This Trader Joe's Product Sold Out Immediately—Now It's Back and You Can Only Buy 1 at a Time

Trader Joe’s isn’t a stranger to viral moments. Whether it’s using a few TJ’s products to make a dip, a seasonal product finally coming back on shelves, or arguably the worst kind of viral news—a fave product getting discontinued—the grocery chain is always on our minds.

Some of the best viral TJ’s moments come from new products that manage to meet, or even exceed, our wildest expectations. Such was the case with Trader Joe’s Kimbap. After the product originally dropped in stores in August, it sold out quickly thanks to internet buzz. Now, it’s finally restocked.

What Is Kimbap?

Kimbap is a Korean dish that consists of a variety of fillings ensconced in seasoned rice wrapped in sheets of seaweed and sliced into rounds. In Korea, the dish is known as gimbap (gim refers to a type of seaweed and bap means “cooked rice” in Korean). 

Are Kimbap and Maki the Same Thing?

Your mind may immediately draw a comparison to Japanese maki sushi rolls. While that’s certainly on the right track, these are two distinct dishes. 

Maki is typically made with vinegar-seasoned rice, while kimbap is made with sesame oil-seasoned rice. Plus, maki generally focuses on raw fish, seafood, and vegetables. Kimbap uses a wider variety of fillings including those used in maki as well as imitation crab meat, ham, cheese, eggs, and more. Kimbap is served with kimchi and pickled veggies as opposed to soy sauce and wasabi. 

Trader Joe’s take on the Korean staple snack is veggie-heavy, featuring, “. . .an assortment of sauteed greens, crunchy root vegetables, and crisp pickles around a base of braised tofu” all wrapped in rice and seaweed, according to the grocer’s product description. The snack is sold frozen, and you heat it to about room temp in the microwave.

Sarah Ahn, a food content creator initially reviewed the product in August. Both Ahn and her mother were seemingly surprised by the quality of the TJ’s Kimbap, saying, “It’s not bad.” Ahn’s followers were quick to head to their own local TJ’s upon seeing the review, commenting, “This is the endorsement we all needed” and, “Now Trader Joe’s owes you, cause I’m ready to buy.”

After getting sold out, Redditors have spotted the product back in Trader Joe’s freezers. This time, there’s a catch: The grocer is asking customers to limit themselves to one per customer. Not every location is imposing a limit, though. In the comments, one Reddit user said, “i wish our store would do this. we have people grabbing 10+. so rude.” But most customers are trying to be respectful so more folks can give the viral goods a try. Another user said, “Called my local TJs and they had it in stock! There was no limit when I went in, but I only bought two to keep things fair. Looking forward to trying them!”

With all the hype, it’s worth heading to Trader Joe’s sooner rather than later to see if you can get your hands on a package yourself. And if there’s no store-imposed limit, I know I’ll be self-imposing a limit on my own buying—there’s always plenty of new and delicious things to try.