Wagamama Tampa

With a name and location like this comes high expectations… this place didn’t meet expectations. The ramen was lukewarm and broth had very like taste and the meat on it tasted like it was reheated, the noodles tasted bland and as close to quality as the stuff you get for $1 at the grocery store.
IF YOU WANT REAL RAMEN go to Dosunco Ramen which is couple miles down the street.
The gyoza was halfway cooked and had fridge cold spots. Taste was okay.
The buns were the only thing that were well done and flavorful.
Jasmine tea was okay too.
Over all I felt like I could get better quality for the amount that they are charging for food.
Huge areas for improvement if they start to look at the details, just like how every Japanese place should do.

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.