wagamama tampa - Tampa, Florida

DE WITTE THIERRY

Sympa et accueillant.

The Non Roti Maker

Sit by the window to enjoy the food and the views of water street. Reasonably priced despite the water street location. Number of vegan options that actually taste very good. Decent cocktails. Would recommend going here off hours to enjoy the ambience. The best part was that the food came out fast. Very fast.

Juan Cardenas (Desautomatas)

A favorite in every time in London for when you can’t explore not find new spots, but you crave for good food at a good price.
My veggie friend took me there and for a reason, vegans will love it, but also everyone else, and they have many different options.
This one had splendid service ?

Hollie Lay

I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews, as I try to be understanding and give places the benefit of the doubt. However, when multiple issues arise during a meal at a well-established restaurant, it’s worth addressing. Otherwise, they might continue to believe their current approach is acceptable.

We had reservations and were seated quickly at the table we requested, which started things off on a positive note. We ordered drinks while waiting for our friends to arrive, but it took over 10-15 minutes for them to be delivered. Strangely, when our friends ordered their drinks later, theirs came out almost immediately. It didn’t make sense.

Next, we ordered two shareable appetizers—the pork belly bao buns and cauliflower. The server warned us that the “fry station” was backed up and the appetizers might arrive after our entrees. That was odd, but we really wanted to try them, so we agreed. True to their word, the appetizers did come after the entrees—except my entrée never arrived at all.

Thankfully, I’m not a big eater and managed to get by on one bao bun and a bit of cauliflower. Since we had a show to catch, I asked for my meal to be removed from the bill. The server apologized, but then completely lost my sympathy when he said, “Next time, you all should come in before the rush, around 3:30 p.m.” I couldn’t believe it. I laughed and replied, “I’m not in my 20s, but I’m certainly not looking for an early bird special.” It was frustrating and condescending.

To make matters worse, we overheard the server apologizing to other tables as well. If you’re a restaurant located in downtown Tampa near the arena and you can’t handle busy times, why are you even in business?

Overall, nothing about the experience stood out or gave us any reason to return. If your standards are lower than ours, you might want to check it out, but we won’t be back.

Gwendolyn Newberry

My husband and I (and our five-month old) stopped in on a Friday evening with no reservation. We were accommodated in a booth that was out of the way, which was super appreciated with a stroller. The host team was warm and so friendly. The ambiance is nice inside and despite the high ceilings, not so loud you cannot have a conversation at the table. We opted for the Korean fried chicken bao, szechuan pork noodle, and the brisket tantanmen. Everything came quickly and presented nicely. The bao was SO good. I couldn't get over the balance of flavors and the cook on the chicken - excellent. I could eat ten of them. The bowls came next and similarly, were fantastic. The broth on the tantanmen actually had spice to it, which was a welcome surprise. The brisket was tender, lean, and flavorful. Noodles had good bounce and bite. My husband enjoyed the pork, he did wish it had a bit more heat to the spice level, but thought it was delicious.

I am still navigating restaurants with a little one and needed to take her for a quick change in the restroom. One of the hostess saw I was heading to the bathroom and hurried to get the door, which is a little heavy, and make sure I got in okay. That was incredible and so appreciated. On leaving the team waved and was so kind. Great experience. Kudos to wagamama for not only great food but a warm, welcoming, and kind staff!

Bella

I thoroughly enjoy this restaurant!

The food at this restaurant is outstanding—fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The staff (ℹ especially love Lauren) is equally impressive offering friendly and attentive service that makes you feel right at home. Matt was great also!

A great dining experience from start to finish!

Tate Grant

We decided to give wagamama another shot after experiencing a tasting experience that was rather good. This was our second time back and I want to like it but it’s a bit disappointing every time.

I was in search of a warm soupy meal since it was cold out and ramen was the cure. The tofu ramen was quite a let down, the broth was amazing in flavor, but it was stuffed to the brim with spinach (?) which wasn’t even on the menu description. I had to wait and let it wilt before eating. The mushrooms were the best part though. The pork belly and apple combo was great in the bao, the bun was very hard and inedible at the base of the bun, like it had been sitting on heat for a while, very strange.

Enough wasn’t right throughout our experience to deserve 3 stars, I’d give it more of a 3.5 if I could. It’s in a great location and atmosphere and the menu prices seem to have gone down since last time, which is a plus. I want to like this place and have it be a go-to restaurant but it doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Carey C-C

Disclaimer: I failed to get a pic of our appetizer, which was the Tuna Tataki: thinly sliced + lightly seared tuna. citrus ponzu. japanese mayonnaise.

Once the server got to us, she explained that they would deliver food as it's ready. We ordered everything at that moment. Waters, a soda, the appetizer, and two meals.

She brought the waters but took a bit to get the soda.

Then our appetizer and one meal came out. The pic for it is not great bc I forgot to get pics to start with. I had the Chicken Gyoza Ramen.

The appetizer was really good. It's a little on the spicier side, but it's still amazing.

The Ramen overall was good. The gyoza and broth had a great flavor, but the noodles were a little bland. I was surprised the noodles didn't soak up the flavor. I was worried it might be spicy due to the red chili's and chili sauce, but once it was all mixed together, it was good. I set it aside to cool while I enjoyed the appetizer with my husband.

This is where things went sideways. I initially was waiting to eat my meal but his took an extraordinary amount of time, like 20 min later to come out. The server apologized, the hostess apologized, and the manager apologized, all at several minute intervals.

Finally, his dish, the steak bulgogi, came out. That is the pic with the steak. He was pleasantly satisfied with the flavor of his dish.

Once his dish was dropped off, I had asked the server for more water as glasses were empty. I waited a while and finally asked another server, and then a min or so after, she came out with new waters, but that was literally like 10 min after I asked.

I don't complain much when going out to eat and I am not here to bash the restaurant bc something must have been going on as two other tables didn't get food, and left after drinks, although they ordered. What I am mostly disappointed with is that they didn't even offer to comp his meal or at least our appetizer as it was the lowest costing item. This was a $60ish meal before tip. The server was nice, but a little slow.

I'm not sure if we will go again, especially with so many amazing restaurant options in the area.