88 Marketplace - Chicago (2105 S Jefferson St)
Located on the border of Chinatown and Pilsen, 88 Marketplace is the largest Asian supermarket in the Midwest, spanning a massive 80,000 square feet across two levels. It is a modern, high-energy destination that functions more like an "Asian Lifestyle Mall" than a simple grocery store, offering a mix of sprawling market aisles, high-end restaurants, and a famous second-floor food court.
The Supermarket: A "Pan-Asian" Wonderland
The main grocery store is located on the second floor and is often described as the "Asian Mariano's on crack" due to its cleanliness, organization, and sheer scale.
Specialty Aisles: The store is famous for its "10 aisles of snacks," featuring an incredible variety of imported chips (like Cucumber or Squid-flavored Lay’s), candies, and teas from China, Japan, and Korea.
Live & Fresh Sections: A massive live seafood department features tanks with lobsters, eels, and crabs. The produce section offers hard-to-find exotic fruits and vegetables like durian, dragon fruit, and fresh lotus root.
Frozen Gems: There are six dedicated rows just for frozen dumplings and buns, offering one of the largest selections in the country.
General Merchandise: A large area for high-quality Asian kitchenware, rice cookers, beauty products, and even home slippers.
The Food Court (Floor 2)
The food hall on the second level is a destination in its own right, allowing shoppers to sample diverse cuisines in a casual, vibrant setting:
312 Fish Market: Critically acclaimed sushi and sashimi, known for premium cuts (including whole-tuna breakdowns).
BBQ King 88: An offshoot of the Chinatown legend, serving Hong Kong-style roast duck and char siu.
Chiu Quon Bakery: An outpost of Chicago's oldest Chinese bakery, famous for BBQ pork buns and egg tarts.
Dong Bei Ren Jia: Specializing in Northern Chinese cuisine, handmade dumplings, and "mala beef burritos."
Ssong’s Hotdog: Popular for Korean-style corn dogs with creative fillings like mozzarella and squid ink.
Ground Floor Restaurants
For a more formal sit-down experience, the first floor houses:
Qiao Lin Hotpot: A famous Chinese chain where you cook fresh meats and veggies in fragrant, bubbling broths at your table.
Holu Asian Prime Steakhouse: A high-end fusion steakhouse focusing on premium cuts and Asian-inspired sides.
Why It’s Unique
Massive Free Parking: A rare and major perk for a Chicago business near Chinatown; the building has its own large, free parking lot.
Modern Amenities: The facility is modern, well-lit, and notably clean, including the restrooms—a frequent point of praise in visitor reviews.
Strategic Location: Perfectly situated near the Radius Chicago concert venue, making it a popular pre-show dinner spot.
Practical Information
Address: 2105 S Jefferson St, Chicago, IL 60616.
Phone: (312) 929-4926.
Operating Hours:
Daily: 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM.
Accessibility: Fully accessible via escalators and elevators to the second floor.
The most interesting reviews
- It was ok. I thought it would be big, bigger than H market but it's was smaller than them. They have a hot pot place I want to try though
- Excellent Asian complex with a full mostly Chinese supermarket, quick street food like places but also nice places like sushi and steak.
Easy parking and f Good service from all staff.
- What a pleasant surprise my Filipino friend took me here to the restaurant portion of the store. The food was fresh and good. What a great experience dine and then shop at the grocery store.
- Wonderful Asian marketplace with great restaurant inside and food court inside store...
- Nice location, right next to Radius. It offers pretty comprehensive groceries including Asian food, snacks and cooking tools. Comparing with other Asian supermarket, it is pretty clean and has plenty of parking spots. You can also go there while waiting for Qiaolin hotpot. Also, plenty of restaurants on the second floor as well
- Parking can be a challenge but tons to choose from. Always find a lot of interesting things at good prices
- Has everything you want from an Asian store. Only downside is the TERRIBLE freezing cold draft coming in because they don't have any doors to the outside on the first floor, it's freezing in the store
- This place is super clean and has hundreds kinds of Asian snacks for anyone. You name it they have it.
- one stop shopping! Whether it's Huang Shang Huang's roast duck, or Qiao Lin's hot pot! All reasons why you must go! The shopping environment is also quite good, with a complete range! It would be nice to destroy some expired food in time!
- Great market for packaged products, frozen and live animals.
Amazing selection of Asian products and ingredients. Everything is fresh and reasonably priced. The 2nd-floor food court offers some inexpensive eats if you're wanting a break from shopping.
- Good Asian market for groceries and a meal. Good dumpling soup and steamed shrimp dumplings that were excellent. They just need a place that hand makes noodles! Then I'd consider moving close by.
- This place is amazing. It carries very much the same things as the super hmart. The aisles are large with plenty of space to move around. I was really impressed with the amount of live animals they carried. We saw frogs, lobsters, fish, eels, clams and other things I don't remember. This is definitely the place to go. Don't forget to stop at the shops around the parameters for a quick lunch. Below is a steakhouse and an amazing hot pot restaurant.
4.0
