7 Must-Try Snacks At World Market, And 7 To Leave On The Shelf

Is your go-to snack failing to satisfy? I get it — you can only maintain a pickle-flavored potato chip craze for so long before it's time to move on to the next thing. Soon enough, nothing in the snack aisle seems novel anymore — everything's too "been there, done that" or just dull. If you need to shake up your snack routine beyond what American brands have to offer, perhaps it's time to go on an international food-venture. Fortunately, you can do so without spending an arm and a leg on plane tickets: Just head into your local World Market. 

World Market's food aisle has always been a fantasyland for me — you really never know what you're going to find, but chances are you'll spot some irresistible international goodies. So, for today's taste test, I headed into my neighborhood World Market with childlike enthusiasm for my single mission: to pick out an array of World Market snacks and put them up against my undeniably Americanized taste buds. I found 14 that fit the bill. Below, I'll suggest which to buy and which to skip based on how appealing their flavor combinations are. Some snacks were definitely unfamiliar in their appeal, but attractive nonetheless; others were super endearing. So, without further ado, let's eat!

Hunter's Gourmet, a company based in Dubai, was built with a mission to deliver "better-for-you" snacks to the global marketplace. The company prides itself on using quality ingredients to craft snacks that are completely free of MSG, non-GMO, fully vegetarian, and free of trans fat and cholesterol. The lineup of Hunter's Gourmet hand-cooked potato chips is impressive, with such flavors as smoky tandoori, wasabi and turmeric, black caviar, and foie gras on offer. 

I'll make this short and sweet: If you're a fan of truffle-flavored things, buy these chips ASAP. If you loathe all things truffle, however, you'll definitely not like these. Their truffle flavor is strong, and I mean that in the best way — as someone who loves truffle, I really couldn't get enough of them. More than that, though, I can tell these are high-quality chips. They're not flimsy in the slightest; some are fairly thick, and they give an incredible crunch. These chips get five stars from me, and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be trying more from Hunter's Gourmet in the near future. 

You're likely most familiar with Samyang's Buldak ramen, which is probably the company's most famous product line. After all, it's been around since the company's inception and was created to address the national food crisis in 1963, which resulted from the Korean War. The Samyang brand has only grown since then, and you'll now find plenty of Buldak-inspired potato chip flavors in its lineup.

I've become much more tolerant of spicy food over the years. I made it through the Hot Ones hot sauce lineup without suffering too much, and I now order my pad Thai medium-spicy instead of mild. That said, I didn't expect these chips to be a huge deal, even though they're labeled "Spicy Chicken" on the bag (in misleadingly small font, I may add). However, one bite of a small chip set my mouth ablaze. I found the spice here to be entirely too much to handle; in fact, it made me question how spice-tolerant I really was. If you're constantly on the search for heat in your snacks, sure, go grab a bag. But to the unsuspecting consumer, I'd recommend passing these by. 

You've probably heard of the Calbee brand before, and there's a good chance you know about its famous shrimp chips. The Japanese-born company has been around since 1949 and, over its lifespan, has expanded into markets across the world, becoming one of the biggest brand names in snack food. There were a ton of Calbee snacks on offer at my World Market, and you'll see a couple more on this list — first, though, we have to talk about the shrimp chips. 

If you've had shrimp chips, you probably get the hype. Perhaps the biggest reason I love these little bites is that the concept sounds so odd to the novice — shrimp-flavored chips? Really? But trust me, you'll understand why they're such a coveted snack. They absolutely taste like shrimp, and the light, puff-like crunch helps the snack feel somewhat familiar. I really love these — if you haven't already tried them, keep your eyes peeled the next time you're in a World Market. 

Another South Korean food company to make this list is Haitai, which hasn't had the smoothest history — its confectionery actually went bankrupt in 1997, though the brand seems to have recovered well since then. The company has a plethora of sweet products under its belt, and I'd argue that this selection definitely falls under that umbrella, even though it's technically considered a chip. 

I'll admit, I debated a little bit on whether to make these a "buy" or "skip" item; ultimately, though, I have to recommend skipping them. I expected to find a subtle sweetness, but instead, I found them to be pretty cloying, and I had a hard time reconciling the honey butter flavor with the "quattro cheese" flavoring on the chips. That said, I had a friend try these, and she loved them. So, maybe I'm just not the target audience for these bad boys. It certainly wouldn't hurt to give them a try if they sound appealing, but if you're trying to only buy snacks that you're sure to love, I'd skip these. 

Another brand you've inevitably heard of (as long as you've been in a grocery store in the past several decades) is Doritos, and you definitely have your favorite flavor. However, you probably haven't heard of "Cup Style" Doritos, unless you frequent international markets. These Doritos seem most prevalent in Japan, though I'm not sure why their convenient cup format hasn't made a bigger splash in U.S. markets. 

I really have nothing but good things to say about this snack. Cup-style convenience aside, I adore the little folded chips that genuinely taste like tacos. They have a taki-like crunch that goes a little beyond what regular Doritos have to offer. I couldn't stop munching on these once I tried them, and, yes, I'm dying to put some in actual tacos. I probably wouldn't have chosen a taco-flavored snack on my own, but this one really hit the nail on the head, and you can bet I'll be buying it the next time I hit up a World Market. 

Circling around to Ireland will find you in the land that gave birth to Keogh's, a brand that specializes in potato products. While you can find plenty of packaged easy-cook potatoes in its lineup, the real star at Keogh's is its potato chips, which come in flavors that have me salivating: Mature Irish Cheese and Onion, Shamrock and Sour Cream, Cashel Blue and Caramelized Onion, and Roast Turkey and Secret Stuffing, to name a few. 

I almost feel bad suggesting consumers skip these chips — it makes me wish I'd grabbed another flavor from the brand to try instead. But, unless you're the biggest blue cheese enthusiast your side of the Mississippi, I can't recommend them. I give Keogh's points for following through on the purported flavor profile with these chips, but man, that blue cheese flavor is incredibly strong. I have a middling opinion of blue cheese — I definitely don't hate it, but it can sometimes be too much. These were entirely too much. The casual blue cheese fan would likely feel the same. But if you could eat blue cheese by the block, I have no doubt you'd love this little snack. 

Another U.S.-made brand that's found a spot on shelves at World Market is Belle's Gourmet Popcorn. The Texas-based company makes all of its popcorn by hand, using non-GMO corn, and its award-winning popcorn comes in some tantalizing flavors. Dill Pickle, Birthday Cake, White Chocolatey Ube, and Lemon Meringue are some of the most out-there flavors in its lineup; today, I took its Dubai Chocolate popcorn for a spin. 

Who could ever forget the Dubai chocolate craze that took the world by storm in 2025? Dubai chocolate bars started popping up on shelves everywhere, and big-name brands like Crumbl and Starbucks got in on the hype. If you're searching for a new way to get your Dubai chocolate fix, grab a bag of Belle's. I'm not gonna lie, the popcorn is a lot — it's absolutely packed with flavor, and I couldn't eat more than a small handful without needing a break. I consider that a huge win. Pistachio and chocolate flavors are abundant, and though I couldn't really distinguish the kadaif from the popcorn, I didn't mind. 

Everyone knows about Lay's, the famous potato chip brand that you can find in virtually any store that sells food in the U.S. and all around the globe. Of course, Lay's tailors its flavors to its local market, and one variety you'll find in Asian countries is Juicy Chicken "Deep Ridged" chips, inspired by Taiwanese street food. Another spot you can grab the Asian-style chips is, obviously, World Market. 

Lay's Juicy Chicken Chips weren't bad (and I actually really liked their "Deep Ridged" build), but I won't be buying them again for a few reasons. First, they were pretty salty, even for a chip, which was immediately off-putting — I don't want to feel like I need to chug a gallon of water after eating a couple of potato chips. Second, I didn't find the overall flavor profile to be very endearing. Maybe that's just because it was new to me, and I'm sure there are die-hard fans of chicken-flavored snacks out there, but it wasn't my jam. However, these were far preferable to the ultra-spicy chicken chips I talked about above. If you want to give the flavor a try, I'd recommend going with these chips over the previous kind. 

I was semi-familiar with the Orion brand before embarking on this taste test, but I don't think I'd ever tried any of its products before. The Korean brand has been around since 1956 and has since expanded to have operations in China, Russia, Vietnam, and India, continually cementing a global presence. Its products run the gamut of sweet and savory; today, I picked up a bag of chips to snack on. 

Well, I think I've found a new favorite chip (even though, admittedly, I'm hesitant to call these "chips" — they have a textural quality closer to corn puffs). The crunch on these bad boys is nothing short of incredible, and they manage to be light, crispy, and plenty substantive all at the same time. Moreover, their sweet corn flavor is to die for. They're salty without being too salty, and a slight sweet quality rounds out the bite. If you're looking for a new chip to take center stage in your home, look no further.

Who said you were limited to international snacks at World Market? I haven't seen snacks from Midwest-based South Bend Chocolate Company anywhere else, so I figured these were worth a try, especially given the sheer variety of South Bend products I saw on World Market shelves. The company's roster is understandably chocolate-centric, but some fun popcorn flavors have found their way into its product lineup as well, such as Butter Rum Crunch, Bacon Crunch, Cinnamon Roll Almond Crunch, and Bourbon Crunch, which I picked up for this tasting. 

Sorry, South Bend Chocolate Company, but I couldn't get behind this Bourbon Crunch popcorn. I had a few problems with this popcorn, but the biggest one had nothing to do with its flavor: The popcorn was so sticky that just one piece had me digging caramel out of my teeth. I expected it to be a little sticky in the way that caramel corn is typically sticky, but this went way too far. Aside from that, I also found the popcorn to be pretty bitter, as if the caramel had been overcooked. I did like the bourbon flavor, but it only really came through at the end of the bite. 

Another Calbee entry! We've already talked about the company itself, so let's zero in on its Asian Style Chips brand. There are actually only three flavors of Asian Style Chips in its lineup — Yellow Curry, Spicy Hot Pot, and Spicy BBQ — and for today's taste test, I took a bag of its Spicy Hot Pot chips for a spin. 

Sure, you may not have asked for hot pot-flavored chips, but you'll be wondering why you didn't after a taste of these. I don't know how to describe their flavor except to say that they genuinely taste like hot pot. And don't worry about the "spicy" label — these chips have a little kick to them, but they're nothing overwhelming. They're a very savory potato chip option, and garlic, soy, and chili pepper come through clearly. To be honest, I didn't expect to like these chips very much; to anyone who has the same opinion, don't knock them before you try them. 

I certainly hadn't heard of the HBAF brand before this tasting, but it may be familiar to those more well-versed in international snack culture; after all, it is the biggest nut brand in Korea. What does HBAF stand for, you may wonder? "Healthy But Awesome Flavors." Sounds good to me. Loads of flavored almonds are in its oeuvre, including Black Sesame, Roasted Onions, Tteok-Bokki, Fried Chicken, and today's selection: Garlic Bread. 

As appealing as the package of garlic bread almonds sounded, I ended up being pretty underwhelmed by this offering. My issues with it were pretty minor on the surface, but enough to keep me from wanting to eat very much of the snack. First, it was oddly sweet. I definitely got some garlic flavor, but that was accompanied by a sugary quality that really turned me off from the product. Second, as with South Bend's popcorn, this snack was surprisingly sticky. I don't want to deal with prying sugar out of my teeth after just a couple of bites of a snack, and the flavor wasn't good enough to make up for that chore. 

The Sconza brand was started in 1939 by an Italian immigrant in California, who decided to finally fulfill his dream of being a candy maker. As its longevity may suggest, the brand has seen a ton of popularity and, therefore, growth. Sconza's primary product is candy-fied almonds, and it has quite the fun product line, with flavors like Lemoncello, Triple Berry, Pumpkin Spice, and Mint Crisp among them. The star of today's show? Sconza's Crème Brûlée White Chocolate Roasted Almonds. 

I don't have any bad things to say about these almonds, except that they're really hard to stop eating once you start. I tend to shy away from white chocolate, but I loved the flavor here, possibly because it was complemented by vanilla. The candied nuts do indeed have a toasted crème brûlée character that makes them feel like an absolute treat. Moreover, I can't deny that they look absolutely gorgeous. This is a snack worthy of being piled in a small crystal bowl and placed as a centerpiece on your next party table — it's really very indulgent, and endlessly endearing. 

Seoul-based brand Nongshim has achieved such growth that its company has a U.S. branch, meaning it's likely you've come across it in grocery stores. You'll find lots of ramen varieties on offer, but Nongshim also has a hefty helping of snacks available, including several varieties of shrimp chips, banana- and melon-flavored corn puffs, and even an intriguing "Cuttlefish Snack." 

I wanted to like the salted butter rolls really, really badly, but at the end of the day, I simply couldn't get behind them. I saw major potential here; unfortunately, these little morsels had a very particular flavor that turned me off from wanting to eat more than them. They almost tasted like old butter (and the package wasn't expired). It could have been the added sweetness giving them that quality, but either way, it kept me from enjoying this snack as much as I could have otherwise. 

Though my palate is ever-expanding (in no small part due to this job), I'm still not going to be endeared to every flavor profile, and I found that to definitely be the case here. I have to make the disclaimer that the above recommendations were largely based on personal preference and are by no means meant to be a universal take, so before embarking on your own World Market snack adventure, read through my descriptions of each to determine which should make your shopping list.

I did like the majority of the snacks I tried, though some pushed me out of my comfort zone. The snacks I recommended avoiding were too much for me in one of a few key departments: too spicy, too sweet, or even just too unfamiliar. But if your palate differs from mine, you might like some product I didn't (or dislike some products that I did). Because this taste test dealt with many unfamiliar profiles, I found this one to be much more subjective than some other straightforward taste tests I've done.