Gluten-Free Review of Hawkers Asian Street Fare

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Gluten-Free Review of Hawkers Asian Street Fare

We had been to Hawkers a couple months prior and had a great experience, so we decided to give it another try. We had focused on trying various small plates last time, and wanted to try more of their entrees. Thankfully, they do have a separate gluten-free menu. I will say the proportion of gluten-free items to regular items is a bit disappointing. They have a very extensive menu, so you would think they would offer a bit more of their items as GF. But alas, I won’t dwell on that. I love the atmosphere in this place. It has a street cool kind of vibe. You know they spent big bucks on the décor to create that warm industrial look, with the exposed duct work, brick lined walls and funky light fixtures. Their tables have Asian newspaper clippings underneath the glass. We smiled when we saw one with Nick Saban, Alabama Head Football Coach, as Stephen is a huge Roll Tide fan. A nice happen-so to remind us of Sweet Home Alabama.

I ordered the Yangzhou Chow Faan off of the gluten-free menu.  It was the perfect amount of food. My dish was a popular fried rice recipe from Yangzhou, a city in China’s Jiangsu province. It consisted of white rice, shrimp, char siu pork, chicken, onions & eggs, all prepared without soy sauce to be gluten-free. You might think that since there was no sauce, it would come off as dry. I was a little concerned about that too. But trust me, it was not dry one bit. It was very flavorful, and the rice had that nice bite to it that you typically get with a fried rice dish. I always have a hard time getting Asian food at restaurants nowadays because most sauces are often not gluten-free, and certainly not corn-free. I end up making fried rice at home, but it never turns out quite the same. This dish was the fried rice I always remembered. It was a pleasant surprise and very filling.

Yangzhou Chow Faan Gluten Free Option at Hawkers
Yangzhou Chow Faan Gluten Free Option at Hawkers

If you were to try some small plates first before an entrée dish, you might have some leftovers to take home. Hey, that’s never a bad thing! In our case, we both practically licked our bowls clean! I will probably have to try another of their Five Spice dishes next time. It’s fried food that’s gluten-free! They even have a separate fryer for it! Can you believe it? The batter they use for the Five Spice is exactly that – their five spice rub.

If you are looking for a laid back atmosphere, but not your run-of-the-mill casual dining menu, you gotta check out Hawkers. Depending on how many plates you want to sample, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to dine. We will definitely be going back.

Hawkers Asian Street Fare
1235 Central Ave Edge District
St Petersburg, Florida 33705
(727) 521-7253
eathawkers.com

See the Hawkers Asian Street Fare Listing in our St. Petersburg Restaurant Directory. Do your own ratings & review.

Asian Restaurants St. Petersburg FL

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Pros

Great food at affordable prices, fun atmosphere.

Cons

A little bit loud.

Asian street fare. Malaysian, Chinese, Korean, Singapore, Vietnamese, and Thai. Hawkers Asian Street Fare uses only the freshest ingredients to create street food inspired dishes from ancient family recipes.

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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