We drove out to Tarpon Springs for lunch at Nana’s Restaurant today.  We thought we’d miss the lunch crowd, but they were still busy at 1pm and out of most of the specials.  Loren went for a southwestern chicken salad with a cup of black bean soup.

Their black bean soup is thick and rich and very tasty.  Not spicy, but full of flavor.  He said the salad was very good too.  I went for a ham & cheese on sourdough bread and a side of home fries.

Sometimes the simple things are just the best.  I love toasted sourdough bread and it went perfectly with the ham & cheese.  There’s a reason this place is always packed.  The food is fresh and homemade and the prices are good.  Overall, a very tasty little lunch for $21.

Nana’s Restaurant 
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

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We drove over to Nana’s in Tarpon Springs for lunch today.   They’re only open until 2pm and the place was packed when we got there.  We split a bowl of seafood chowder.

Yum!  Thick and rich with some very nice flavors.  We both decided to get sandwiches, though we should have really just split one.  Loren got a BLT and I got the chicken salad melt.

Both were served on grilled sourdough bread, which I love.  Lots of bacon on his BLT to satisfy his craving.  My melt had grilled onions on it, but I found them not grilled quite enough for my taste.  I wanted them a lot softer and more carmelized.  Loren thought it was perfect just the way it was though.  I also got a side of Nana’s home fries with their hickory mayo to dip them in.  We were both stuffed and ended up bringing home half of each sandwich.  Everything is just so fresh and flavorful here.  It’s a great homestyle restaurant. Total bill was $22.

Nana’s Restaurant
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

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Service
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Value

Sometimes the simplest dishes can be the tastiest.  We went to Nana’s Restaurant in Tarpon Springs for brunch and Loren was just as happy as could be with his BLT sandwich and soup.

The sandwich just made him happy.  Crispy bacon, lightly toasted bread, mayo, crunchy lettuce and tomato.  So simple, yet so tasty.  Plus he really likes their black bean soup too.  I went for a Country Scramble.

This was one heavy dish.  Eggs, potatoes, cheese, sausage gravy, biscuit and it also came with bacon that I got on the side.  There was way too much of it for me to finish.  It was good, but one note texture-wise.  Total bill with a drink was $21.

Nana’s Restaurant
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Went up to Tarpon Springs back to Nana’s Restaurant for lunch today.  It was pretty crowded, but luckily we didn’t have to wait for a table.  We were there for lunch, but I wasn’t going to pass up the cup of danish they dropped off.

They were a sweet little snack while we waited for our food. Loren started off with a bowl of black bean soup & then we split a Danny Burger.

He really enjoyed the soup.  It had a lot of good flavors going on.  The Danny burger has onions, mushrooms, and a burgandy wine sauce on it & it was tasty.  Extremely messy to eat, but tasty nonetheless.  The homefries weren’t as good as I remembered from the last time, but they hit the spot with some honey mustard to dip them in.  Total bill with a drink was $15.

Nana’s Restaurant
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We drove up to Tarpon Springs tonight to have dinner at The Plum Tomato.  It’s a little Italian restaurant and though our first impression wasn’t great, the food made up for it.  When we walked in the door, we weren’t greeted by anyone.  Waitresses walked by and no one acknowledged us and then an older gentleman (I’m guessing the owner) sort of looked at us, but I honestly couldn’t tell if he was a customer or worked there.  He eventually came all the way over to us & directed us to a table being cleared.

They started us off with some homemade bread.

The bread was warm and tasty.  Would have been nice to have a plate of oil & herbs to dip it in.  It was gone in a few minutes though.  Our entrees came with soup or salad and we both chose the clam chowder.

It was really creamy and had some rich flavors to it.  Very, very tasty and had a nice assortment of ingredients that weren’t mushy and a good depth of flavor.  We also decided to try the calamari.

It was good, but not great.  Loren liked it more than I did.  It was a little on the chewy side, mostly because the pieces were very thin, but the breading was flavorful and the marinara sauce was very good.

Loren got the chicken mediterranean which was chicken & eggplant in a lemony sauce which also came with a side of pasta.

Eggplant is not the easiest thing to get right and they did a really good job with it here.  It still had texture and the flavors blended together very well.  The chicken was tender and the sauce was good.  He even ended up with some leftovers.

I ordered the pasta bolognese based on another review I had read.

I swear there was a pound of pasta in this bowl.  I absolutely had leftovers.  The sauce was slow cooked and you could really taste the deep flavor of the wine that only comes from letting the sauce simmer for hours.    Really tasty.

I also had to get a cannoli to go.

It was pretty good.  One of the better ones I’ve had lately.  I think for to-go orders though, any toppings should be put in a separate container on the side, otherwise the shell gets soggy.  Honestly, it didn’t even need the chocolate sauce & chocolate chips.

Overall, the food was really good.  We sat in the booth furthest to the back, so we heard & saw a lot of the service delays.  The were busy tonight and we could hear the upset customers waiting on late pizza deliveries as well as the wait staff going back & forth with the kitchen on orders.  We had both a waitress & waiter that tended to our table and they were really good, but where we were sitting, I felt a definite tension in the overall air.  It also didn’t help that the guy I’m assuming is the owner, sort of hung out at the back of the restaurant where we were and it felt awkward.  Total bill with a drink was $43.

The Plum Tomato
1988 Pinellas Ave S
Tarpon Springs, FL
(727) 944-3330

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We drove into Tarpon Springs tonight and ended up at Chloe’s Family Restaurant for dinner.  There were quite a few people in the restaurant and we quickly found out why… the food was really good.

I started off with a Greek salad which came with my entree.

It had a nice, tangy dressing on it.  Then they brought out fresh bread.

This just oozed awesomeness.  Fresh and hot out of the oven covered in a buttery garlic sauce.  It was so soft and delicious.  I’d go back just for the bread.  Loren got the Greek Keftedakia which came with a salad and fries.

The salad didn’t have any lettuce and when we asked about it, our waitress said it was called a village salad.  Who knew?  But, she was nice enough to bring out a side dish of lettuce for us non-Greeks.  The meatballs were flavorful and there was enough for leftovers.  I ordered the Greek combo plate since I like to try out lots of things when we go to a new restaurant.

It came with pastitsio, moussaka, gyro, chicken and spinach pie.  I really liked the pastitsio.  Normally, that’s what I would have ordered and I’d have been happy with a big ol’ plate of it.  It was moist with just the right Greek flavors.  The moussaka was also really flavorful & tasty.  The spinach pie was also pretty good.  Flaky with a nice filling.   I tried both the gyro & chicken and ended up taking most of it home for leftovers.   The gyro was good, but the chicken was dry.

And then as a nice surprise at the end of the meal, the waitress brought out complimentary bowls of ice cream.

A perfect finish to an awesome dinner.  Everything was fresh and homemade.  Service was really good and everyone was very friendly.  Definitely putting on our list to try again.  We’ve been having some really good luck with restaurants in Tarpon Springs lately.   Total bill with a drink was $32.

Chloe’s Family Restaurant
1722 S. Pinellas Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-943-2999

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We ate lunch at Nana’s Restaurant in Tarpon Springs today and it was one of the best lunches we’ve had in a while.  They serve breakfast & lunch throughout the week & dinner on Friday nights.  We decided to split a burger, plus some soup & salad.

First up, the Louisiana Butter Shrimp soup.

There are people who know how to make soup and the folks here at Nana’s definitely do.  This was really flavorful and creamy with lots of shrimp and homemade goodness.  Next up was the salad & burger.

It’s a good thing we decided to share the burger.  It was way more than I was going to be able to eat.  We got the mushroom burger, but I opted for American cheese instead of Swiss.  It was cooked a perfect medium and was juicy and flavorful.  The home fries were delicious.  Again, perfectly cooked and seasoned.  I really enjoyed the dipping sauce that came with them too.  It was sort of a honey mustard BBQ sauce.  Very, very tasty.  And here’s the best part, the whole thing with a drink was only $17.   This is definitely a restaurant we’ll be back to often.

Nana’s Restaurant
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We headed into Tarpon Springs tonight for my birthday dinner.  I wanted to go back to the Zante Cafe.  We’ve just never been disappointed by the food here.

The fresh rolls are so buttery and garlicy and just melt in your mouth.

Next up is the gumbo which also has amazing flavors.

At this point, our taste buds are very happy, but my water glass is lacking ice and the restaurant is a bit warm.  I don’t know if it was just our seat by the window or what, but it was uncomfortably warm in there tonight.  The owner’s children wait the tables and tonight they just weren’t on the ball.  I had to ask for ice several times before it showed up and my water glass got empty a few times as well.  They would say they were going to bring things out, but then quickly forgot.

Our crab cake appetizer came next.

You gotta love crab cakes that are mostly crab.  These are so flavorful and delicious and the sauce isn’t very spicy, which I like.  For our entrees, Loren ordered the crawfish etouffee and I got one of the specials.

He ordered the etouffee with a spice level of 2.5 out of 5 and he was sniffling a bit by the end.  Deep, rich flavors in this dish make it a winner.  The special I ordered was called mo-fun-go or something like that.  It was lamb shank pulled off the bone with pasta, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, carrots, tomato and a sprinkling of feta cheese.

It was very tasty.  It had a good “mouth-feel” to it.  There was way more on the plate than I could eat, plus I was just uncomfortably warm and my water glass was empty, but it’ll make good leftovers.  Total bill after the $25 Restaurant.com coupon was $32.  As much as I love the food in this restaurant, I just wish they were able to get an actual waitstaff.

Zante Cafe Neo
13 N Safford Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-934-5558

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I was driving through Tarpon Springs around lunchtime and stopped at Mama Maria’s Greek Cuisine for some take out.  I was craving my favorite Greek dish, pastitsio.

The dish is served with a choice of soup or salad, so I chose the avgolemono soup.  It was pretty good.  The lemon wasn’t overwhelmingly tart, which is a good thing.  I’ve had the soup at other places and it just makes your mouth pucker.   It also came with a side and I chose the Greek potatoes.  They were tender, but didn’t have a lot of flavor at all. 

Unfortunately, the pastitsio fell into the same category as the potatoes.  It tasted ok, but really didn’t have any strong flavors.  I expect a hint of nutmeg and didn’t taste any and the bechamel sauce was a little rubbery.  I guess I just wanted a burst of fresh flavors when I took that first bite.  That unique flavor combination that says, “this is Greek food”.    The staff seemed friendly and the restaurant was pretty full, so maybe I just didn’t choose the best item on the menu.  Total bill was $12.

Mama Maria’s Greek Cuisine
503 N Pinellas Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
(727) 934-5678

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We headed out to Tarpon tonight to go back to the Zante Cafe.  We needed some awesome food and they didn’t disappoint.  The owner seemed a bit frazzled as the restaurant filled up, but they still managed to bring out one delicious course after the next.  Their kids tend to the dining room and the youngest was more interested in playing than helping out.  But, our drinks stayed filled and they were pretty good at clearing away plates.  It’s a very laid back place, so expect to spend about 2 hours here for dinner.  Everything is made fresh and well worth the wait.

First out were their homemade rolls.

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside with a slight hint of garlic, served fresh out of the oven.  It’s a good thing they just serve these one at a time, otherwise, I’d fill up on bread without thinking twice about it.   Next up was the gumbo.

The flavors are delicate in this gumbo, but you can taste the freshness of all the ingredients.  Chicken and sausage in a light, flavorful broth.  Again, I could eat so much more of this and be incredibly happy. 

We ordered the Crawfish Vol Au Vent for an appetizer.

Crawfish, mushrooms, and onions in a creamy sauce served over heart shaped puffed pastry.  I’m guessing the heart shape was because it’s Valentine’s weekend, but regardless it was yummy.  There were lots of crawfish and mushrooms and the sauce was lightly spiced.    

Loren ordered the seafood fra diablo with a spice level of 2 out of 5.

Crawfish, shrimp, mussels, scallops and veggies in a creamy, spicy sauce over spaghetti.  It had a lot of flavor and it all blended well together.  Loren would have preferred rice to spaghetti and he’s not a fan of cauliflower, but he still enjoyed the dish. 

I ordered the Paneed Tilapia w/ Crawfish and Tasso in Brandy Cream.

The tilapia filet was thick and cooked perfectly.  It was flaky and tender with a crisp breading.  The crawfish and mushroom brandy cream sauce really complemented the fish well. 

At this point, we really were quite full, but I wanted to try the bananas foster.

The owner/chef comes out and flambes it right at the table.  It was delicious served over vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.  It had a nice carmelization and was a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. 

And even better, we had a $25 Restaurant.com coupon, so the bill before tip ended up being $42.  Absolutely the best $42 we’ve spent on food so far this year. 

Zante Cafe Neo
13 N Safford Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-934-5558

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We drove into Tarpon Springs tonight to have dinner at Zante Cafe Neo.  We walked right by it thinking it was a thrift shop.   This has to be the most unusual decor I’ve ever seen in a restaurant and there was lots of it.  It was like someone emptied out grandma’s attic, hit a few garage sales, and then dug in the back of everyone’s closet.  The photo below is the view from the entryway.

We were seated by the owner’s 13 year old daughter who was also the waitress.  There were other kids doing homework at a nearby table and another young lad brought us some dinner rolls. 

These were some mighty fine rolls.  Buttery and slightly crunchy on the outside, soft and delicious inside.  They also came right out of the oven. 

Everything here is freshly made, so takes a while to come out.  Trust me, this is a place where the phrase “Your patience will be rewarded” is so true.  Luckily, while you wait, you have quite a bit to look at.  Every time I turned my head, I found something else odd and unusual around me.  From the full sized cut out of Johnny Depp dressed as the Mad Hatter to funky lamps to a drawing of Sean Connery. 

Our dinners both came with a choice of soup or salad and we both went for the gumbo.

Delicate flavors in a thin broth with chicken, okra, and other veggies.  It was so warm and cozy on a chilly night.  There wasn’t a drop left in either of our bowls.  

We ordered the Louisiana crab cakes as an appetizer.

All crab, no fillers and quite delicious.  The Creole Remoulade wasn’t spicy, but added a nice flavor to the crab cakes.  Everything we’d eaten so far left us craving more. 

Did I mention the rolls?  Yeah, we needed another batch of those.

Fresh out of the oven a second time around.  Normally, I don’t like such a long wait for food, but it was well worth it.

And then came the entrees.  Loren ordered the jambalaya and I ordered the crawfish etouffee.  Our waitress asked what spice level we wanted on a scale of 1 to 10.  I picked a 1 and Loren picked a 6 for his dish.  I also asked to have the scallions left off of mine.

This is my etouffee with scallions on it.  There weren’t that many, I just assumed she didn’t hear me when I asked that they be left off.  She saw me picking them off the dish and said the chef must have mixed up the dish because Loren’s didn’t have any scallions on his and normally the jambalaya has scallions. (I’d already transferred a few of mine on to his plate before I took the photo)

So, as I’m picking off the remaining scallions, Loren starts to eat his and says it’s really not all that spicy for a spice level 6.  Just as I’m about to take my first bite, it dawns on me that if the scallions ended up on my dish, there’s a good chance the spice level did too.  Oh yeah, wimpy me ended up with a spice level 6 etouffee.  If it hadn’t been so tasty, I probably wouldn’t have eaten it.  It definitely had some spice, but it wasn’t a killer.  They had to refill my water glass a couple of times though. 

Both dishes had wonderful flavors to them.  The jambalaya had a smoky flavor and had chicken, shrimp, and sausage in it.  Mine had tender crawfish, onions and mushrooms in a dark roux etouffee sauce. 

They also brought us a slice of pumpkin pie and pecan pie to make up for the mistake with the spice levels. 

They were both pretty good.   The table next to us had bananas foster and when the chef came out and flambed it at the table, I was thinking that’s what we’re having next time.  And yes, there will definitely be a next time. 

Total bill was $51.  Absolutely worth every penny for the made from scratch, authentic food we were served.  Though I’m not a fan of having children as waitstaff, I have to say, she was very polite and took care of us just fine.  And when we got the bill, she had absolutely written down our order correctly and the kitchen mixed them up.

Zante Cafe Neo
13 N Safford Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-934-5558

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Since Los Mexicanos was closed when we tried to go on Labor Day, we decided to head out there tonight.  The first thing we noticed upon walking in the door was how loud it was.  On the plus side, it means a lot of people are eating there, however, it was rather difficult to hold a conversation.

They brought out some chips and salsa.

It’s not a chunky salsa, but Loren still enjoyed it.  He ordered the steak fajitas.

The waitress brought the pan of fajitas to the table along with my entree.  She said she’d be right back with the plate that came with the fajitas.  Then she disappeared for awhile.  She came back and grabbed his empty drink glass and brought it back, before disappearing into the kitchen one more time to get the plate that goes with the fajitas.  We were just sitting there stunned.  How hard is it to bring all the food to the table?

The fajita meat was tender, but in tiny strips.  We weren’t impressed.  I ordered the chicken chimichanga dinner.  Since it only came with rice, I also ordered a side of refried beans.

If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times, chimichangas should be crispy on the outside.  If they’re not crispy, they’re burritos.  These were definitely stuffed full of chicken though.  Unfortunately, without the crispy exterior, it just lacked the texture I was craving. 

Overall, the entire dining experience was just lacking.  Sure, there was plenty of food and I probably brought over a pound of it home as leftovers, but neither the quality of the food, nor the service was worth the $27 bill.

Los Mexicanos
38954 US Hwy 19
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-945-0777

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We went to the movies this morning and saw “The A-Team” and then headed out to Tarpon Springs for lunch.  We drove through the Sponge Docks and ended up at Costa’s for lunch.

Some bread for the table is always appreciated in my book.

It would have been better warm, but otherwise it was nice and fresh.  My entree came with a salad.

Lots of feta cheese on top and a tangy dressing.  We also ordered some dolmades.

Loren enjoyed them.  Not too much rice inside and a nicely flavored filling.  He ordered the souvlaki sandwich.

He said the pork was tender and overall it was pretty tasty.  I ordered the pastitsio.

I thought it was really bland.  The texture was good, but it just didn’t have a lot of flavor.  I’ve had this dish at several restaurants and this was just lacking compared to others.

I also have to mention the service at the restaurant as it was rather non-existent.  Our food came really fast.  Normally, this isn’t an issue, but when you’re still eating one course, you don’t expect the next before you finish.  Once our entrees arrived, we never saw our waitress again.  She never cleared any plates from the table or came back to ask if everything was ok or if we needed refills.  Luckily, we didn’t need anything else. 

Lunch ran us $25.  We haven’t eaten at a lot of places in Tarpon Springs, but I think we’ll try some others before we try Costas again.

Costas
521 Athens Street
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-938-6890

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