UniMart Orlando: Mills District’s Boutique Take on the Japanese Konbini
One of the most unique places to open this year, and of course it’s in the Mills district, by the same people who have brought us classic hits like Okonomi, Zaru, and a handful of Michelin accolades. I visited the grand opening of UniMart, which is like a boutique version of the classic Japanese 7-Eleven. Plenty of people were lined up to browse through this tiny, Hong Kong apartment sized room of snacks, random Japanese grocery items, and prepared food.
Aji Fry Good
I’ll start with the fried hot items. They had other options like kimchi hash browns, takoyaki, tater tots, and karaage, but I opted for the classic konbini chicken and the fried fish. The fried fish was probably my favorite item I got, a flaky, mild flavored fish covered in panko bread crumbs and deep fried. Nothing much more to it, but it paired well with the tartar sauce it came with.
Konbini Chicken Good
The konbini chicken was a boneless piece of deep fried chicken thigh. It wasn’t the juiciest chicken I’ve ever had, but it was very tender and a pretty hefty piece of protein, but it can get a bit greasy chowing down on a whole piece of fried chicken without any sides. It has a hard battered shell unlike the panko coating on the fish, so it’s more of a hard crunch than a shattering crispiness. The truffle aioli I got with it didn’t taste much like truffle, more like a one dimensional mayo.
Corn Potato Skip
I’ve been to Japan and visited my fair share of 7-Elevens, Lawson’s, and Family Marts, but I never came across a spicy corn potato salad like the one here at UniMart. This isn’t an item I would get again in its current form.
Japanese potato salad is usually more like mashed potatoes in texture mixed with mayo, but I prefer a bit more texture, small soft chunks that give you something to chew. This corn potato salad, I’m not even sure if it has mayo in it since I didn’t really taste any. It’s very kimchi forward in both taste and smell, which I’m guessing is where the spiciness comes from, but it’s tangy and not creamy like I expected from typical Kewpie mayo potato salad.
Nigiri Moriwase
If I see sushi I almost always get it, and this time was no exception. Okonomi is right in front of UniMart, so I knew I wasn’t going to get some shady gas station quality raw fish, and I went ahead and picked some up. For $28 for 7 pieces of nigiri including otoro and a cucumber maki, it’s a bit expensive since the cucumber roll is basically negligible in value and more of a stomach filler. It works out to about $4 a piece of nigiri, which is kind of pricey but obviously more affordable than most sushi spots in Orlando.
The sushi is fresh and passable if you’re craving sushi and no other spots are open, but going to a legit place would obviously be better. I wouldn’t get this if Okonomi was open, but this was during lunchtime. Keep in mind I came to the store 30 minutes after opening, so if the sushi had been sitting in the fridge all day and you came in closer to closing, the fish and rice quality would definitely suffer.
Yakisoba
My final item was the yakisoba. I love noodles of all kinds, so I naturally gravitated to this one over the other bento box options like yakiniku beef or chicken teriyaki. This was also just okay. It definitely would have been better heated up at home, or if there was a microwave I didn’t notice, but I wanted to channel my inner overworked middle aged Japanese salaryman and ate it cold to get the full disgruntled cog experience.
The noodles and vegetables were quite mushy, and I wish there was some protein mixed in. Flavor-wise it was alright, not too heavy on the Worcestershire flavor, and the mayo added some richness, but I think it needed some meat in there to boost the umami.
Like the convenience stores in Japan, I predict UniMart will roll out their own seasonal items occasionally to keep the store fresh and interesting, and I look forward to that. It’s a tight space so I don’t know how much more they can add to the shelves, but one of the strongest sections at Japanese convenience stores is the selection of prepared desserts, and that’s something UniMart is lacking right now. The price also isn’t going to be anywhere near the affordability of a 7-Eleven in Tokyo, just keep that in mind, but the store perfectly captures the cute konbini aesthetic in a much more lively, bigger food hall setting.
For a one and done, I think it’s definitely worth a look, but I don’t see myself visiting again while it’s at peak popularity right now. I would totally come back once they roll out more items that look interesting and unique.
- ✓Fried fish was really good.
- ✓Good selection of Japanese snacks and drinks.
- ✗The yakisoba noodles were soggy.
- ✗Expensive for convenience store food.
Tips for Visiting
- Try the fried fish the best item I had, simple but well executed.
- Grab the sushi only if Okonomi is closed it’s fine in a pinch but not a destination on its own.
- Go early in the day for the freshest prepared food and shortest lines.
- Heat up the yakisoba if you can it’s noticeably better warm than cold.
- Expect lines right now since it just opened, but they should die down over time.
