Mr. Mango Brings Fresh Produce, Bibimbap To Lafayette Avenue

A new grocery on Lafayette Avenue promises to bring good, cheap produce and more to the neighborhood.

Mr. Mango (59 Lafayette Avenue between Fort Greene Place and South Elliot Place) is part of a local chain of popular groceries which offer great deals on produce and a varied selection of other goods, in addition to a fresh bibimbap counter and a juice bar.

Bibimbap is a Korean dish, sometimes referred to as the ultimate comfort food.

“This is the first store that they’re trying it at. They’re doing it because it’s something new,” said Terry, an employee who I spoke with.

Samples of the beef bibimbap were available while I stopped by, and I partook. The dish was a good mix of salty and savory, and while not too spicy (or really spicy enough), I’m certain that it can be customized to the customer’s preference.

In addition to the usual gamut of dry and refrigerated goods, Mr. Mango has a truly excellent selection of vegetarian meat replacement options in the freezer section. Moreover, the store also carries fresh sushi and Korean pastries, in addition to the usual donuts and fresh breads and the like.

Additionally, There’s a juice bar with a robust selection in the front of the store.

Mr. Mango is part of a family of seven grocery shops which all share a distinctive naming style. As Lucky Peach reported:

The first one, Mr. Kiwi’s, opened in 2007 in Bushwick. After that came Mr. CoCo in 2010, followed shortly thereafter by Mr. Piña, then Mr. Melon in Fort Greene in 2012, Mr. Lime in 2014, and finally Mr. Berry in Greenpoint, which opened last year. All six stores are open twenty-four hours a day, carry fresh sushi, and, with the exception of Mr. CoCo, have juice bars. Mr. Kiwi’s and Mr. Piña are the biggest of the stores, though Jack says they’re all equally busy.

Like its sibling restaurants, Mr.Mango offers cheap, fresh produce as a way to lure in clients. It’s good stuff, too. I tried some tomatoes and strawberries, and they were on point. The chain supplies its produce from College Point, according to Lucky Peach.

The grocery is owned by three brothers who immigrated to the United States from South Korea just over a decade ago, according to DNAinfo.

Terry said that the owners only got the lease for Mr. Mango within the last month or so. The grocery occupies a pair of storefronts, formerly filled with a Connecticut Muffin and R&J Grocery.

One interesting note is that the following exchange took place, according to Lucky Peach, in the article published in March of this year:

What I really want to know is what they’ll be called. Jack says that the names of the stores are still pending. I offer up “Mr. Mango” as a suggestion. Then I wonder if one of them might ever be named a “Mrs.” Fruit. Jack says that since they’re all brothers, they’ve chosen to name the stores “Mr.”