United States

15 Best Restaurants in Tarpon Springs, FL

Blake Walsh

Oct 1, 2022 • 12 min read

Microfile.org / shutterstock.com

Tarpon Springs is a beautiful Florida city located along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, known as the “sponge capital of the world. “

Fish and seafood comprise a large portion of Tarpon Springs’ food scene.

However, Tarpon Springs still has various incredible food experiences for every taste.

Here are the best restaurants in Tarpon Springs, Florida:

Hellas Restaurant

Hellas Restaurant is one of the best places to check out if you enjoy the splendor of Greek cuisine.

The restaurant offers excellent lunch and dinner options and various outstanding Greek pastries.

Greek cuisine is known for its amazing appetizers, which you’ll find plenty of at Hellas.

Check out the skordalia, taramosalata, feta cheese spread, and traditional hummus spread are a few savory appetizers served with pita bread.

Likewise, try their assorted spreads, combining tzatziki Sauce, feta spread, and hummus.

A few traditional soups and salads are also available at Hellas Restaurant.

The lunch menu has a great selection of gyros, souvlakis, sandwiches, and more.

On top of that, you’ll love the Chef’s Greek Specialties menu packed with unique traditional Greek dishes such as spanakopita, tiropita, and the homemade Greek spaghetti “Makaronada.”

You can get a combination of spanakopita and tiropita or another combination platter featuring gyro, moussaka, pastitsio, dolmades, and tzatziki sauce.

Several other exciting options include K-bobs and plenty of seafood and lamb selections.

Don’t hesitate to check the Hellas Retail Bakery next door afterward for a taste of incredible Greek pastries.

H’ours Creole Smokehouse

H’ours Creole Steakhouse has quickly become a renowned restaurant in Tarpon Springs.

The food quality is outstanding, and the ever-changing menu selection is top-notch.

H’ours Creole puts in place a new menu every week.

What never changes is the heart and creativity they put into these dishes.

Various incredible appetizers, soups, salads, seafood-based, and meat-based dishes are available.

Besides their incredible dinner options, H’ours Creole offers an excellent selection of beverages.

These include white wine, red wine, bourbons, whiskey, and nicely-made cocktails.

You won’t be disappointed if you check the weekly menu beforehand or go blind.

They also offer a great brunch menu on the first Sunday of the month.

Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, Inc.

The picturesque Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks is home to several good restaurants.

Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill is a haven for seafood enthusiasts.

In addition, it features a great Tiki bar on the water.

Most dishes are prepared with top-quality local seafood.

Steamed seafood options include Peel + Eat Shrimp caught on Rusty Bellies’ boat.

Likewise, you can order the Rusty’s Pot Belly Bucket featuring snow crab, mussels, clams, smoked sausage, Gulf shrimp, and more.

The menu also features a selection of particular seafood favorites.

These contain several seafood varieties inspired by many different cuisines worldwide.

Rusty Bellies offers several great plates of pasta, grits, and rice dishes.

From Thursday to Saturday, plenty of fantastic sushi rolls are available.

Despite primarily being a seafood restaurant, Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill has a few chicken and steak options.

You can finish off your meal with one of their dessert options, such as cakes, pies, or their special Orange Cycle Ice Cream.

Mykonos

Mykonos is another incredible Greek restaurant offering a selection of Greek and Mediterranean specialties.

There are also several vegan and gluten-free options.

The menu features delicious soups such as the traditional chicken lemon soup avgolemono and their Soup of the Day.

Salads include the classic Greek salad, which is always a favorite.

You can have a savory calamari salad or go for the Village Salad; both come with pita bread.

Mykonos offers a selection of great entrées such as moussaka, pastitsio, keftedes, saute Greek sausage, soutzoukakia, and many more.

You can’t go wrong with their combination platters.

One such plate includes a pastitsio, fita, moussaka, and gyro.

Start with some of their many incredible Greek and Mediterranean appetizers.

Gyros, sandwiches, Souvlakis, and hamburgers are also on the menu.

All of these are made on delicious and authentic village bread.

You’ll love Mykonos’ homemade desserts. baklava, rice pudding, and galatoboutiko are all great options.

Tarpon Tavern

The setting and atmosphere of Tarpon Tavern are charming.

The restaurant offers plenty of top-quality popular American meals and dishes inspired by several cuisines worldwide.

Appetizers include fried calamari, quesadillas, skillet nachos, and a basket of Greek twister fries, among other things.

A few incredible wings and chicken fingers are also available, particularly garlic parmesan and sweet Asian chili wings or fingers.

Tarpon Tavern has a selection of flatbreads served with a side salad, entrée bowls, sandwiches, burgers, and seafood dishes.

Check out Tarpon Tavern’s Daily Specials which features attractive happy hour offers, extraordinary brunch selections, and more.

The Jerk Center

The Jerk Center is one of the best Caribbean food places in Tarpon Springs.

The menu includes several popular Jamaican fares such as patties, fried dumplings, fried sweet plantains, and the pulled pork sandwich.

The Jerk Center has a list of great Island Flavor meals, including ox tails, Escovitch fish, curry goat or chicken, and the special Whole JC Jerk Chicken and JC Jerk BBQ Ribs.

The savory sauces and spices seasoning the meals are particularly striking.

Caribbean drinks and desserts are delightful.

The Jerk Center offers a few tasty Jamaican-style beverages, including fruit juice, ting, and D&G.

For dessert, you’ll love their delicious fresh cakes and pastries.

Unique desserts are posted daily.

Don Taco Mexican Restaurant

Don Taco Mexican Restaurant has a very colorful setting and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

It is the most popular taco place in Tarpon Springs for a good reason.

Order a vast selection of delicious tacos at Don Taco.

The sheer variety of fresh meats you can pick from is overwhelming.

You can put many prime cuts of beef, chicken, steak, pork, and lamb in your tacos.

As for the taco styles, you can go with Mexican, American, fajita, molly molly, and more.

Vegans can enjoy a delicious grilled veggie or avocado taco and have the Go Green Option, where a lettuce wrap replaces corn tortillas.

Don Taco is a great Mexican restaurant, and you’ll find incredible burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, tortas, enchiladas, and nachos.

The house special is the killer chimichanga.

Yankee Bean

Yankee Bean is a simple yet elegant restaurant with excellent food.

The menu primarily includes homemade soups, salads, and outstanding sandwiches.

You must order their soups at Yankee Bean, made to perfection.

You can have soup in a cup, bowl, or quart, along with delicious garlic bread.

Yankee Bean’s unique signature dressings will also have several perfect salads.

These include a fantastic Chicken Caesar and the special Mediterranean Salad to which you can add grilled chicken.

While its soups and salads are incredible on their own, its sandwiches and wraps are the main events at Yankee Bean.

Each sandwich and wrap has something unique and boasts excellent craftsmanship.

The vegetables, meats, cheeses, and sauces are all fresh.

Johnny Grits

Johnny Grits is the place to visit if you’re into quality homemade food.

You’ll enjoy their take on many classic breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes.

Johnny Grits is a beautiful place to have breakfast.

Their elaborate menu includes appetizers such as French toast bites, grilled banana bread, and breakfast quesadilla.

You can follow that up with several tasty breakfast bowls and Chef’s Specials.

The lunch selection includes appetizers such as soups, fries, loaded tater tots, and lobster bisque.

You’ll have a variety of sandwiches, wraps, burgers, salads, and sides to choose from at Johnny Grits.

Jimmy’s Neighborhood Restaurant

Jimmy’s Neighborhood Restaurant has become a renowned restaurant in Tarpon Springs.

The food quality and sheer variety of incredible dishes remain unchanged.

You can start by checking out their rich selection of great appetizers.

These include chicken tenders, onion rings, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks, mussels, bruschetta, Saganaki flaming cheese, and many more.

These are incredibly well-made and are guaranteed to fill you up.

A large number of lovely salads and soups are on the menu.

You can go for Greek classics such as avgolemono soup, Greek salad, and horiatiki salad.

Then, try the antipasto, tuna, Chicken Caesar, and more.

Jimmy’s Neighborhood Restaurant makes excellent food with generous helpings.

Check out the Buffalo wings, grinders, combinations, seafood platters, pasta, calzones, pizzas, and Jimmy’s Signature Entrées.

The Limani

The Limani is another excellent restaurant in the beautiful Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks.

It specializes in Greek cuisine and has some delicious Mediterranean dishes.

Limani offers a variety of casual meals, including gyros, souvlakis, pitas, burgers, hot dogs, and kabobs.

They also make excellent salads, including their signature Limani salad made with chicken, pork, or gyro meat, fresh vegetables, fresh cheeses, and the wonderful tzatziki sauce.

On the side, you can enjoy tzatziki sauce served with pita bread, onion rings, and Greek, French, Feta, or garlic fries.

What’s a Sponge Docks restaurant without seafood?

The Limani serves a fish plate featuring the Fish of the Day, which you can order along with fries of your choosing and a Greek salad.

You can also have shrimp and fries served with a tasty tartar sauce.

BackDraughts Pizza

BackDraughts Pizza is an excellent drink and dine restaurant that makes some of the best pizzas in Tarpon Springs.

BackDraughts offers incredible wood-fired pizzas, including their signature BackDraughts Classic.

This pizza features a delicious house-made red sauce and shredded mozzarella.

You can also choose your toppings, including red onions, green peppers, basil, jalapenos, olives, banana peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, and your preferred meat.

Gluten-free dough is also available.

You’ll find more than pizzas at BackDraughts Pizza.

There are several starters, small plates, soups, and salads.

Their dessert options include great cannolis filled with savory house-made chocolate chip filling, plus a weekly Dessert Special.

Katerina’s Taverna & Grill

The aesthetically pleasing Katerina’s Taverna & Grill offers a wonderful Greek dining experience in a beautiful taverna-style setting.

The restaurant has an extensive menu featuring the best of what Greek cuisine offers.

A great selection of appetizers also helps you start your meal right.

If you’re going in groups, consider their Group Appetizers, including the Pikilia Kreaton, which combines chicken or pork souvlaki.

Then, try the gyro, Greek sausage, fries, and rice.

If you prefer seafood, you can choose one of the Pikilia Thallassinon options.

There are plenty of salads, soups, and pita sandwiches.

There are also a dozen great traditional Greek dishes on the menu.

These dishes come with a soup or salad and a side of the potato, rice, or Fresh Vegetable of the Day.

Grab a bite at Katerina’s Taverna & Grill!

Gennaro's Cafe & Deli

Gennaro’s Café & Deli is a beautiful Italian restaurant with a welcoming and friendly atmosphere and incredible food.

The place offers a breakfast and brunch menu as well as lunch.

Gennaro’s makes excellent subs and sandwiches with your choice of bread, meat, and cheeses.

The latter can be American, Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, or fontina.

You can build your own or go for their Specialty Sandwiches.

In addition, Gennaro’s Cafe & Deli offers delicious soups such as the classic Italian wedding, chili, and the Soup of the Day.

Several delicious salads with unique dressings are on the menu as well.

Little Thai Café

The Little Thai Cafe is as good as Thai cuisine gets.

It’s a little spot with a beautiful, casual atmosphere offering unique Thai dishes.

For starters, Little Thai’s appetizers are delightful.

Some are meat-based, such as satay and dumplings, while others, like fried spring folls, are vegan-friendly, and the majority are seafood-based.

The entrées are outstanding, served with white jasmine rice, which you can substitute for brown jasmine rice or noodles.

Thai cuisine is known for its many spicy dishes.

Since not everyone likes spicy food, the menu specifies each degree of spiciness for every entrée.

There’s an extensive list of Thai specialties for every taste in the entrées menu, made with fresh ingredients and unique spices and sauces.

Final Thoughts

While seafood dishes are the city’s most famous cuisine, the Tarpon Springs food scene is vibrant and diverse.

You can try various cuisines from all over the world in this beautiful city in the Sunshine State.

Check out the best restaurants in Tarpon Springs, Florida!

💌

Spotted a mistake, have some feedback, or just want to chat with our editorial team? Click here to get in touch.

✍️

Find out more about Travel Lens and read our editorial guidelines here.