Opa Opa

Really good food
We stopped at Opa! Opa! tonight on the spur of the moment. It was a good move. We liked the place with prints of Greek scenes and Greek music playing softly in the background.
They offer a few feature items but I selected the Moussaka from the menu, which came with a salad (or soup) and a side. Within a couple of minutes warm pita bread appeared and the rest of the food arrived at a good pace.
My Moussaka was way good, the potato so smooth it was like it was melting in my mouth. The bottom portion had a generous amount of beef and a very good blend with the eggplant. I can’t think of better Moussaka anywhere else.
For this visit we did not have their Saganaki but this was not our first visit, and I can easily recommend it based on our last visit. I can easily recommend everything.

We met friends Thursday night for dinner. After reading the reviews we were excited to have dinner. What a disappointment! The octopus was chewy, the special Chicken dish was bland and loaded with salt. Even the Greek wine Rhoditis was too dry!
We will not be returning and we suggest you look elsewhere for your Greek cravings!

What a find this place was! It’s off the main drag, on a poky, narrow street that is crammed with ethnic hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants. The food was fabulous AND was on the table very fast. (And in typical Greek fashion, the portions were very generous.) We were craving something «different» and this filled the bill. It’s only about 15 min. drive from Crescent Beach.

A fun attitude greets you as you walk into this very small restaurant with a beautiful mural of, perhaps, Santorini on the wall and an open kitchen. Three of us enjoyed delicious and complimentary pita bread, then ordered the flaming saganaki, Greek salad, and each tried a different entrée. The salad dressing was bright. The lamb chops were perfectly cooked with delicate spice and a touch of lemon. The combo plate was excellent, the pastitsio in particular was great. The wine menu is small and a bit pricey. Sybil was a great waitress, however, the only one, and since the restaurant was full we felt bad for the pressure she was feeling. The owner was kind enough to prep another flaming saganaki just for a photo op with another table of 8 fun women; unfortunately the photo did not turn out and thus is not posted here. We will definitely return.

This is a pleasant little restaurant with about a dozen tables and a visible grill area. We had an early dinner just after five. They serve a toasted flat bread with herbs and cheese after you order. We shared an appetizer, grilled eggplant with cheese stuffing. Bread was good, eggplant was too bland without crisp on top, all soft and the cheese also had no taste. House green salad was good with fresh lettuce, goat cheese and olive oil, a little short on the leafy greens. One olive per plate. Main courses were a baked white fish and lamb shank. Fish was very good, moist and tasty cooker just right. Lamb also was served with plenty of juice along with carrots, fork tender; but a bit on the bland side. Both were generous servings. Baklava had plenty of nuts and swimming in honey, no crispnessto the crust.
Opa serves good food in generous portions, not quite there for taste. 3 ½ stars is appropriate.

Visited June 2014
My go to Greek restaurant had closed a while back so I have been looking for a new good Greek restaurant. This place was really good. I ordered the Greek salad & a gyro. They were both excellent but both huge! They both could easily be shared between 2 people. I loved the pita they serve at the table too! I will definitely be coming back!

Wow! The food was fresh and tasty. The service was great. I had the feeling that I was in a Greek family’s kitchen. I wanted to try everything. I went with the traditional common Greek food but next time I will order off the special menu.

We got the gyro sandwich ($ 9), lamb shanks with some goat cheese sauce ($ 25), a side of potatoes ($ 4), side salad, pilaf rice, and an entrée of baked feta with cherry tomatoes and peppers. Everything was so good, my friend and girlfriend shared bites of everything. This place is a bit pricy, but you get what you pay for in this case — lots of care from the chef obviously goes into each dish. High quality ingredients. The cuts of meat were evidently much better than other places in terms of flavor and tenderness.
The gyro was basically the best I’ve had (or comparable to the best which says a lot.) The sauce was generous and the meat was well spiced, tender, and, well, hit the carnivore spot. The lamb shank also was very tender and cooked to perfection. The goat cheese sauce underneath was interesting, but not well paired with the meat, which stands on its own. There’s a version of lamb shanks without that particular sauce on the menu, and I would recommend choosing that instead.
Pilaf was surprisingly excellent — a medley of Mediterranean and French flavors with tender vegetables. The salad dressing was excellent as well.

MUST TRY! Foodies be advised. This food is amazing. If you love authentic Greek food, whether casual or formal, they have both. Get the flaming saganaki! Delicious.
The chicken and rice pilaf is out of this world and the Gyro platter is divine. Also, get a glass of Elios Greek Red wine.
:-) the owners are incredibly generous and welcoming!

So amazing!!! Food was tasty and the service was superior. You feel right at home. I will definitely be back!!!

This is such a hidden gem in Gulf Gate! It’s a tiny restaurant, the owner is the chef and he’s always happy to offer great recommendations or bring out samples of something new. We’ve gone 5 times, and we were the only table in the restaurant 4 of those times, which is a shame because the chef is so talented! I love the appetizer pita with 3 or 4 different feta and hummus dips, and you can never go wrong with saganaki or lamb. I’d definitely recommend this place!

GREAT meal!!! lamb steak was sooo good! Taramousalata was just what i was craving! Sibyl was extraordinary. Kind and attentive! A big big win!

Amazing dinner at Opa! Opa! The first thing we noticed when we walked in was the cook greeting us. They serve us yummy warm pita bread and everything we ordered was delicious. I ordered the Pastitsio and it was to die for. Wife had the kalamari and Greek salad and was very impressed with how great it all tasted. Definitely will be returning and highly recommend this place.

Went to eat at the schnitzel kitchen and it was full. So we love Greek Food so we tried this since it was right next door. Food was below average compared to other Greek Restaurants in the area. Service was good but we will not be returning because of the food.

I dined here last night for the first time and I loved the food. They make their own pitas, which are served warm and are absolutely divine. The saganaki was AWESOME. The service was great. Looking forward to going back!

This place should be a 5 star… Delicious! The pita bread was exactly as a previous poster mentioned: mouth watering! Everything was perfect! I had the Gyro platter with the spinach and rice vegetable. Will definitely come back when I’m in town again!

This place is EXCELLENT!!! We were greeted warmly upon arriving. Our waitress came over right away and brought us complimentary pita bread.
The pita bread was so warm and literally melted in our mouth. I ordered horiatiki and my husband ordered the lamb chops.
Both of our meals were outstanding! I would recommend this place if your looking for good Greek food in the sarasota area

Pleasantly surprised by this gem. Saganaki was perfect. Gyro meat came off a spit just like its supposed to. The smelt is the best I’ve had outside of Europe. Great quaint atmosphere, this place will not disappoint.
Lamb kabobs were succulent. Pita is homemade and out of this world! If you enjoy Greek food give this place a try.

Finally a Greek restaurant in Sarasota that doesn’t suck! Portions are just right and seasoned well. We liked everything we ordered from appetizer to dessert.

Went on a Saturday night with two friends. It wasn’t packed and we got a booth. Waitress came over right away. And when we had questions about the Village soup, she gave us a taste. My friend and I ordered the ½ roasted chicken to share. another friend ordered the spanikopita.
Ten minutes after placing our order, the waitress comes strolling over to our table with a menu and informs us that they are out of roasted chicken… on a Saturday night. Really? why did it take the kitchen ten minutes, after we’d placed our order,
to realize that they were out of
chicken. That’s not good customer service. That item is the whole reason I chose to go to this restaurant.
She proceeds to hang around the booth while we look at the menu and try to decide what else we’d like to order.
We felt like she was rushing us and when we didn’t pick the most expensive plates
on the menu she quipped, «you’re
on a budget, huh?»
Her attitude aside, When our orders came out My friends Greek salad looked great and the flaming goat cheese was tasty.
My other friend got a gyro and it was big an had a generous portion of taziki on it.