Restaurant review: Little Greek

Last Thursday I was fortunate enough to be invited to a blogger party over at the new Little Greek in South Tampa. When I saw Carlos, from Carlos Eats, post about it on our Tampa Bay Bloggers website, I knew I would have to attend.

I. Love. Greek food.
In fact, in the world of cultural dishes, Greek is at the top of my list. But apparently, from what I learned from Sigrid Bratic, the creator of the Little Greek restaurants, is that the food they serve has been Americanized; making original Greek flavors more accessible to anyone wanting something.
So let me rephrase: it's Americanized Greek food that is on the top of my list!

When I travel to Greece and try the food from the source, I may include authentic Greek as well, but for now, I'm OK with enjoying the food that places like the Little Greek serves up. Why? Because it's scrumptious, satisfying and crave-able.

Little Greek is located in off of South Dale Mabry, a little south of Hesperides Avenue, right across the street from Grillsmith. If you're native, do you remember the Blockbuster Video across from the Publix on Neptune? Well, the Little Greek is in the same shopping plaza; right where the Wingstop used to be. In fact, all of their restaurants are located in existing establishments. Restaurant recycling at it's finest. Their other Tampa location is located where the McDonald's used to be in Westshore Mall.
Best. Switch. Ever.

The blogging party was so much more than I expected. Sigrid Bratic (the creator of Little Greek) and NickVojnovic (the president of Little Greek), and Jennifer Bujalski (the marketing manager) were all there to greet us as we arrived. There was an area set up where we could mingle with the other bloggers, sample dish after dish and enjoy complimentary wine and beer.

There was about 15 of us in all, and I saw some familiar faces in the crowd like Denise from RunDMT, Crystal from Thrifty and Frugal Living, Monica from SweetBites and Sarah from A Spoonful of Sarcasm. Along with our blogger invites, we were encouraged to bring a guest. Liz from She Will Be Starting A Blog Soon Because I said So was my guest. ;)

 

In the hour and a half that we were there, we sampled an amazing array of the Little Greek's menu. Here's what was served:
-Grilled and Fried Pita Bread -absolutely delicious, dusted with Parmesan cheese.
-Homemade Hummus- smooth, creamy and light, topped with salty Greek olives.

 

-Homemade Falafel- The best I've had! Try it with the spicy Tzatziki!
-Tzatziki- Cool, fresh and full of flavor.
-Spicy Tzatziki (test item)- Made with their hot sauce with the base ingredient: carrots!

 

-Spinach Pie- To die for. My favorite Greek dish and the Little Greek's did not disappoint.
-Dolmades- We actually got to see how these are made in house. Tender, and flavorful.

 

-Homemade Avgolemono Soup- Fresh, lemony, and light. A perfect summertime soup.
-Greek Sausage (test item)- With just a hint of spice, these sausages are scrumptious!
-Signature Hand-cut French Fries- Dusted with a bit of spice and reminiscent of Fair fries!
-Grilled Chicken- Tender, juicy grilled chicken was one of my favorites of the sampling.
-Gyro Meat- Melt in your mouth cuts of lamb and beef.

 

-Gyro Pita- A combination of the warm pita, Tzatziki sauce, veggies and gyro meat= heaven!
-Greek Salad- The potato salad on top did not disappoint!

 

-Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

 

-Chicken Souvlaki Platter

 

-Homemade Mousaka- I didn't get to try this but Denise said it was fantastic!
-Baklava- Made locally at a Greek bakery in Tarpon Springs. My all time favorite dessert!

 

-Homemade Rice Pudding- Creamy, light and comforting. As all rice pudding should be.

 

Sigrid, Nick, Jennifer and the Little Greek crew continued to bring out sampling platter after sampling platter, giving us the background and history of each dish and how it's prepared, and refilling our glasses (or replacing our bottles) when our drinks got low. They were remarkably welcoming and hospitable, which is definitely an indication of how they interact and treat their customers on a day to day basis. When you enter this fast casual restaurant (think Panera and Chipolte), it's comfortable and inviting like a full service restaurant, without the time commitment, which makes the Little Greek great for a quick bite that is healthier than the drive thru options that fast food establishments bring.

 

It was really neat being able to provide feedback to both the president and creator of Little Greek, as well as trying potential menu items and giving our opinions on those. As we left, we were handed a bottle of their Greek dressing and a bottle of their hot sauce to take home, with a free gyro and baklava coupon attached to the bottles.

Like I said. We were treated like royalty!
If you haven't checked out Little Greek I urge you to! Like go, right now! And if you're in market for catering, you're in luck! All of their locations offer catering and delivery in some cases. Check out their website for details!

And if you'd like to make your visit even sweeter, leave me a comment below and you'll be entered to win a free meal on the house! You'll be able to choose from a traditional gyro or chicken pita, fries and a drink. Just leave me a comment below telling me what your favorite Greek dish is (or any dish for that matter!) and I'll choose a comment on Tuesday afternoon. I'll announce the winner on Twitter, Facebook and of course below under the comments, so check back and see if you've won!

The even better news? If you don't win my giveaway, you can still pop in for a heck of a deal! Little Greek Restaurant opened its doors on June 1, 2004, at 320 East Lake Road in Palm Harbor, Fla., and began a loyal relationship with restaurant guests. To celebrate their 9^th Anniversary, Little Greek Restaurant is offering one of their favorite combo meals for $6.99. During the week of June 9-15, 2013, customers may choose either a traditional gyro or chicken pita, each served with our Signature Hand-Cut Fries and a Drink. You can't beat that!

Thank you to the Little Greek team for an awesome blogger event! I cannot wait to go back and bring a friend!
Steph

*Disclosure: I was invited to the Little Greek blogger event in exchange for my honest review on my experience. All feta-filled opinions are deliciously my own.