Red Bowl Authentic Szechuan Chinese Cuisine — Restaurant in Temple Terrace

The food here was just okay, I've been searching for a place with good, authentic Szechuan food and this simply isn't it. I ordered a variety of entrees and appetizers and while they LOOKED good, all of them were lacking that bold flavor that Szechuan cuisine is known for. The hot and sour noodle soup was subpar, and missed that classic "sour" flavor. The chicken ramen was just okay, and even after adding what should have been far too much chili oil, it still tasted bland! On top of that, the one waitress (she said she was new, had glasses, and was fairly young) literally FAT SHAMED us for ordering more than one entree each + appetizers (which btw, we took most of it home bc we were not actually even planning on eating it all there). Told us multiple times that was too much food for one person and that "the average healthy person typically only orders one thing". Absolutely ridiculous. She also didn't know the menu, could not answer any questions I had regarding the menu items or what was served with each individual dish (she also did not even attempt to ask anyone else either), and she blatantly told me I couldn't add Bok choy to my ramen bowl (even though almost all the other ones include it) because -according to her- if the menu doesn't explicitly say it includes it, then you cannot order it that way! That was simply absurd considering how simple it would be to add Bok choy, but the real kicker is that my food actually DID come with Bok choy and it was SUPPOSED to - it just wasn't listed on the menu since there was no description at all for the particular menu item.

The only thing that prevented me from rating this place 1 star was the SUPER nice, very kind, waitress (has an undercut of some sort - I didn't catch her name) who took over after our original waitress stopped showing up to our table. She seemed to know everything much better and was very polite to us the entire time. For the little amount of time we were served by HER, it almost made up for the terrible service from the first waitress. If you do decide to come here, pray and hope you get her instead of the new girl! I...

1441 E Fletcher Ave, Ste 115, Tampa, FL 33612

… more pix on google maps, Yelp n TA

Will return, especially when I want a quick meal.

A minute does make a difference.

Unaware they open at 5, when the door is locked, we decided to go to the Cantonese restaurant a few doors to the left. Unfortunately it closes on Tuesdays. So we turned around, heading to the Beijing House, which is to Red Bowl’s right. As we’re passing by RB, a couple goes in. Guess were we a few seconds early or late, would have missed their grand entrance, and our opportunity. A few seconds make a difference.

Good service and delicious food. We’ve mapo tofu and Dan Dan noodle.

One young girl is serving, who suggested to me to order mild for my noodles, even I told her that I enjoy jalapeño and wanted the medium. As it turned out, ‘mild’ degree tastes like no spicy at all; so the server brought me a little chilly powder.

The Dandan noodle, is delicious but it’s not authentic one I remembered. To be fair, theirs is like nearly all other restaurants, with soup, veggies … I thought it should be dry like Alfredo. Maybe what I remembered wasn’t the right way to do it due to lack of ingredients in Beijing at the time.

A Chinese lady (owner? Chef?) came out to social. She hugged the woman who came in first. Then came to our table, said “I heard your noodle isn’t spicy enough.” I told her that the powder works fine and thank her for taking the time to check on us. She then moves to the table behind us and chats in Mandarin with the young couple.

By the time we left, one more young Chinese...

My friends and I visited Red Bowl for a girl’s night out. We were given warm and hearty welcomes even though the restaurant was closing in fifteen minutes - they were kind enough to make an exception in spite of how big our group was.

Red Bowl made every edition requested to accommodate our dietary restrictions and were prompt with their service. We received piping hot and fragrant food within ten minutes of being seated.

I ordered the hot Fu Rong soup without the ground pork. The broth was the most complex and flavorful broth I have ever had. The flavor of the Szechuan pepper was bright and pleasant, with a citrusy aftertaste. Portion sizes was bigger than usual, but it was so delicious that I was able to eat all of it. For people with smaller appetites, I would recommend sharing. The vegetables were crisp yet fully cooked, with the mild flavor presenting a nice contrast to the boldness of the soup. This dish features scrambled eggs that were cooked to a fluffy texture that absorbed the soup completely. We also ordered a Thai tea. It tasted rich but wasn’t too sweet and was an amazing compliment to the Fu Rong. This is definitely the best noodle soup dish I have had in Tampa.

The most touching factor was undoubtedly the wonderful service. The staff on shift were patient and helpful, and on our way out the chef ran out of the kitchen to say goodbye. Normally I don’t write reviews, but their friendliness encouraged me to support them and their business. Thank...