate for that extra cocoa burst. I haven’t tried it, but it is worth a shot!

Market O Real Cheese Chips

This is the ultimate snack that will keep you crunching in satisfaction while you binge on K-dramas (am I speaking from experience? Plausibly).

The cheese flavour is just right – not too overwhelming, yet not too little that I can’t taste it at all.

Like other Market O products, Lotte Mart tends to run really good promotions in store so that it works out if you’re buying more than one box.

Yogurt Gummies

Most of us in Asia would probably know, and have drunk Yakult before.

This gummy sweet tastes exactly like a sweet, condensed version of our favourite (childhood) drink.

I’ve checked around and this exact brand is slightly more expensive overseas, so I definitely recommend you stock up on this in Korea. Plus, Lotte Mart tends to run offers which can make this really cheap!

Orion Turtle Chips

These chips were the absolute craze for a period of time, and I knew I had to get this from LOTTE Mart.

Apparently the snack gets its name from the shape which resembles the shell of a tortoise. It comprises of four thin chips overlapping each other, which are really very crunchy and addictive to snack on.

Most of the other snack and convenience stores I’ve seen typically only carry the original sweet corn / corn soup flavour. If you’re keen on trying the really cool ones like mala (!), truffle, and steak wasabi, Lotte Mart will be the place to find them.

Yogurt Probiotic Drink

This is similar to the yogurt gummies (see above) and not exactly a new phenomenon since most countries’ supermarkets have some version of it.

However, what really made me gasp was the fact that you could buy a 1 litre bottle of this in LOTTE Mart! And for just between USD 1 – 1.50!!

Unfortunately I didn’t think of taking a photo – but I sure enjoyed gulping it down! Be sure to get the 1 litre offer from LOTTE Mart to get the most bang out of your buck.

Instant Jjajangmyeon

I know instant jjapaguri has been the go-to noodle choice for many tourists, along with your usual cup noodles (Jin Ramyeon, Shin Ramyeon etc.).

However, the one instant noodle that I solidly swear by is this instant jjajangmyeon from a brand called Pulmuone.

I once tried it from the ahjumma cooking samples in LOTTE Mart and fell in love with it instantly (see what I mean!).

In terms of texture, these noodles were the most similar to that of the jjajangmyeon you get from Chinese restaurants. The black bean sauce was also thick and flavourful – not like the watery ones that I get from other brands.

P.S. this list is not exhaustive, I’ll occasionally come back and update on more recommendations!

Is Lotte Mart actually cheaper than convenience stores?

For many of the things I buy, yes, particularly when you’re purchasing larger packs or taking advantage of supermarket promotions.

Convenience stores are brilliant when you want to try one packet of something immediately. In fact, that’s often how I discover new Korean snacks in the first place. But if I decide I like something enough to bring several packets home, I’ll usually look for it again at Lotte Mart.

The biggest advantage isn’t necessarily that every individual product costs dramatically less. It’s that Lotte Mart gives you more choice in package sizes, multipacks and flavours, and there are often promotions that make stocking up more worthwhile.

That said, I wouldn’t obsess over comparing the price of every packet of chips between CU, GS25 and Lotte Mart. If the difference works out to a tiny amount, buy it wherever is convenient. I mainly use Lotte Mart for the big final shop where we’re buying multiple snacks and food souvenirs at once.

Lotte Mart vs Korean convenience stores: where should you shop?

I’d use both, but for different reasons.

Convenience stores such as CU and GS25 are much better for spontaneous snacking. If you want to try a new drink, buy a single ice cream or see which unusual snacks are trending, they’re part of the fun of travelling around Korea.

Lotte Mart is where I’d go once I’ve worked out what I actually like. The supermarket selection is considerably larger, particularly for multipacks, family-sized products, cooking ingredients and food gifts. You’ll also find fresh food, household products, toiletries and other everyday items that convenience stores simply don’t have the space to stock.

My usual approach is to spend the first part of the trip trying things whenever I see them, then do a proper Lotte Mart haul towards the end.

How does the Lotte Mart tax refund Work?

If you’re an eligible international visitor, Lotte Mart offers tax refunds on qualifying purchases.

This is worth remembering because a large snack haul can add up surprisingly quickly. Keep your passport with you when you shop rather than leaving it at the hotel.

Depending on how you check out, the refund may be handled immediately as part of the transaction. If you’re using a self-checkout, follow the tax-refund instructions on the machine rather than simply paying and walking away.

Not every product or transaction will necessarily qualify, so I wouldn’t calculate my entire shopping budget around receiving a refund. Think of it as a useful extra saving when your purchase is eligible.

What should you NOT buy at Lotte Mart?

After enough supermarket hauls, I’ve become much more selective about what goes into the trolley.

The first category I’d think twice about is anything extremely bulky that isn’t particularly difficult to buy at home. A huge multipack might look like excellent value until it occupies a quarter of your suitcase.

The same goes for glass bottles and heavy jars. Yuzu tea and Korean sauces can be tempting, but once you start adding several of them, your luggage allowance disappears remarkably quickly.

Chips present the opposite problem. They’re incredibly light, but they’re mostly air and are very easy to crush. If there’s a flavour you really want, buy it, but pack it somewhere protected rather than wedging it underneath several kilograms of skincare.

I’d also be cautious about buying fresh or refrigerated products unless you know you’ll eat them during the trip or have confirmed that you can legally bring them into your destination country.

The rule I use now is simple: is this significantly cheaper, difficult to find at home or interesting enough that I’ll be annoyed I didn’t buy it? If the answer is no, it probably doesn’t need to come home with me.

How I pack a Lotte Mart haul into my luggage

This is arguably the hardest part of the entire Lotte Mart experience.

For boxed snacks, I’ll sometimes remove unnecessary outer packaging if I’m buying them for ourselves rather than giving them as gifts. Seaweed is wonderfully light but takes up far more room than you’d expect, so I try to fit the packets around other items rather than dedicating an entire section of the suitcase to them.

Chips always go near the top. I’ve learnt the hard way that there’s no point buying an interesting Korea-only flavour if it arrives home as a bag of crumbs.

Anything that could leak gets placed into an additional plastic bag before going into the suitcase. If I’m buying sauces or other liquids, I’ll also wrap them with clothing for some extra protection.

And yes, weigh your luggage before heading to the airport. A trolley full of “just snacks” can become surprisingly heavy once you’ve added instant noodles, drinks, sauces and several boxes of brownies.

When is the best time to visit Lotte Mart during your Korea trip?

I prefer doing my biggest Lotte Mart shop during the last few days of the trip.

By then, we’ve already tried enough snacks from convenience stores and cafés to know what we actually want to bring home. It also means I’m not carrying several shopping bags between hotels or trying to find somewhere to store a mountain of snacks for the rest of the holiday.

If you’re visiting the Seoul Station branch specifically, it’s also easy to combine with a day when you’re already passing through the area.

I’d avoid leaving your shopping until immediately before a flight, though. Lotte Mart is one of those places where “I’ll just take a quick look” can easily turn into an hour or two, particularly if it’s your first visit.

Give yourself time to browse properly, compare flavours and inevitably put several things into your trolley that weren’t on the original shopping list.

Lotte Mart Seoul Station: is it worth going out of your way for?

If you’re already staying around central Seoul or passing through Seoul Station, absolutely. It’s one of the easiest places to do a large supermarket haul without building an entire day around grocery shopping.

However, I wouldn’t travel across Seoul solely because you think this is the only place where you can buy Korean snacks. Lotte Mart has other branches, and Korea has plenty of large supermarkets.

What makes the Seoul Station Zettaplex branch particularly useful is its combination of location and selection. It’s accustomed to international shoppers, there’s plenty to browse and you can get most of your Korea food-souvenir shopping done in one visit.

For a first-time visitor who wants the full Korean-supermarket experience, it’s still the branch I’d recommend.

Related Posts:

• BUY & TRY: Korea Street Food Guide
• Avoid these tourist traps in Myeongdong!
• Best budget-friendly Seoul restaurants & cafes worth revisiting
• A complete guide on how to buy & use T-money in South Korea

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