This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Florida! I admit I love it more than any down in S Florida. It's a small place cutely decorated, with only a few tables so when we go as a big group we always call to make sure they have an empty table. This place is purely mom and pop, service is super friendly, and the young woman speaks good English so communication is not a problem. When we go as a group we can be a bit noisy and asking for a lot of service, getting this and that, refilling this and that, but our requests are always met with a smiling face. All the dishes, from the ban chan to the noodles to the rice to the pancakes to the grilled meat... I love them all. And oh, you will likely be sweating from all the spicy food. Hop over next door to the big Korean market, and get a Korean ice cream to cool you down! If you have space in your stomach, that is... I always barely manage to squeeze my dessert in...
(5)
Jeff N.
This place is my go to Korean restaurant in Tampa. I have tried several but I think this one is the best. I always come here with other people who have lived in Korea and we totally love it when we find very authentic food. This restaurant is both authentic and even looks like a place I used to spend time in while living in Korea so it brings back memories as well. It is not fancy but it is Korean and that adds to the charm. If you are going to have an appetizer I recommend... Ddeokboki - rice cakes in a spicy red sauce - AMAZING! Kimchi Jeon - kimchi pancake Mandu - fried pork dumplings To be honest, I prefer my mandu to be steamed and not fried. I wish they would offer the mandu steamed. :( My favorite Entrees are... Dolsot Bibimbap - the hot version of Bibimbap served in a hot stone pot Jjam Bbong Soup - spicy seafood soup with noodles Bibimbap - beef, rice, egg and mixed veggies served COLD with hot sauce Kimchi Jigae - Kimchi stew with pork I want you to know if you order the ddeokboki as an appetizer you probably will not be able to eat the rest of your food. It is a lot of food and very filling, but it just the best. I like that they had Korean television shows on. It helped add to the ambiance of the place. All of the people who work there are helpful and polite.
(4)
michelle l.
I came here for lunch only. They have 4 bento box options for lunch, and they are very reasonably priced compared to the dinner prices. I had the spicy pork. It was pretty good, maybe a little salty? It came with a couple dumplings, a lot of rice, some kimchi and pickled turnip, and bean sprouts. The bean sprouts were excellent. I wish that the waitress returned to offer a drink refill.
(4)
Wesley B.
The Good: The Korean style spicy chicken wings were awesome. Can't say enough about the red sauce they use. The decor on the inside is also amazing. Has a traditional Korean feel on the inside, like see on in the old movies. The Bad: If it's your first time coming here, it may be hard to find. This restaurant's popularity has spread solely on word of mouth because they are hidden from view on the street, with another building in front of them. I passed it twice and had to loop around when I was meeting people here. The Ugly: Nothing..... Overall, I really liked this place. I loved the traditional Korean style feel it had, the service we received and of course, the delicious food. This small restaurant hits a homerun!
(5)
Ren C.
My second time to visit this small restaurant and I'm a fan. They have very good food and service is always great. This restaurant is located at Korean Town I named it coz business around the area were owned by Koreans. Ordered the the spicy stone bowl steamed rice topped with vegetables and sunny side up egg. This is amazingly great. And all the side dishes were good. I even ask for more. I also ordered the wild raspberry wine and it's good and I even ended up buying one to take home. I will come and visit this place again with friends.
(5)
Melony R.
Great Korean food! I had the Gal Bi and although I've had better versions of it, I was pleased. I really liked the bulgogi as the flavor reminds me of "west coast" beef teriyaki...I've been looking for that flavor on the east coast and there just aren't any good teriyaki joints like I used to frequent in Seattle. Since I was there with a large group I got to try many items and everything was good. I of course got my Kimchi fix as well. I'll def be back for more.
(4)
Joe T.
Decent food, but the noise level and lackluster service contrast to Rice, which is essentially across the street.
(3)
Brian H.
went again and the food was just as good. Consistency is key and this place unlocks it.
(5)
glynis r.
This was a 5 star experience for me because it was like walking through a science-fictionish door in space and emerging into a backstreet in South Korea. It deserves 5 stars for saving you a very long flight. If I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would be this bibimbap. I don't do spicy, but my son has lived in Korea, and he and the friendly hostess discussed alternatives to the spicy sauce usually served on the side. The soy-sesame sauce took the bibimbap from wonderful to heaven. The hot bowl version is the one to choose. My husband and son tucked into some scary, red, spicy stuff, with the usual Korean side dishes, before diving into a pile of grilled meat (Bulgogi) for the carnivore and bibimbap for the vegetarian. Hite (Korean Beer) doesn't win any beer prizes but you have to get fully into the moment. Watching them enjoy their meal was a wonderful as feasting on every last bite of my own. Great experience.
(5)
Jenny C.
This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Tampa Bay. It is literally a hole-in-the-wall, mom and pop shop. It is hard to locate, but if you start seeing Korean symbols then you're in the right plaza! It's next to a Korean market. When you walk in you notice cute booths that have walls separating for privacy. Each table has a button you can press if you need to get the server's attention. Last night was the busiest I've ever seen the restaurant! Every table was full (there are only 8 tables). I met up with a friend to catch up. I ordered the Haemul Pajeon - Large, egg pancake, that has various seafood items and vegetables ($13.99) as an appetizer. It was HUGE! I took some leftovers home. I got the Haemul Soon Tofu Chigae - Soft tofu hot spicy soup with seafood, vegetables, and egg slightly poached ($14.99). It came in a hot stone bowl and was bubbling. It came with a small metal bowl of rice so I would put rice in my bowl and pour the soup over. Although it was an individual size, there was enough soup to share between the both of us and I took a small container home. I very much like the egg they simply cracked into the middle of the soup that slowly poached in the broth. Lots of seafood- squid, clams in their shells, shrimp. Any of their soups are warm and comforting. My friend ordered the Ja jang myeon - Noodle with black bean sauce that contains pork ($10.99). Her bowl of noodles was also HUGE! Quite flavorful also and filled with meat and sauce. Other dishes that I enjoy from here: Dolsot Bibim Bap Galbi Chicken Bulgogi Jae yook Bok Eum (pork bulgogi) Ddeokboki - for those who like spicy! Barley tea Soju (fermented rice wine) Everything comes with banchan (small dishes of kimchi, seaweed, etc.)! I've been here so many times and I've celebrated quite a few birthdays here also. The family that runs the restaurant are always so accommodating and hospitable. The food is authentic and the service is always friendly. This is one of my favorite places to eat in Tampa. Even though it is like 45+ minutes from home, I still make the trek over!
(5)
Joe R.
Very good food, though there aren't any grills on the tables. The Bulgogi was tasty, but didn't seem grilled, maybe wok fried. But the meat and sides were good. It looks a little rough from the outside, but don't let that deter you. Food and service were good.
(4)
Tyla M.
Been wanting to come here for so long.... and here I am writing a review for it. If you like Sul Lung Tang (Ox Bone Soup) and you also like tendons.. get the Dogani Tang (Beef Knee/Knuckle Bone Soup) It's delicious!! But again I like soups :) Be careful, the Korean stone pot keeps the heat very very well. You might be surprised and end up burning your lips! Bulgogi is pretty delicious too - not too sweet. The atmosphere is very cute. Very friendly and cozy feeling. Feels like home for sure. Service was great :)
(5)
Eli N.
Crazy good korean barbecue (or Galbi?). This one is hidden, tucked in a corner without effective signage. I didn't know it was there when first taken by a friend several years ago. It's really exciting when you find good and authentic cuisine in unexpected places. Havent been there in a long while because I had moved. Well It's still amazing. We even came late not knowing their new open times, but the waitress didn't seem to mind. In fact she was energetic, hospitable and made us feel very comfortable-- props. Ive had korean food in different cities. The food from one family ranks among the best and I have found nothing in Tampa that is comparable. Take a good look at the attached picture. Yes. Yes! Yaaassssss.
(5)
Arne A.
I've been back to this place many times and have to say this is by far the best Korean food in town. THIS IS NOT A KOREAN BBQ RESTAURANT. So don't expect that going in. The staff is quick and extremely friendly. The food is decently priced but delicious. Real legit Korean flavors: unforgiving heat (but not overly so) and pungent flavors where I expect pungent flavors. Every meal comes with kimchi starters that are endless and taste great. A few menu suggestions: Dolsot Bibimbap you will not be disappointed...hit it with the hot sauce, break that egg, mix up the crunchy bits that sizzled on the bottom, then dive into heaven. Al tang if you like fish roe sacs. And all the soups are good. You can't go wrong here. As far as Korean food in Tampa goes this is the only one I suggest to my friends.
(4)
Rachel M.
Wow, can't believe we found this place. Without Yelp, I do not know how this place can be found. It is quite a different location. From the outside, it reminded me of a mechanic shop seriously. Thanks to reviews, I knew this was a must try, and a place I needed to have my first Korean dining experience. We walked in, & I felt like I was not in Tampa anymore. I loved the decorations of each of the booths, & how quaint, homey, and personable the people were. It's like it was their home, & they welcomed us with open arms. Such a great feeling. We ordered various items including a soup with beef and noodles(perfect for the chilly evening, & good size for two or three people) galbi(boned korean ribs, sweet, good amount of meat on the bone), and bulgogi (meat strips, no bones, & sweet). Lastly, we ordered a seafood omelette. It looked like the size of a medium or large pizza. Our food came with small sides including kimchi, seaweed, & other pickled like veggies. These sides were flavorful, & not spicy, or maybe just a little bit of kick depending on your spicy tolerance. We were quite nervous, and didn't know what to expect of korean food. We thought it would be so spicy and different. It was not at all whatsoever, and we are quite happy to have expanded our palate. We will definitely go back. The service was impeccable. Everyone was pleasant, helpful, & altogether genuine. If you are looking for a korean restaurant, make sure to go here. It is a definite little piece of korean heaven.
(5)
Paige C.
Curl up solangtang Korean oasis found Warm friendly delish I had a serious hankering for Asian food, and I found surrounded by Korean grocery, Korean Church, Korean mechanic, here you have, Korean cuisine. It was GREAT. This little family place has a welcome atmosphere right at the entrance. It has that authentic fishy smell, cool cave-like booths, call buttons for the waitress, and huge HD TV at the front that I'm sure has seen its fair share of karaoke. While we were there, it looked like KPOP Idol was in the audition phase. Now to the food--I was split between the dolsot bipimbop of the solangtang. I went with the latter. My man, he went with the former. If you don't know Korean food, these, IMHO, are 2 out of 3 Trinitarian like items that make Korean so awesome. (The third being KBBQ.) Bipimbop is a rice dish that comes in a stone bowl (rice gets all crispy at the bottom), has veggies, beef, and an egg. You can spice it up with the mysteriously delicious K Red sauce. It is Asian comfort food at nearly it's best. Solangtang is possibly it's best. It's a bone broth soup with meat, noodles, green onions, served with a dish of rice and all the traditional Korean appetizers. Give me a blanket and a pillow, and I'd curl up with that soup and KPOP all day long. Tampa, my search for Korean is over.
(5)
Edward C.
This is really a hole in the wall restaurant. Drive too fast and you'll miss it. Small location, but it tasted authentic! Ordered the number 33, which was a spicy short rib soup with cabbage. I really loved the amount of flavor in the soup. Spices were significant, but not overpowering. The cost? $16.99.
(5)
Heather A.
Delicious, authentic korean food. They have great lunch box specials with bulgogi or other meats, rice, two mandus (dumplings), kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, and other bahn chans (side dishes), all in your own 'lunch box'. They offer lots of different chigaes (soups/stews), noodles, galbi, bulgogi, bi bim bap, etc. Something for everyone. After you eat, go up the outside stairs next door to the korean grocery store and buy some food to make at home or buy something pre-made like kimbap or the bi bim bap fixin's that they keep on the counter. This restaurant has great food and a convenient store attached to make more great food later!
(5)
Winnie M.
We came from LA and the korean restaurant there are really good. The soon we get here we looking for something close to it. We have try another place but it's not that good until we find this place on Yelp. Restaurant was a little small but if you have a family of 4 this place will be a home feeling for your family. I love the feel of the family own restaurant. My waitress is a girl who can speak english very well so you don't have to worry about how to order your food. Food came out really fast and it's as good as the one we have from korean town in LA. I like this restaurant and we will come back again soon for sure.
(5)
Minna S.
I love the food here. Being that I am half Korean and from New Jersey, it is hard to impress me when it comes to good Korean food. The bulgogi beef is just perfectly marinated here. There are some places that use too much sugar but this place is perfect, not too sweet. The dukbokki it really good as well. The only way you would like it is if you like spicy food, as they tend to make it pretty spicy. Dukbokki is supposed to be spicy, and I just love the way they make it here. The bulgogi chicken is pretty spicy as well but really good. I guess if you're not a fan of spicy food, you can tell them to not make it spicy. The tangsuyuk (deep fried pork chunks with sweet and sour sauce) is delicious. I love eating tangsuyuk with chachangmyun (noodles with black bean sauce). Although I have not tried their chachangmyun yet, I will definitely try to one of these days. The mandoo (Korean dumplings) is the only thing I can not give a good review about. I feel as if they are the prepackaged frozen ones and just fried them themselves. The panchan (mini Korean appetizers/mini side dishes) that they serve is really good and well done. People need to understand that panchan is served at any typical Korean restaurant but the key to serving good panchan is the kimchi. The kimchi needs to be perfectly marinated and well done (not undercooked). There are a lot of other things that I must try here but still haven't had the chance. The young girl who works here is not too polite but who cares. I guess if the food is good then the service to me doesn't really matter. I will definitely continue to come and eat here, and I recommend others to try this place if you want to eat good Korean food.
(4)
Daniel W.
I thought this place was great, we had a big group and they had a nice little area for us all to fit comfortably. The service and atmosphere was comfortable and inviting. We ordered the rice cake and seafood pancake appetizers which were both great, I would recommend both, although the rice cake is spicy so keep that in mind. I got the galbi tang (beef soup) which I was unsure specifically about how the dish was in general (never had it before) while I wouldn't recommend this particular dish, I also wouldn't pass judgment on it because I wouldn't be able to tell you that the dish was not executed properly, all in all it was a decent dish, quality ingredients and good flavor. We also got the stir fry squid, tofu chigae and galbi; all of these were delicious. Particularly the squid and galbi, the galbi has great flavor and tenderness here, you can tell that they use quality meat. Highly recommend this comfortable little Korean restaurant for dinner or lunch.
(4)
Stephanie C.
Ordered Kimchi Chigae (soup) and Spicy Pork Dupbob. What a spread. Really wonderful, and I'm no newbie to Korean food. Great service too. It's hard to find! Worth the work though.
(5)
Chantelle W.
I wanted Korean food n stumbled across this place. The food was absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be back again!!
We eat here more than often, and have tried the majority of what they have on the menu (and a few things off), and every time it's more enjoyable. I'll even share a story that should legitimize this restaurant for anyone in doubt. We had one of our vendors over from Seoul, and after the dinner (about 15 of us), each of our Korean partners said without hesitation that it was the best Korean food they had had in America. A few even when as far as to say better than home. Through their conversations, we came to discover the family who owns One Family, owned a similar restaurant in Korea (for ten years) before moving here. And with many visits to Korea and enough local food over there to fill a bus, our office agrees it's as good as it gets, right here in Tampa. A little hard to find off the street, the turn creeps up on you. The family is amazing and always serving with a smile...and I would suggest the seafood soon tufu to anyone (along with Ricky's favorite, number 28, spicy beef noodle soup. And Jose's bulgogi is always a frequenter of the bill).
(5)
Sofia D.
DolsotBibimbap ,Galbi Ribs, Beef Bulgogi, Ddeokboki( Spicy Rice Cakes)Jap Chae, a handful of hot and Spicy Soups to choose from and Soju to wash it all down with! I love going from 11-2 and getting the lunch boxes which include 2 fried pork Dumplings . Great selection of kimchi included with all entrees.. Enough said.. This is my favorite Korean Restaurant in Tampa!
(5)
Fulano D.
I feel like I'm back in Pusan, Korea, circa 1980's. The place is located in a shopping plaza that can't be seen from hills borough . I ate solo in a small booth that had me feeling like I should be exchanging secret information . The ribs tasted great but were a bit fatty. The rice excellent, the kimchee, good and hot. My favorite was the bean sprouts and the sweet pickles. They added sweetness to the fiery kimchee. The staff was very cordial, overall I would have enjoyed the meal better if I had ordered the chicken.
(3)
Ti T.
A small restaurant that maybe hard to find but worth the trip. My favorite is the gal-bi and the bibam bop.
(4)
J Z.
I have never been to Korea so I don't know what authentic is suppose to taste like. But I can tell you that this place is bomb! Kimchi is always awesome and everything I've had is always good. People keep saying this place is hard to find, they aren't lying. If I didn't practically work next to it, I would have never found it. It's behind a karate place and next to an Asian grocery. It has like 8 tables at most. I love places like this! It's a bit more than your local Chinese food shop but the food is 10 folds better. I can't express enough that if you like Asian food, go. The entire staff is incredibly friendly too! :) I can't give 5 stars because I don't know about authentic Korean food. But if it's anything like this, holy smokes is it good.
(4)
Jun M.
It's a cute family owned restaurant . Service was great and attentive. Food was great. Atmosphere was nice. We had the Gal Bi, Dolsot bibimbop, and a spicy seafood noodle soup that I can't remember the name of, it was all good. We did not have any left overs to take home. It's definitely a must try. We'll be going back.
(5)
Reena M.
Because of my dad's search for good kimchi and because today is Father's Day, we decided on One Family Korean Restaurant and it did not disappoint dad. The waitress was really patient especially with my parents who like to still look at the menu when they already told the waitress they know what they want. My parents' first language isn't English and neither was the waitress' but she was still able to help them. I ordered the galbi which was too good!! It came with side dishes including kimchi my dad fan girled over and to be honest, it could feed two people instead of just one. It's ok bc i guess im bringing leftovers to work tomorrow! There's also an oriental market right next to it where my dad bought a whole jar of kimchi and galbi marinade. Overall, my picky filipino parents approved of this restaurant and so do I.
(5)
Mike H.
#NAME?
(5)
Yan Gong Y.
It's a my first choose Korean restaurant in tampa. Very nice place to hand out with friend.
(5)
Rodney J.
Authentic Korean food that has that family type setting. Very casual and open setting.
(4)
Mytu T.
This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Tampa Bay. It's a really small mom and pop restaurant that makes amazing Korean food. They are all extremely friendly and food is always on point. Everything I've tried so far is great but my favorite is the Jjam Ppong (spicy seafood soup with noodles). If you like spicy and you like seafood, you have to get it! Don't be scared off by the smell, that's just the Kim chi, it's inevitable for fermented cabbage to smell bad but it tastes so good! Just don't try taking it home.
(5)
Lam L.
Had the jaejangmyeon, portion size was really generous. Fast and friendly service. Dining area is kinda small so you can hear people's conversations. The table that sat next to us was really loud.
(4)
Tori D.
I have been looking for a good Korean restaurant ever since I've moved here and thanks to one of my new yelp friends I was able to find this fabulous place! I had a great meal with good friends! Started with the dumplings & Korean chicken wings. For dinner I had the galbi! Everything was amazing! I will definitely be back!
(5)
Felix L.
Best korean food in tampa area. Very authentic and friendly. Popular not only among Koreans but others with different background. Lunch rocks here.
(5)
Cathy T.
A nice place. Pretty good food. I generally love eating the side dishes that come out with the meals. The sides here are alright. Had the jjam ppong and gal bi. And like another reviewer on here, I've had better but still overall a good experience. What I liked about the jjam ppong was that it wasn't salty. Other places I've tried the soup became too salty but this one didn't.
(4)
Deejay A.
Solid clean tasting korean food w a wide menu that also includes korean-Chinese cuisine (eg jajang myun). My korean friends kept on eating happily! Good korean place without any glaring weaknesses (well maybe bathroom could use a remodel)
(4)
Zach H.
At this point, I think I've been to every Korean restaurant in the Tampa area looking for the Bay's best Korean food... and this has to be it. This humble place is tucked away in the corner of a plaza among other Korean-owned businesses. All the food on the menu is prepared with love... the seafood pancake (haemul pajeon) is delicious as are the other traditional Korean dishes like seafood & tofu stew (soondubu jjigae) and noodles in black bean sauce (jajangmyeon). The service is great and they usually have a Korean show on TV. There isn't a single negative thing I can say about this place.
(5)
T L.
Love, love, love this hidden spot! The food is fantastic and service was excellent as well. Lunch menu is $11 and it gets you full! We came about 12:15pm and not a lunch crowd but probably bc nobody knows it's there. Don't confuse this place with Rice One. It is completely different restaurant hidden off the street. Highly recommend.
(5)
Natt A.
This is a hidden gem in the Tampa area! It is a small restaurant (8 tables?) owned by a lovely Korean family right by a Korean grocery store and many other Korean shops. The details and decor was quaint and homey, and it made us feel like the owners were feeding us straight from their kitchen! When we walked in, only two tables were open and only one waitress working. Though it was a lot of work for one person, she was graceful, quick, and very attentive to all her customers while having a smile and grateful attitude towards her guests. My family ordered the Jjam Bbong (spicy noodle soup), Dolsot Bibim bap, Chicken Bulgogi, and Em yeon su Gu ee (alaskan mackerel). The banchan served were fresh and very very tasty! They did a great job with the banchan, which was a great start to our meal. The Jjam Bbong was so delicious that we ended up ordering a second one to finish our meal (even though we were all stuffed). The Dolsot Bibim bap was spot on and one of the best I've had, the Chicken Bulgogi was were marinated and deliciously spicy, and the mackerel was oh sooooo good! I wish this was in Tennessee so I could eat this weekly, but alas, it's in Tampa. If I'm back in Tampa, this is definitely a place I'll come back to eat!
(5)
Bo W.
This is the "hole in a wall" restaurant, the exterior or interior is definitely not needs works done,the place looks run down. However the food is probably the most authentic Korean you can find in Tampa.
(4)
Michele D.
Food is great here. Love their wings! Crispy and Korean flavor spicy. Prices are decent and service is good as well. Rare to find both of those qualities in the Korean restaurants in town. I love the Beef ribs, cold spicy noodles and their kimchi jigah. But seriously you can't go wrong with anything ordered on the menu. Although I live closer to arriygan & sari one. I feel it's worth the drive! This is a must try if in the mood for some traditional Korean dishes. After eating here you can go to the store and buy all the items to make the food yourself next time at home as well.
(4)
Hwal L.
Another Tampa business that I'm sure would do well in Sydney. This place might just replace Sa Ri One as my -or our- favorite Korean joint in Tampa. This place really must be run by a family, and you can tell by the close-knit working dynamics amongst the staff, i,e, family members. Here are the pluses(Btw, there is no minus with this place, although their hot and spicy rice cake was HARDCORE "hot and spicy." Please be warned!!): - Waitstaff quick and efficient but not overbearing. - Good portion of "hot and spicy rice cake with a hard-boiled egg", in fact bigger than Sa Ri One's, but about 10 times hotter!! I almost cried, but after the initial shock, it became surprisingly addictive! - "Sweet and sour pork" was also a different style than Sa Ri One's, namely a different assortment of veggies and the size of the meat pieces. Apple slices was such an authentic touch, and I recommend it. - Side dishes were hardcore as well in that everything looked and tasted authentic. We are fans now.
(5)
Katherine W.
This place is delicious and authentic. It's located in a weird little strip mall (as are all of the Asian restaurants in this area), and it's nothing much on the outside. But inside is great. They have these funny little wood booths, and the TV is always playing some kooky Korean show. The service is friendly, and it's a family-run place. All of the food I've had there has been great. My favorite dish is the Bal Gi, which is a sweet and salty pork dish. Next time I want to try the Jap Chae. My friends love the bibimbap, and my husband loves pretty much everything he's tried, although he's OBSESSED with the kimchi pancake. We love the little dishes of kimchi and other condiments that come before the meal. It's such a fun experience. We haven't been to the karaoke place that's above the restaurant, and run by the same family, but we keep meaning to go.
(5)
Arthur L.
Went for the first time for lunch. The place is spotless clean. The food was fresh, and very tasty. Looks like it is going to be a weekly thing.
(4)
Allan M.
What a great place! It is a tiny hole in the wall that is in a little strip mall of Korean stores. As you might guess from the name, it looks like it is run by one family. The mother is the chef, the daughter is the waitress, and the father runs the place. The food is really great. I had the Bibimbap and it was as good as the stuff I've had in Korea. The waitress is very friendly and helpful. It was not at all busy when I went, so I can imagine things getting a little slow if the place is busy. I am not in Tampa much, but will definitely be back. One note is that this restaurant is quite close to the airport, so if you are staying near the airport, it is definitely worth going.
(5)
Phero V.
Have not been here but do not how to delete review. :/
(5)
L R.
Tried this restaurant after reading about it on yelp. My husband my son and I went. They offered a highchair. My oneyear-old son loves it. Number 22 is spicy yet delicious. Will be coming back again.
(4)
Kanitta S.
Galbi and wings was very tasty but the mackerel was ok nothing to brag about. The place is cute and small but wished that the benches had cushions.
(3)
Jessica S.
I'm straight a korean so I know the expect ions of korean food very well. They have the BEST JjamBbong. Also I love DolSop-BiBimBab. I reason that I gave 4 stars is because I wonder about freshness of food sometimes. Great service!
(4)
Jake M.
Stopped here to eat again. Listen people! Get here early of you want fast service. Otherwise, be patient! It is not a fast food restaurant. Enjoy the whole experience and especially the best Korean food in Tampa!
(5)
Dena P.
This little place can be easily missed because it's hidden behind and away from the streets. It's also hanging off of another building. Once this place is found all I can say is that you have found the best Korean food in the area! All the food I've had here have always been good, from the spicy noodles, bibimbap and galbi. The small restaurant has a family feel to it (hint the name) and it also feels like you're living in a drama. The ones you see on the drama with a couple eating at a small mom and pops Korean restaurant. That's exactly it! This place doesn't seem to have many foreigner as much as the real Korean residents that live in Tampa. It means the food is good right? A must try if you're digging for the REAL Korean food. They are really nice here and the food is the real deal.
(5)
Amanda T.
Best Korean in Tampa! I mean the food was amazing, bursting with flavor and the smells were sumptuous garlic, peppers, and chilies. Small cozy and homey place with super sweet service. Went for the seafood soondubu and it is the best I've ever had. Unlike the usual frozen seafood mix this had in she'll clams, big shrimp, and big pieces of squid. My new favorite!
(5)
Jordan K.
Good place for traditional drinking and side dishes. More of a bar than family style restaurant. Koreans will be familiar with an-joo style. We had the Bol-ssam and jok-bal (boiled pork belly and pig feet). Pork belly is very good but pig feet was very cold and seemed flash frozen. Duk-book-ki (spicy rice cake) was decent but not great. Service was great and friendly. Great place to go for first time Korean food but not 100% authentic. Decent for Tampa.
(3)
Nicole K.
The food was great! I can't get Korean In my city so I try to get my fill whenever in Tampa. This might be my new go-to place for a low key dinner. The soups and fried chicken wings and rice pancake... All delicious. I am also a tad but obsessed with the banchan/side dishes, and this place had a really nice variety. My friends and I are like little piglets and the bill still came out to about $25 a person including alcohol. Not too shabby!
(4)
Tori S.
This is your typical hole-in-the-wall type of place, and as such it has amazing and authentic food. I've been here with friends a few times and it has yet to disappoint. Seafood and Kimchi pancakes are great to start. Gal Bi, Korean style BBQ short ribs, is delicious! Jae yook Bok Eum, pork in some kind of red spicy sauce with some veggies, is a bit spicy for me, but still really good. You can't go wrong with the Dolsot Bibim bap which has all the yummy Korean sides with beef and crispy rice on the bottom of the stone pot. All the sides seem to be made in house and with a few different ones each time I've been here. There is also a Korean grocery store right next door!
(5)
Ming Z.
Needless to say this is a good Korean restaurant since most of my Yelper friends had tried the food and contributed enough comments to the restaurant. Coty said it all so I won't repeat her precise descriptions. Instead, I will tell you something else. The restaurant changed hand one year ago. Now it is called 'One Family Korean Restaurant.' Don't panic! Nothing has changed. Food is still damn good. Service is still fast. Deco is still the same. Few reasons that I didn't give 5 star. First, The restaurant is hard to find. It tucked in behind a Korean Grocery store and not many English signs to indicate this place. If you drive east on W. Hillsborough Ave, it is on the right after you pass Henley road. If you drive by Golden Corral, you have just missed it. Second, customer groups this restaurant targeted at are mainly Asians, so their menu content offers no visual image to describe the dishes. If you are not familiar with Korean food, you are handicapped. It would be nice the owner make some adjustment to the menu to be more user friendly. The pictures on their website are nice though but without explain which dish it is. I admire people who carry on their traditions firmly like this restaurant. Food are as authentic as I had at Korea. It is difficult not to be Americanized when you run restaurant business. So I give them credit for preserve their traditions. I have few advices for those who are not familiar with Korean food but willing to try. Start with 'Seafood Pancake' (Haemul Pajeon). It is very good to share as appetizer. Then go for Grilled beef ribs (Gal Bi). It comes with 5 small vege/fish dishes, very traditional. Then stuff yourself with 'Dolsot Bibim bap', rice, meat, and vege cooked in a hot stone bowl. Make sure you add chili sauce on top and stir them well. Beside the seafood pancake, this is my favorite dish. In a cold winter night, it will fills the spot. My hubby love this restaurant. He had found his comfort food. We went there last Sunday night before 6pm. The place was half full. We plan to go back again this week. I will give more update later. BTW, we ordered 3 dishes, 4 beers and it costs 45 dollar including tax. This place is small but they can handle groups. I will suggest 6 people so everyone can share. It is very casual and because the nature of Korean food, you will smell like garlic and BBQ ribs later. So go casual. And Ladies, keep your dry clean only coats and fine leather bags home. You will thank me later.
(4)
Xiao Z.
Was a bit slow when we went. Seafood pancake and the soon-toufu soup was delicious. The cold-noodle soup was a bit of a let-down tho. doesn't taste as refreshing as the ones i have had before.
(3)
Callie S.
The food I want to rate 5 stars but I'm rating 4 because service is slow when they have more than two tables. The chef is the mom and daughter is the server. Very nice people and well deserving. Order the booday jigae it is divine. Also its next to the Korean market and air port so it is extremely convenient.
(4)
Amanda L.
Doesn't get more authentic than this. Food takes a while to come out, but in a positive light, that's an indication that the food is definitely made to order (soups come out boiling hot!). Love the small side dishes, which they freely offer to provide refills (I always feel like a glutton if I have to ask myself!). They have a wide range of dishes, and go beyond the standard fare of bibimbop, bulgolgi and kimchi based soups, offering several other unique dishes. Environment is a little lacking (you're sitting in the basement of a grocery store and furniture is worn), but the service is friendly and the food is delicious - can't ask for more than that!
(4)
Zad I.
It's been a while since I've had good food and this is one of my new favorite places. Packed away in a Asian strip mall location, this restaurant offers a variety of menu items at decent prices. Truly one of a kind and not very easy to find Korean food around the area as far as I know.
(5)
G W.
I sometimes go to the market next door so I decided to try this place for the first time today. I ordered the Bul Go Gi lunch box special and it was goooood. The beef was well seasoned. I recommend it and will definitely be back again :o)
(5)
Alea G.
When I went out to Tampa a couple of months ago, I did not expect to end up at a Korean restaurant. I did not expect to find a little corner of Korean restaurants and markets in Tampa and was pleasantly surprised by my find. The restaurant is very cute. The decor has some traditional Korean flavor to it. The prices were not too bad. I was in a kalbi mood that night and it actually was not as expensive as many of the kalbi dishes I've seen in the Bay Area. The kalbi was a little sweeter than I'm used to, but it was still delicious. The banchan was also pretty good. My only regret is not being able to go in a larger group so I could pick and try other people's foods. I'd probably go back if I find myself in Tampa again.
(4)
Florence G.
I've only eaten at 3 Korean restaurants but this one is the best so far. It's family owned and the service is good and menu selection is varied. The staff is friendly, the place is clean and the food is good and fresh. They provide plenty of side offerings too (Kim chee, pickles, etc.). Will definitely go back!
(4)
Major Wang ..
This place is a definite must. From the outside it does not look much but on the inside was more of a home feel and the food was great. We live in Orlando but will definite drive hour and half just for Korean food.
(5)
Robert S.
Food was very good; entre was enough for two. Short menu, but tasty.
(4)
Al B.
Well folks it would seem racism is alive and well in 2014. Why? Two reasons below. The food was okay...I've had better Korean. First, we placed our order...food came out pretty quickly. So far so good. However, we didn't see our waitress again until the end of our meal. She didn't stop by our table to refill our water, ask us how our food was, or just to see if we needed anything. She did manage to stop by other tables. She didn't even look our way the entire time! Lastly, we had to flag her down to get ANY attention which we asked for to go boxes. She brought them and pretty much dropped them on our table then left. To my surprise she came back...to drop off the bill then quickly left. I was literally waiting to pay for about 15 minutes before I said that's enough and left the bill in cash before walking out. Of course I didn't leave a tip because she literally didn't do ANYTHING. I realize (young) Black men are the most profiled people in the world, but when I come inside your restaurant or place of business in a calm, professional manner I expect to be treated with some respect. I cannot and will not recommend this place to any of my associate's due to the simple fact of discrimination.
(1)
Matthew Y.
Small place with really good food and a friendly staff. I eat lunch hear once a week, and I haven't been disappointed by the menu yet. The offer 4 bento-box style lunches (bulgogi chicken or beef, spicy pork, and ribs) as well as a full entree menu.
(4)
Tom K.
In search of my "favorite" Korean restaurant in Tampa. Not many choices here. Some OK places that will do and I place One Family Korean into that category. There was not any one thing wrong here but there was not any one thing that blew me away. Dolsot BiBim Bop. Sizzling hot with a perfect sunny side up egg on top. The rice crisped up nicely on the bottom of the bowl. Meat and veggies were good. Hot sauce was OK. I thought the Ban Chan was just good not great. My reluctance is that the spicy chili paste they used to marinade the Kimchee, radish, and cucumber was just a bit heavy on salt. Over powered the flavor. This might have been an issue with this particular batch so I will be interested to see how it tastes on the next go around. The folks are super friendly. I found it clean and simple on the inside. I will give this another try in a couple weeks. I really wanted to fall in love based on other Yelp comments but perhaps I had my hopes up too high. Both Atlanta and Chicago have provided better experiences. This is Tampa so I am trying to keep it in perspective. Please give them a try. I will be back again...
(3)
Howard C.
After watching 8 or 9 episodes of "Kimchi Chronicles", a show about Korean food and restaurants, I Yelped 'Korean in Tampa' and found "One Family". Please ... do _not_ tell anyone about this restaurant ... I want it all to myself. The reviews are accurate here - authentic excellence is what they serve. It takes a while and, once the food comes, you will not care. Warning to all Spice Lightweights: when the menu says "spicy", it means Korean Hot ... so far, this is the best asian food I've had in Tampa.
(4)
Richard K.
What no soju at a Korean karaoke joint?!? Blasphemy, I say. All they offered was a plum wine/ soju blend, which was very sweet. The set-up of the karaoke was on the rundown side. They had four televisions stacked on top of each other and each was from the mid 90's at best. One was even on static mode. The acoustics was serviceable and the room itself was comfortable enough for our group. The song selection is great. You just need to know how to search through using the remote and not the book. The songs in the book are scattered all over the place. As an experienced karaoke goer, it is common to see scattered song books. I suggest asking for a tutorial on using the search option on the remote. As for the service, it was downright neglectful. After the first bottle, we had to go downstairs and chase down the waitress for another drink. It was nice of them to give us free reign to pretend the couch and table was a stage. Also, they let us stay past closing to wrap up Bohemian Rhapsody. Overall, the place has potential to be better, much better if they just improved their service and their song books.
(3)
Sunny K.
Bbo Ssam ! So delicious. Authentic decor and a Korean market next door. I think there is norebang, Korean Karaoke, at night.
(4)
Hillary V.
First time having Korean. Loved it!
(4)
John L.
Surprisingly decent Korean near the airport. I really liked the jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup). There's a Korean supermarket conveniently located in the same lot.
(4)
Wilant D.
I came into the Tampa area excited to try this spot due to the positive reviews. I ordered the Galbi. Im an avid Korean BBQ fan and the Galbi to me was lacking in flavor. It was ok and average tasting. The sides dishes were good as they usually are at Korean restaurants. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that there other dishes are more appetizing to the palette. Another knock to the restaurant I feel is more to the categorization here on yelp saying they have karaoke. Sadly, they don't do karaoke no more. Kinda surprised there were no karaoke spots around the area according to the waitress. However, the one silver lining was the service. The waitress was really helpful, nice, attentive, and friendly. She suggested i head to Orlando for some Korean style karaoke, but I already knew this since I am from Orlando.
(3)
Kenneth G.
Great little place very good food and friendly employees. With a nice lade back atmosphere. Just to put things in perspective i'm american of Italian descent and my family and I all love this place.
(5)
John C.
This review is based on the one time I came here. I came with a friend for lunch. She had never had Korean food. We started with a seafood pancake which was decent, liked the sauce. The dish I got was the Dolsot Bibimbap, which was pretty tasty. My friend informed the server she had never had Korean and got the "Spicy Pork" which the server recommended. It was basically stringy, cheap cuts of pork with a funky flavoring. It definitely seemed like a situation where my friend was unsure of what to get and got pawned off on a expensive dish which took minimal preparation. Biggest gripe was the price. We went to have brunch the next day at Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe for much less and it was divine. Won't likely be back here
(1)
enrique b.
First experience here so will update as I try more dishes. The place is small with maybe 6 booths and a couple of tables. As many have pointed out, it's not easy to spot from the road so make sure you look at a map before you head there. If you are going east on Hillsborough, go past Hanley, and as soon as you pass the Jiffy Lube, make a right into the next plaza. The restaurant is in there. A couple of young girls took turns helping us. They were both very helpful and patient. As I was getting ready to order several things, one of them warned me about the size of the dishes and recommended we only got a couple things. She was spot on. We ordered Kalguksu, a soup with vegetables, clams, and potatoes in a very tasty broth. It wasn't spicy but packed a lot of flavor. Delicious. It was also huge. We had two bowls each and brought the rest home. We also got the Dolsot Bibim Bap, which is a mix of rice, vegetables, egg, beef, mushrooms and sauce. It comes in a hot stone bowl which not only keeps it warm but actually chars the rice at the bottom, giving the mix a nice crunch. I didn't find this dish as flavorful as the soup but combined with the sweet, hot pepper sauce you get, it worked pretty well. They also give you some delicious dried squid, kimchi, seaweed and picked radishes as condiments. Overall it was a very nice experience. We'll be back. A lot.
(4)
Jorge C.
Man! I'm a glad I was able to find such a jewel in the Tampa area :)...The minute you walk in, the air is filled great aromas! You know you are in the right place when there are Korean families eating inside. The Bulgogi is freaking excellent. Will be coming again next time I need to get my Korean fix.. Portions are large and recommend for a party of four, NO more than 3 dishes to share among yourself's.
(4)
Karl L.
Bimidi bap. That's the note I wrote myself to remember. Now I don't. Hmmmm. Went with friends for a quick stop over. It was really good. I mean REALLY good. We left nothing on our plates. Almost ate the plates too, but that's another story! The waitress was attentive and the place was filled with Koreans, which is usually an excellent sign. I would suggest that, if you are hankerin' for some Korean food, you come here! Of the 3-4 I have tried, they are my favorite.
(4)
H N.
This cute little place served me a fine bowl of Nang Myun (cold noodles with beef, vinegar and an egg - it's DELICIOUS and refreshing, and can easily be made without the beef.) They have karaoke upstairs, which I did not experience as a solo diner. But if I lived in Tampa I'm sure I'd be a regular here, for both dinner and singing.
(4)
Alejandra R.
I was very excited to try this restaurant out. The service was superb, everyone was very friendly. I loved the decor very much, and they offered many types of good. For the appetizer, I tried dukkbogi. It tasted ok. Then I had the bibimbap, and I can say it was ok. It was a little on the bland side. However, the galbi and jajangmeon was very tasty! Not memorable but it tasted good. I want to come back and taste the other dishes they have to offer!
(4)
Huntting B.
We stopped serving hot tea, because it's too hot. For realz? I was so sad to hear that when I started my meal. Onto the food. I had two dishes, the soon tofu (beef) soup and the spicy pork. The tofu soup was OK. Thankfully they gave me the raw egg, though they wouldn't bring it to the table and put it in before serving it. Not sure the reason for that, but it was still raw and floating when the soup arrived. It is really weird, though, that they have it with Beef and Seafood but not with pork. The soup itself was relatively tasty, though a little bland. That's probably my biggest gripe about this place the food was a bit bland. The spicy pork was ok...but half the time I ate a piece of pork it tasted like nothing. I couldn't explain it either because the pork was really juicy and had a lot of color, but it just didn't taste like anything. The bon chon, which some people commented on. The Kimchi was actually quite good. I enjoyed that a lot. The seaweed was almost flavorless though, blandness seems to run across the board here, and the bean sprouts didn't have much flavor to them (but they normally don't). Is it just me or does this place not have air conditioning? I dunno if it was the state that I walked in with or if it was the place but I was uncomfortably hot there. The hostess (perhaps daughter of owner it seemed) was very nice and personable. Several of their regulars came in while I was eating and the owner came out a couple times to greet them.
(3)
Nat W.
My friends brought me to this restaurant for lunch. They do not have an extensive lunch menu...pretty limited. However, they are very reasonable and come with a lot of food! I ordered their pork bulgogi lunch box and the meat was delicious! It came with dumplings, rice, all the side dishes, and salad. My friend ordered Bibimbab and it looked delicious too! I did not know they have Karaoke until I looked it up on yelp. They also have a Korean supermarket upstairs (I do not knowif there is any affiliation with this restaurant). This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Tampa bay.
(4)
Chloe L.
Best Korean place in Tampa area. Five stars for the Seafood soft tofu soup. They always give you at least 4 side dishes of kimchi, and they are different types everytime. Love it!
(5)
Day W.
Decor: Traditional and very nice. Food: Love the pancake (appetizer) which reminds me of Egg Foo Young. Had high expectation for Bulgoki, which was served on a hot plate (think Fajita meat), and was disappointed. No dessert menu. The whole experience was ok. Saw review about Rice which is across the street. Will try that next time.
(3)
Angela K.
I don't have a lot of experience with Korean food, but I have to say this place was really good. I will have to go back for sure.
(4)
Bruce C.
I love finding small family owned restaurants and One Family Korean Restaurant is on my list of favorites! Started with kimchi pancakes which were one of the best that I have had in a very long time. I had the bibimbab for dinner and that too was very good.
(4)
Haruka K.
onefamilykoreanrestauran… I love this place! We had lunch there and the food was awesome. We asked them what time they opened for karaoke and they said we could go sing right now if we wanted to. Pricing is not bad. The portion sizes were pretty good. We ordered Ddeokboki, Gal Bi, Haemul Pajeon, Mandu, and Guksu Mal ee Squid Bok Eum, and I was shocked that all that was only like $70. I attached their website if you want to check it out! The place can be a little hard to find because it's kinda hidden, but we saw a bunch of Korean on a building and decided to go into the parking lot and sure enough there it was. We live in Orlando and next time we hit Tampa, we're definitely going there again!
(5)
Corey G.
My 1st experience eating Korean food so not much to go on. I will say I love spicy (ala Mexican & Indian) & boy did this leave both of them in the dust! I liked the lunchbox special & the service was friendly & fast. Good enough to come back & this time with more coworkers. Can't wait to try more of the menu (and this time write down what I ate)!
(3)
Carlos H.
This was part of the Unofficial Yelp Event Mini Asian Tour! The last time I was here I only was able to sing karaoke upstairs so I was pretty excited to check out the restaurant with Yelp Tampa on the 4th of July. I had a hard time picking what to eat, but I eventually decided to go with beef bulgogi and play it safe. It was pretty tasty, but for some reason I recall the taste being a little better at Sa Ri One. Someday I'll have to have compare the two and figure out which place is actually better at bulgogi. I tried a few things off other Yelpers and they were alright, I wasn't particularly amazed with the tastes. The waitress was friendly, but still only decent. I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on her since it was the 4th of July and she appeared to be helping her mother run the restaurant. For a bento lunch box, there was quite a bit of food for one order and I was full before I could finish my meal. I skipped breakfast too, so I thought I would be able to finish the whole thing. I still love the atmosphere of this place, and the karaoke upstairs is definitely awesome, so I think I'll mark my rating slightly down but still keep myself a fan of this place. Sally L. noted that the menu has changed and that some of the food did not taste the same, so maybe they are going through some restaurant changes at the moment. All the Tampa Yelpers and their friends/partners were awesome to have lunch with and quite hilarious. Overall, a good experience and still a nice place. I'll be back.
(4)
Jay Y.
This place is hard to find and sits below a Korean supermarket and hidden among several other places in a strip mall. The restaurant is kind of small, but the food was pretty good and the staff was very attentive and knew their menu well to explain what was in some of the dishes...
(3)
Coty S.
Han Ga-jok Shik-tang gwa No-rae Bang (Karoke on 2nd FL) is located west of the Veteran's Toll Road on Hillsborough Avenue within a small shopping plaza housing mostly Korean businesses such as a learning center, hair salon, herbal medicine, and grocery. We decided to try something new this weekend, so we ended up in this humble establishment. 12:30 on a Saturday afternoon, and there were two other tables of large groups. There are only about 7 tables total in the place, and is family run. I really liked all of the wall paintings of Joseun scenery of women swinging wearing Hanboks, and people playing traditional games. The waitresses are the daughters and the mother and father are the cooks, I only know this because the waitresses were referring to their parents as mother and father in a familiar way. There is a karaoke machine at the front of the entryway and a disco ball and lighting mounted on the ceiling. I can imagine this please could be party central on the weekend. The prices are actually really low on some items and really high on others, so it all depends on what you order. The menu items and atmosphere remind me of a Korean snack house, so those are the items that I ordered, and they also happened to be the least expensive on the menu. I actually recommend their lower priced snack foods like Dukbokki and JaJangMyun, they are fun to eat and are quite filling. In general, the prices were low compared to all of the other Korean restaurants that I have been to in Tampa, some prices $5-$10 lower. They give you five perfectly seasoned and fermented banchan dishes: cabbage kimchee, cucumber kimchee, spicy bean sprouts, spicy cubed radish, and my favorite spicy fish cakes. I am sure that the side dishes vary daily, and they are all free refills as always. Since I ordered in Korean, there was no confusion, and I knew exactly what I wanted as well which helped. The waitresses speak perfect English with an American accent, so don't be afraid of trying this place out and learning something new in the process. I was in search of some tasty JaJanMyun and found it here for a great price ($7.99!), which I have paid more than $15.00 for at other places in Tampa. JaJang is a common dish in Korea that most people order take-out, it is black bean sauce and minced vegetables and meat over delicious thick chewy noodles, always served with a side of sweet/sour yellow radish. Plus, Pinetree's tasted way better. The sauce was rich and slightly spicy containing small cubes of onion, cabbage, potato, zucchini, and pork. The noodles were perfect, springy and slightly chewy, exactly the way they are supposed to be. This tooth-full texture is often preferred, and referred to as "Chul-get-chul-get." The Haemul Pajun ($9.99), which is a massive mixed seafood and scallion pancake the size of a large pizza. It comes with a spicy dipping sauce that is soy sauce, vinegar, hot pepper powder, garlic, and scallion. The seafood was mixed shrimp, squid, and mussels. The pancake looked kind of destroyed, and soggy, but the bottom of it was crispy. When making a Pajun of this size, it is very hard to make it even and flip it over to crisp the other side. It did taste excellent and was way more than I could eat. And, the crispy underside of it made up for the top being not to crispy. They also have Pajun with just vegetables and kimchee, and another that is mung bean sprouts. We also ordered the Budae Chigae ($11.99), which is a spicy red kimchee based sour soup that contains leftover ingredients. Such as spam, carrots, spinach, onion, sliced rice cakes, red hot peppers, greens, and pork. The other ingredient which is contained a lot of to my surprise was thinly sliced hot dogs. The hot dogs gave the soup a good salty and fatty flavor, however we ended up pulling a lot of them hot dogs out of it and not eating them. You can also get the Bulgogi dishes here, and they have portable grills that they bring to the table for you to cook on. I am assuming that they have lettuce wraps, since they are not that formal. What I really like about Pinetree is that they are not trying to be formal or pretentious, which helps keep their prices down and their dishes are what everyday meals would be like in a Korean home. I am sure that most of the produce and supplies are purchased at S Mart next door, so everything is fresh. I love their Dukkbokki (spicy rice cakes), Jajangmyun (black beans noodles), and any of their tofu stews. This place is known for their delicious tofu stew.
(5)
Noel G.
Their food is awesome. The Bulgogi Beef melts in your mouth. The staff is very friendly. The family owned atmosphere is inviting.
(4)
Nicole Leigh S.
This was part of the Unofficial Yelp Event Mini Asian Tour! I went into this restaurant having no idea what to expect. Originally I had hoped to find a place that does the grill your meat at your table thing that we used to do in Thailand, but this is not it. This lead me to believe I would be disappointed. I was lead astray. ;] The food was fantastic. I tried all sorts of things by the end of the meal. From my veggie hot pot, to my Mr.'s bento box style BBQ pork (with lots of other goodies). From the moment it started arriving on the table I thought I was had died and gone to heaven (little did I know our unofficial Yelp gathering's "Tour" was going to lead me to even bigger and better things!). The smells started the event. The flavors delivered without fail. I absolutely will come here again, and I am looking forward to enjoying more of their menu. Note: They had a pretty easy time accommodating our group of 12, so don't hesitate to bring everyone you know!
(3)
Autumn C.
SOOOO GOOD! We had the seafood pancake which I never would have thought to order but saw some other reviews about it and wanted to give it a shot. It really was delicious and the Bulgogi was amazing! I will definitely be back and will recommend to everyone I know.
(5)
Theresa L.
Decor was cute, service was good but the food was average. I normally order the bimbibap at Korean restaurants and it was ok here. I would recommend sa ri one over this place.
(3)
Sandy J.
I really wanted to love this place, I would give them 3.5 stars. It was good, but nothing memorable. Their bibimbap was bland and overcooked. If I had to pick one dish I liked best, it would probably be their soft tofu stew (soon dubu chigae). Service was just ok. I like how the seating was mostly booths though. There are screen between each booth and a "roof" overhang.
(3)
Sally M.
So, remember when I complained that Rice (Korean Restaurant & Lounge) was great, but a bit pricey for your everyday Korean food needs? Well, Pine Tree isn't *quite* what I'd call cheap, but I feel like it's much more reasonable, & hot damn it is GOOD. Although it's registered in here as the Pine Tree Karaoke Cafe, you'd be hard-pressed to find it if you went in search of a place with that name. It doesn't have an English name posted ANYWHERE; the only reason I knew it was called Pine Tree was from our credit card receipt. The name is in Korean only; if you want to check it out & can't read Korean, look for the large Korean grocery store (edited to add: I believe it's called S-Mart, though the 'mart' is in Korean, too...) on Hillsborough near Hanley. The restaurant is in the same building; if you're facing it, it's on the right on the lower level. Now then. On to the food. The menu doesn't have quite the variety that Rice has -- & it's a challenge, too, if you don't read Korean -- some of the items are translated into English... but some aren't! The first time we went, when the waiter came back to take our orders, my fiance asked him to translate the stuff we couldn't read, & from one of the unreadables decided to order lamb stew. So if you're not sure, don't be afraid to ask! They're friendly & you might find something you really like! The food always comes with a variety of Korean pickles -- I think 4 or 5 dishes of them -- & rice, even if you order the delicious ramen. The ramen comes spicy, but, if like my fiance, you have an aversion to spicy food, you can ask them to make it milder & they'll happily do so. Said ramen is pretty good; I consider it standard Korean ramen, neither better nor worse than what I've had in the past. But the lamb stew is OUTSTANDING... I can't even explain how & why it's so good. There's just something about it... My mouth is watering just thinking about it, & we had it over a month ago! On our more recent trip a week ago, I had the bibimbap (in English on the menu as rice with toppings, or something to that effect). Holy wow. So good. WAY better than Rice's, & cheaper! & it's huge; I ate about half of it & was absolutely stuffed so I took the rest home with me & it kept very well till the next day. They have 2 on the menu; I think the other one comes in a clay pot. The one I ordered didn't have any meat in it, either, which I was a little bit disappointed about... until I dug in. All those pickles, & the fresh shredded lettuce, & oh, the hot sauce... YUM. Best bibimbap I've had yet. & again, can I stress just how friendly & helpful they are there? Any place that has such a friendly, homey feel to it is automatically +1 star for me; atmosphere is almost as important as good food. & Pine Tree has both aplenty.
(5)
Allen A.
Had the lunch special (bul gogi) this past week. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so I was able to get my order in right away. The food was fresh and very tasty. I had been looking for some good Korean food and was not disappointed. It was reasonably priced, and I can't wait to go back and try another dish soon. The restaurant is not very visible from the main road unless you know what you are looking for. It is in a small strip center near an Asian market.
(5)
M. L.
Felt like I was enjoying an everyday meal in South Korea without having to travel the distance and I've never even been there! That's how good it was! Talk about a "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant! If you've never been in the little Korean plaza, you may never really be able to find it! It's unassuming, small (but not cramp), traditional, casual, clean, and even has an accessible Karaoke joint upstairs! Family-friendly service, helpful for non-native speakers, and prompt. Price is fair, a bit cheaper compared to the other K-restaurants. Worth every penny! Personally, One Family surpasses Sa Ri One by a mile regarding authentic Korean taste! GalBi was marinated so darn well without being overly dry, stayed juicy and flavorful with just the right amount of sweet. Served sizzlingly hot over the cod-plate. I opted for the Dolsot Bibimbap, which is mixed rice with veggies and beef served in a hot-cod-bowl instead the normal metal one; a few dollars more but it keeps your rice warm and yummy! O-M-G, Haemul Soon Tofu Chigae, the hot & spicy soft tofu soup with seafood was orgasmic! Need I say more?! Lastly, Guksu Mal ee Squid Bok Eum, hot stirred noodles with squid and veggies, was an interesting combination with a wonderful result! It's spicy, it's chewy, it's hot, it was good food! LOVE!
(5)
Bruce M.
After reading the reviews on this place yesterday, we decided to check it out last night. All I can say is this place is good......very good! From the friendly and attentive wait staff to the reasonably priced food. This place is small, but it has a very comfortable feel to it and it is clean. After eating at most of the Korean restaurants around the Tampa Bay area, I would have to say this is the GO TO place for Korean food and service.
(4)
Aviva D.
When you walk in the smell is amazing. The seating is intimate and cozy. A great place to bring family or a date. I noticed that the majority of people eating here are Korean and to me that is a good sign of good ethnic food. The staff is helpful and friendly. If you never tried Korean food ask what's good and the friendly waitresses will fill you in. The food is awesome!
(5)
Michael N.
I was born and raised in Korea. Also I recently spent a year there before moving to Tampa in 2011. This is the best place to get Korean food in Tampa. Some of the food is more Americanized than traditional but still good. Most of the dishes that I have tried are wonderful. Some items sway a bit too far from traditional though. For example...bell peppers in the beef bulgogi. All in all...you won't be disappointed if you consider whats available in Tampa. One Issue that I'm not a fan of is the take out. If you eat in the resturant, you will get a much larger serving than you would if you got it to go. I like to eat so this bothers me.
(4)
James K.
Best Korean food in Tampa!!! I can vouch because im Korean and grew up eating these dishes. 100% authentic. Check out there new website - onefamilykoreanrestauran…
(5)
Inspector Y.
Nothing bad to say about this place. Food is great, clean, and overall just an excellent place to goto...try the octopus fried noodles they are excellent. 5++ stars.
(5)
Priscilla S.
This review is just about the food. I only had the chance to come for dinner and not the karaoke. I hope to update on that later. Korean food is now added to one of my favorite Asian style of foods. I've been to a few other places, but I have to say, this place is pretty cute and creative. Everything looks hand crafted and painted. There are paintings with Korean calligraphy and nature. It's located in a small shopping area where there are other small Korean businesses. When walking inside, it was like walking in a small house. There was even a big plasma screen TV at the front. I came with a group of friends during dinner and everyone ordered something different and unique. I was able to try their Beef Bulgogi which had a grilled taste to it. It was very tender and really good. I ordered their Hot & Spicy Seafood and Tofu soup. It was really good as well because I love spice. The side dishes were also a great compliment, and I especially enjoyed eating them with plain white rice . The prices and the portion sizes of the food are average, and others can be a bit pricier. Definitely will try more when I return for karaoke.
(5)
Alan G.
Really enjoyed the food. The service was okay, not great. Girl seemed to be more interested in getting back to her computer to watch a video. But other than that, the food was exceptionally good.
(5)
Jen L.
Authentic great tasting korean food! Only a handful of Korean restaurants in the Tampa area. My go-to Korean restaurant! Try kalbi, bulgogi, soondubu (spicy tofu soup), tangsuyuk (sweet and sour fried beef), bibimbap and of course all the wonderful korean side dishes that come for free!
(4)
J V.
so I was debating between 3 or 4 stars..and I'm going with 4.. just because I like their seafood tofu stew and friendly service so much.. We ordered the beef bulgogi, seafood tofu stew, and the black bean sauce noodle.. it was my first time trying the black bean and it might be an acquired taste..but it wasn't what i thought it would be.. I thought it would have a sweeter taste, but for some reason it kind of had a tea taste to it. and the noodles were a little more overcooked than i prefer. the beef bulgogi was edible .. it actually had onions and carrots with it, which I haven't seen at other places.. the marinade could have been stronger.. or it could have been marinaded longer..so the ingredients soaks in more..but it wasn't bad.. the seafood tofu stew however was excellent.. they didn't skimp on the seafood like at other places..and the flavoring was nicely done.. i enjoyed this item the most. the whole staff was friendly ..they even give a good laugh when my bf said thank you in korean (even tho we aren't korean) ...and i enjoy that show they had on the television..which i'm guessing is some kind of korean talk show or game show...they had two members of brown eyed girls on there..which i listen to on occasion.. oh yes. and i do love their wall.. nature scenery and written korean words in that plain black water paint look.... the simplicity of it.. i just love it..
(4)
David C.
Things I did not do while here: -Sing Karaoke -Find the restaurant on my first pass -Know what I was ordering. Things I did while here: -Ate lots of tasty, tasty food -Drank exotic Korean spirits (herb-infused sake) -Had a TNT dynamite blast with some great fellow yelpers and friends Whatever the Korean word for Smorgasbord is, that's what happened at this place. I don't even know all the food that I was eating, just that I wanted more of it. Coty S. had these beautiful tender noodles with black bean sauce and potatoes and beef, I think Sally L. got bimbimbap (which is just as enjoyable as words coming out the mouth as it is food going in), and we all shared tasty pickled morsels. Mystified at the menu options, I asked the waitress what her favorite dish was, and then ordered her answer (it was seafood stew). So much stew! So many fishes! There were curlicue little baby octopi, squid bits, shrimp, clams in-shell, fake crab meat (unnecessary, in my opinion), and some regular fish chunks. A whole boiled egg and veggies, too. My friends got the bento boxes and scarfed everything except for the fish cakes (which was OK, because I was eying their fish cakes for the whole meal, and finally got them). The herbal sake was something else - strong in delivery but moderate in alcohol content - we drank with small sips. If I could've done anything differently it would've been to propose more toasts - to life, to friends, and to the discovery of great new food.
(4)
Abi J.
good food
(4)
Cecilia A.
Service is really slow! The staff is friendly and well meaning but the food takes FOREVER to come out if there is more than one full table in the restaurant. I had bulkogi beef and a soup with spam and Ramyeon and my friend and i split some gyoza. The basic flavors are there but the food was lackluster I don't think Ill go back which makes me sad because I really enjoy Korean food, this place just doesn't hit the spot for me though. Ill keep searching for a place to satisfy my Korean craving.
(2)
David P.
The first floor of the restaurant looks nice, but was full and we dined at second floor, it is a make-shift place to hold more customers, environment is bad and we felt like we are in a very cheap restaurant , 2 flies kept wondering around our table. Neither the fish nor the vegetable I ordered is fresh. The waiter kept forgetting our extra rice. The total experience only worth about 40% of the price I paid, whici is 15 per persion
(2)
jeff t.
Went here with my buddy this past week. It's a cute little place kinda hidden in the mini Korean street Hillsborough has and I was not disappointed. The service is family run and they are very kind folks. Food was good and a lot! I had a hard time finishing my spicy bulgogi, but man was it yummy! Wouldn't mind coming here again anytime. :)
(4)
Andrew N.
Went over the weekend for dinner. Few people in there, wasnt quite sure if it was open b/c of the heavily tinted windows. Once you got in, the restaurant was small but decently decorated. I did like the interior better than Sari which reminds me of a tusken raider hut on Tatooine. Anyways. My party ordered 1 dolsot bibimbap and 1 bulgogi... we waited about 25 minutes before our dishes came. I was surprised.. we didnt get any banchan while we waited and when the banchan came it wasnt anything great, mostly stuff normal ppl wouldnt eat like anchovies.. bibimbap was cooking well in the pot but i got a stomachache after eating it.. my other party who had the bulgogi said it was good. I may come back to try the soups to give it another chance. But will definitely go check out other places.
(3)
Jason F.
"Korean Restaurant." That is all you will see on any sign -- and even that is not obvious! Tucked away in a corner of suburbia, this is one of those gems that you reminisce of after moving away from a city.. Small and unassuming? Check. Married in some way to a grocery store on the same block? Check. Friendly and genuinely interested in how you are enjoying the food? Check. Sa Ri One Korean Restaurant? Sorry, one perfect Korean restaurant in Tampa -- and it is the Pine Tree Cafe.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Krys P.
This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Florida! I admit I love it more than any down in S Florida. It's a small place cutely decorated, with only a few tables so when we go as a big group we always call to make sure they have an empty table. This place is purely mom and pop, service is super friendly, and the young woman speaks good English so communication is not a problem. When we go as a group we can be a bit noisy and asking for a lot of service, getting this and that, refilling this and that, but our requests are always met with a smiling face. All the dishes, from the ban chan to the noodles to the rice to the pancakes to the grilled meat... I love them all. And oh, you will likely be sweating from all the spicy food. Hop over next door to the big Korean market, and get a Korean ice cream to cool you down! If you have space in your stomach, that is... I always barely manage to squeeze my dessert in...
(5)Jeff N.
This place is my go to Korean restaurant in Tampa. I have tried several but I think this one is the best. I always come here with other people who have lived in Korea and we totally love it when we find very authentic food. This restaurant is both authentic and even looks like a place I used to spend time in while living in Korea so it brings back memories as well. It is not fancy but it is Korean and that adds to the charm. If you are going to have an appetizer I recommend... Ddeokboki - rice cakes in a spicy red sauce - AMAZING! Kimchi Jeon - kimchi pancake Mandu - fried pork dumplings To be honest, I prefer my mandu to be steamed and not fried. I wish they would offer the mandu steamed. :( My favorite Entrees are... Dolsot Bibimbap - the hot version of Bibimbap served in a hot stone pot Jjam Bbong Soup - spicy seafood soup with noodles Bibimbap - beef, rice, egg and mixed veggies served COLD with hot sauce Kimchi Jigae - Kimchi stew with pork I want you to know if you order the ddeokboki as an appetizer you probably will not be able to eat the rest of your food. It is a lot of food and very filling, but it just the best. I like that they had Korean television shows on. It helped add to the ambiance of the place. All of the people who work there are helpful and polite.
(4)michelle l.
I came here for lunch only. They have 4 bento box options for lunch, and they are very reasonably priced compared to the dinner prices. I had the spicy pork. It was pretty good, maybe a little salty? It came with a couple dumplings, a lot of rice, some kimchi and pickled turnip, and bean sprouts. The bean sprouts were excellent. I wish that the waitress returned to offer a drink refill.
(4)Wesley B.
The Good: The Korean style spicy chicken wings were awesome. Can't say enough about the red sauce they use. The decor on the inside is also amazing. Has a traditional Korean feel on the inside, like see on in the old movies. The Bad: If it's your first time coming here, it may be hard to find. This restaurant's popularity has spread solely on word of mouth because they are hidden from view on the street, with another building in front of them. I passed it twice and had to loop around when I was meeting people here. The Ugly: Nothing..... Overall, I really liked this place. I loved the traditional Korean style feel it had, the service we received and of course, the delicious food. This small restaurant hits a homerun!
(5)Ren C.
My second time to visit this small restaurant and I'm a fan. They have very good food and service is always great. This restaurant is located at Korean Town I named it coz business around the area were owned by Koreans. Ordered the the spicy stone bowl steamed rice topped with vegetables and sunny side up egg. This is amazingly great. And all the side dishes were good. I even ask for more. I also ordered the wild raspberry wine and it's good and I even ended up buying one to take home. I will come and visit this place again with friends.
(5)Melony R.
Great Korean food! I had the Gal Bi and although I've had better versions of it, I was pleased. I really liked the bulgogi as the flavor reminds me of "west coast" beef teriyaki...I've been looking for that flavor on the east coast and there just aren't any good teriyaki joints like I used to frequent in Seattle. Since I was there with a large group I got to try many items and everything was good. I of course got my Kimchi fix as well. I'll def be back for more.
(4)Joe T.
Decent food, but the noise level and lackluster service contrast to Rice, which is essentially across the street.
(3)Brian H.
went again and the food was just as good. Consistency is key and this place unlocks it.
(5)glynis r.
This was a 5 star experience for me because it was like walking through a science-fictionish door in space and emerging into a backstreet in South Korea. It deserves 5 stars for saving you a very long flight. If I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would be this bibimbap. I don't do spicy, but my son has lived in Korea, and he and the friendly hostess discussed alternatives to the spicy sauce usually served on the side. The soy-sesame sauce took the bibimbap from wonderful to heaven. The hot bowl version is the one to choose. My husband and son tucked into some scary, red, spicy stuff, with the usual Korean side dishes, before diving into a pile of grilled meat (Bulgogi) for the carnivore and bibimbap for the vegetarian. Hite (Korean Beer) doesn't win any beer prizes but you have to get fully into the moment. Watching them enjoy their meal was a wonderful as feasting on every last bite of my own. Great experience.
(5)Jenny C.
This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Tampa Bay. It is literally a hole-in-the-wall, mom and pop shop. It is hard to locate, but if you start seeing Korean symbols then you're in the right plaza! It's next to a Korean market. When you walk in you notice cute booths that have walls separating for privacy. Each table has a button you can press if you need to get the server's attention. Last night was the busiest I've ever seen the restaurant! Every table was full (there are only 8 tables). I met up with a friend to catch up. I ordered the Haemul Pajeon - Large, egg pancake, that has various seafood items and vegetables ($13.99) as an appetizer. It was HUGE! I took some leftovers home. I got the Haemul Soon Tofu Chigae - Soft tofu hot spicy soup with seafood, vegetables, and egg slightly poached ($14.99). It came in a hot stone bowl and was bubbling. It came with a small metal bowl of rice so I would put rice in my bowl and pour the soup over. Although it was an individual size, there was enough soup to share between the both of us and I took a small container home. I very much like the egg they simply cracked into the middle of the soup that slowly poached in the broth. Lots of seafood- squid, clams in their shells, shrimp. Any of their soups are warm and comforting. My friend ordered the Ja jang myeon - Noodle with black bean sauce that contains pork ($10.99). Her bowl of noodles was also HUGE! Quite flavorful also and filled with meat and sauce. Other dishes that I enjoy from here: Dolsot Bibim Bap Galbi Chicken Bulgogi Jae yook Bok Eum (pork bulgogi) Ddeokboki - for those who like spicy! Barley tea Soju (fermented rice wine) Everything comes with banchan (small dishes of kimchi, seaweed, etc.)! I've been here so many times and I've celebrated quite a few birthdays here also. The family that runs the restaurant are always so accommodating and hospitable. The food is authentic and the service is always friendly. This is one of my favorite places to eat in Tampa. Even though it is like 45+ minutes from home, I still make the trek over!
(5)Joe R.
Very good food, though there aren't any grills on the tables. The Bulgogi was tasty, but didn't seem grilled, maybe wok fried. But the meat and sides were good. It looks a little rough from the outside, but don't let that deter you. Food and service were good.
(4)Tyla M.
Been wanting to come here for so long.... and here I am writing a review for it. If you like Sul Lung Tang (Ox Bone Soup) and you also like tendons.. get the Dogani Tang (Beef Knee/Knuckle Bone Soup) It's delicious!! But again I like soups :) Be careful, the Korean stone pot keeps the heat very very well. You might be surprised and end up burning your lips! Bulgogi is pretty delicious too - not too sweet. The atmosphere is very cute. Very friendly and cozy feeling. Feels like home for sure. Service was great :)
(5)Eli N.
Crazy good korean barbecue (or Galbi?). This one is hidden, tucked in a corner without effective signage. I didn't know it was there when first taken by a friend several years ago. It's really exciting when you find good and authentic cuisine in unexpected places. Havent been there in a long while because I had moved. Well It's still amazing. We even came late not knowing their new open times, but the waitress didn't seem to mind. In fact she was energetic, hospitable and made us feel very comfortable-- props. Ive had korean food in different cities. The food from one family ranks among the best and I have found nothing in Tampa that is comparable. Take a good look at the attached picture. Yes. Yes! Yaaassssss.
(5)Arne A.
I've been back to this place many times and have to say this is by far the best Korean food in town. THIS IS NOT A KOREAN BBQ RESTAURANT. So don't expect that going in. The staff is quick and extremely friendly. The food is decently priced but delicious. Real legit Korean flavors: unforgiving heat (but not overly so) and pungent flavors where I expect pungent flavors. Every meal comes with kimchi starters that are endless and taste great. A few menu suggestions: Dolsot Bibimbap you will not be disappointed...hit it with the hot sauce, break that egg, mix up the crunchy bits that sizzled on the bottom, then dive into heaven. Al tang if you like fish roe sacs. And all the soups are good. You can't go wrong here. As far as Korean food in Tampa goes this is the only one I suggest to my friends.
(4)Rachel M.
Wow, can't believe we found this place. Without Yelp, I do not know how this place can be found. It is quite a different location. From the outside, it reminded me of a mechanic shop seriously. Thanks to reviews, I knew this was a must try, and a place I needed to have my first Korean dining experience. We walked in, & I felt like I was not in Tampa anymore. I loved the decorations of each of the booths, & how quaint, homey, and personable the people were. It's like it was their home, & they welcomed us with open arms. Such a great feeling. We ordered various items including a soup with beef and noodles(perfect for the chilly evening, & good size for two or three people) galbi(boned korean ribs, sweet, good amount of meat on the bone), and bulgogi (meat strips, no bones, & sweet). Lastly, we ordered a seafood omelette. It looked like the size of a medium or large pizza. Our food came with small sides including kimchi, seaweed, & other pickled like veggies. These sides were flavorful, & not spicy, or maybe just a little bit of kick depending on your spicy tolerance. We were quite nervous, and didn't know what to expect of korean food. We thought it would be so spicy and different. It was not at all whatsoever, and we are quite happy to have expanded our palate. We will definitely go back. The service was impeccable. Everyone was pleasant, helpful, & altogether genuine. If you are looking for a korean restaurant, make sure to go here. It is a definite little piece of korean heaven.
(5)Paige C.
Curl up solangtang Korean oasis found Warm friendly delish I had a serious hankering for Asian food, and I found surrounded by Korean grocery, Korean Church, Korean mechanic, here you have, Korean cuisine. It was GREAT. This little family place has a welcome atmosphere right at the entrance. It has that authentic fishy smell, cool cave-like booths, call buttons for the waitress, and huge HD TV at the front that I'm sure has seen its fair share of karaoke. While we were there, it looked like KPOP Idol was in the audition phase. Now to the food--I was split between the dolsot bipimbop of the solangtang. I went with the latter. My man, he went with the former. If you don't know Korean food, these, IMHO, are 2 out of 3 Trinitarian like items that make Korean so awesome. (The third being KBBQ.) Bipimbop is a rice dish that comes in a stone bowl (rice gets all crispy at the bottom), has veggies, beef, and an egg. You can spice it up with the mysteriously delicious K Red sauce. It is Asian comfort food at nearly it's best. Solangtang is possibly it's best. It's a bone broth soup with meat, noodles, green onions, served with a dish of rice and all the traditional Korean appetizers. Give me a blanket and a pillow, and I'd curl up with that soup and KPOP all day long. Tampa, my search for Korean is over.
(5)Edward C.
This is really a hole in the wall restaurant. Drive too fast and you'll miss it. Small location, but it tasted authentic! Ordered the number 33, which was a spicy short rib soup with cabbage. I really loved the amount of flavor in the soup. Spices were significant, but not overpowering. The cost? $16.99.
(5)Heather A.
Delicious, authentic korean food. They have great lunch box specials with bulgogi or other meats, rice, two mandus (dumplings), kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, and other bahn chans (side dishes), all in your own 'lunch box'. They offer lots of different chigaes (soups/stews), noodles, galbi, bulgogi, bi bim bap, etc. Something for everyone. After you eat, go up the outside stairs next door to the korean grocery store and buy some food to make at home or buy something pre-made like kimbap or the bi bim bap fixin's that they keep on the counter. This restaurant has great food and a convenient store attached to make more great food later!
(5)Winnie M.
We came from LA and the korean restaurant there are really good. The soon we get here we looking for something close to it. We have try another place but it's not that good until we find this place on Yelp. Restaurant was a little small but if you have a family of 4 this place will be a home feeling for your family. I love the feel of the family own restaurant. My waitress is a girl who can speak english very well so you don't have to worry about how to order your food. Food came out really fast and it's as good as the one we have from korean town in LA. I like this restaurant and we will come back again soon for sure.
(5)Minna S.
I love the food here. Being that I am half Korean and from New Jersey, it is hard to impress me when it comes to good Korean food. The bulgogi beef is just perfectly marinated here. There are some places that use too much sugar but this place is perfect, not too sweet. The dukbokki it really good as well. The only way you would like it is if you like spicy food, as they tend to make it pretty spicy. Dukbokki is supposed to be spicy, and I just love the way they make it here. The bulgogi chicken is pretty spicy as well but really good. I guess if you're not a fan of spicy food, you can tell them to not make it spicy. The tangsuyuk (deep fried pork chunks with sweet and sour sauce) is delicious. I love eating tangsuyuk with chachangmyun (noodles with black bean sauce). Although I have not tried their chachangmyun yet, I will definitely try to one of these days. The mandoo (Korean dumplings) is the only thing I can not give a good review about. I feel as if they are the prepackaged frozen ones and just fried them themselves. The panchan (mini Korean appetizers/mini side dishes) that they serve is really good and well done. People need to understand that panchan is served at any typical Korean restaurant but the key to serving good panchan is the kimchi. The kimchi needs to be perfectly marinated and well done (not undercooked). There are a lot of other things that I must try here but still haven't had the chance. The young girl who works here is not too polite but who cares. I guess if the food is good then the service to me doesn't really matter. I will definitely continue to come and eat here, and I recommend others to try this place if you want to eat good Korean food.
(4)Daniel W.
I thought this place was great, we had a big group and they had a nice little area for us all to fit comfortably. The service and atmosphere was comfortable and inviting. We ordered the rice cake and seafood pancake appetizers which were both great, I would recommend both, although the rice cake is spicy so keep that in mind. I got the galbi tang (beef soup) which I was unsure specifically about how the dish was in general (never had it before) while I wouldn't recommend this particular dish, I also wouldn't pass judgment on it because I wouldn't be able to tell you that the dish was not executed properly, all in all it was a decent dish, quality ingredients and good flavor. We also got the stir fry squid, tofu chigae and galbi; all of these were delicious. Particularly the squid and galbi, the galbi has great flavor and tenderness here, you can tell that they use quality meat. Highly recommend this comfortable little Korean restaurant for dinner or lunch.
(4)Stephanie C.
Ordered Kimchi Chigae (soup) and Spicy Pork Dupbob. What a spread. Really wonderful, and I'm no newbie to Korean food. Great service too. It's hard to find! Worth the work though.
(5)Chantelle W.
I wanted Korean food n stumbled across this place. The food was absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be back again!!
(5)Steve E.
In my continuing quest to explore different cuisines and seek out relatively obscure little Mom & Pop restaurants, I set my GPS to find One Family Korean Restaurant for an authentic and unique Korean meal. The first thing you should know is that it's tricky to find this restaurant because it is located in the back of a small Asian strip mall, and the restaurant itself is not visible from Hillsborough Avenue. You'll find One Family on the south side of Hillsborough in between Hanley Road and the Golden Corral. One Family is tucked behind a martial arts studio and sits next door to Han Gook Asian Market (a Korean grocery store). The restaurant and the market actually share the same industrial warehouse-looking building. Once you duck through the front door of the restaurant you'll feel as though you've been transported into the basement kitchen / dining area of an Asian family's home. The restaurant has maybe ten booths, surrounded by wooden enclosures, and the kitchen area is open and sits in the back of the restaurant. Mom and Dad do the cooking and their daughter is the hostess / waitress. The daughter speaks perfect English, so don't be shy about asking her questions. There are a number of hand-painted watercolor murals on the walls, and some very simple yet "homey" decorations throughout. The main attraction is the flat-screen TV mounted over the hostess stand which plays Korean broadcasts. When I was there, they were watching a soccer match with Korean sports announcers - very fun to try and figure out what they were saying. The menu has a lot of interesting dishes, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you're not sure what to order. There are lots of soups and noodle dishes, as well as traditional entrées with pork, beef, seafood, and chicken. Some of the dishes may seem a bit extreme, but you'll certainly see a lot of things which will be familiar to your taste buds. For my dinner I ordered Gal Bi, which are Korean-style BBQ short ribs marinated with citrus, onion, soy sauce & black pepper. The ribs were sliced thin and piled high on a steaming platter. It was easy to pick them up with your chopsticks and gnaw away while making happy, yummy noises. The short ribs came with a small dish of sticky white rice. All of the entrées come with Korean side dishes known as banchan. These five small dishes contained a variety of tasty treats which come free with your meal, and can be refilled for no additional charge. I believe that the types of banchan will change seasonally depending upon whatever is fresh, and you should definitely try these various tasty treats and marinated salads. Some of these vegetable salads are marinated in a slightly sour and spicy sauce which is quite delicious, and very addictive. For those who've not had the pleasure of eating Kimchi as one of your banchan sides, let me once again point out that Kimchi is fermented cabbage leaves served in this sour and spicy sauce. It is quite tasty, but you should go easy on how much Kimchi you eat during your meal. Let's just say that it has an amazing gastrointestinal "cleansing" effect which will sneak up on you if you're not careful. This is not something that you'll want to eat if you're out on a first date. That being said, the food is delicious and very fairly priced. My meal was under $20, and I was quite stuffed when I left the restaurant. It would definitely be fun to go back with a small group so that we could share a variety of entrées and become more familiar with this unique cuisine.
(4)Jim C.
We eat here more than often, and have tried the majority of what they have on the menu (and a few things off), and every time it's more enjoyable. I'll even share a story that should legitimize this restaurant for anyone in doubt. We had one of our vendors over from Seoul, and after the dinner (about 15 of us), each of our Korean partners said without hesitation that it was the best Korean food they had had in America. A few even when as far as to say better than home. Through their conversations, we came to discover the family who owns One Family, owned a similar restaurant in Korea (for ten years) before moving here. And with many visits to Korea and enough local food over there to fill a bus, our office agrees it's as good as it gets, right here in Tampa. A little hard to find off the street, the turn creeps up on you. The family is amazing and always serving with a smile...and I would suggest the seafood soon tufu to anyone (along with Ricky's favorite, number 28, spicy beef noodle soup. And Jose's bulgogi is always a frequenter of the bill).
(5)Sofia D.
DolsotBibimbap ,Galbi Ribs, Beef Bulgogi, Ddeokboki( Spicy Rice Cakes)Jap Chae, a handful of hot and Spicy Soups to choose from and Soju to wash it all down with! I love going from 11-2 and getting the lunch boxes which include 2 fried pork Dumplings . Great selection of kimchi included with all entrees.. Enough said.. This is my favorite Korean Restaurant in Tampa!
(5)Fulano D.
I feel like I'm back in Pusan, Korea, circa 1980's. The place is located in a shopping plaza that can't be seen from hills borough . I ate solo in a small booth that had me feeling like I should be exchanging secret information . The ribs tasted great but were a bit fatty. The rice excellent, the kimchee, good and hot. My favorite was the bean sprouts and the sweet pickles. They added sweetness to the fiery kimchee. The staff was very cordial, overall I would have enjoyed the meal better if I had ordered the chicken.
(3)Ti T.
A small restaurant that maybe hard to find but worth the trip. My favorite is the gal-bi and the bibam bop.
(4)J Z.
I have never been to Korea so I don't know what authentic is suppose to taste like. But I can tell you that this place is bomb! Kimchi is always awesome and everything I've had is always good. People keep saying this place is hard to find, they aren't lying. If I didn't practically work next to it, I would have never found it. It's behind a karate place and next to an Asian grocery. It has like 8 tables at most. I love places like this! It's a bit more than your local Chinese food shop but the food is 10 folds better. I can't express enough that if you like Asian food, go. The entire staff is incredibly friendly too! :) I can't give 5 stars because I don't know about authentic Korean food. But if it's anything like this, holy smokes is it good.
(4)Jun M.
It's a cute family owned restaurant . Service was great and attentive. Food was great. Atmosphere was nice. We had the Gal Bi, Dolsot bibimbop, and a spicy seafood noodle soup that I can't remember the name of, it was all good. We did not have any left overs to take home. It's definitely a must try. We'll be going back.
(5)Reena M.
Because of my dad's search for good kimchi and because today is Father's Day, we decided on One Family Korean Restaurant and it did not disappoint dad. The waitress was really patient especially with my parents who like to still look at the menu when they already told the waitress they know what they want. My parents' first language isn't English and neither was the waitress' but she was still able to help them. I ordered the galbi which was too good!! It came with side dishes including kimchi my dad fan girled over and to be honest, it could feed two people instead of just one. It's ok bc i guess im bringing leftovers to work tomorrow! There's also an oriental market right next to it where my dad bought a whole jar of kimchi and galbi marinade. Overall, my picky filipino parents approved of this restaurant and so do I.
(5)Mike H.
#NAME?
(5)Yan Gong Y.
It's a my first choose Korean restaurant in tampa. Very nice place to hand out with friend.
(5)Rodney J.
Authentic Korean food that has that family type setting. Very casual and open setting.
(4)Mytu T.
This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Tampa Bay. It's a really small mom and pop restaurant that makes amazing Korean food. They are all extremely friendly and food is always on point. Everything I've tried so far is great but my favorite is the Jjam Ppong (spicy seafood soup with noodles). If you like spicy and you like seafood, you have to get it! Don't be scared off by the smell, that's just the Kim chi, it's inevitable for fermented cabbage to smell bad but it tastes so good! Just don't try taking it home.
(5)Lam L.
Had the jaejangmyeon, portion size was really generous. Fast and friendly service. Dining area is kinda small so you can hear people's conversations. The table that sat next to us was really loud.
(4)Tori D.
I have been looking for a good Korean restaurant ever since I've moved here and thanks to one of my new yelp friends I was able to find this fabulous place! I had a great meal with good friends! Started with the dumplings & Korean chicken wings. For dinner I had the galbi! Everything was amazing! I will definitely be back!
(5)Felix L.
Best korean food in tampa area. Very authentic and friendly. Popular not only among Koreans but others with different background. Lunch rocks here.
(5)Cathy T.
A nice place. Pretty good food. I generally love eating the side dishes that come out with the meals. The sides here are alright. Had the jjam ppong and gal bi. And like another reviewer on here, I've had better but still overall a good experience. What I liked about the jjam ppong was that it wasn't salty. Other places I've tried the soup became too salty but this one didn't.
(4)Deejay A.
Solid clean tasting korean food w a wide menu that also includes korean-Chinese cuisine (eg jajang myun). My korean friends kept on eating happily! Good korean place without any glaring weaknesses (well maybe bathroom could use a remodel)
(4)Zach H.
At this point, I think I've been to every Korean restaurant in the Tampa area looking for the Bay's best Korean food... and this has to be it. This humble place is tucked away in the corner of a plaza among other Korean-owned businesses. All the food on the menu is prepared with love... the seafood pancake (haemul pajeon) is delicious as are the other traditional Korean dishes like seafood & tofu stew (soondubu jjigae) and noodles in black bean sauce (jajangmyeon). The service is great and they usually have a Korean show on TV. There isn't a single negative thing I can say about this place.
(5)T L.
Love, love, love this hidden spot! The food is fantastic and service was excellent as well. Lunch menu is $11 and it gets you full! We came about 12:15pm and not a lunch crowd but probably bc nobody knows it's there. Don't confuse this place with Rice One. It is completely different restaurant hidden off the street. Highly recommend.
(5)Natt A.
This is a hidden gem in the Tampa area! It is a small restaurant (8 tables?) owned by a lovely Korean family right by a Korean grocery store and many other Korean shops. The details and decor was quaint and homey, and it made us feel like the owners were feeding us straight from their kitchen! When we walked in, only two tables were open and only one waitress working. Though it was a lot of work for one person, she was graceful, quick, and very attentive to all her customers while having a smile and grateful attitude towards her guests. My family ordered the Jjam Bbong (spicy noodle soup), Dolsot Bibim bap, Chicken Bulgogi, and Em yeon su Gu ee (alaskan mackerel). The banchan served were fresh and very very tasty! They did a great job with the banchan, which was a great start to our meal. The Jjam Bbong was so delicious that we ended up ordering a second one to finish our meal (even though we were all stuffed). The Dolsot Bibim bap was spot on and one of the best I've had, the Chicken Bulgogi was were marinated and deliciously spicy, and the mackerel was oh sooooo good! I wish this was in Tennessee so I could eat this weekly, but alas, it's in Tampa. If I'm back in Tampa, this is definitely a place I'll come back to eat!
(5)Bo W.
This is the "hole in a wall" restaurant, the exterior or interior is definitely not needs works done,the place looks run down. However the food is probably the most authentic Korean you can find in Tampa.
(4)Michele D.
Food is great here. Love their wings! Crispy and Korean flavor spicy. Prices are decent and service is good as well. Rare to find both of those qualities in the Korean restaurants in town. I love the Beef ribs, cold spicy noodles and their kimchi jigah. But seriously you can't go wrong with anything ordered on the menu. Although I live closer to arriygan & sari one. I feel it's worth the drive! This is a must try if in the mood for some traditional Korean dishes. After eating here you can go to the store and buy all the items to make the food yourself next time at home as well.
(4)Hwal L.
Another Tampa business that I'm sure would do well in Sydney. This place might just replace Sa Ri One as my -or our- favorite Korean joint in Tampa. This place really must be run by a family, and you can tell by the close-knit working dynamics amongst the staff, i,e, family members. Here are the pluses(Btw, there is no minus with this place, although their hot and spicy rice cake was HARDCORE "hot and spicy." Please be warned!!): - Waitstaff quick and efficient but not overbearing. - Good portion of "hot and spicy rice cake with a hard-boiled egg", in fact bigger than Sa Ri One's, but about 10 times hotter!! I almost cried, but after the initial shock, it became surprisingly addictive! - "Sweet and sour pork" was also a different style than Sa Ri One's, namely a different assortment of veggies and the size of the meat pieces. Apple slices was such an authentic touch, and I recommend it. - Side dishes were hardcore as well in that everything looked and tasted authentic. We are fans now.
(5)Katherine W.
This place is delicious and authentic. It's located in a weird little strip mall (as are all of the Asian restaurants in this area), and it's nothing much on the outside. But inside is great. They have these funny little wood booths, and the TV is always playing some kooky Korean show. The service is friendly, and it's a family-run place. All of the food I've had there has been great. My favorite dish is the Bal Gi, which is a sweet and salty pork dish. Next time I want to try the Jap Chae. My friends love the bibimbap, and my husband loves pretty much everything he's tried, although he's OBSESSED with the kimchi pancake. We love the little dishes of kimchi and other condiments that come before the meal. It's such a fun experience. We haven't been to the karaoke place that's above the restaurant, and run by the same family, but we keep meaning to go.
(5)Arthur L.
Went for the first time for lunch. The place is spotless clean. The food was fresh, and very tasty. Looks like it is going to be a weekly thing.
(4)Allan M.
What a great place! It is a tiny hole in the wall that is in a little strip mall of Korean stores. As you might guess from the name, it looks like it is run by one family. The mother is the chef, the daughter is the waitress, and the father runs the place. The food is really great. I had the Bibimbap and it was as good as the stuff I've had in Korea. The waitress is very friendly and helpful. It was not at all busy when I went, so I can imagine things getting a little slow if the place is busy. I am not in Tampa much, but will definitely be back. One note is that this restaurant is quite close to the airport, so if you are staying near the airport, it is definitely worth going.
(5)Phero V.
Have not been here but do not how to delete review. :/
(5)L R.
Tried this restaurant after reading about it on yelp. My husband my son and I went. They offered a highchair. My oneyear-old son loves it. Number 22 is spicy yet delicious. Will be coming back again.
(4)Kanitta S.
Galbi and wings was very tasty but the mackerel was ok nothing to brag about. The place is cute and small but wished that the benches had cushions.
(3)Jessica S.
I'm straight a korean so I know the expect ions of korean food very well. They have the BEST JjamBbong. Also I love DolSop-BiBimBab. I reason that I gave 4 stars is because I wonder about freshness of food sometimes. Great service!
(4)Jake M.
Stopped here to eat again. Listen people! Get here early of you want fast service. Otherwise, be patient! It is not a fast food restaurant. Enjoy the whole experience and especially the best Korean food in Tampa!
(5)Dena P.
This little place can be easily missed because it's hidden behind and away from the streets. It's also hanging off of another building. Once this place is found all I can say is that you have found the best Korean food in the area! All the food I've had here have always been good, from the spicy noodles, bibimbap and galbi. The small restaurant has a family feel to it (hint the name) and it also feels like you're living in a drama. The ones you see on the drama with a couple eating at a small mom and pops Korean restaurant. That's exactly it! This place doesn't seem to have many foreigner as much as the real Korean residents that live in Tampa. It means the food is good right? A must try if you're digging for the REAL Korean food. They are really nice here and the food is the real deal.
(5)Amanda T.
Best Korean in Tampa! I mean the food was amazing, bursting with flavor and the smells were sumptuous garlic, peppers, and chilies. Small cozy and homey place with super sweet service. Went for the seafood soondubu and it is the best I've ever had. Unlike the usual frozen seafood mix this had in she'll clams, big shrimp, and big pieces of squid. My new favorite!
(5)Jordan K.
Good place for traditional drinking and side dishes. More of a bar than family style restaurant. Koreans will be familiar with an-joo style. We had the Bol-ssam and jok-bal (boiled pork belly and pig feet). Pork belly is very good but pig feet was very cold and seemed flash frozen. Duk-book-ki (spicy rice cake) was decent but not great. Service was great and friendly. Great place to go for first time Korean food but not 100% authentic. Decent for Tampa.
(3)Nicole K.
The food was great! I can't get Korean In my city so I try to get my fill whenever in Tampa. This might be my new go-to place for a low key dinner. The soups and fried chicken wings and rice pancake... All delicious. I am also a tad but obsessed with the banchan/side dishes, and this place had a really nice variety. My friends and I are like little piglets and the bill still came out to about $25 a person including alcohol. Not too shabby!
(4)Tori S.
This is your typical hole-in-the-wall type of place, and as such it has amazing and authentic food. I've been here with friends a few times and it has yet to disappoint. Seafood and Kimchi pancakes are great to start. Gal Bi, Korean style BBQ short ribs, is delicious! Jae yook Bok Eum, pork in some kind of red spicy sauce with some veggies, is a bit spicy for me, but still really good. You can't go wrong with the Dolsot Bibim bap which has all the yummy Korean sides with beef and crispy rice on the bottom of the stone pot. All the sides seem to be made in house and with a few different ones each time I've been here. There is also a Korean grocery store right next door!
(5)Ming Z.
Needless to say this is a good Korean restaurant since most of my Yelper friends had tried the food and contributed enough comments to the restaurant. Coty said it all so I won't repeat her precise descriptions. Instead, I will tell you something else. The restaurant changed hand one year ago. Now it is called 'One Family Korean Restaurant.' Don't panic! Nothing has changed. Food is still damn good. Service is still fast. Deco is still the same. Few reasons that I didn't give 5 star. First, The restaurant is hard to find. It tucked in behind a Korean Grocery store and not many English signs to indicate this place. If you drive east on W. Hillsborough Ave, it is on the right after you pass Henley road. If you drive by Golden Corral, you have just missed it. Second, customer groups this restaurant targeted at are mainly Asians, so their menu content offers no visual image to describe the dishes. If you are not familiar with Korean food, you are handicapped. It would be nice the owner make some adjustment to the menu to be more user friendly. The pictures on their website are nice though but without explain which dish it is. I admire people who carry on their traditions firmly like this restaurant. Food are as authentic as I had at Korea. It is difficult not to be Americanized when you run restaurant business. So I give them credit for preserve their traditions. I have few advices for those who are not familiar with Korean food but willing to try. Start with 'Seafood Pancake' (Haemul Pajeon). It is very good to share as appetizer. Then go for Grilled beef ribs (Gal Bi). It comes with 5 small vege/fish dishes, very traditional. Then stuff yourself with 'Dolsot Bibim bap', rice, meat, and vege cooked in a hot stone bowl. Make sure you add chili sauce on top and stir them well. Beside the seafood pancake, this is my favorite dish. In a cold winter night, it will fills the spot. My hubby love this restaurant. He had found his comfort food. We went there last Sunday night before 6pm. The place was half full. We plan to go back again this week. I will give more update later. BTW, we ordered 3 dishes, 4 beers and it costs 45 dollar including tax. This place is small but they can handle groups. I will suggest 6 people so everyone can share. It is very casual and because the nature of Korean food, you will smell like garlic and BBQ ribs later. So go casual. And Ladies, keep your dry clean only coats and fine leather bags home. You will thank me later.
(4)Xiao Z.
Was a bit slow when we went. Seafood pancake and the soon-toufu soup was delicious. The cold-noodle soup was a bit of a let-down tho. doesn't taste as refreshing as the ones i have had before.
(3)Callie S.
The food I want to rate 5 stars but I'm rating 4 because service is slow when they have more than two tables. The chef is the mom and daughter is the server. Very nice people and well deserving. Order the booday jigae it is divine. Also its next to the Korean market and air port so it is extremely convenient.
(4)Amanda L.
Doesn't get more authentic than this. Food takes a while to come out, but in a positive light, that's an indication that the food is definitely made to order (soups come out boiling hot!). Love the small side dishes, which they freely offer to provide refills (I always feel like a glutton if I have to ask myself!). They have a wide range of dishes, and go beyond the standard fare of bibimbop, bulgolgi and kimchi based soups, offering several other unique dishes. Environment is a little lacking (you're sitting in the basement of a grocery store and furniture is worn), but the service is friendly and the food is delicious - can't ask for more than that!
(4)Zad I.
It's been a while since I've had good food and this is one of my new favorite places. Packed away in a Asian strip mall location, this restaurant offers a variety of menu items at decent prices. Truly one of a kind and not very easy to find Korean food around the area as far as I know.
(5)G W.
I sometimes go to the market next door so I decided to try this place for the first time today. I ordered the Bul Go Gi lunch box special and it was goooood. The beef was well seasoned. I recommend it and will definitely be back again :o)
(5)Alea G.
When I went out to Tampa a couple of months ago, I did not expect to end up at a Korean restaurant. I did not expect to find a little corner of Korean restaurants and markets in Tampa and was pleasantly surprised by my find. The restaurant is very cute. The decor has some traditional Korean flavor to it. The prices were not too bad. I was in a kalbi mood that night and it actually was not as expensive as many of the kalbi dishes I've seen in the Bay Area. The kalbi was a little sweeter than I'm used to, but it was still delicious. The banchan was also pretty good. My only regret is not being able to go in a larger group so I could pick and try other people's foods. I'd probably go back if I find myself in Tampa again.
(4)Florence G.
I've only eaten at 3 Korean restaurants but this one is the best so far. It's family owned and the service is good and menu selection is varied. The staff is friendly, the place is clean and the food is good and fresh. They provide plenty of side offerings too (Kim chee, pickles, etc.). Will definitely go back!
(4)Major Wang ..
This place is a definite must. From the outside it does not look much but on the inside was more of a home feel and the food was great. We live in Orlando but will definite drive hour and half just for Korean food.
(5)Robert S.
Food was very good; entre was enough for two. Short menu, but tasty.
(4)Al B.
Well folks it would seem racism is alive and well in 2014. Why? Two reasons below. The food was okay...I've had better Korean. First, we placed our order...food came out pretty quickly. So far so good. However, we didn't see our waitress again until the end of our meal. She didn't stop by our table to refill our water, ask us how our food was, or just to see if we needed anything. She did manage to stop by other tables. She didn't even look our way the entire time! Lastly, we had to flag her down to get ANY attention which we asked for to go boxes. She brought them and pretty much dropped them on our table then left. To my surprise she came back...to drop off the bill then quickly left. I was literally waiting to pay for about 15 minutes before I said that's enough and left the bill in cash before walking out. Of course I didn't leave a tip because she literally didn't do ANYTHING. I realize (young) Black men are the most profiled people in the world, but when I come inside your restaurant or place of business in a calm, professional manner I expect to be treated with some respect. I cannot and will not recommend this place to any of my associate's due to the simple fact of discrimination.
(1)Matthew Y.
Small place with really good food and a friendly staff. I eat lunch hear once a week, and I haven't been disappointed by the menu yet. The offer 4 bento-box style lunches (bulgogi chicken or beef, spicy pork, and ribs) as well as a full entree menu.
(4)Tom K.
In search of my "favorite" Korean restaurant in Tampa. Not many choices here. Some OK places that will do and I place One Family Korean into that category. There was not any one thing wrong here but there was not any one thing that blew me away. Dolsot BiBim Bop. Sizzling hot with a perfect sunny side up egg on top. The rice crisped up nicely on the bottom of the bowl. Meat and veggies were good. Hot sauce was OK. I thought the Ban Chan was just good not great. My reluctance is that the spicy chili paste they used to marinade the Kimchee, radish, and cucumber was just a bit heavy on salt. Over powered the flavor. This might have been an issue with this particular batch so I will be interested to see how it tastes on the next go around. The folks are super friendly. I found it clean and simple on the inside. I will give this another try in a couple weeks. I really wanted to fall in love based on other Yelp comments but perhaps I had my hopes up too high. Both Atlanta and Chicago have provided better experiences. This is Tampa so I am trying to keep it in perspective. Please give them a try. I will be back again...
(3)Howard C.
After watching 8 or 9 episodes of "Kimchi Chronicles", a show about Korean food and restaurants, I Yelped 'Korean in Tampa' and found "One Family". Please ... do _not_ tell anyone about this restaurant ... I want it all to myself. The reviews are accurate here - authentic excellence is what they serve. It takes a while and, once the food comes, you will not care. Warning to all Spice Lightweights: when the menu says "spicy", it means Korean Hot ... so far, this is the best asian food I've had in Tampa.
(4)Richard K.
What no soju at a Korean karaoke joint?!? Blasphemy, I say. All they offered was a plum wine/ soju blend, which was very sweet. The set-up of the karaoke was on the rundown side. They had four televisions stacked on top of each other and each was from the mid 90's at best. One was even on static mode. The acoustics was serviceable and the room itself was comfortable enough for our group. The song selection is great. You just need to know how to search through using the remote and not the book. The songs in the book are scattered all over the place. As an experienced karaoke goer, it is common to see scattered song books. I suggest asking for a tutorial on using the search option on the remote. As for the service, it was downright neglectful. After the first bottle, we had to go downstairs and chase down the waitress for another drink. It was nice of them to give us free reign to pretend the couch and table was a stage. Also, they let us stay past closing to wrap up Bohemian Rhapsody. Overall, the place has potential to be better, much better if they just improved their service and their song books.
(3)Sunny K.
Bbo Ssam ! So delicious. Authentic decor and a Korean market next door. I think there is norebang, Korean Karaoke, at night.
(4)Hillary V.
First time having Korean. Loved it!
(4)John L.
Surprisingly decent Korean near the airport. I really liked the jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup). There's a Korean supermarket conveniently located in the same lot.
(4)Wilant D.
I came into the Tampa area excited to try this spot due to the positive reviews. I ordered the Galbi. Im an avid Korean BBQ fan and the Galbi to me was lacking in flavor. It was ok and average tasting. The sides dishes were good as they usually are at Korean restaurants. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that there other dishes are more appetizing to the palette. Another knock to the restaurant I feel is more to the categorization here on yelp saying they have karaoke. Sadly, they don't do karaoke no more. Kinda surprised there were no karaoke spots around the area according to the waitress. However, the one silver lining was the service. The waitress was really helpful, nice, attentive, and friendly. She suggested i head to Orlando for some Korean style karaoke, but I already knew this since I am from Orlando.
(3)Kenneth G.
Great little place very good food and friendly employees. With a nice lade back atmosphere. Just to put things in perspective i'm american of Italian descent and my family and I all love this place.
(5)John C.
This review is based on the one time I came here. I came with a friend for lunch. She had never had Korean food. We started with a seafood pancake which was decent, liked the sauce. The dish I got was the Dolsot Bibimbap, which was pretty tasty. My friend informed the server she had never had Korean and got the "Spicy Pork" which the server recommended. It was basically stringy, cheap cuts of pork with a funky flavoring. It definitely seemed like a situation where my friend was unsure of what to get and got pawned off on a expensive dish which took minimal preparation. Biggest gripe was the price. We went to have brunch the next day at Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe for much less and it was divine. Won't likely be back here
(1)enrique b.
First experience here so will update as I try more dishes. The place is small with maybe 6 booths and a couple of tables. As many have pointed out, it's not easy to spot from the road so make sure you look at a map before you head there. If you are going east on Hillsborough, go past Hanley, and as soon as you pass the Jiffy Lube, make a right into the next plaza. The restaurant is in there. A couple of young girls took turns helping us. They were both very helpful and patient. As I was getting ready to order several things, one of them warned me about the size of the dishes and recommended we only got a couple things. She was spot on. We ordered Kalguksu, a soup with vegetables, clams, and potatoes in a very tasty broth. It wasn't spicy but packed a lot of flavor. Delicious. It was also huge. We had two bowls each and brought the rest home. We also got the Dolsot Bibim Bap, which is a mix of rice, vegetables, egg, beef, mushrooms and sauce. It comes in a hot stone bowl which not only keeps it warm but actually chars the rice at the bottom, giving the mix a nice crunch. I didn't find this dish as flavorful as the soup but combined with the sweet, hot pepper sauce you get, it worked pretty well. They also give you some delicious dried squid, kimchi, seaweed and picked radishes as condiments. Overall it was a very nice experience. We'll be back. A lot.
(4)Jorge C.
Man! I'm a glad I was able to find such a jewel in the Tampa area :)...The minute you walk in, the air is filled great aromas! You know you are in the right place when there are Korean families eating inside. The Bulgogi is freaking excellent. Will be coming again next time I need to get my Korean fix.. Portions are large and recommend for a party of four, NO more than 3 dishes to share among yourself's.
(4)Karl L.
Bimidi bap. That's the note I wrote myself to remember. Now I don't. Hmmmm. Went with friends for a quick stop over. It was really good. I mean REALLY good. We left nothing on our plates. Almost ate the plates too, but that's another story! The waitress was attentive and the place was filled with Koreans, which is usually an excellent sign. I would suggest that, if you are hankerin' for some Korean food, you come here! Of the 3-4 I have tried, they are my favorite.
(4)H N.
This cute little place served me a fine bowl of Nang Myun (cold noodles with beef, vinegar and an egg - it's DELICIOUS and refreshing, and can easily be made without the beef.) They have karaoke upstairs, which I did not experience as a solo diner. But if I lived in Tampa I'm sure I'd be a regular here, for both dinner and singing.
(4)Alejandra R.
I was very excited to try this restaurant out. The service was superb, everyone was very friendly. I loved the decor very much, and they offered many types of good. For the appetizer, I tried dukkbogi. It tasted ok. Then I had the bibimbap, and I can say it was ok. It was a little on the bland side. However, the galbi and jajangmeon was very tasty! Not memorable but it tasted good. I want to come back and taste the other dishes they have to offer!
(4)Huntting B.
We stopped serving hot tea, because it's too hot. For realz? I was so sad to hear that when I started my meal. Onto the food. I had two dishes, the soon tofu (beef) soup and the spicy pork. The tofu soup was OK. Thankfully they gave me the raw egg, though they wouldn't bring it to the table and put it in before serving it. Not sure the reason for that, but it was still raw and floating when the soup arrived. It is really weird, though, that they have it with Beef and Seafood but not with pork. The soup itself was relatively tasty, though a little bland. That's probably my biggest gripe about this place the food was a bit bland. The spicy pork was ok...but half the time I ate a piece of pork it tasted like nothing. I couldn't explain it either because the pork was really juicy and had a lot of color, but it just didn't taste like anything. The bon chon, which some people commented on. The Kimchi was actually quite good. I enjoyed that a lot. The seaweed was almost flavorless though, blandness seems to run across the board here, and the bean sprouts didn't have much flavor to them (but they normally don't). Is it just me or does this place not have air conditioning? I dunno if it was the state that I walked in with or if it was the place but I was uncomfortably hot there. The hostess (perhaps daughter of owner it seemed) was very nice and personable. Several of their regulars came in while I was eating and the owner came out a couple times to greet them.
(3)Nat W.
My friends brought me to this restaurant for lunch. They do not have an extensive lunch menu...pretty limited. However, they are very reasonable and come with a lot of food! I ordered their pork bulgogi lunch box and the meat was delicious! It came with dumplings, rice, all the side dishes, and salad. My friend ordered Bibimbab and it looked delicious too! I did not know they have Karaoke until I looked it up on yelp. They also have a Korean supermarket upstairs (I do not knowif there is any affiliation with this restaurant). This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Tampa bay.
(4)Chloe L.
Best Korean place in Tampa area. Five stars for the Seafood soft tofu soup. They always give you at least 4 side dishes of kimchi, and they are different types everytime. Love it!
(5)Day W.
Decor: Traditional and very nice. Food: Love the pancake (appetizer) which reminds me of Egg Foo Young. Had high expectation for Bulgoki, which was served on a hot plate (think Fajita meat), and was disappointed. No dessert menu. The whole experience was ok. Saw review about Rice which is across the street. Will try that next time.
(3)Angela K.
I don't have a lot of experience with Korean food, but I have to say this place was really good. I will have to go back for sure.
(4)Bruce C.
I love finding small family owned restaurants and One Family Korean Restaurant is on my list of favorites! Started with kimchi pancakes which were one of the best that I have had in a very long time. I had the bibimbab for dinner and that too was very good.
(4)Haruka K.
onefamilykoreanrestauran… I love this place! We had lunch there and the food was awesome. We asked them what time they opened for karaoke and they said we could go sing right now if we wanted to. Pricing is not bad. The portion sizes were pretty good. We ordered Ddeokboki, Gal Bi, Haemul Pajeon, Mandu, and Guksu Mal ee Squid Bok Eum, and I was shocked that all that was only like $70. I attached their website if you want to check it out! The place can be a little hard to find because it's kinda hidden, but we saw a bunch of Korean on a building and decided to go into the parking lot and sure enough there it was. We live in Orlando and next time we hit Tampa, we're definitely going there again!
(5)Corey G.
My 1st experience eating Korean food so not much to go on. I will say I love spicy (ala Mexican & Indian) & boy did this leave both of them in the dust! I liked the lunchbox special & the service was friendly & fast. Good enough to come back & this time with more coworkers. Can't wait to try more of the menu (and this time write down what I ate)!
(3)Carlos H.
This was part of the Unofficial Yelp Event Mini Asian Tour! The last time I was here I only was able to sing karaoke upstairs so I was pretty excited to check out the restaurant with Yelp Tampa on the 4th of July. I had a hard time picking what to eat, but I eventually decided to go with beef bulgogi and play it safe. It was pretty tasty, but for some reason I recall the taste being a little better at Sa Ri One. Someday I'll have to have compare the two and figure out which place is actually better at bulgogi. I tried a few things off other Yelpers and they were alright, I wasn't particularly amazed with the tastes. The waitress was friendly, but still only decent. I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on her since it was the 4th of July and she appeared to be helping her mother run the restaurant. For a bento lunch box, there was quite a bit of food for one order and I was full before I could finish my meal. I skipped breakfast too, so I thought I would be able to finish the whole thing. I still love the atmosphere of this place, and the karaoke upstairs is definitely awesome, so I think I'll mark my rating slightly down but still keep myself a fan of this place. Sally L. noted that the menu has changed and that some of the food did not taste the same, so maybe they are going through some restaurant changes at the moment. All the Tampa Yelpers and their friends/partners were awesome to have lunch with and quite hilarious. Overall, a good experience and still a nice place. I'll be back.
(4)Jay Y.
This place is hard to find and sits below a Korean supermarket and hidden among several other places in a strip mall. The restaurant is kind of small, but the food was pretty good and the staff was very attentive and knew their menu well to explain what was in some of the dishes...
(3)Coty S.
Han Ga-jok Shik-tang gwa No-rae Bang (Karoke on 2nd FL) is located west of the Veteran's Toll Road on Hillsborough Avenue within a small shopping plaza housing mostly Korean businesses such as a learning center, hair salon, herbal medicine, and grocery. We decided to try something new this weekend, so we ended up in this humble establishment. 12:30 on a Saturday afternoon, and there were two other tables of large groups. There are only about 7 tables total in the place, and is family run. I really liked all of the wall paintings of Joseun scenery of women swinging wearing Hanboks, and people playing traditional games. The waitresses are the daughters and the mother and father are the cooks, I only know this because the waitresses were referring to their parents as mother and father in a familiar way. There is a karaoke machine at the front of the entryway and a disco ball and lighting mounted on the ceiling. I can imagine this please could be party central on the weekend. The prices are actually really low on some items and really high on others, so it all depends on what you order. The menu items and atmosphere remind me of a Korean snack house, so those are the items that I ordered, and they also happened to be the least expensive on the menu. I actually recommend their lower priced snack foods like Dukbokki and JaJangMyun, they are fun to eat and are quite filling. In general, the prices were low compared to all of the other Korean restaurants that I have been to in Tampa, some prices $5-$10 lower. They give you five perfectly seasoned and fermented banchan dishes: cabbage kimchee, cucumber kimchee, spicy bean sprouts, spicy cubed radish, and my favorite spicy fish cakes. I am sure that the side dishes vary daily, and they are all free refills as always. Since I ordered in Korean, there was no confusion, and I knew exactly what I wanted as well which helped. The waitresses speak perfect English with an American accent, so don't be afraid of trying this place out and learning something new in the process. I was in search of some tasty JaJanMyun and found it here for a great price ($7.99!), which I have paid more than $15.00 for at other places in Tampa. JaJang is a common dish in Korea that most people order take-out, it is black bean sauce and minced vegetables and meat over delicious thick chewy noodles, always served with a side of sweet/sour yellow radish. Plus, Pinetree's tasted way better. The sauce was rich and slightly spicy containing small cubes of onion, cabbage, potato, zucchini, and pork. The noodles were perfect, springy and slightly chewy, exactly the way they are supposed to be. This tooth-full texture is often preferred, and referred to as "Chul-get-chul-get." The Haemul Pajun ($9.99), which is a massive mixed seafood and scallion pancake the size of a large pizza. It comes with a spicy dipping sauce that is soy sauce, vinegar, hot pepper powder, garlic, and scallion. The seafood was mixed shrimp, squid, and mussels. The pancake looked kind of destroyed, and soggy, but the bottom of it was crispy. When making a Pajun of this size, it is very hard to make it even and flip it over to crisp the other side. It did taste excellent and was way more than I could eat. And, the crispy underside of it made up for the top being not to crispy. They also have Pajun with just vegetables and kimchee, and another that is mung bean sprouts. We also ordered the Budae Chigae ($11.99), which is a spicy red kimchee based sour soup that contains leftover ingredients. Such as spam, carrots, spinach, onion, sliced rice cakes, red hot peppers, greens, and pork. The other ingredient which is contained a lot of to my surprise was thinly sliced hot dogs. The hot dogs gave the soup a good salty and fatty flavor, however we ended up pulling a lot of them hot dogs out of it and not eating them. You can also get the Bulgogi dishes here, and they have portable grills that they bring to the table for you to cook on. I am assuming that they have lettuce wraps, since they are not that formal. What I really like about Pinetree is that they are not trying to be formal or pretentious, which helps keep their prices down and their dishes are what everyday meals would be like in a Korean home. I am sure that most of the produce and supplies are purchased at S Mart next door, so everything is fresh. I love their Dukkbokki (spicy rice cakes), Jajangmyun (black beans noodles), and any of their tofu stews. This place is known for their delicious tofu stew.
(5)Noel G.
Their food is awesome. The Bulgogi Beef melts in your mouth. The staff is very friendly. The family owned atmosphere is inviting.
(4)Nicole Leigh S.
This was part of the Unofficial Yelp Event Mini Asian Tour! I went into this restaurant having no idea what to expect. Originally I had hoped to find a place that does the grill your meat at your table thing that we used to do in Thailand, but this is not it. This lead me to believe I would be disappointed. I was lead astray. ;] The food was fantastic. I tried all sorts of things by the end of the meal. From my veggie hot pot, to my Mr.'s bento box style BBQ pork (with lots of other goodies). From the moment it started arriving on the table I thought I was had died and gone to heaven (little did I know our unofficial Yelp gathering's "Tour" was going to lead me to even bigger and better things!). The smells started the event. The flavors delivered without fail. I absolutely will come here again, and I am looking forward to enjoying more of their menu. Note: They had a pretty easy time accommodating our group of 12, so don't hesitate to bring everyone you know!
(3)Autumn C.
SOOOO GOOD! We had the seafood pancake which I never would have thought to order but saw some other reviews about it and wanted to give it a shot. It really was delicious and the Bulgogi was amazing! I will definitely be back and will recommend to everyone I know.
(5)Theresa L.
Decor was cute, service was good but the food was average. I normally order the bimbibap at Korean restaurants and it was ok here. I would recommend sa ri one over this place.
(3)Sandy J.
I really wanted to love this place, I would give them 3.5 stars. It was good, but nothing memorable. Their bibimbap was bland and overcooked. If I had to pick one dish I liked best, it would probably be their soft tofu stew (soon dubu chigae). Service was just ok. I like how the seating was mostly booths though. There are screen between each booth and a "roof" overhang.
(3)Sally M.
So, remember when I complained that Rice (Korean Restaurant & Lounge) was great, but a bit pricey for your everyday Korean food needs? Well, Pine Tree isn't *quite* what I'd call cheap, but I feel like it's much more reasonable, & hot damn it is GOOD. Although it's registered in here as the Pine Tree Karaoke Cafe, you'd be hard-pressed to find it if you went in search of a place with that name. It doesn't have an English name posted ANYWHERE; the only reason I knew it was called Pine Tree was from our credit card receipt. The name is in Korean only; if you want to check it out & can't read Korean, look for the large Korean grocery store (edited to add: I believe it's called S-Mart, though the 'mart' is in Korean, too...) on Hillsborough near Hanley. The restaurant is in the same building; if you're facing it, it's on the right on the lower level. Now then. On to the food. The menu doesn't have quite the variety that Rice has -- & it's a challenge, too, if you don't read Korean -- some of the items are translated into English... but some aren't! The first time we went, when the waiter came back to take our orders, my fiance asked him to translate the stuff we couldn't read, & from one of the unreadables decided to order lamb stew. So if you're not sure, don't be afraid to ask! They're friendly & you might find something you really like! The food always comes with a variety of Korean pickles -- I think 4 or 5 dishes of them -- & rice, even if you order the delicious ramen. The ramen comes spicy, but, if like my fiance, you have an aversion to spicy food, you can ask them to make it milder & they'll happily do so. Said ramen is pretty good; I consider it standard Korean ramen, neither better nor worse than what I've had in the past. But the lamb stew is OUTSTANDING... I can't even explain how & why it's so good. There's just something about it... My mouth is watering just thinking about it, & we had it over a month ago! On our more recent trip a week ago, I had the bibimbap (in English on the menu as rice with toppings, or something to that effect). Holy wow. So good. WAY better than Rice's, & cheaper! & it's huge; I ate about half of it & was absolutely stuffed so I took the rest home with me & it kept very well till the next day. They have 2 on the menu; I think the other one comes in a clay pot. The one I ordered didn't have any meat in it, either, which I was a little bit disappointed about... until I dug in. All those pickles, & the fresh shredded lettuce, & oh, the hot sauce... YUM. Best bibimbap I've had yet. & again, can I stress just how friendly & helpful they are there? Any place that has such a friendly, homey feel to it is automatically +1 star for me; atmosphere is almost as important as good food. & Pine Tree has both aplenty.
(5)Allen A.
Had the lunch special (bul gogi) this past week. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so I was able to get my order in right away. The food was fresh and very tasty. I had been looking for some good Korean food and was not disappointed. It was reasonably priced, and I can't wait to go back and try another dish soon. The restaurant is not very visible from the main road unless you know what you are looking for. It is in a small strip center near an Asian market.
(5)M. L.
Felt like I was enjoying an everyday meal in South Korea without having to travel the distance and I've never even been there! That's how good it was! Talk about a "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant! If you've never been in the little Korean plaza, you may never really be able to find it! It's unassuming, small (but not cramp), traditional, casual, clean, and even has an accessible Karaoke joint upstairs! Family-friendly service, helpful for non-native speakers, and prompt. Price is fair, a bit cheaper compared to the other K-restaurants. Worth every penny! Personally, One Family surpasses Sa Ri One by a mile regarding authentic Korean taste! GalBi was marinated so darn well without being overly dry, stayed juicy and flavorful with just the right amount of sweet. Served sizzlingly hot over the cod-plate. I opted for the Dolsot Bibimbap, which is mixed rice with veggies and beef served in a hot-cod-bowl instead the normal metal one; a few dollars more but it keeps your rice warm and yummy! O-M-G, Haemul Soon Tofu Chigae, the hot & spicy soft tofu soup with seafood was orgasmic! Need I say more?! Lastly, Guksu Mal ee Squid Bok Eum, hot stirred noodles with squid and veggies, was an interesting combination with a wonderful result! It's spicy, it's chewy, it's hot, it was good food! LOVE!
(5)Bruce M.
After reading the reviews on this place yesterday, we decided to check it out last night. All I can say is this place is good......very good! From the friendly and attentive wait staff to the reasonably priced food. This place is small, but it has a very comfortable feel to it and it is clean. After eating at most of the Korean restaurants around the Tampa Bay area, I would have to say this is the GO TO place for Korean food and service.
(4)Aviva D.
When you walk in the smell is amazing. The seating is intimate and cozy. A great place to bring family or a date. I noticed that the majority of people eating here are Korean and to me that is a good sign of good ethnic food. The staff is helpful and friendly. If you never tried Korean food ask what's good and the friendly waitresses will fill you in. The food is awesome!
(5)Michael N.
I was born and raised in Korea. Also I recently spent a year there before moving to Tampa in 2011. This is the best place to get Korean food in Tampa. Some of the food is more Americanized than traditional but still good. Most of the dishes that I have tried are wonderful. Some items sway a bit too far from traditional though. For example...bell peppers in the beef bulgogi. All in all...you won't be disappointed if you consider whats available in Tampa. One Issue that I'm not a fan of is the take out. If you eat in the resturant, you will get a much larger serving than you would if you got it to go. I like to eat so this bothers me.
(4)James K.
Best Korean food in Tampa!!! I can vouch because im Korean and grew up eating these dishes. 100% authentic. Check out there new website - onefamilykoreanrestauran…
(5)Inspector Y.
Nothing bad to say about this place. Food is great, clean, and overall just an excellent place to goto...try the octopus fried noodles they are excellent. 5++ stars.
(5)Priscilla S.
This review is just about the food. I only had the chance to come for dinner and not the karaoke. I hope to update on that later. Korean food is now added to one of my favorite Asian style of foods. I've been to a few other places, but I have to say, this place is pretty cute and creative. Everything looks hand crafted and painted. There are paintings with Korean calligraphy and nature. It's located in a small shopping area where there are other small Korean businesses. When walking inside, it was like walking in a small house. There was even a big plasma screen TV at the front. I came with a group of friends during dinner and everyone ordered something different and unique. I was able to try their Beef Bulgogi which had a grilled taste to it. It was very tender and really good. I ordered their Hot & Spicy Seafood and Tofu soup. It was really good as well because I love spice. The side dishes were also a great compliment, and I especially enjoyed eating them with plain white rice . The prices and the portion sizes of the food are average, and others can be a bit pricier. Definitely will try more when I return for karaoke.
(5)Alan G.
Really enjoyed the food. The service was okay, not great. Girl seemed to be more interested in getting back to her computer to watch a video. But other than that, the food was exceptionally good.
(5)Jen L.
Authentic great tasting korean food! Only a handful of Korean restaurants in the Tampa area. My go-to Korean restaurant! Try kalbi, bulgogi, soondubu (spicy tofu soup), tangsuyuk (sweet and sour fried beef), bibimbap and of course all the wonderful korean side dishes that come for free!
(4)J V.
so I was debating between 3 or 4 stars..and I'm going with 4.. just because I like their seafood tofu stew and friendly service so much.. We ordered the beef bulgogi, seafood tofu stew, and the black bean sauce noodle.. it was my first time trying the black bean and it might be an acquired taste..but it wasn't what i thought it would be.. I thought it would have a sweeter taste, but for some reason it kind of had a tea taste to it. and the noodles were a little more overcooked than i prefer. the beef bulgogi was edible .. it actually had onions and carrots with it, which I haven't seen at other places.. the marinade could have been stronger.. or it could have been marinaded longer..so the ingredients soaks in more..but it wasn't bad.. the seafood tofu stew however was excellent.. they didn't skimp on the seafood like at other places..and the flavoring was nicely done.. i enjoyed this item the most. the whole staff was friendly ..they even give a good laugh when my bf said thank you in korean (even tho we aren't korean) ...and i enjoy that show they had on the television..which i'm guessing is some kind of korean talk show or game show...they had two members of brown eyed girls on there..which i listen to on occasion.. oh yes. and i do love their wall.. nature scenery and written korean words in that plain black water paint look.... the simplicity of it.. i just love it..
(4)David C.
Things I did not do while here: -Sing Karaoke -Find the restaurant on my first pass -Know what I was ordering. Things I did while here: -Ate lots of tasty, tasty food -Drank exotic Korean spirits (herb-infused sake) -Had a TNT dynamite blast with some great fellow yelpers and friends Whatever the Korean word for Smorgasbord is, that's what happened at this place. I don't even know all the food that I was eating, just that I wanted more of it. Coty S. had these beautiful tender noodles with black bean sauce and potatoes and beef, I think Sally L. got bimbimbap (which is just as enjoyable as words coming out the mouth as it is food going in), and we all shared tasty pickled morsels. Mystified at the menu options, I asked the waitress what her favorite dish was, and then ordered her answer (it was seafood stew). So much stew! So many fishes! There were curlicue little baby octopi, squid bits, shrimp, clams in-shell, fake crab meat (unnecessary, in my opinion), and some regular fish chunks. A whole boiled egg and veggies, too. My friends got the bento boxes and scarfed everything except for the fish cakes (which was OK, because I was eying their fish cakes for the whole meal, and finally got them). The herbal sake was something else - strong in delivery but moderate in alcohol content - we drank with small sips. If I could've done anything differently it would've been to propose more toasts - to life, to friends, and to the discovery of great new food.
(4)Abi J.
good food
(4)Cecilia A.
Service is really slow! The staff is friendly and well meaning but the food takes FOREVER to come out if there is more than one full table in the restaurant. I had bulkogi beef and a soup with spam and Ramyeon and my friend and i split some gyoza. The basic flavors are there but the food was lackluster I don't think Ill go back which makes me sad because I really enjoy Korean food, this place just doesn't hit the spot for me though. Ill keep searching for a place to satisfy my Korean craving.
(2)David P.
The first floor of the restaurant looks nice, but was full and we dined at second floor, it is a make-shift place to hold more customers, environment is bad and we felt like we are in a very cheap restaurant , 2 flies kept wondering around our table. Neither the fish nor the vegetable I ordered is fresh. The waiter kept forgetting our extra rice. The total experience only worth about 40% of the price I paid, whici is 15 per persion
(2)jeff t.
Went here with my buddy this past week. It's a cute little place kinda hidden in the mini Korean street Hillsborough has and I was not disappointed. The service is family run and they are very kind folks. Food was good and a lot! I had a hard time finishing my spicy bulgogi, but man was it yummy! Wouldn't mind coming here again anytime. :)
(4)Andrew N.
Went over the weekend for dinner. Few people in there, wasnt quite sure if it was open b/c of the heavily tinted windows. Once you got in, the restaurant was small but decently decorated. I did like the interior better than Sari which reminds me of a tusken raider hut on Tatooine. Anyways. My party ordered 1 dolsot bibimbap and 1 bulgogi... we waited about 25 minutes before our dishes came. I was surprised.. we didnt get any banchan while we waited and when the banchan came it wasnt anything great, mostly stuff normal ppl wouldnt eat like anchovies.. bibimbap was cooking well in the pot but i got a stomachache after eating it.. my other party who had the bulgogi said it was good. I may come back to try the soups to give it another chance. But will definitely go check out other places.
(3)Jason F.
"Korean Restaurant." That is all you will see on any sign -- and even that is not obvious! Tucked away in a corner of suburbia, this is one of those gems that you reminisce of after moving away from a city.. Small and unassuming? Check. Married in some way to a grocery store on the same block? Check. Friendly and genuinely interested in how you are enjoying the food? Check. Sa Ri One Korean Restaurant? Sorry, one perfect Korean restaurant in Tampa -- and it is the Pine Tree Cafe.
(4)