Korean Convenience Store CU Hawai‘i Opens Downtown Next Week—Here’s What You’ll Find

CU, the highly anticipated convenience store from South Korea, is finally set to open its first U.S. location in Downtown Honolulu next Wednesday, Nov. 12. After hearing about its instant ramen library and DIY drinks, we were already looking forward to it. But a sneak peek yesterday totally blew us away: CU is next-level. There is nothing like it in Hawai‘i.

The latest from a global giant that boasts 18,500 stores in South Korea and 730 stores across the world, the chain’s first Hawai‘i store is at Bishop and Hotel streets in the Executive Centre, where 88 Mart and Longs Drugs used to be. The 2,900-square-foot convenience store is filled with many items you’d expect—grab-n-go meals, snacks, drinks, alcohol, household goods. But it goes way beyond that. We work downstairs and are already planning what we’re going up the escalator for.

How to CU

At the very back of CU is the ramyun library, a whole wall of different packaged ramyun and noodles from brands like Shin Ramyun, Ottogi and Buldak. Pay at the cash register first, and you’ll receive a cardboard bowl with a barcode that will let you use one of the store’s ramyun cooking stations.

Put the noodles, seasonings and toppings in the bowl, scan its barcode on the machine, place your bowl and watch the cooking happen. Hot water pours out while a stove on the bottom simultaneously heats up the bowl; the timer sets automatically depending on the type of ramyun. You can cook tteokbokki and rabokki here as well, and there are microwaves for heating up ready-made meals.

Photo: Andrea Lee

In the middle of the store on an end cap is a shelf of drink pouches—ranging from coffee to fruit teas to ice ades—and a cooler with ice cups below. Grab both, and pour the drink into the ice cup. CU hasn’t said if it will charge for the ice cups yet.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Cups of frozen fruit in the frozen foods section are for DIY smoothies. Take one down the aisle to the smoothie maker, remove the lid, put it inside, and the machine will blend your frozen fruit into a ready-to-drink smoothie.

The hot foods case next to the registers hold trendy Korean street foods. We recommend the chewy and crispy sausage and rice cake skewer; the sweet-savory squid fishcake bar; and the delightfully chewy bungeoppang (fish-shaped waffle with red bean or cream filling). Cups of fried mandoo are still warm and crunchy.

What’s Exclusive to CU Hawai‘i

Alongside Korean prepared foods like kimbap and mandoo is a new brand of local foods bearing a teal Ho‘ina label. Chef Sheldon Simeon consulted on the recipes for the smoked ‘ahi onigiri, egg and karaage chicken onigiri and kalbi and kim chee bento, among other items. The smoked ‘ahi onigiri lives up to its name with its super smokey flavor in the generous tuna filling. Roasted coffee in the drinks aisle is from Island Vintage Hawai‘i.

Several of us couldn’t resist and bought some Sig Zane x CU Hawai‘i shopping totes and color-changing mugs emblazoned with an elegant ramen-noodle leaf pattern designed by Kūha‘o Zane. Totes are $2.99 for the small (which is surprisingly long) and $4.99 for the large (which can fit a small child). Mugs are $14.99, and the water bottles range from $19.99 to $24.99. Workers wear the same Sig Zane print on vibrant CU purple shirts.

What’s to Come

A mobile app that should launch before opening day will let you pre-order items for pickup and earn points to redeem for rewards. The current product lineup is just the tip of the iceberg, we’re told. More items are expected as soon as they’re FDA-approved. More CU stores are also in the works around O‘ahu, though nothing is confirmed on timetable or locations.

CU Hawai‘i officially opens at 12 noon next Wednesday, Nov. 12. The first 100 customers in line that day will receive a free swag bag, so come early. Unfortunately, there are no validated parking options, though Executive Centre does have a garage (entrance on Bishop Street).

Opening Nov. 12 at noon, then daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., 1088 Bishop St., nicetocuhawaii.com, @nicetocuhawaii

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Andrea Lee is the digital editor of HONOLULU Magazine.