Apollonia Grill - Landings Sarasota — Restaurant in Florida

After first coming to this restaurant in mid November 2020 we returned 6 more times. It became our favorite dining choice. We came for what we hoped would be a fabulous New Years Eve. We dressed to the nines and came in the mid evening to enjoy their New Years Eve dining specials including lobster and and paired filet medallions. The restaurant in these COVID days was less than half full (alternate tables kept empty, outdoor tables empty due to cool weather, bar with just 3 couples). There was no late seating, not because they closed early but because so many stayed home due perhaps to COVID and fear of crowds. We were one of 3 tables our waitress had that evening. The cooking staff was never overwhelmed yet...the kitchen failed spectacularly. Our lobster was so under cooked it was mushy and so stuck into their half shells that no effort could dislodge the meat. Patiently we sent those items back. Waiting on their belated return of over 20 minutes we focused instead on our properly tender and slightly over cooked filet medallions (a solid medium rare when we carefully ordered rare). When the lobster was returned to us belatedly we found 1 to be still soggy and undercooked and the other to be dry and rather over cooked. We had the impression from our waitress that the head cook was annoyed by our request to correct these cooking items to start with so we let the condition of these lobster items pass. We love the wait staff at this restaurant, they are always attentive and keep coming by to update on the meal progression. Given that the next day was New Years Day we also ordered in advance a second round of food for take away to be given to us at the end of our meal for our at home New Years feast. My wife who is a light eater saved one of her filet medallions (4 oz) to be added to our take home and it was duly delivered with great explanation to our server who in turn took it to the kitchen where it was expected to be added to our second round of dinner take aways. To our horror and great disappointment when we arrived home and opened each item from the restaurant we found they had taken away my wife’s filet medallion. She was anemic due to a previous ailment and had told the staff or her desire to eat good red meat to boost her iron levels. Her disappointment was high not just because we had so carefully requested this item to be added to our take away, but also because we had with our wine, deserts (both for our diner in and take away) spent over $250 at this restaurant in one night. When we called the restaurant on their next open day (closed New Year’s Day) the senior servers and floor manager informed the kitchen that our filet had be left out of our take home food. The response from the person in charge of the kitchen was a simple “so what”. That person who seems to be styled as the “chef”, but failing in responsibilities as that title could imply, said it wasn’t for them help. Confused we came in a few days later and politely asked again, restating the issue of the missing filet. The “chef” again refused to consider our loss as any issue of theirs to deal with. The rather shaken senior server who took our request in person to the kitchen gave us the name of the owner but could not offer much hope that the self styled “ chef” would ever help out. In fact standing at the front of the restaurant we could hear the chef’s annoyed voice over the still empty lunch time restaurant. We left our name and phone numbers with the staff for the owner and hoped for a call the owner or a senior manager....that was now nearly 2 months ago...no call, no care at all that excellent high tipping customers who came to the restaurant weekly 7 times in 6 weeks had been so disappointed. To put it clearly, the owner and their self styled “chef” couldn’t give a care for us at all. Since then we have eaten regularly at the Grillsmith, Daruma, both close by Appolonia and where service and care by kitchen and management are...

Updated 02/05/2025 Unfortunately, each visit has been a disappointment, with the experience declining over time. Hostess was a literal airhead and didn’t notice we were standing waiting to be seated as she was busy discussing a tables champagne order with servers and not at her hostess station. The service was lacking—and overall lack of care she rarely checked in, leaving us without refills or the opportunity to address any issues. The restrooms were in unacceptable condition, with no toilet paper or paper towels, and both toilets were backed up. Staff stated they had been very busy as an explanation for it. On two separate occasions, our meals had to be sent back due to being undercooked. We did not finish our appetizer and explained we no longer wanted to eat here and left before our entrees arrived. We had lost our appetites entirely due to the uncleanliness of this establishment. The manager was kind and didn’t charge for our appetizer and did offer her apology. That was appropriate and I felt bad that her staff was so disappointing and in my opinion are destroying the business.

We had hoped this would become our go-to spot for good Mediterranean food, but the lack of attentiveness from the staff and the overall uncleanliness of the restaurant have made it clear that we won’t be returning or recommending it to others

Original review: 5 months prior I recently dined at Appolonia Mediterranean Grill, and it was a delightful experience from start to finish. The quality of the food is outstanding; each dish is prepared with a clear emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients. We started with the Meze platter and dip trio of hummus, tzatziki and eggplant accompanied with warm pita bread. The Steak Frites was perfectly cooked, with the steak tender and flavorful. The Chicken Kabob was another highlight—succulent and well-seasoned, it truly showcased the skill in their grilling.

I was also impressed by the Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup; it had a bright, refreshing flavor that was both comforting and invigorating. The service, provided by Kish, was exceptional—attentive without being intrusive.

The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, with a warm and inviting ambiance that complements the fantastic food. Appolonia Mediterranean Grill is a gem that excels in both its culinary offerings and overall dining experience. Highly...

Ordered pick up on Doordash because that is the restaurant's choice of method. I ordered at 2 PM and the app told me that the food would be ready at 2:40. I showed up at 2:45 and the lady said, "just a few minutes." I then got a notification on my phone from the app indicating that the restaurant just acknowledged my order. I asked the woman if they had even started making the food yet, and she said no. Needless to say, I was a little annoyed at that point because if the app hadn't informed me that they had just accepted my order, I would not have known that they hadn't even started to prepare my food. The woman could have told me this but chose not to. I then informed her that I didn't have the time to sit there while they cooked my order from scratch, as I needed to be back home by 3 PM. I didn't show that I was upset and diplomatically told them that maybe I could come back later and pick up the order as I could no longer cancel the order in Doordash because they had already accepted the order. So we agreed that I would come back at 4:30 to pick up my food. When I was done with what I was doing at 4 PM, I called them to confirm that we would be good for 4:30 because clearly, they need that type of management from their customers. They confirmed it would be ready at 4:30. When I arrived, the food wasn't ready. I had to sit and wait for 15 minutes before the food came out. They were kind and apologetic about the whole ordeal, but still had me waiting nonetheless. Food was good, just no respect for my time at all. They didn't put an extra appetizer or a $10 gift card or anything for the inconvenience. It's baffling to patronize an establishment that is in the service industry, and they seemingly aren't concerned about service at all. Confusing and will likely not return or...