Tampa's Thai Temple has its beat back

For the first time since anybody heard the word coronavirus, some pals and I boated out to the Wat Mongkolratanaram — aka Thai Temple, aka Wat Tampa — on Sunday morning for a reunion feast.

• The Sunday market closed for a spell in 2020, then reopened as a drive-thru, but we wanted to wait until it opened to foot traffic before braving the seas.

What's new: The Buddhist temple on the banks of the Palm River, a few miles east of downtown Tampa, has its beat back and now takes walk-up orders.

We washed down piping hot beef noodle soup, crab rangoon, egg rolls, and empanadas with their delicious Thai tea before heading back.

• The picnic tables are open for seating.

If you go: Good luck finding any official hours posted, but food is generally served 9am to noon on Sundays, 5306 Palm River Road in Tampa.