Wat Mongkolrata Temple

The Wat Mongkolrata Temple is a Buddhist temple located at 5306 Palm River Road, Tampa, FL, 33619. It is a small Thai Temple on riverfront grounds. The architecture is traditional Thia, with statues, rooftop accents, and bright colors. The grounds are beautifully kept up, and there are large oak trees and pavilions outside of the temple. There are Buddhist monks on site.

Sunday is the day you want to go for a full experience. The temple is open to the public from 9 am to 4 pm. There is an open market, and lunch is served from 11 am until noon. The foods that are served are traditional Thai, and although some contain meat, others are vegetarian or vegan friendly. Donations are paid for the foods, and you can put together a pretty large meal for under $10. The menu usually includes grilled meats on a stick, Pad Thai, coconut custard, egg rolls, fried bananas, or a variety of curry dishes. Keep in mind that this is set up farmer's market style, and each section has its own food. You will go to one stall for a drink, another stall for your soup, and another stall for your Pad Thai. They cook it for you, and it is served in a typical carry out container to take to your table. If you have a few people with you, it works better to assign one person to each line. 

Although this is open to the public, there are some temple etiquette rules to be followed.  The etiquette rules are pretty simple, and include things such as not walking on the mats where the monks sit and not posing for pics with the Buddha statues. Most of the rules are common courtesy, but it never hurts to read over them before a trip. This is a great trip for soaking in some Buddhist culture, and getting a little taste of Thailand while never leaving Tampa.