NEW TAMPA — One of the most eagerly anticipated openings in recent New Tampa memory finally seems to be here.
According to the Lotte Plaza Market Google page and its Instagram account, the new Bruce B. Downs location of the popular Asian supermarket is set to open its doors Friday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m.
A customer service representative at Lotte’s Orlando location confirmed that the Nov. 3 date is correct.
That is big news for Asian foodies in New Tampa and the surrounding area, who have to drive to Fowler Avenue or farther to find such an extensive variety of Asian products, food and otherwise.
In fact, the store isn’t even opened yet, and it already has more than 20 5-star reviews on Google, mostly from eagerly waiting customers.
Lotte Plaza (17605 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.) will be in the space formerly occupied by Sweetbay Supermarket, although the building has been unoccupied since 2013.
A roughly $5 million renovation of the 49,000-square-foot property, which is adjacent to the Home Depot, began last year, after the dormant grocery space was finally sold.
The new Asian marketplace will sell a variety of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese food items, which include a vast selection of meats, fresh fish and seafood, as well as fruits and vegetables that are often hard to find at American grocery stores.
Items like thinly sliced boneless ribeye (for hot pots), 25-pound bags of rice and fresh seafood (some of it still swimming) are examples of some of the harder-to-find items.
The massive market will also sell cooking utensils, housewares and a variety of noodles and spices.
Tours les Jours, a South Korean-owned French-Asian bakery, will be located inside the Lotte Plaza.
Lotte Plaza food courts are often a top draw for visitors. The Orlando store, for example, offers Joen Korean, Izziban Katsu, Pho 54, Taglish (a Filipino eatery), iTea and Bread & Co.
The food court is always crowded.
The New Tampa location food court is likely to have similar offerings, and has been branded the SIJAN Eatery.
The Maryland-based, Korean-owned grocery story chain was founded in 1976 and is popular in Maryland and Virginia, where it is has more than a dozen locations and a vibrant marketplace atmosphere and multicultural clientele.
The New Tampa store is part of an expansion that could see as many as 50 new locations opened by 2030.
