Soup and a sandwich or soup and a salad are popular lunchtime specials. At the Salt N Pepper Bistro patrons have the unique opportunity of ordering soup and a crepe. The Clearwater-Largo Road restaurant's lunch special is the 3-Cheeses Crepe with the soup of the day for $8.95.  Lunch is served Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.  The cheesy-square-shaped crepe filled the plate and came with a hearty crock of tomato bisque soup. The tomato and cheese combo brought back childhood memories of grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. Chef J.C. Lepretre has been making crepes …

Since 1987, Largo Subs, the family-owned sandwich shop near the corner of Missouri Avenue North and East Bay, has served an array of subs, gyros, wings, salads, burgers and more.  A section of the menu is devoted to steak subs with various options to add cheese, mushrooms, hot peppers and bell peppers. Or, customers can swap out the steak for marinated chicken breast. The 12-inch steak sub, which comes with fries, is plenty for two people to eat for lunch.  The sub shop has plenty of booth seating. Or if you feel like a picnic, order the sub to go and walk the short distance across East Bay …

In the mood for a bowl of chili, Patch stopped by Cosmo's Cafe recently. The eatery is known for its homestyle soups and daily specials.  The restaurant, in a shopping plaza just south of Ulmerton Road, serves breakfast all day. Other options include: daily specials, soups, subs, wraps, club sandwiches, quesadillas, burgers, and salads. Everything is homemade. Every day Cosmo's Cafe prepares homestyle chili and soups. The hearty bowl of chili with cheese and onions was $3.21 with tax. The chili was zesty without being overpowering. The daily soup selections were cream of broccoli and chicken …

Frida's, a well-known bakery and cafe on Ulmerton Road, offers a great variety of sandwiches, breakfast crepes, salads, soups and baked goods. Plus, the spacious cafe has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, with free WiFi available. With so many items on the menu — such as the cranberry maple ham sandwich, chicken quesadilla panini, fresh beets salad and soups of the day — it sometimes hard to pick just one item to eat. Hooray for the combos, which offer patrons the choice of picking two items. The Caesar salad and turkey with smoked gouda panini combo was delicious. The fresh salad greens …

Hungry for a hearty, delicious and budget-friendly sub sandwich? Something warm sounded comforting on a recent, cold-for-Florida day. Cesarina's Italian Deli & Bakery has a great selection of hot sandwiches such as chicken parmigiana, meatball, pastrami and steak with cheese. All cost less than $4 for a 6-inch sub.   The chicken parmigiana sandwich came on homemade Italian bread. The pieces of chicken cutlet were so large, a fork and knife were needed to eat the sandwich.  The cold 6-inch sandwiches cost around $3 with options such as turkey breast, ham with cheese, and tomato with fresh …

In a shopping plaza filled with restaurants, Las Palomas Latin Market offers a selection of grocery items and a place to eat a quick, tasty and budget-friendly meal. Head into the 1300 East Bay Dr. market in Largo and it's easy to miss the food counter in the far lefthand back corner of the store. Choose from a selection of made-to-order tacos, burritos, quesadillas or salads. The Mexican taco came on a flavorful corn tortilla with fresh cilantro and a large quantity of grilled steak with salsa on the side. Tacos with either corn or flour tortillas and a selection of meat fillings are just $2…

Good lunch spots are pretty hard to find. The average diner (like me) looks for a joint that has quality food at a good price, while not being too far from the office. It would also be an added bonus if it was staffed with nice and efficient employees.So here it is, the perfect fix: Seminole Subs & Gyros. Seminole Subs has been around since the beginning of the Clinton administration. Now it has three locations in the general Largo area. As for the food it's worth leaving the office for.Their specialities include the eponymous Gyro, which is made the traditional way (on a pita with vegetables…

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. So it's time for Largo residents to stake out a place to celebrate this Mexican holiday with good food and drinks. Our weekly selection for Bites Nearby is  Señor Loco's Cantina and Grill. This Mexican restaurant has a menu full of tasty options like the Steak's Locos. This $11.95 meal comes with grilled sirloin steak, grilled onions and is served with rice, beans, pico de gallo and two tortillas. For vegetarians the Fajitas Vegetarianas for $11.95, offers grilled and marinated mushrooms, zucchini, onion and bell pepper, served with guacamole, pico de …

Steakhouses never go out of style. It may be the oak filled dining rooms, choice meats or wine lists, that keeps patrons coming back.  In Balla’s Steakhouse's case, it's the consistency of their juicy steaks. The family owned joint has been serving the Largo area for over thirty years. As far as steakhouses go, Balla’s is reasonably priced. You can purchase a bacon wrapped eight-ounce filet mignon and a sixteen-ounce rib eye, for under $20.  All steaks come with horse radish and au jus to augment the flavor. Even if you're not in the mood for red meat, Balla's got you covered. They offer a …

Asian cuisine is in vogue. Generally speaking, Japenese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc… food is full of tasty fish, delicious sauces, wonderfully steamed vegetables and priced reasonably. While some of the options may be difficult to pronounce, they always satisfy the palate.Fortunately, Largo is not immune to this wave of Asian goodness. One such restaurant that exemplifies all that the Eastern diet has to offer is Fuji Yama. Conveniently located on Park Boulevard and Starkey Road, this locale is imbued with quality Japanese and Thai inspired food and a warm ambiance.If you're in the mood …

Fortunato’s Italian Pizzeria has divided the past thirty plus years between Maryland and Florida. Since 1990, however, the inviting restaurant has been a singular Largo treasure. Located on Starkey and Park Boulevard, Fortunato’s has built its reputation on serving quality and authentic Italian food at reasonable prices. This spot prides itself on maintaining a trattoria tradition, a casual authentic Italian feel, and their customers have reaped the benefits. When going to a pizzeria, the food of choice is typically a pizza. Fortunato’s is no different. All of their pies are hand tossed and …

If you’re in the mood for something new or exotic, it’s hard to go wrong with classic cuisine from across the world.  Case in point; Indian food.  A menagerie of often healthy, spice-filled vegetables and lean meats, Indian food is really like no other. To get your fix, check out Deeya Indian Cuisine on East Bay Drive.  Slow cooked and richly delicious, Deeya utilizes a deep clay oven known as a tandoor to prepare a comprehensive variety of traditional Indian dishes.  Tandoor entrees like garlic tandoori shrimp ($13.95) – roasted and marinated in a garlic ginger sauce – and chicken kasmiri ($…

There are eight smoothies on the menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Largo that promise to supercharge your day.  The Health Nut says it'll do it with blueberries, mango, banana, almonds and whey or soy protein. Then there's the Very Berry Green Tea that does the trick with acai, strawberries, blueberries and green tea.  These smoothies are $4.79.  On the menu, smoothies range from $3.89 to $4.89. If you're looking for a supplement add an additional $.79. Here are our recommendations on energy boosters.  Energizer: Fights fatigue, reduces stress and boosts energy Matcha Green Tea: Rich in …

Dinner doesn't have to be an expensive endeavor. Nanny's Kitchen, 1013 Highlands Ave., in Largo has you covered with their daily specials under $10, Monday through Thursday. Today's deal is a filling spaghetti dinner. Get a spaghetti with meat sauce, a garden salad and a garlic toast for $8. Nanny's Kitchen is open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you're a barbeque lover then check  them out on Friday and Saturday's for rib and chicken specials. They have an award winning barbeque recipe and baked beans. Nanny's Kitchen recently opened. This is a family owned and operated …

Savory Restaurant & Pizzeria has plenty of items on their menu for under $10. On the top of this list are their burgers, which start at $5.95.  This restaurant put their own twist to the all American dish. Their bleu cheeseburger, $6.55, is an 8-ounce patty topped with bleu cheese, on a freshly baked kaiser roll. It's packed with lettuce, tomato, pickles and served with your choice of steak fries, Greek potato salad or coleslaw.  Get fancy by adding any of these toppings for an additional $.75.  mushrooms olives jalapeno banana peppers feta cheese Click here for more information on Savory …

Lunch should never be heavy on your wallet. Three Coins Family Restaurant, on Missouri Avenue, stands by this oath.  Their menu has tons of items in their lunch and dinner menu under $5, $6 and $10. This family oriented all-American diner makes you feel right at home. Servers are friendly, food is served swiftly and for those who want to catch up on the news while on a lunch break or watch sports there’s a table for that. Three Coins is open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Here’s a list of hot sandwiches for under $6.  These items are served…