Tarpon Springs, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Greek
Average Price: $$
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined in October 2017
Revised: August 2019
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
If you want to enjoy an authentic taste of the Greek Islands versus a lot of the other Greek restaurants out there, then at Costas Restaurant, located near the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks is your place to find it. Their fresh seafood ranges from calamari, octopus, and a wide variety of fish, plus the Greek classics you are familiar with; Gyros, souvlaki, lamb, and of course stuffed grape leaves. They are open seven days a week, plus all day free parking so you can shop then dine or vice versa. A recent accolade to Costas which also adds more to their authenticity was being voted in the top 100 Greek Restaurants by the National Herald
Costa’s Menu:
- Appetizers
- Spreads
- Combination Appetizers
- Soups and Salads
- Vegetarian Dishes
- Costas Specialties
- Seafood
- Sandwich Specials
- Desserts
- Lunch Menu
- Children's Menu
- Breakfast
The menu was extremely large offering a great variety of classics and rare items, but as we had the Groupon we had to stick to that prefix menu being offered, which itself had lots of options to choose from. From the appetizers, we had the choice of either homemade spanakopita, dolmades, tzatziki, skordalia, Feta Cheese with Kalamata Olives & pepperoncini, fried zucchini or eggplant with skordalia, and last but not least the item we chose was the flaming saganaki cheese - Can you say OPA!?
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| Costas Restaurant / Saganaki lighting |
The Greek salad course is a very typical Greek style salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, feta cheese, and peppers with the addition of being served over a scoop of homemade potato salad and topped with anchovies plus a homemade greek dressing. We also added a cup of Greek soup as an addition to the prefix menu.
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| Costas Restaurant / Greek Salad |
For entrees, they had eleven selections to choose from to which my wife had the villager’s chicken with peppers, onions, and feta in red sauce over pasta. The chicken was perfectly cooked and seasoned, coming with a large sum that had to be taken home.
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| Costas Restaurant / Villager's Chicken |
My entree selection was the pastitsio a fancy name for a Greek Lasagna with layers of macaroni, ground beef & cheese topped with a creamy tomato sauce.
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| Costas Restaurant / Pastitsio Greek Lasagna |
Dessert:
As part of the prefix we enjoyed the baklava with pistachio, filo dough, and sweetened with honey. Also, check out some of these wonderful selections from Wine Dine and Play:
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Greek Cuisine articles and restaurants similar to Costas Restaurant:
Greek is a 4000-year-old style of Mediterranean cuisine and makes wide use of vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, wine, and meat. Other important ingredients include olives, cheese, eggplant, zucchini, lemon juice, vegetables, herbs, bread, and yogurt. The most commonly used grain is wheat; common dessert ingredients include nuts, honey, fruits, and phyllo pastry.
Acropolis Greek Taverna Modern café-tavern chain with Greek eats; reviewed in St. Petersburg, Florida
Riverside Cafe An American & Greek Cafe on the banks of the Manatee River in Palmetto, Florida
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine, Dine, and Play Article Glossary”
Other Tarpon Springs restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
|
Waterside Bar, w/laid-back tropical atmosphere
Tarpon Springs
|
Gourmet Grilled Cheese and a bar in Greek Country
Tarpon Springs
|
A Few Florida Favorites:
|
Rustic New American Fare
St. Petersburg
A top 20 on Wine, Dine, and Play
|
Old-world classic Italian & Mediterranean
New Smyrna Beach
|
Old School Rustic Tuscan
Gulfport
|
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine, Dine, and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience, and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Costas Restaurant a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings
|
Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
|
Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
|
10
|
9
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1
|
Food quality
|
9.5
|
7.5
|
2
|
Plate presentation
|
9
|
7
|
2
|
Customer service
|
8
|
6
|
2
|
Alcohol and other beverages
|
9
|
5
|
3
|
Total regular points awarded
|
45.5
|
34.5
|
10
|
Total percentage — less the Bonus
|
0.758241758241758
| ||
“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
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2
|
0
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Total bonus percentage
|
0.043956043956044
| ||
Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
|
0.802197802197802
| ||
Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
|
3
|
**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
|
3 of 5 Stars:
80% Rating with a 2 point “wow” bonus
An Extraordinary Dining Experience
|
Wine rating:
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2 of 10
Old World selections:
Greece
New World selections:
California
|
Corkage fee’s:
|
This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge
$25.00 per bottle
|
Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
|
Cuisine style:
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Greek
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-Free, Local, Low Carb, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
|
Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
|
Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wears flip-flops!
|
Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
|
Experiences:
|
Place for foodies, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Hole-in-the-wall, and a Neighborhood Gem.
|
Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
|
Parking:
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A Public lot, Street meter parking
|
Wifi
|
The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
|
Noise level:
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Low
|
Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, WARNING with a smoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
|
Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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££
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
|
€€
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Alcohol prices:
$40.00 USD
Costas Restaurant:
521 Athens Street
Tarpon Springs, Florida
34689, USA
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 727-938-6890
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Email:
Website Contact: | |
Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
|
Mon-Sun
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
|
Social Media
&
Accolades:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
An innovative and eclectic tasting menu
Ripponlea, Australia
|
Innovative East Meets West Menu
Cape Town, South Africa
|
Haute French Restaurant
Paris, France
(Now L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon)
|
Other Pictures:
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| Costas Restaurant / Rhoditis |
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| Costas Restaurant / Greek Soup |
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
