This Family-Run Florida Restaurant Makes Tarpon Springs Feel Like An Escape To The Mediterranean

If you want to find the best Greek food in America, look to Tarpon Springs, Florida, the city with the highest percentage of Greek-Americans in the country. A visit to Tarpon Springs feels like you're on a Greek island getaway, and that feeling extends to Niko's Grill House, which Chowhound calls one of the best Greek restaurants in the U.S. The relative newcomer to Tarpon Springs' robust Greek restaurant scene has quickly found a foothold, competing with long-established favorites like Hellas Restaurant & Bakery. 

Greek restaurants are all about family, and Niko's is no exception. Mother and son duo Yvonne and Sotiris Fillis run the place, specializing in authentically prepared, spit-grilled Greek meats. A master of Greek meats, Sotiris began honing his craft apprenticing for a butcher at 14 years old. You can taste the fruits of his labor in popular menu items such as the souvlaki, gyros, and skepasti, which is like the Greek version of a quesadilla or panini.

"This wasn't just a good place for lunch with awesome Greek cuisine, this was truly an experience," one guest reviewed on Google, adding, "The spices were perfect and the meats melted in your mouth." Several Google reviews also note the knowledgeable, kind service. 

A Google reviewer of Greek descent notes, "[It] feels like we literally stepped into our Greek family members home." If you happen to be in Tarpon Springs on a weekend, you can get in on Niko's Souvla Saturday, where they slow roast a whole lamb on the spit all day. Nico's Grill House is located at the Sponge Docks, Tarpon Springs' must-visit historic destination. Here, you'll find more Greek restaurants, gift shops, day cruise excursions, plus all of the info you could ever want to soak up about the sea sponge industry, which drew the first Greeks to the area as sponge divers in the early 20th century.

If you find yourself seeking more Greek after a visit to Tarpon Springs, you can drive six-and-a-half hours north to the panhandle and spend some time at Alys Beach, a chic Florida beach town that looks and feels like a Greek Island getaway. You can start your stateside Mediterranean adventure by flying into Tampa International Airport, the closest major hub to Tarpon Springs, just 27 miles away, which happens to be travel pro Samantha Brown's favorite airport in the world.