Every Sunday, members of the temple gather to serve tremendous portions of authentic Thai food. The temple grounds take the form of an open air market, filled with tables of sticky rice, coconut custards, and ripe papaya salads. Hearty bowls of steaming hot noodle soups topped with barbecued pork and steamed fish balls are served to hungry guests. Long tables filled with various curries, rice, skewered meats and pad thai are also present. The most popular food station is the fried bananas, coated with sesame seeds and sugar.
Food is served with a suggested cash donation ranging from $3.00 to $7.00. The temple grounds are open to the public every Sunday beginning at 11:00 a.m. All visitors are welcome.
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Review from Natasha C.
Delray Beach, FL 5.0 star rating 3/14/2011
Wat Mongkolratanaram is a Thai Buddhist temple that does a Sunday market-brunch for the locals. A couple of friends brought me here yesterday, and I must admit I was amazed at the variety of choices of food and we eventually settled on the line for soup. Delicious, filling and full of simple and tasty stuff, the soup was well worth the wait at the end of the longest line in the place. I had pork meatball soup, and spring rolls in addition to Thai tea (who could resist?), and enjoyed my meal in the middle of a beautiful stand of trees on the water. Wat Mongkolratanaram's grounds definitely invoke that sense of mindfulness and simple joy, and the pleasure of good fresh food to accompany it is a bonus. I'd love to go to one of their festivals to see the grounds during another busy time of celebration.
Tips: 1. Bring cash, especially singles and fives. Everything is cash donation only, and they give you donation amounts.
2. Everyone serving the food is friendly, so be nice to those around you and serving you. They are volunteers, and without volunteers, there would be no awesome Sunday brunch. Respect their kindness and willingness to serve others.
3. I haven't been inside the temple, but be aware that you are on someone else's hallowed grounds. This is a place for polite behavior, thoughtful conversation, and respectful enjoyment of the tranquil environment they have created. The happy dog wandering around is just a happy dog; ignore him or be nice if he comes by to say hi, but he appears to be well-fed enough. The website has information on temple etiquette if you are interested in the main reason for the grounds themselves-- read up on them and try to follow the rules.
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Excellent!
by Kab (191 reviews) March 14, 2011 - Really likes it This place is as authentic a Thai meal as you will find in Tampa. Set up in a market like setting along a river side, the temple is serene as the food is delicious. They offer everything from Pad Thai to Pho. The setting was sublime sitting along a river side eating pumpkin curry with friends. Very surreal and I couldn't have enjoyed it more.
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Review from Marissa N.
Tampa, FL 5.0 star rating 5/22/2011
We came to Wat Mongkolratanaram one Sunday morning for brunch and I absolutely loved it!! There were so many different selections and the prices were very reasonable! They had something for everyone as well...and the fried plantains were amazing!! Order them as soon as you get there though, they are a hot item!!! We had to wait 30 minutes to get our order, but they were worth it!
The only downside to our experience was the parking. It gets very crowded and the parking area is very small and confined. Although they do have traffic directors to help you find your parking space!
In my opinion, it is a very peaceful and unique place to spend your sunday morning. It also gives you the opportunity to enjoy and educate yourself about a different culture and cuisine.....bring an open mind with you and leave the negativity at home! :)
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Amazing Thai Food! by FoodConsumesMe (46 reviews) September 15, 2010 - Really likes it
As much as I like Thai food, I am surprised that I didn't even know of this place until recently. A couple of friends suggested that we visit here and I couldn't be happier! Most main dishes are sold for only a $5 donation. The main dishes change sometimes, but usually include: pumpkin curry, green curry with chicken, pad thai, and basil chicken. They also serve all sorts of desserts, drinks (thai tea), BBQ sausages, etc. I have tried almost everything now and I can tell you that it is some of the best Thai food in Tampa with my favs being the pumpkin curry and green curry with chicken. I highly suggest that you get there around 10:30am or you will be waiting in some long lines (still worth it though)!
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Review from kim n.
Miami, FL 5.0 star rating 6/12/2011
Sad that I just recently found out about this place, as my family has been going since I was young. My uncle, cousin, and parents would mention that they were going to the buddhist temple, but little did I know that the buddhist temple consisted of a market selling delicious Thai food and drinks.I always chose to stay home and do something lame like study... If I had known, I probably would have gained about 20 lbs in high school and undergrad while still living in Tampa.
We tried the pumpkin curry, papaya salad, stuffed sausage, pad thai and the beef soup (very similar to pho). Thai tea was only $1! Everything we had was excellent!
Sunday brunch is always packed, so come early to find parking and a picnic bench...Lines can be long, but the food is cheap and oftentimes better than most Thai restaurants....
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Review from Danesh J.
Tampa, FL 4.0 star rating 5/4/2011
First: Bring cash!
The food is pretty good, but sometimes a bit too oily. Most of the time I get Pad Thai and Basil Chicken with a soup. The sausage things are okay, more herbs than I expect. The temple is beautiful so bring your camera too. Early morning tends to be less crowded than the 11 to 1 crowd. Also, stay away from the mung bean creations; they look cool but boy do they taste funky. Unless, you like mung bean, then by all means.( ทองหยอดอบเทียน ฝร้่งไม่ชอบกลิ่นเทียนอบ )
Overall, if you have friends or family in town, take them here as it would be a great experience to see some local Tampa flavor.
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Review from Peter L. New Port Richey, FL 4.0 star rating 2/13/2011
The insights you can gain at a Tampa UYE can be well worth the effort to get there. Thanks to Nicole Lee S. I learned about the Sunday Market here at the Wat Mongkolratanaram of Florida. THANKS NICOLE! //www.pantip.com/cafe/richtext/ I started with the Pumpkin Curry after reading Kevin F's review. WOW! It was served overflowing in a big styrofoam to-go box, for a whopping five bucks! I can't list all the other things I tried without seeming like an absolute glutton. Suffice it to say it was all fabulous, and priced well.
There are apparently many activities and special events going on there regularly. //www.wattampaine.../ There is more to life than sitting at home sharing kibbles with your hairless chihuahua. Get out and get some Thai culture!
Tell them Peter L. said, "Sawatdee Khrab!" (to men) or ""Sawatdee Kaa" (to women). It means hello/goodbye.
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