Soul Of Korea

The japchae was rather good. However, I was very disappointed that it only came with one «side.» When I asked for a refill of the kimchee, I was told there would be an extra charge. All other Korean restaurants give at least 3 – 5 sides and always refill any/​all. Their prices didn’t warrant the stinginess.

Great food!!! Don’t be scare off with they menu prices. It actually come with varieties of «bangchang» dishes and you can ask for more refill with no charge.
«Korean way of dinning»
Very small restaurant and run by authentic cooking not Americanize Korean.
This is the type of restaurant I want to support because American Dream was build by this hard working people who come to the land of freedom.
Definitely will come back for more!!!

After reading Brett N’s review on Soul of Korea., I had to try it! So today… I checked it out for lunch. Normally when I eat Korean food, I go with Bulgogi, or Bimimbap. I know I like those… and they are always good. Today, I wanted to try something different after reading a few of the reviews here on Unilocal!
I walked in… and it reminded me of several small Asian restaurants I have been in, clean and serviceable, without trying to get fancy. The lady at the counter greeted me in a friendly manner, and as soon as I sat down, she took my order for some hot green tea, and left me a menu. I already knew what I wanted… but glanced at the menu for fun. Basically identical to their online menu, easy to understand. and it has some nice shots of the food they serve.
I ordered the Tongddak, a marinated fried chicken dish, served with a spicy sauce. Ultra crispy (I think they double fry it) and absolutely delicious. I had ordered it very spicy… and it was spicy but not as spicy as I had hoped. That often happens since many restaurants are overly careful with spice. They don’t want to over do it. But still very good! I managed to eat it with chopsticks, but my waitperson stated they also have gloves they give to patrons so they can pick it up and eat it by hand. Apparently either way is okay, etiquette wise.
I am not usually a huge fan of Kimchi, but the kimchi here was delicious… lots of good flavors coming through. I don’t know if they make it in house, but I do recommend it. The pickled radish was also quite good.
While I was eating, I got smiles and nods from all the staff, nice friendly people. Good service… good food… what more can you ask? I will be back (hopefully often) as there are a lot of new dishes I have never tried!
I want some of the hot pots… I watched as they were delivered to some of the other patrons… and they look YUMMY!
See ya there… :)

Came here for lunch on Monday since I was stranded in Florida due to the blizzard. I got the tofu soup and my brother got some noodle dish. The soup was decent for the area so I was fairly happy with it. It’s no match with me and my gf go to place in fort Lee, nj but certainly satisfied. The side dishes were good as well. I will be back if I need a quick tofu soup when in in the area.

JUST GOT GYPPED!!! I had such high hopes for this place… I thought we’ve discovered a hidden gem in Tampa. I liked the mom-​and-​pop vibe, and the server seemed genuinely excited about the food when I asked her to recommend her favorite items on the menu. I thought that was a good sign. So I decided to order the Pajeon (it was not crispy at all) with Kimchi (not a big fan), and Kalbi-​tang (the authentic flavors of this beef stew really hit the spot on this cold winter day), while my hubby ordered the Korean style chicken wings. He and the server even had a few chuckles during their discussion about how spicy he prefers his wings. We were on a tight schedule so we ordered our food to go. BIG MISTAKE. It wasn’t until we got home 45 mins later when we discovered the chicken wings were missing. Why wouldn’t they pack everything together and why would she ring us up and send us on our way if our order wasn’t complete yet? Needless to say, my hubby had to call them to ask for a refund on the wings we were charged, they said they still had our wings if we wanted to come back and pick it up, to which he replied NO, he’s not driving another 45 mins both ways. How do they f*** up an order with only THREE ITEMS?!?

Absolutely delicious! Yes, it’s a typical hole-​in-​the-​wall atmosphere. But the service was outstanding! As soon as my husband and I walked through the door we were greeted by a warm, friendly waitress. We are familiar with korean food, but i asked for a recommendation and she pointed me to the tofu/​seafood stew. It was fantastic! We will definitely go back, even though it’s a 40 — minute drive!

They make some good Kan Poong Gi (spicy fried chicken) and Cham Pong (spicy seafood noodle soup).

As the name explains, when you walk into this small establishment, you will encounter the Soul of Korea. The dining hall resembles what you would find in a mom and pop place in Korea, where all the food is made expertly, with care, and great pride: and the taste shows it.
I brought my mom here when she came for my graduation, as I had been wanting to try it myself for some time. Upon entering, you are greeted by a nice young lady, whom will let you know that you can choose where to sit. In this occasion, when I walked in, there were three other parties in the restaurant, and it seemed oddly quiet. The TV was on, and was turned to a Korean channel which was showing a K-​drama, or a Korean drama show; this made me understand why it was so quiet!
Being an avid lover of soups, I ordered a seafood spicy soup. Some background: I HATE seafood soups, but Korean food has never let me down, so I decided to put my biases aside, and give it an earnest try. My mother ordered cod soup, and asked for it to not be spicy, to which they obliged.
As a side note, my mom is one of those people that gets, not hungry, but hangry, so she ordered some steamed dumplings while we waited for our main dishes. They came out relatively quickly, were soft and fresh, paired with a soy based sauce, that had a hint of sweetness. This was served on a plain plate. There are no fancy bells or whistles here, their food speaks for itself and their amazing skills.
Now, on to the main dishes! While we waited, the three parties that were there before us left, and a new one seated and started eating before we did. I was too entranced by the K drama to really notice anything. The waitress explained that there had been a mix up, and instead of making the soup I ordered, they had made a seafood pancake. To me, this was not a problem, I was not in a hurry, and was quite enjoying myself watching Gu Family Book (I recommend it and think everyone should watch it!!) To my surprise, even though I explained it was ok, who I would assume to be one of the owners and cooks, offered me part of the pancake: I immediately regretted not getting that instead. It was crisp at the edges and outside, with a soft, succulent, flavorful inside. I have literally NEVER had a pancake that tasted this good in my life, let alone a seafood one that I ACTUALLY liked! If you go there, YOU MUST get this!
My mom got her soup, and her dish came out with the sides we would be sharing, along with soft, warm, rice. Their kimchi is great, and the way they prepare the bean sprouts was something I had never tasted before, in a good way! My mom’s soup was mild, and clean. There was no trace of a fishy smell or taste.
Then my soup came out. If there was a word to describe what I saw in that bowl, it would be the following: magnificence! The smell was delicious, and the taste was more than I expected. I could see I was eating seafood: calamari, clams of different types, and other under water creatures. To my surprise, I did not care. Not only that, but I was thoroughly enjoying munching on their soft, flavorful, flesh! I honestly do not think I would have found myself ever typing that, let alone actually doing it!
The portions are sizeable, but my soup was so good, fresh, and spicy, that I could not stop eating it. It was, hands down, probably THE BEST seafood soup I have EVER had the pleasure of eating! EVER!!!
As I was eating, I had the chance to thank the chef (because that is the only title I can think of), that made the amazing pancake and the superb soup. She was the sweetest lady, and came into the dining room to prep some food, while she joined in my love of the K-​drama on the TV.
My experience here was nothing short of homey. This place does not need frills, or matching anything, I can tell that they take great care in preparing only the best Korean food for their guests, and to be honest, that is all that I need: warm people, wonderfully executed food, and a chef that makes you feel like you are a guest in her home. I can say with certainty that I will be coming back to try the rest of their amazing menu!

Waitress is impatient. Menu pictures do not match with dishes. Not good experience at all

I’ve never really had Korean food before going to this place but what I can say is that it tastes pretty authentic. You can just tell when the food is being made with care and love.
I highly recommend this place. It’s doesn’t look like much on the outside and even inside isn’t all that great but the food is outstanding.

I have been able to enjoy this Korean restaurant on about five different occasions. My wife and I spent a considerable amount of years in South Korea and completely miss the food. We lived in Tampa, Florida where we found this restaurant. I have attempted to enjoy other Korean restaurants around Tampa, but I have not truly enjoyed them, until I found this restaurant. It is a small, but cozy atmosphere with 1 chef and 1 Korean waitress who seats, takes orders, brings your food, and cashes you out. The furniture is a bit outdated and pretty basic with tables and chairs. The silverware and chopsticks are kept in pencil holders, but it adds to the cozy feeling when sitting in the restaurant.
There is one TV in the back corner playing Korean soap operas. The bathroom is in the back after going through a curtain. The bathroom is extremely small, but incredibly clean and smells nice as well (which is weird). The food is a little expensive, but the side dishes presented before the meal and the size of the meals are extremely filling. I normally get the Yookgae-​jang (Hot and Spicy beef stew with assorted vegetables. The soup is blood red with spice, but incredibly delicious and just the right amount of spice. The spice does creep up on you after consuming more and more so be careful. This large bowl comes with a side of rice and is about $ 12.99. My wife always gets the Bulgogi (Korean style marinated and grilled beef) for $ 16.99. This is always juicy and marinated perfectly.
We moved to Lakeland, so I can’t enjoy it as much as I would like to, but I constantly make trips back to Tampa just to eat at the Soul of Korea!!!

We ordered Jjampong, seafood pancake, teobboki, and bibambop. The appetizers were so filling that we couldn’t even eat more than half of our entrée. The portion was huge in compared to the price. I paid about $ 12 for the Jjampong that could easily feed two. Everything was delicious and freshly made. The owner was very funny and welcoming. She made the experience very enjoyable.

I was staying around Temple Terrance during my stay in Tampa for Busch Gardens and glad this little place popped up on my search for a dinner place. As others have mentioned its a very small family run restaurant. Not much decorations and minimal decors. As soon as you walk in most likely the TV screen showing Korean channel will grab your attention. While we were eating here I would think most of their business is from take outs. But I was glad we had a nice sit down dinner here while watching some Korean variety shows after a long and rainy day at the amusement park.
Prices are pretty decent I thought definitely cheaper than what we have to pay over here in NYC and the foods are quite delicious. Although I had hoped the dinner box offered more variety than just side of salad maybe seaweed salad or some fruits to make it more interesting. Both Bulgogi and Kalbi are excellent though however and tasted very authentic. The banchan line ups are quite nice and the owner did check up on us for refills so the service was definitely on the better side than I have read from some other reviews here.
I had a bit of trouble finding the place as they don’t really have signage by the road but I think as long as you weren’t driving past by too quickly like I was the GPS gave relatively accurate readings. Definitely recommend the place if you’re a fan for some korean food. Even if you’re not can’t go wrong with some Bulgogi or Kalbi

Amazing crisp large and hot Korean Seafood pancake, delicious Korean sides and HUGE soup portions, even made my stir fried squid without jalapenos (I know it is blasphemy, but I have ulcers!).Very friendly owner! Super cozy little hole in the wall. Will be back!!!

NOTE: this is not a place you take your family, especially if your family is not into little hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants. Barely air conditioned, mismatched tables and chairs (and not in a cute, hipster way).
The food itself was okay. I had the seafood soondoobu, which I found very, very spicy and also very, very delicious. I also tasted the kalbi (a little overpriced, but tender and delicious) and the seafood pancake (very strange and different from any seafood pancake I’d had before, but still quite good).

I really really really love Korean food, so I was thrilled to find something on Unilocal that was nearby. The restaurant itself is very small and simple, easily described as a no thrill diner. Most likely the owner served our food. She was very kind and patient and provided good recommendations.
We ordered three different entrees to share plus an appetizer. I was a little disappointed that the food didn’t come out all at the same time. If we were not sharing, then it’s just awkward. I had noddles and it was the best dish out of three. Just for that I give the restaurant five stars. My friends ordered tofu soup with seafood and pork soup. I tried both items and was highly unimpressed. As a matter of fact, all three of us were very unimpressed. May be it was some sort of regional good and I just didn’t get it, but that delicate balance of ingredients that dance together in your mouth wasn’t there. I really wanted to like this place and give them a better review, but sorry, I just can’t. It was somewhat of a let down.

This restaurant knows the true meaning of authentic Korean food. Maybe, that’s why this place is called «Soul of Korea» because it seems like the amazing owner/​cook puts a lot of consideration (and Korean soul) into each dish made here :) I’m just sayin’. Don’t get this place confused with the previous Korean restaurant that it used to be because the owners have changed, the name has changed and the menu has been upgraded for the better! If you are a fan of really good spicy Korean food, this is the place to go!
I have 3 all-​time fave menu items to order here. They are: Beef Soondubu (spicy soft tofu stew), their Spicy Fried Chicken, and Jjampong. All spicy dishes of yummy goodness!
They load up their delicious spicy Beef Soondubu dish with tofu, meat, veggies, and an egg!
The Spicy Fried Chicken here is very well-​seasoned. The sweet and very spicy seasoning makes them so addicting, you can’t just eat one!
If I’m craving something with seafood in it, I get the Jjampong spicy seafood noodle soup. It comes in a huge bowl and because it has noodles in it, the rice is not included but you do still get your banchan aka side dishes. All entrée items here come with banchan and all the entrees that are not noodle dishes come with a bowl of rice too. The other menu items here are also definitely worth trying!
This place is quite small, so if you have a large party, you might want to call ahead of time to see if any tables are available or if you need to reserve a table for a certain time. A lot of people do to-​go orders too but I always eat inside the restaurant. Your server here will always be at your service and is always prompt to bring whatever you need. I come here a lot and I always leave being satisfied, full and happy which is why I keep coming back to eat here! :)

Was looking for some Korean soups/​stews and found this spot. Instant favorite. Place is small and the wait can be a bit long if it’s busy due to the small staff, but the food never disappoints. They don’t have KBBQ table tops but do offer galbi and bulgogi that’s already cooked in the kitchen before serving. My favorite so far is the yookgaejang and gamja-​tang if looking for soup/​stew.

This is definitely a hidden gem! Very small and simple, it gives you a homey feeling.
This is AN AUTHENTIC KOREAN FOOD! LOVE IT! The taste, the side dishes are all beautifully made. The taste is hands down the best authentic korean you could have.
We ordered seafood pancake, beef ribs n cabbage stew, tofu n seafod stew, grilled beef ribs and finish it off with green tea ice cream. It was a whole lot of food and we even had left overs to take home.
Prices are reasonable and food made from scratch! Would definitely recommend this place. Would definitely be back!!!

Good, authentic Korean food. I had the sweet and spicy shrimp. They served a very nice size portion which was tasty, but the sauce was a little too thick and gooey. Sometimes less is more. The pickled cucumber, bean sprouts, cabbage, and watercress were nice sides to the meal. The waitress was very pleasant and efficient.
The only gripe was that it took a long time to get my food. But it was good and worth the wait, at least.