wat mongkolrata temple

I used to come here for a few years while my dad practiced Buddhism, and the people are extremely friendly, and will do anything to help one another. They serve food on specific days, and they have large selections, great tasting food, and a nice outdoor area to eat at. Highly recommend for something new and different.

Beautiful and inspiring, the temple is worth the visit.Somehow the location is hard to find so make sure you arrive early enough in the morning to concentrate on the temple before lunch. Delicious Thai food in a wonderful environement!

Very friendly people and a scenic view of the river. The temple is beautiful and serene. The food is great and the grounds a re nice place for a stroll. Highly recommend this spot and the spicy noodle bowls.

An incredible temple and the lunch was delicious! A surprising find and a must-do in Tampa. The eating area can get a little chilly, as there is no heating, so bring a jacket.

We visited on a Monday and the place looked deserted. The compound covers a large shady area with many picnic tables. I would love to go back on a Sunday when the market and vendors are available. The temple is small but very beautiful inside. An interesting stop if you happen to be in the area.

Beautiful and serene. See if you can get a member to tell you about the Temple. Stay for a service. Everyone is welcoming.

What a beautiful way to spent a sunny, Sunday. This is our second visit to the Wat Temple and no one was disappointed. After strolling the grounds and seeing the sites, we went to the market to buy some lunch. After selecting our wonderful food, we joined the multicultural group at the picnic area searching for a seat. This is where the fun begins. Everyone seems to be having a great time. The food is good, the people are friendly, and the place is quiet and peaceful. This is an experience not to be missed!

I have always been fascinated by Buddhist Temples, but had only associated them with Asia. I know that is pretty closed minded of me, but I never gave much thought to them being in the United States, let alone in Florida. I was very pleasantly surprised to learn of Wat Mongkolrata Temple and looked forward to seeing it first hand. When we first arrived, we were greeted by a very long line of cars waiting to enter the Temples parking lot. It was Sunday morning and since there wasn't any services going on, I was surprised there was such a crowd. After finally entering the parking lot, we followed the other cars to what appeared to be a rear parking area. We found a spot and began walking toward the temple. The temple itself was beautiful with its simple lines, intricate designs, and dragon adorned light fixtures lining both sides of the walkway outside. As we continued around the far side of the temple, we soon realized there was more here than what meets the eye. There were farm stands with fresh produce and a building housing vendors that were selling various Thai dishes. There were many tables with people eating and looking out at the Palm River. Despite all of the people, it was a very tranquil scene to behold. My party and I decided to visit the inside of the temple before making our way to the farm stands. We removed our shoes and stepped inside. A gentleman was speaking to a small group of people about the temple. Since we arrived in the middle of his presentation and did not want to disrupt it, we stood in the back and just took in the beauty and serenity of the inner sanctum. After exiting the temple, we walked along the path near the river to the produce stands. There were many different varieties of fresh produce and all were very reasonably priced. We took the opportunity to purchase some to take home to Vero. Seeing as we weren't aware of the Thai food offerings and we had already eaten a large breakfast, we didn't try anything. It smelled and looked delicious though. Wat Mongkolrata Temple is a hidden jewel of Tampa. It is a wondrous place filled with peace and serenity, offering a nice departure from the hustle and bustle of every day city life. I highly recommend visiting. Just make sure you bring your appetite on Sundays, park in the lot across the street, and always remember to remove your shoes before entering the temple.

I took my daughter one Sunday morning. We heard that it gets crazy busy and I hate long lines. We were there by 1030am, a little early for lunch admittedly but no lines no waiting and no parking hassles. It also gave us a chance to walk around and look at all the food options without the pressure of lines. My daughter is nine and while she isn't as adventurous with food as I would like she does enjoy Asian cuisine. We ordered the summer rolls ( my favorite Thai food) . There were so many delicious looking options that I was annoyed we had actually had breakfast and weren't up to trying it all. The prices were so good you wanted to order enough for dinner! The desserts were difficult for my daughter only because they were unfamiliar to her. Next time we are bringing friends and we all will order something different and share the bounty! We opted to have the fried banana which they name in a big vat. It was delicious but we decided to modify it next time by bringing a small shaker of cinnamon and confectioners sugar. We trie it with the leftovers we took home and it was amazing. Don't hate us for altering a wonderful Thai dessert we just thought we would create our own twist! We sat by the river and enjoys the view and later walked the grounds and enjoyed the plant and vegetable market. The crowds were gathering as we were leaving but for us it was a perfect day with wonderful food. Did I say the peanut sauce was incredible. Can't wait to return.

I felt like I was transported away from Tampa to Thailand. What an amazing experience! Cheap food (but super good) and a peaceful atmosphere.

Tampa has been disappointing so far. Reviewers: Have you not had Asian noodle soup before? Based on your reviews, guess I thought it would be something special. But let's get something straight, if you've traveled anywhere outside of Tampa, you can easily get any delicous Asian-style noodle soup--Thai, Vietnamese (pho), Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc PLUS it's always hot, fresh, and inexpensive without having to wait over an hour just to hear they ran out of beef, only pork. And when we bit into the "meatballs", what the heck are they made of? Certainly not pork! Think there were pork bits in the broth, but the meatballs, were they even pork meat??? No way! The texture and taste is definitely not pork meat!!! Just google images of authentic Thai pork ball noodle soup to see what real pork meatballs look like, and believe me the taste and texture is absolutely different than what we experienced at Wat Mongkolrata Temple!During the market on Sundays, lots of families with kids of all ages so not very serene, and not sure the temple architecture is that authentic, having visited Thailand. But the riverside setting offers a quaint atmosphere to experience the "Disney" version of a Thai temple without having to actually go to Thailand.

The family took a trip over here after the Big Cat Rescue excursion (also a good time), to see the temple and experience the foods that they have on Sunday Market. All the food was good and my daughter loved that she could find some "exotic" fruits to buy and try at home with her grandma. All the people we ran into there and talked with were really friendly. This is a great experience.

This is a little Thai in Tampa. The temple is really nice if you like some peace and quite. This is also a great place to try out different Thai food for cheap. You can sit next to the water, where the kids can feed the fish

Wonderful place to simply collect your thoughts and reflect. We have a 1 year old and a 4 year old and they both had a blast! The landscape is beautiful and the temple is gorgeous. You'll feel the good vibes as soon as you enter the temple.

We have been there twice, once on a Sunday when they had venders and free homemade Thai food. Everything was delicious and we ate on picnic benches by the river. Go there with an empty stomach. This place has a lot of food.