South Korea's 'Tampa Sandwich Bar' Serves Up Tampa-Style Cubans On The Daily
Tampa’s iconic Cuban sandwich has made its way 7,520 miles across the globe to one of the world’s largest cities. Lucky diners in Seoul, Korea can now get a taste of Tampa culture at a new restaurant dedicated to the sandwich every Tampanian knows and loves.
Co-Owners Hyunmin Cho & Geunmin Kang
With its brick exterior with yellow and blue accents and vintage Tampa iconography, Tampa Sandwich Bar is bringing the flavors of Cigar City to the great people of South Korea. Locals won’t find any kimchi on this menu, but they will find Tampa-style Cubans, hand-cut fries, fried Oreos and even a Southern inspired Mac & Cheese sandwich. For the parched there’s even a nod to Tampa’s craft beer scene, with a list of imported craft beers from around the world. And yes, my friends, the Tampa-style Cuban includes salami—as it should.
TAMPA SANDWICH BAR SOCIAL LOVE
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12, Donggyo-ro 38-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Their Instagram is filled with hunger-inducing shots of their offerings and the food looks excellent. Loaded Cubans are beaming with house-made pork and pressed thin to marry all of the beautiful meats, swiss and condiments. Locals seem to love it, too, but not without some reservations. “Usually Koreans expect ham or chicken and vegetables on a sandwich,” owners Geunmin Kang and Hyunmin Cho told me via Facebook messenger, “so we’re trying to change their minds.”
Geunmin says the process of educating Koreans on the gospel of the Tampa Cuban was made a lot easier thanks to the indie film “Chef,” which introduced many to the idea of the Cuban sandwich. While the bulk of their customers are ex-pats or locals who’ve visited the states, they’re still working to expand the love of the iconic sandwich among locals.
How do the skeptics feel once they try it? – “They love it!” Geunmin says. “We’ve had many returning customers, young and old.”
With all of this dedication to one of Tampa’s most iconic meals, the owners have a surprising secret: “We’ve never been to Tampa,” Hyunmin says. You heard that right, all of this passion for our beloved sandwich from two graduate school friends who’ve never been to Tampa. Of course, they tell me, it’s their dream to make it out here and Tampanians will surely welcome them with open arms.
So how did they decide to start making Cubans? A trip to the East and West Coast gave them their first taste of a Cuban sandwich, but a serious craving and many hours on YouTube gave them the knowledge they needed to recreate it back home.
And recreate it they did.
That’s when the owners, who at the time were working in Social Services and the military, started thinking. They decided to leave their careers to do what they’d always wanted – open a restaurant. “We were pursuing our dreams!” Hyunmin told me.
Those dreams came true and the owners report that business has been growing steadily. I can say with confidence that the citizens of Tampa are rooting for this culinary duo, who are not only serving up a bit of Tampa tradition, but also bringing valuable attention to our beautiful, growing city.
As Tampa natives who grew up eating the Cuban sandwich, there’s certainly a sense of pride involved in finding out one of your hometown culinary offerings is making a worldwide appearance – especially in a bustling Eastern metropolis like Seoul. So the next time you’re enjoying some Galbi or Bulgolgi with the full Banchan spread at one of our local Korean restaurants, remember there’s a Korean enjoying a Tampa Cuban on the other side of the world.
Originally Published by Jay York April 14th, 2016 in Suburban Apologist.
