In today's society of eating factory-made food while sitting in rush hour, sometimes we crave a trip back to our Greek roots, real or honorary, where a concerned matriarch forces us to sit down and eat because we are skin and bone. 

At Largo’s Fireplace Restaurant on Seminole Boulevard across from the Largo Mall, Vicki Spyridakos provides such a place. You can sink down in a comfy chair next to the restaurant’s namesake, a large hearth decorated with the charms of home, and eat a well-priced, hearty meal that Spyridakos lovingly cooks each day.

Spyridakos and her family have owned the Fireplace Restaurant since 1978. Her husband, Peter Spyridakos, bought it after they immigrated to the United States from the small town of Paleopanagia, Greece. Always a family restaurant, the couple’s three children grew up working in it.

Now their oldest son, Louis Spyridakos, a fireman and paramedic in Hillsborough County, helps fill the void left when his father passed in 2007 and assists his mother in running the restaurant.  

Melding traditional diner fare with Greek specialties, the Fireplace has become a Largo mainstay with its affordable prices and large servings. Specials change daily, but you can count on the popular All-You-Can-Eat Fish Dinner on Wednesday and Friday nights.

They also sell Peter Spyridakos’ original Olive Grove Greek Dressing. Try it on the ultimate healthy comfort food, the Fireplace’s Greek salad paired with Vicki Spyridakos’ homemade bread, or bring in your own platter and have them serve it up special for your next holiday celebration.

No matter what you decide to try at the Fireplace Restaurant, you’re guaranteed to not leave hungry.

If you go:

Fireplace Restaurant

Address: 12580 Seminole Blvd., Largo

Phone: 727-585-4094

Hours: Daily, 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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