Best Exotic Snacks You Can't Find at a Regular Store
Sweet Palace Candy ShopYour local grocery store carries the same 50 snacks it's carried for the last decade. But the global snack market is enormous — Japan, Korea, Sweden, the Philippines, and dozens of other countries have entire snack cultures that most Americans have never encountered. Here are the best exotic snacks you won't find at your regular store, and why each one is worth trying.
1. Bubs Swedish Gummies — The World's Best Gummy Candy
Made in Sweden since 1992, Bubs Godis produces gummies with a texture and flavor that American candy simply hasn't matched. Soft, chewy, naturally flavored, and largely vegan-friendly. The cola skull gummies and foam bananas are the standout pieces. If you've never tried Scandinavian gummy candy, Bubs is the place to start.
Why you can't get it locally: Bubs doesn't distribute through US retail channels. It's available through specialty importers only.
2. Samyang Buldak Carbonara Ramen — Korean Fire Noodles With a Twist
Buldak's carbonara variety is the perfect entry point into Korean fire noodles. Creamy, savory, mildly spicy — thick noodles coated in a sauce that combines Korean gochujang heat with Italian-inspired creaminess. It sounds strange. It works perfectly.
Why you can't get it locally: Some H-Mart locations carry basic Buldak flavors, but the full imported lineup (especially specialty flavors) requires a specialty importer.
3. Calbee Shrimp Chips — Japan's National Snack
Calbee is Japan's largest snack company. Their shrimp-flavored chips have been Japan's go-to snack for decades — light, airy, with a real shrimp umami flavor that's savory without being fishy. The Harvest Snaps line (also by Calbee) is a fantastic healthy alternative. Once you try the shrimp chips, plain potato chips feel boring.
Why you can't get it locally: Calbee has limited US distribution. Authentic imported versions are only available through specialty Asian snack retailers.
4. Regent Mochi — Filipino Rice Cake Candy
Regent Mochi is a Filipino snack staple — a chewy rice cake outer shell with a sweet filling, in flavors like chocolate, strawberry, and pandan. The texture is unlike any Western candy format: soft, dense, and chewy in a deeply satisfying way. It's a completely different candy eating experience.
Why you can't get it locally: Available at some Filipino specialty stores, but not in mainstream retail.
5. Japanese KitKat (Matcha, Sake, and Seasonal Flavors)
Japan takes KitKat seriously — there are over 300 flavors produced annually, many of them regional specialties sold only in certain prefectures. Matcha is the most beloved internationally: earthy, bittersweet green tea flavored white chocolate coating a crispy wafer. It's genuinely better than any domestic KitKat flavor.
Why you can't get it locally: Japanese KitKat flavors are not exported through official US retail channels.
6. Pocky Matcha — Japan's Iconic Biscuit Stick
Pocky is one of Japan's most recognizable snack exports. Thin biscuit sticks coated in flavored chocolate — the matcha variety has a sophisticated, slightly bitter flavor that makes it feel more like a grown-up snack than candy. The strawberry and cookies-and-cream varieties are excellent too.
7. International Fanta Flavors — What the Rest of the World Gets
American Fanta comes in orange, grape, and strawberry. The international lineup includes: watermelon, lychee, passion fruit, peach, kiwi, mango, and dozens of regionally exclusive flavors. The gap in quality and variety between US Fanta and international Fanta is genuinely surprising. This is one of those snacks where once you try the imported version, the domestic version is hard to go back to.
8. Hi-Chew — The Japanese Starburst
Hi-Chew fruit chews have been described as "what Starburst wishes it was." The texture is softer, the flavor is more genuine-fruit-forward, and the chew lasts longer. The mango variety is particularly impressive — it tastes like actual mango rather than mango-flavored sugar. A fantastic introduction to Japanese candy.
9. Astronaut Freeze-Dried Candy — The Texture Experience
Freeze-drying removes all moisture from candy, creating an airy, crunchy version with dramatically intensified flavor. The format has gone viral on TikTok because the transformation is visually dramatic and the taste is genuinely surprising — the concentrated flavor hits immediately and intensely. An experience more than just a snack.
10. Faygo Rock & Rye — The Midwest Cult Soda
Faygo is Detroit's soda brand, beloved in the Midwest but almost completely unknown on the coasts. Rock & Rye is the crown jewel — a cream soda base with cherry flavor that's unlike any mainstream soda. If you grew up with it, it's nostalgia in a bottle. If you haven't tried it, it's a revelation.
Where to Buy All of These
Every snack on this list is available at Sweet Palace Candy Shop. Visit us in person at South Shore Plaza in Braintree, MA, or order online with fast nationwide shipping.
- Address: 250 Granite St (South Shore Plaza), Braintree, MA 02184
- Phone: (508) 863-1429
- Browse Our Full Collection →
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