By Gary Nager
Although there already are several Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants I really enjoy in both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, I have to tell you I’m a big fan of the new Little Greek Restaurant, which is located in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center shopping plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in the space that previously had been occupied by Firehouse Subs. Click through for a slideshow of some of the delicious Greek menu items.
Despite the fact he’s only been open in our area a few months, owner Percy Rosemurgy, a long-time Tampa native who spent a lot of time in the North Tampa area during his youth, has already developed quite a following at Little Greek, both for the restaurant’s food and in the community. Despite opening about six months later than originally planned, Percy participated both in this year’s Taste of New Tampa in March and in the New Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo in September.
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But, no matter how nice a guy Percy may be, if Little Greek — which is a small-but-growing chain with 11 Tampa Bay-area locations, three in Texas and one in Arkansas — didn’t have great food, with some options you can’t find at any of the other places in our area, he wouldn’t be packed every day at lunch time. Best of all, even with the lunch crowd, Percy’s outstanding team keeps the traffic moving with no problem.
Little Greek’s menu is the same for lunch or dinner, but many of the menu items are platters (starting at just $8.99) that offer enough food for lunch for two people or more than enough for one for dinner.
Speaking of platters, if you really want to try a nice sampling of Little Greek’s Mediterranean fare, one of the newest items on Little Greek’s menu is the Sampler Platter ($14.99), which also happens to be one of my favorites. The platter is definitely share-able and includes a sizable Greek salad, a small side of hummus with pita chips, one dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), one small slice of spanakopita (spinach pie), one tender, terrific, fire-grilled lamb kabob, one perfect grilled chicken kabob and a nice-sized portion of Little Greek’s delicious lamb gyro meat, all on a bed of savory Greek-style rice.
I’m also big on Little Greek’s unique steak pita sandwich and, especially, the steak kabob platter, which immediately brought me back to my days in New York City, where many of the mobile hotdog carts also offered delicious, grilled steak kabobs. But, unlike the kabobs of my NYC memories, it’s obvious Percy uses real Grade A beef.
If you feel like a Greek salad (regular for $6.49 or mini for $4.99), but don’t actually love all of the ingredients usually included in the salad, Little Greek offers a make-your-own Greek salad you can customize with your favorite veggies and even add grilled chicken, gyro meat, a shrimp skewer, a steak skewer or grilled salmon (for $2.49-$4.49 additional).
Although I’m not a big lemon soup fan, I’ve heard raves about Little Greek’s avgolemono soup ($2.49 for a cup, $3.49 for a bowl) and I can tell you that the hummus, spanakopita and dolmades are all top-notch. Sandwich options ($5.99-$7.99) include a homemade falafel pita, veggie, lamb and Olympian pita (with chunks of chicken and gyro meat) and even a nice-looking pita burger I plan to try on my next visit. You can add a side Greek salad. hand-cut fries, potato salad, rice, Greek-style potatoes or a cup of soup for only $1.99 more.
Need something sweet to finish off your meal? Little Greek has baklava, rice pudding, tiramisu and my three favorite desserts so far are the cannolis, baklava cheesecake and chocolate kok.
There’s also a nice “Little Greeks” menu ($3.99-$4.99), soft drinks, delicious catering platters and even opportunities to purchase Little Greek franchises. And, with the coupons in Little Greek’s ad on page 57, you can get 20-percent off your next purchase or off any catering order!
Little Greek (19022 BBD Blvd.) is open every day, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For more information, call 972-0707 or visit MyLittleGreek.com.
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