Restaurant Review: Little Greek Restaurant

Open any random world history book and you’ll quickly see the legacy Greece left on pages upon pages of texts: larger-than-life kings and their empires, the first Olympics and arguably the birth of western civilization. The list goes on and on, and while many Greecian Empires have crumbled, the legacy of this area’s traditional cuisine has lived on and flourished worldwide.

Thinking out loud, there's got to be hundreds of Greek restaurants in the Tampa Bay area alone.  The Little Greek Restaurant in Largo/Clearwater border is part of this pantheon serving up a variety of Greek culinary classics quickly, inexpensively and with little frills.

This tiny eatery sits in a shopping center off Ulmerton Road and is set up not like a traditional restaurant, but something more along the lines of, say, Moe’s or Chipotle, but with Greek food.  You go down the line customizing your meal, pay and bring it right to your table. 

Quick, easy, and convenient.

But does quick and easy detract from the food’s quality and freshness? 

Surprisingly no.

Their classic gyro was piled with a decent amount of adequately-seasoned lamb, a smear of proportionate tzatsiki (greek cucumber yogurt sauce), onions and the deepest red tomato slices in recent memory.  The coolness of the tzatsiki and veggies melded harmoniously with the tender lambs saltiness to create a gyro any Greecian would surely be proud of.

The Greek salad was neither out-of-the-park nor mediocre.  The dollop of potato salad atop the greens was a bit bland, but the freshness of the (once again) tomatoes and the creamy saltiness of the feta chunks more than made up for it. The Greek dressing was way too salty, especially in conjunction with the feta, but that’s a portion-size call.  Maybe a lesser amount would yield less saltiness in the future.  As a meal with some grilled chicken atop and the right amount of dressing, I’d imagine this thing would be a hit.

Their fries were, well, fries.  Some Greek places throw a little feta cheese atop their fries, but not here.  Regardless, they were cooked to optimal crunchiness and a good accompaniment to their delectable gyro.

Overall, Little Greek Restaurant is a pretty apt descriptor for this place- unassuming, tiny and no crazy concept to bring you in the door. Just classic Greek fare with speed, freshness and affordability in mind.  It’s hard to complain about that.