We hadn't had Zekos in quite some time like ten years ago bc of where it is located we don't really…read morego. We tried it this time for lunch. It was convenient to the Convention Center and the Marriott hotel in Palmetto where we were. They have a lot of options of Mediterranean food.l - shawarma, falafels, gyros, Greek salads, shrimp, fish are some of their offerings here. We chose chicken pitas. Fries are Two dollars extra. I also ordered baba ganoosh(smokey egg plant spread which comes with pita. I'm pretty obsessed with this and have to order it wherever it's available. We ordered it, & brought it for us. They were very friendly and helpful. Our food was very tasty and did not disappoint. This is like a fast casual type place which is what we wanted bc we wanted to eat and go and beat the rain.

I enjoyed the jumbo shrimp along with their Greek salad. It was extra but well worth the price…read more Service were very good. Recommend 10 out of 10.

Awesome! Last dinner with Gaetano in the kitchen. He retired and turned the restaurant over to…read moreBrady and his wife. Wish them the best of luck! Service was excellent and the setting is cozy like the kitchen in a Sicilian home.

Will return for the ambience and home-cooked food: Farmer…read morebeef patty Veal Yummy Italian wines: Chianti and Montepulciano (?) The restaurant is homey, discreet, and hidden. It was the chef's home that he converted 18 years ago. The outdoor section isn't open. A big, heavy wine glass that reminds me of the humorous photo depicting 'one glass of wine a day' when the glass is so much bigger than the drinker. Weak ac: I'm sweating toward the end. Ok, I think I'm rejuvenated for a few minutes to have the hot flash ... ha ha ha. A small parking lot on site.

So good... the owner is very nice and always has a big smile for us when we come in. The food is…read moreauthentic and delicious. Would recommend to anyone looking for a great meal

Walked in on a Friday night 6:35 pm & no one was in the restaurant so immediately it gave us a…read morestrange vibe. Interiour was very casual. During the course of the night, they got 1 other table & a few take out orders. There were 2 people working the restaurant - the owner who was cooking & a kid who doubled as a waiter & dishwasher. Food was very good - tabouleh, homemade pita, tender falafel & the beef cube skewer. The chicken skewer was dry. They only offer 2 desserts &b were out of baklava on a Friday night! They gave us free turkish coffee. Bathrooms were hideous - men's room toilet didn't flush & the women's room toilet had the handle dangling from it. I would try it again only because the food was good & I really wanted to try the baklava. BYO!

We were a group of 35 from our church group Married Couples. The place is really big. The service…read morewas fantastic as was the food. We'll be back.

Food was excellent, fresh and tasty! Beer was wonderful, crisp and cold. Only complaint would be…read morethat the mushrooms were canned and not fresh Service was friendly and very good in spite of getting hit all at once

I was visiting on a work trip and after a three-hour drive, I desperately needed a place to sit…read moredown, unwind with a glass of wine, and enjoy a great meal. A quick Google search did not disappoint. I happened to be right across from a beautiful shopping center and spotted this stunning Greek restaurant. Mediterranean cuisine is my absolute favorite, so I was immediately excited. The only catch? I was cutting it close. They close at 9:00 PM on Thursdays, and I was just seven minutes away with about 30 minutes to spare. I decided to take my chances -- and I'm so glad I did. I sat at the bar and was warmly greeted by a very kind and welcoming bartender. I ordered two glasses of Pinot Grigio and an incredible platter with hummus, chicken skewers, olives, and sliced meats. The platter looked intimidating in the photo, but it's absolutely manageable for one person -- just be warned, the pita bread will fill you up quickly! Even though I felt a little guilty arriving close to closing and staying a bit past 9 to finish, the staff never made me feel rushed. If I hadn't felt bad about the timing, I absolutely would have ordered dessert -- and probably an espresso martini to top it off. Now I know for next time I'm back on the West Coast. The restaurant itself is beautifully designed with a classy, upscale feel -- even though I showed up looking like I had just survived a road trip (because I had). There's only so much glamour you can maintain after three hours in the car. I highly recommend coming here for dinner and then walking around the shopping area afterward. It's exactly my kind of shopping destination -- you truly have everything you could think of in one place. I just wish we had something like this closer to home.

Great place for a nice dinner or lunch. Food was really fresh and came out fast. I ordered the…read moreMonday special $27.99 3 courses, appetizer, a board with Cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh feta, fresh hummus, pita bread, roasted red peppers, olives, and deli meat. Main course was Eggplant rolled with spinach and feta covered in marinara, mozzarella cheese on top of mashed potatoes, green beans and a red pepper. The dessert was baklava with vanilla ice cream. And my wife had the meat trio, chicken skewers. Shrimp, and lamb gryo meat. Also came with green beans, fresh Taziki sauce, potatoes, and zucchini. Definitely will be back.

This isn't middle eastern food , it's American food trying to look Middle East. They use the tikka…read moremasala curry that comes from sprouts in a jar ( which is actually Indian ) in their curry chicken , I know this because my fiancé has been using it for the past year and iv been eating it once a week lol Crazy how they're just blatantly using that .... the falafel was actually good . I read some of the reviews here and somebody mentioned a microwave... I can see how that is possibly being used. 1 extra star because the lady working there is sweet. The ambience is dead silent , as if something died. Very eeery , I think it was from all of our dead expectations . I was open about my disappointment with my fiance ( quiet whispers ) and the lady next to me must have heard and felt bad so she started speaking out loud about how she liked the food ... she left her entirely plate hardly eaten lol I don't like to leave a bad review but that really got to me that I noticed they were using that sauce from sprouts so blatantly and I paid for that ...

I always call in and carry out my order. Tonight had the spanakopita platter, falafel platter, and…read morea chicken taouk pita along with olives and feta. The food was absolutely delicious! Everything was hot, seasoned perfectly and so enjoyable. Highly recommend.

Lunch today was a VERY pleasant surprise. I found Al Forno on Yelp, we were interested in finding…read morea good Shwarma sandwich place in the Sarasota area (we eat them a lot in NYC), but had, we'll say, "moderate" expectations. The storefront is nothing special at all, you order from a big tablet screen and then they have standard fast-casual seating. It doesn't look fancy at all and the restroom situation is weird (you have to go outside through a back alley for the men's restroom?). The workers were nice but I was only hoping for "solid" food. Then I took my first bite of the mixed-shwarma sandwich, and it was sublime. Perfectly cooked and well seasoned tender meat, they press the pita with just the right amount of salad/pickles, so the pita is crunchy and the meat isn't overwhelmed with too much salad like so often happens. Their house fries were spiced deliciously and fried fresh (which makes us want to try the Falafel, which we also saw them frying fresh). The food was *fantastic*, making it one of those diamond-in-the-rough places that you'd never guess had such good food. We're looking forward to going back and trying more on the menu, highly recommend if you're near UTC mall.

Stopped by Al forno Mediterranean Grill in UTC Sarasota with my uncle and had a good experience…read moreoverall. The food was solid, your typical Mediterranean cuisine but I will say it's a bit on the pricey side if you're just trying to grab a quick lunch. The tabbouleh parsley was chopped a bit larger than I personally prefer. I usually like it more finely chopped, but it was still fresh and enjoyable. Service was quick and the food came out fast, which I appreciated. There's limited seating inside, so it seems like it's set up more for takeout than dining in. Overall, a good spot. Just keep the pricing and seating in mind depending on what you're looking for.

Had lunch here with a girlfriend and we both share the same views…read more Service rating 1: The (son) was our server and it was a quiet day. He was not friendly nor attentive. We were served and then ignored, empty wine glasses and plates sat for a long time until we waved at him. We were in the main ding room so he was within eyesite. Food rating 4: The beet salad is wonderful, and the pita with hummus is very good too. We will try somewhere else next time.

Total lucky find via Yelp as we were down the road and on our way home…read more Dined here in a Sunday night; parking lot packed and everything else closed. Warm and inviting dining rooms ( three). Big menu, and all our choices provided us with exceptional food: the three dip special ( we had hummus, eggplant and torokafteri) with yummy pita; the chicken lemon soup was excellent; my spanakopita was light, crispy and fantastic, as was the accompanying side of Greek salad which had a delicious dressing. My husband ordered the seafood platter, and everything was well prepared, tasty and also light. We ordered some wine, an imiglykos, which was sweet and good. The table next to us ordered beer salad, lamb shank, and gyro platters which all looked mouth watering. Djonisi was an excellent server, very personable. The customers at the next table told us they were present when the restaurant opened two years ago, and that they moved out of the area, but to give this restaurant our business. This is definitely going to be our go to Greek restaurant from now on, and it should be yours too. (Also, ladies room had two large and very clean stalls).

We went to the one at the UTC mall area. We made a reservation. You had your choice between the…read moreoutside with the annoying disco beat music or the inside where you better be able to read lips because you will not hear your party. Nothing like a waiter with ADHD. The food was so so. I have had much better. The waiter was nice but had the attention span of a flea. Will I go back? Probably. It is not the worst place I've been but certainly not the best.

The food and drinks were simply amazing! Their selection of gluten free options was 2nd to none. We…read moreall enjoyed everything we tried from the Key Lime Martinis to the full Branzino! Our server was thoughtful and his suggestions were spot on. We sat outside so the noise level was tolerable and the ambient music was great.

I don't even know how to start this review. It's $7 dollars for one piece of baklava. That one…read morepiece is done in two bites. Was it delicious? Absolutely! However, I found it more of a two or three dollar piece a baklava store. I'm honestly shocked that no one has mentioned the pricing yet in reviews. I want to give this store a chance again, but I will never come back and pay this much for a baklava ever again. If you're OK overpaying - this dessert is delicious.

Had my first Turkish Baklava! And the place is such a vibe. It looks like the best place to get a…read morecoffee and relax with friends. Although, seating is minimal. 10/10 experience. The Turkish Baklava was the opposite of stale. Glazed perfectly. Each bite was like heaven. If you need a sweet treat, try this place out!