Get Your Korean Food Fix at ANJU Korean Restaurant

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Get Your Korean Food Fix at ANJU Korean Restaurant

EDITOR’S NOTE: September 2022 – Anju has closed their brick & mortar location in the summer of 2022. They still have their food truck.

I’ve officially found the place to satisfy all of your Korean food cravings in St. Petersburg. ANJU is a Korean restaurant offering delicious dishes with a twist on authentic Korean styles.

Maybe you’ve seen the ANJU Korean Gastrotruck around town or at your favorite market, but guess what? They recently opened their doors at their first location right here in St. Petersburg so now you can enjoy their famous, crispy Korean fried wings whenever you want. Now that’s something to jump up and down about.

ANJU is the Korean word for salty, crunchy or spicy food that pairs well with beer or soju. I didn’t know this until I sat down to write, but it makes perfect sense. Lightbulb! All of their dishes are savory with a crisp and slight spice.

ANJU Exterior Location in St Petersburg
ANJU Exterior

The inside of ANJU is very cozy and comforting. The bar is huge and there are plenty of seats all throughout the restaurant. If you’re playing it safe, don’t worry, you can order a delicious meal online through UberEats.

ANJU Interior Location in St Petersburg
ANJU Interior

If you aren’t familiar with Korean food, a good place to start is with a traditional Bibimbap bowl. When you break down the word bibimbap, “bibim” means mixing various ingredients and “bap” refers to rice. The BOP Bowl (Bibimbap) at ANJU is a go-to spicy dish. The BOP Bowl is exactly that with grilled marinated ribeye and assorted Asian veggies like zucchini, bean sprouts, carrots, and spicy kimchi served over warm sticky rice.

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I also added an over easy egg and that was a game-changer. The ribeye was so good, I consumed it way too fast but have no regrets about it. I wish it was never ending.

ANJU BOP Bowl Bibimbap
BOP Bowl (Bibimbap)

You’ll want to shake up the bowl to really get the flavors mixed around. If you like spice and a little heat, then I’d highly recommend ordering this for the ultimate Korean dish.

ANJU BOP Bowl Bibimbap Mixed
BOP Bowl Bibimbap Mixed

Wow, okay, wait a second, these wings are everything you could ever want. Enjoy mouthfuls of the jumbo wings on Wednesday with their impressive lunch special. For $10 you’ll get 3 jumbo wings, either sweet soy garlic or spicy St. Pete heat style, plus a pork egg roll and a mountain of sticky rice. I ordered the sweet soy garlic wings and can honestly say that they are the crispiest and largest wings that I’ve personally had in St. Pete. The coating was crunchy and sweet with a glaze-like texture too. The meat itself was melt in your mouth good. The best part? Licking each of my fingers to make sure none of the sweet soy garlic sauce was wasted.

ANJU Jumbo Wings Sweet Soy Garlic Sauce and Sticky Rice
Sweet Soy Garlic Sauce Jumbo Wings, Egg Roll and Sticky Rice

The pork egg rolls are so dang good. The outside is perfectly crispy and the pork and vegetable filling is a soft, warm and savory blend. The sweet chili sauce is a tangy and a sweet addition if you like sweet and savory things like myself.

ANJU Pork Egg Rolls
Pork Egg Rolls Served with Sweet Chili Sauce
ANJU Pork Egg Rolls Filling
Pork and Vegetable Egg Roll Filling

The K-Town is a little bit of everything. These loaded Korean Tots are topped with grilled beef bulgogi, creamy white cheddar queso, melted mozzarella, griddled kimchi, sweet and spicy pepper sauce, crushed peanuts and scallions. You won’t be hungry for a long time after consuming this. Everything from the tender beef to the melted cheese and crispy tots will surely hit the spot.

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ANJU K-Town
K-Town
ANJU K-Town Close Up
ANJU K-Town Close Up

I’ve never had kimchi before, so I gave it a go. Kimchi is a popular Korean dish that is traditionally made of fermented vegetables. ANJU makes the most popular version, which is with Napa cabbage. I also learned that it’s incredibly healthy with a wealth of vitamins, antioxidants and probiotics. It was pretty spicy but also very refreshing. I didn’t feel as guilty about eating the fried wings once I had a few bites of the kimchi.

ANJU Kimchi
Kimchi

​The Osaka Mini side is amazing especially if you already love loaded tots and aren’t afraid of a saucy dish. Osaka Mini is a mix of crispy tater tots topped with Japanese mayo, tangy Okonomi sauce and fresh scallions. This is one of those splurge items because you know it’s not healthy but it sure is tasty and crave worthy.

ANJU ​Osaka Mini Tots
Osaka Mini Tots Side

ANJU is a one stop shop for Korean food right here in St. Petersburg. I’m still dreaming about the jumbo wings and will continue to tell everyone I know that they are seriously to die for.

ANJU Korean Restaurant
  • Readers Rating
  • Rated 5 stars
    5 / 5 (15 )
$
  • Your Rating


  • ANJU Korean Restaurant
  • (727) 289-8568
  • Korean, Kimchi, Korean Fried Wings
    • Tue - Thu 11:00am - 8:00pm
    • Fri - Sat 11:00am - 9:00pm
  • View menu
  • 2827 16th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704, US

ANJU is the Korean word for salty, crunchy or spicy food that pairs well with beer or soju.

DISCLAIMER: Kevin, Lori, Abby, Haley, Lindsey & Mahika do not dine anonymously (this would be impossible) and we sometimes get free food (though never expected). However, we dine with the locals and we support our own. You will always get honesty in a respectful manner. We do not include any large national or regional chains in our ratings and reviews. We focus on independent locally owned eateries exclusively.

PLEASE NOTE: Reviews reflect a certain moment in time. Some restaurants stay extremely consistent over many years, and some change for the better or worse. Some things that may change are: chefs, recipes, food suppliers, ingredients, philosophies, ownership, etc. We always hope that you have the same good, or great experience we had.
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1 Response

  • Wings were really good! The best I’ve had in Florida. Crisp and there was a candied sweet aspect. What seems like a lot of gochujang in the St Pete’s Heat(sp?). My biggest gripe is 5 bucks for extra rice and kim chi. This is a borderline travesty coming from someone who eats Korean food on the daily. Still five stars because wings are solid but I hope this price jacking doesn’t become a trend. Kim Chi hasn’t changed drastically in hundreds of years and most Korean restaurants give you banchan for free.

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