Any Good Greek Restaurants In TV
 

We'll be out there next week, and are looking forward to hitting a Greek Restaurant. Not too many in our area. Also an Italian Restaurant would be nice.

Nope. There are some Greek restaurants. But no "good" Greek restaurants. They're basically the kinds of places that make pastitcio and call it lasagna, and buy their tzaziki in gallon containers from Sysco and their feta cheese is domestic, crumbled, and dry. They're okay.

Yep. For good Greek food you need to go to Tarpon Springs.

No <fill in ethnicity> food will be good here according to these boards, it was always better wherever you came from.

The food at Amerikanos in Spanish Spring wasn't bad but the crowd made it almost uncomfortable.

Takis in Leesburg seemed to try hard - it's worth a try.

There is a Takis Greek-Italian restaurant very near The Villages.

13761 US 441 Lady Lake

Americanos in Spanish Springs isn’t bad, just don’t sit in the outside dinning area if you don’t like cigarette and cigar smoke.

Had the strangest gyro there a few years ago convinced me not to go back.

Apparently tarpon springs is the go to place

The Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs is a well-known Greek community. They have many Greek festivals and events. Every year, teen-age Orthodox boys in the community happily dive into the water
hoping to be the one to recover a tossed cross. The boy who finds it will supposedly have luck throughout his life. This event is often televised on many news channels throughout Florida.

A well-known local dish is a Greek Salad with a scoop of potato salad underneath. Dont knock it until you've tried it. It is yummy! Many restaurants serve fresh fish from the Gulf. And, of course, sponges of all sizes are sold on nearly every corner.

If you want to turn your adventure into a few days trip, a slew of Florida's famous beaches are only 20-30 minutes away. One of my favorites is John's Pass/Treasure Island. St Pete Beach is beautiful and has MANY wonderful restaurants.It is hard for me to choose a favorite.

The scientology community is head-quartered in downtown Clearwater.It is unique to see the followers walking around in uniform. (If that kinda thing interests you) I went once hoping to see Tom Cruise or Travolta. Nope! Just a sighting of Hulk Hogan walking on the beach.

Browse travel sites before going. So much to see and do in that area.

Ocala has some great restaurants. We go once a week. Another favorite of ours is Disney Springs. A bit pricey but many great restaurants to choose from. Jaleo, a Spanish restaurant, is a favorite. They have a light show with drones every night. Fun to watch! We also enjoy Chef Art Smith's Homecoming Restaurant. It serves Floridian food in a casual atmosphere. The Boat House serves wonderful seafood. If you go, pick up some Giddeons cookies to take home. You may have to stand an hour or so in a long line. But, the wait is worth it.

Notice I did not recommend a restaurant inside the bubble. Most are mediocre at best. IMO, some are below that ranking. Get in your car and explore the areas outside of the Villages. You'll be glad you did!

If you must stay local, give Sammy's or Gio's a try for Italian food. Neither are upscale but both serve some good dishes.

No. Try to do a day trip out to the west coast to Tarpon Springs, about 1.5-2 hours drive. Proper Greek food there, you can visit the sponge docks and there’s a great Greek bakery. Worth the trip.

Greek?
 

We lived in the Villages approximately 9 months and found the food here is mediocre at best. Most of the restaurants are owned by this FMK group, who i guess is trying to corner the food market. No farm to table, no start up mom and pop places where you would get great quality restaurant food. Wolfgang Puck hits the quality here and is a good stop.
It's disappointing that most of the restaurants here all taste the same.
Making your own is fun and the better choice.

We like Stavros in Fruitland Park on 441.

I had a Gyro there last week. It was excellent.

Takis in Leesburg used to be processed gyros meat. Spit carved last couple of time we've been there. Pretty good. Lady Lake Takis last night...processed meat but ok.

They just don't make a good gyro anywhere down here. For me its the TZATZIKI sauce they put on the Gyro, doesn't taste as good as a yogurt I used to get back home.

True. I wasn’t impressed, though.

My favorite Italian is Napolinos on 301. It does get crowded, though.

No, the dead giveaway is when you look at the menu and besides Greek food, they're serving pizza and hamburgers. You expect that from a Greek dinner not a restaurant.

We love Stavros, not really greek but the pizza is fantastic. Their side salad is awesome, and just about everything on their menu is delicious.

We’ll written. I agree with everything you wrote.

Greek restaurants
 

For the best in Greek restaurants, take a ride to Tarpon Springs! Also, here in Ocala we love Laki's on 200.

STAVROS serves excellent Greek & Italian food and they are located in Fruitland Park, only minutes outside The Villages. Great Food, Xlint Service at reasonable prices.

Stavos in fruitland park is a greek/Italian and is good.
My favorite Italian is Piesanos in shopping center on Kristin way near Rohan rec

Sometime ago we were told the Greek restaurants get their foods from Tarpon Springs. Apparently there is a factory in Tarpon that makes the foods and distribution is all over the state.Things like spinach pie or desserts. If that's the case Takis in Leesburg would be best in my opinion. Italian is matter of choice.

We love to go to Deland...at Santorini Greek Cuisine. Look it up...so good.

For Italian we stay here and go to Rodello's Italian Restaurant south of Leesburg on 27.

Famous Beaches
 

I don't know how they get to Johns Pass in 20 to 30 minutes unless they time travel. Google Map says in about 2 hours from the Villages.

I think the poster meant 20 or 30 minutes from Tarpon Springs, if you were making your adventure there into a few day trip.

Tarpon Springs to Clearwater is about half an hour. Same from Clearwater to Johns Pass/St. Pete Beach.

And absolutely, the Greek food in TS is the best.

Greek
 

Only decent Greek restaurant we have found is in Ocala. LAKIS on College Rd.
Prima Italian in Brownwood is awesome.

I’ll have to try this Stavros place! Amerikanos will do in a pinch if you want some decent saganaki or pitas. The rest is OK, but no leg o’lamb? No dolmades? Those are Greek staples where I’m from. A day trip to Tarpon Springs is worth it. If anything, just to get out of this area for awhile.

I swore I’d never be one of “those people” who constantly talked about how the (restaurants,customs, culture) was better back north, but truth is truth. The Villages restaurants are mostly mediocre, especially considering how demanding the market is here. I find that many conflate high-priced with high-quality.

Easy to find any nationality around here, even places few people know about.
Use The Villages Gourmet Club's SEARCH PAGE. Section 2 has all the food types you could ever want.
They list 19 Greek restaurants even, Hellas in Tarpon Springs, my favorite.
We use this resource all the time.

Good luck,
Skip

Acceptable options nearby the TV bubble
 

Although nothing is as good as the near-authentic Greek restaurant food in Tarpon Springs, there are a couple “acceptable” options nearby TV. Takis (on US 441 in Lady Lake) offers both Greek and Italian foods. Stavros, a Greek-owned Italian restaurant on US 441 in Fruitland Park offers Greek salads and Italian foods. And Napolinos in Hwy 301 north of Wildwood offers good Italian foods. For best deep dish pizza, go to Legends on US 441 in Fruitland Park, but allow 45 minutes of sipping and grazing to allow for preparation. In the TV “bubble” we gravitate to Roberto’s in Pinellas Plaza for pizza.

Go to Hellas Restaurant and Bakery, in Tarpon Springs. I am of Greek heritage. I haven’t tasted such authentic food since my childhood.

Can also use a quality authentic German restaurant.

Takis near Bealls on 441 north. It’s in the area with Firehouse subs and Marcos Pizza. Just went to a luncheon there. My husband was Greek and the food isn’t as good as his YiaYia’s it’s not bad

With enough ouzo you won't care!

Says the person who didn’t grow up with a spit in their yard, awaiting lamb for roasting, fresh Filo, feta, spinach for Spanakopita in the kitchen. With my Godmother Yia Yia, teaching, us generations of Greek techniques in the kitchen.

Nope not enough Ouzo in any Greek household, would make one care less about poorly prepared Greek cuisine. One really needs to travel to Tarpon for all things Greek.

I said, John's Pass and several other beaches are 20-30 minutes FROM THE SPONGE DOCKS IN TARPON SPRINGS. Sorry to mislead anyone.

Takis has a place up north too, on the way to Aldis and Walmart, past BJ's and Lowe's.

As I said - it's okay. It's not good, but it's okay. No idea what's up with their idea of salad - SHREDDED lettuce - with feta cheese, a pepperoncini, a couple of kalamata olives (with the pits still inside), and their idea of greek dressing which seems to be white vinegar and olive oil and maybe some garlic salt and pepper? It was pretty horrible. I mean who eats shredded lettuce other than on a sub?

Their meatball subs were pretty bad. The lasagna was decent, they have good meat sauce for it. But it's not really lasagna. It's pastitsio, without the bechamel on top.

I lived in Palm Harbor for nine years. It is about eight or less miles from Tarpon Springs. Great Greek food there in Tarpon Springs. I do not have high standards with food though.

We had a German restaurant in Brownwood. Then Tapas Restaurant. Like all restaurants before them, if nobody eats there, it closes.

Workman has bus trip to German restaurants, usually they are never fully booked

Really good restaurants, and you're coming to the Villages!
 

Your in for a big surprise! If your a foodie your coming to the wrong area. So good luck with your searching.... Kind of bad timing... The area is packed with visitors.. Well you'll see. Mezza Luna

Check the Villages Gourmet Club. They have ratings of restaurants in and around the Villages. Searchable by "Greek" along with many other descriptors.

http://the villages gourmet club.com