Rafina Greek Taverna — Restaurant in Florida

Absolute Disaster – DO NOT BOOK AN EVENT HERE!

My daughter and I met with the Manager Aleco in early October to book a party for 25-30 people in January, he sold us on having half of the back patio as the party was for her 13th Birthday and most of the guests were of the same age. We agreed upon a 3-course option, which included 2 appetizers, salad and 3 entrée options (chicken, salmon, pork gyros) all served family style. We confirmed with him we could include an inflatable photo booth at the event and place on the back deck, we were told “absolutely” so we booked the inflatable photo booth.

Three weeks prior to the event, I went to finalize seating and table arrangements with Aleco. At this meeting, we finalized the floor plan, I measured the tables to ensure I purchased the correct linens, table runners, vases, balloon arrangements, etc. We discussed photobooth placement on the deck, cake table, gift table, adult table... as one would normally do when planning an event!

Fast forward to the day of our event- We arrive at 6:00 pm to set up (as discussed during our meeting 3-weeks prior) only to discover a fully seated side patio, with 2 parties of 25 and additional smaller parties seated with absolutely no room for our guests, no room for the photo booth- no tables, no chairs, nothing at all. The staff scrambled to throw together a hodgepodge of tables and chairs of varying styles and sizes and which meant all the linens we purchased, and table décor no longer worked! Our guests were tightly situated between the railing of the deck and massive heaters. Additionally, the adults had to stand for an hour before being seated as there simply was no table or chairs available to accommodate us.

It doesn’t end there- The party was booked from 7-9, but as 9’oclock rolled around no dinner had been served and we pushed the time out to 9:30, still no dinner… being that this was a party of 12-13-year-old children, parents began picking them up at the agreed upon time and we had to scramble to get the cake done before our daughters' friends left! Needless to say, all of our guests left with no dinner!

This event was an absolute disaster, we trusted this place to handle an important event for us, and they dropped the ball in a major way! We wasted so much money, time and energy to throw a memorable 13th birthday party for our daughter and it truly was a complete bomb and came off as a last minute “thing” we attempted to throw together, but missed the mark entirely- yet still cost us a large chunk of change as they only lowered the bill slightly to account for not having the main...

I have been here multiple times in the past. Tonight, I bring a first date here. I ordered a chicken kebab plate. The chicken came burnt black on the outside. Reordered. The second chicken plate came out worse than the first. This is now over an hour later. I asked for falafel to be sent, as now I was starving. In all this time, neither the owner nor manager thought it prudent to come to the table to offer apology for such horrific food being sent out. I ask the manager to come out. He came out with a terrible attitude, let me know, flippantly that since they could not make me happy, that I should "have a good night", apologized offhandedly, let me know that the owner had known about the first disgusting dish, and had ordered the second and then left - without making sure his customer was dealt with appropriately. After waiting an hour and a half to be sent 3 falafel to satisfy my hunger, I was spoken to by an inexperienced condescending manager who made me feel like I was an inconvenience to his night and that he could not be bothered to deal with it. He interrupted me several times and walked away from the table twice. I never once raised my voice or cursed at him- as I should have. His name is Aleco. Worse - a group of millennials were chain smoking cigarettes right in the middle of the outdoor patio, making the entire scenario unbelievable, embarrassing and disgusting. I thought of complaining to the owner, Paul tomorrow... But Paul had known about the first dish and left before making sure I was taken care of and left his restaurant in the hands of an arrogantly rude and inexperienced manager and a outdoor patio full of smokers. No bueno. Will never ever go again, will not recommend this place to anyone else. Ever. I have never in my life been sent two burnt dishes and then been spoken to in this way by a manager. I was so embarrassed and angry about this, I couldn't even kiss my date good night! Skip this place and go somewhere classier with more...

Last week, I celebrated my birthday at Rafina Greek Taverna with a group of 14 guests, including several who flew in from out of state for the occasion. We coordinated everything in advance with the manager, Felipe, who was friendly and helpful, and everything seemed set for the great evening. On the day of the event, I received a call from Irene, who introduced herself as the General Manager and informed me that Felipe was out sick, and she would be overseeing our party. Unfortunately, the evening did not go as smoothly as expected. Service was inconsistent and poorly coordinated. There were unusually long pauses between each course—so that it felt like the staff had forgotten we were there, drinks were frequently delayed or mixed up, and small issues—like missing glasses, takeout containers being brought out mid-meal—added up and disrupted the experience. When I calmly raised these concerns with Irene, her response felt defensive and dismissive. Rather than addressing the feedback, she seemed irritated and disengaged, which left a noticeable impression on me and my guests. That said, the food was quite good—the lamb chops stood out—and a few members of the staff clearly tried their best despite what appeared to be a lack of leadership or training. My guests helped keep the evening positive, which I greatly appreciated. The total cost came to around $2,000 (about $130 per person), including 20% service charge. I expressed concern about this charge and was told it was non-negotiable. Out of respect for my guests and occasion, I chose not to escalate the issue. I value good service, and regularly leave compliments and generous tips and give negative reviews once in a blue moon-only when the service or experience is exceptionally poor. I gave Rafina two stars: one for the food, and one for the few staff who tried. Based on this experience I don’t...