Opa!Opa! Authentic greek restaurant

Found this great Greek restaurant just off the beaten path. We were attempting to find a local restaurant instead of chain restaurants. This is in a strip mall surrounded by other places to eat. The food was great. The waitress was wonderful and it was very clean.

We had a really nice time. Good food, nice server, a nice quiet place you can hold a conversation.

Service was fine. Place was quite empty. Meat in lamb gyro was tasteless and leathery. I have eaten here quite a few times other years and something has changed.

(I was asked to share this review on behalf of my father who doesn't do internet!) "Wonderful experience, excellent food, very impressed and will definitely be back"

First, there seems to be a single cook. We went there early in the evening, there were 4-5 tables occupied, and yet it took them 45 minutes to get us food. I understand that taking it slow may be a Greek thing, but that was a bit of exaggeration. When the food arrived, it was pretty bland. Tzatziki was mostly sour cream and onion, we could not find a single cucumber in it. We always associated greek food with spices, but the cook seemed to have forgotten about those. All drinks were still and diluted as if they were poured from a bottle that was left open for a week. The place looks like a 1970s gem and needs a serious revamping. The server was good and helpful.

Came at the direction of friends, but don’t need to come again. The service was good, but the food was sub-par. Restaurant was not busy and still the Greek Salad was tasteless and bland. The chicken rice lemon soup was a strange yellow color and also lacked flavor. Lamb Shank was ok, but could have been served hot rather than luke warm, especially on a night when they weren’t busy. Atmosphere is dated.

Food was very good. Service was very good. Out of some menu items.

Have been here many times and always had a good meal until this past Wednesday night when the service and food presentation were poor. We asked for a waitress who we knew from past visits and were told there were new owners as of about a year ago though we had eaten at the restaurant with the past owners last April. Used to list multiple specials which changed nightly- the other night there was one.Restaurant was less than half full and everyone was waiting to order or receive meal. All seemed unhappy.There was only one waitress. Ordered the lamb chops (which were good)- presented on an otherwise empty plate. When asked what the vegetables were we were told either french fries or rice- they had no vegetables to offer. Used to offer either soup or greek salad with entree but not any more. Wife had shrimp santorini, friends had lamb chops and spanakopita- all were good. They have a lot of work to do to rebuild what they had.

The gyro platter was awful - I think the meat was lamb, but it was so dry and hard it was like curled bark, and the tzaziki sauce couldn't revive it. At 6pm they were already out of a vegetable side, and the choices were limited. So I ordered rice pilaf, which was dry and stuck together, inedible, like maybe it was cooked a while back. It arrived after the gyro. Some time after the rice the pita arrived. It was very slow.

This is a family owned restaurant located on a street that is filled with small restaurants of every kind. The food is always good, it's family friendly and the prices are reasonable and the portions are large. If you like Greek food, this is the place to go in Sarasota

I don't know why this place isn't packed every night. Nothing pretentious here. Just delicious Greek food at a reasonable price. The Greek salad was fresh and hit the spot. Spanakopita is always wonderful. The staff is very attentive.

Looking for best Greek in Sarasota. TA has Blue Kouzina #1, Opa Opa #2. Opa was closer to where I was staying so chose it. Sunday night, 7:30, place was empty, hot, smelling of grease. After being seated and approached by a very nice young waitress, reviewing the menu with entrees in the $18-$20 range, said to wife “I’m out of here”. Told the waitress not feeling well and drove to Blue Kouzina at St Armands. What a difference. Beautiful, people, full of life, indoor/outdoor seating. For the same money, do yourself a favor. Oh, by the way, food was outstanding. Never like to bash a restaurant but TA should not be your barometer for choosing a restaurant. If I didn’t know better I would think they run a “pay to play” rating system. By the way I had to wash the grease smell from my clothing from just five minutes at Opa!

Delicious Greek food in nice atmosphere. Menu is a bit limited but dishes were great.

My husband and I have been trying restaurants in our local neighborhood. We love greek food so decided to give Opa Opa a try. The owner and his son were extremely friendly. The food was authentic and absolutely delicious! My husband had an incredible pork special that was so moist with incredible flavor. I had the stuffed grape leaves which were equally delicious. The owner introduced me to a truly wonderful sweet greek red wine. We finished our meal with the best baklava we have ever had. I would definitely recommed this restaurant for a relaxed, delicious meal. We will definitely be back!

My husband and I have eaten at Opa Opa since they opened and have always loved. Recently, the food has changed to mediocre. I heard there were new owners...why they decided to change a great thing, I do not know. What I do know is that we won’t be ordering again anytime soon. Even the pita was noticeably not the same. What s shame