Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Tampa Korean

Koreans make up less than 1% if the Tampa population, yet Tampa has one of the highest concentrations of Korean people in the state of Florida. A buddy of mine is a linguist specializing in Korean, so on Monday I decided to try out a Korean restaurant for the first time. Sa Ri One is a very authentic Korean restaurant located in the Westshore Business District on Cypress Street. Its been there for many years, has a small outdoor patio, and inside you feel like you are in a New York City style restaurant, with small booths, but authentic decor. The servers all speak Korean, as my friend would speak directly to them in Korean. The food was interesting but delicious. We started with Dumplings which were full with meat and cooked perfectly, and for meals we split a spicy Pork dish and the Short Ribs. All meals come with 6 traditional Korean veges which are unlimited(as soon as one vege runs out, they come to your table and replace it with a different one), some are spicy, but they are all very delicious and unique. We washed it down with a couple of very smooth Korean beers(Hite) served in small chilled glasses. Something else that I thought was cool was they had electronic buttons on the table that when pressed would light up your table number in the front area to advise a server that you need assistance. For a trip to another land, I would recommend dining here, and trying a different unique taste to the Tampa area. There are about 8 Korean type restaurant and food stores in the Tampa area, but I have been told this one ranks at the top. Most of the patrons were all Korean and also business visitors, so that should tell you something as well.

Work takes me to chilly Chicago this week, where it is -20 with the wind chill..BRRRRR! Be back in Tampa for SuperBowl Weekend!

6 comments:

David M. Jenkins said...

I second Sa Ri One! Great spot!

Rebekah said...

thanks for posting this review. I have wanted to try this place for a very long time and have had a hard time finding out whether or not it is good! Love your blog.

Alex said...

This is really good to know! I didn't know this before I moved to Korea, but when I come back to Tampa, I'll be happy to try this place out!

Anonymous said...

Ru guys kidding???!! The food here is horrible.. it is not authentic at all.. ordered jha jha myung (black noodles) and it was all wrong!! Tried Rice lounge and rest. and the the food was much better (more authentic).

tedehaha said...

Good day!
We are a production company getting ready to shoot a low budget film.
We are looking for a traditional Korean "SAMO" hat used by officials but sometimes used at weddings by the groom.
Please contact me if you have one or know where we can get one. If you have one and don't want to sell it perhaps we can rent it from you.
Terri - 727 215-7319

Anonymous said...

Do you know of any Korean clothing stores or gift shops in Tampa that would possibly have a hanbok (traditional costume) in stock? I'm in need of one for my daughter's first birthday, but they are rather expensive to purchase online.

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