Niko's Grill House — Restaurant in Tarpon Springs

We stopped at Tarpon Springs on the way home from Tampa. Very cute sponge industry town. Famously known for its Greek history and culture. A traditional authentic Greek restaurant was on our list for lunch. We are so happy we found Niko's Grill House. We were warmly greeted when we entered. The restaurant was bright, clean and cheery. Our server was Christos, a personable young man who took time to explain different menu items to us, made suggestions based on our likes and personal tastes. We were happy to have a waiter who knew the menu very well and could guide us. Since it was lunch, we kept it simple. I decided on Niko's Choice with lamb and beef. Excellent choice. My wife selected Chicken Gyro. She kept raving about how flavorful and tender the chicken was. Each came stuffed with meat, onions, tomatoes and tzatziki. A red sauce was added to mine which enhanced the flavor and spice level but was not too hot at all. The French fries were wonderful. Crispy, but soft inside with the perfect seasoning. During our lunch, the proprietor, Niko, stopped to check on us, asking how we liked the meal and if there was anything we needed. This was a great addition to the personal attention we got from Christos, who checked on us frequently, refilled drinks and was happy to answer any questions we had. Christos brought out complimentary Halva to us for dessert. When we asked about the ingredients and how it was made, the chef came out from the kitchen to explain how she personally made the halva. The entire experience was made more enjoyable by the atmosphere, friendly and professional staff and the excellent food. The menu has so many great sounding traditional Greek dishes that we can't wait to come back for a longer and...

This was a very genuinely Greek restaurant, maybe too much so. That said, food was good. We do not speak Greek or have extensive experience ordering Greek food. As we tried to order (after a long wait, we found the very Greek server who seemed to either have limited English skills or limited interest in assisting us to be challenging. We wound up with a "Greek salad" and a "Gyro." Appearantly "with fries" in Greece means 4 or 5 soggy fries in your gyro. Not what we were expecting. Also, we sat out on a beautiful day and were harassed for the full 90 minutes by bees. We complained, and they were like "oh they've been here for months". It was so bad we eventually captured them in upside-down glasses. When the server server eventually brought the food after a looong wait and noticed all 6 glasses contained bees they never offered us a refill or glass of water or anything. So we had to chose between being stung or having beverages. Sooo they need picture menus and better service. The food was good but they need better service from order taking,...

This is the kind of place that makes you feel like family from the moment you walk in. Our server, Christos, was absolutely amazing, so kind, attentive and friendly. The owner, Niko, went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. He personally greeted us and brought apple juice for our kids and made sure we didn’t leave before sending us over an incredible Greek pastry.

The food was out of this world. The chicken and pork were marinated, seasoned and grilled to perfection. You can really taste the difference in quality as the meats are fresh from the slaughterhouse and never frozen. The fries were hand-cut and freshly cooked, the pita bread was well seasoned and warm, and every bite was full of flavor. They also have a great selection of Greek beers, which made the whole meal feel even more authentic.

We’re already looking forward to coming back, trying more dishes, and sharing this place with our family...