Seminole Heights is home to a handful of Tampa Bay's hottest restaurants like Rooster & the Till, King of the Coop, and Mekenita Cantina.
Wanting to add its name to the list of heavy hitters, forthcoming Korean fried chicken concept, Gangchu, is setting up shop at 6618 N. Nebraska Ave. just around the corner from 7venth Sun Brewery.
While Gangchu has kept the details pretty under wraps online, a contact from city documents detailing the permitting at the address referred Creative Loafing Tampa Bay to local bar scene favorite and Ichicoro manager Eric Bloomquist, who told CL that, "Our owner Noel Cruz will be reaching out to you regarding this matter. Thank you for getting in touch!"
Ichicoro is home to some bangin' karaage chicken, so there's no reason to believe that Gangchu's offerings will be anything other than A-plus. We'll update ths post with any new information from Cruz, who's also one of the minds behind Tampa's Detroit-style pizza concept Corners.
To celebrate its new neighbors, 7venth Sun posted about a new brew, K-HOP IPA, made in collaboration with Gangchu. 7venth Sun described the new brew as a "deliciously balanced choreography of Strata, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops," and perfect to pair with Korean fried chicken.
If you're unfamiliar with the Korean fried chicken craze, you can check out fellow Korean-FC slingers like Anju in St. Pete, Soul of Korea in Temple Terrace until Gangchu makes its debut.
More details to come as Gangchu moves forward with renovations and announces an official opening date. Until then, you can follow along with the restaurant's progress on Instagram (@eatgangchu).
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Want to know everything going on with Tampa Bay's food and drink scene? Sign up for our Bites newsletter.
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2021.