H Mart Bringing Upscale Asian-American Cuisine To American Dream

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — H Mart, an upscale Asian-American market and eatery, is the latest food vendor to announce it will have a location at American Dream, the $5 billion entertainment and retail destination opening at the Meadowlands in October.

The 35,000-square-foot H Mart will have a wide selection of Asian and other international food items in a "market-eatery" venue, offering freshly-prepared food, just like the H Mart in Edison does. It will also have a bakery, and a stage where live music and other events will be held weekly, a first for a New Jersey H Mart. There are seven H Marts in New Jersey. Bergen County has six of them, including two in Fort Lee.

"We are creating a new template for the future of Asian food in America — a place to experience the best of what Asia has to offer, discover new flavors or have a taste of home," said Stacey Kwon, H Mart's president. "We have many exciting projects in the works and are thrilled to showcase them at American Dream."

H Mart joins a host of other dining options that will be available for the 30 to 40 million people slated to visit American Dream in its first year in operation after it opens Oct. 25.

There will be four food halls, two of which will be "world's firsts:" A Kosher food court and a 38,000 square-foot MUNCHIES food hall. They will feature cuisines from around the world.

Grisini is planning a European-style food hall and coffee shop. It will be similar to food halls found in Paris, London, Italy, and throughout Europe, according to the Grisini website.

A Coca-Cola branded food hall called Coca-Cola Eats will seat 800 people, and have about 10 vendors, each serving its own cuisine, alongside Coca-Cola Co. beverages, said Dana McHugh, an American Dream spokesperson. The cuisine will feature a wide array of local and international cuisine along with a large selection of Coca-Cola products.

There will also be a huge food court with more than 100 offerings and 20 sit-down restaurants.

In addition to the food, the mall is expected to offer a variety of entertainment options, including a Nickelodeon Universe theme park with the steepest roller coaster in the world, the first indoor ski and snowboard park in the Western Hemisphere, and the first Sea Life Aquarium in New Jersey with a walk-through, saltwater tunnel.

Luxury retailers include Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Watches of Switzerland, Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Uniqlo, H&M, and Zara.

American Dream will open Oct. 25 after years of delays. It was originally slated to open in 2017, but Triple Five pushed back the completion date because it had difficulty securing the financing. It worked with Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan to secure $1.6 billion in construction financing. Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan also sold $1.1 billion in tax-exempt bonds for the project.

American Dream announced that it will host one of several hiring fairs later this month to fill more than 1,200 positions.

Related:

• Here's What Roller Coasters Are Coming To American Dream [Video]
• Aquarium, LEGOLAND Coming To American Dream Center
• 12-Story Indoor Ski Park Planned For Meadowlands Mega Mall
• Take A Virtual Tour Of American Dream's Water Park [Videos]
• World's First MUNCHIES Food Hall Coming To American Dream
• Huge Adult Arcade Coming To American Dream Meadowlands
• Take A Virtual Tour Of American Dream's Water Park [Videos]
• It Appears American Dream's Opening Has Been Pushed Back (Again)
• American Dream Meadowlands Pushes Opening Date Back — Again

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com