The menu is brief, a small list of sandwiches and salads that stretch the perimeter of the Mediterranean from Greece to Italy. But in addition to the seven or so sandwiches, there were, on my visit, some other specials available, shown to me by the affable server at the counter. These included a delicious looking spanakopita and vegetarian stuffed grape leaves.
I settled on a gyro from the main menu and the grape leaves from the specials. The gyro, which features the mysterious blending of beef and lamb into a single meat that nature did not intend (but which is pretty tasty), was an ample portion, served on a doughy, warm pita. It had tomatoes and onion and a tzatziki sauce that was thicker than usual. Too many tzatzikis are runny and messy. I liked this one.
The grape leaves were big and plump, not like the Tiparello-sized dolmades that most places serve. They were filled with rice and pinenuts. Nice as a vegetarian option, but I missed the meat.
The staff were all friendly and welcoming. Orders are placed at the counter and workers call out names as orders are ready. If they’re not too busy, they’ll bring it to your table. The small dining area has windows on three sides and the little wall space that exists has the predictable Greek framed pictures. All tasteful enough.

People would keep coming back to this cramped little eatery even if the food weren’t as good as it is (and it’s wonderful). That’s because the owner makes everyone feel so welcome, often calling out, “Welcome, my brother,” to those entering. He also makes sure that no one leaves without being thanked. I wish more restaurant owners would stop by here to see how customer service should be.
Gyros and shawarmas and falafels are the mainstay. All are ample and delicious.

I wish Mr. J offered more guidance for pairing the noodle types with the various dishes. And I’d like to say the staff is eager to help, but that wasn’t my experience.

Eight styles of noodles are displayed on a screen behind the counter where orders are placed. You make your entree choice and then select the noodle style.

A small potatoria. In south Orlando in the vicinity of Metro West. True to the name, the restaurant serves mainly potatoes, supplemented by a variety of meats, cheeses or combinations thereof. You can get them in the form of a boring, dull baked potato, or you can have the rosti type, which the website touts as “the original Brazilian style.”

Negril is a fast-casual restaurant, more casual than it is fast and it’s pretty fast: most of the food is already prepared and in a steam table set behind glass.

The menu has Oxtail, Brown Stews, Jerked dishes and Jamaican Fried Chicken. But every menu listing for a curried dish — available in goat, chicken and shrimp — included the line “Best Curry in Town.” How could I not go with that?

Back after a fire forced it to close, Nikki’s is as good as always. Good food served by people who make you feel like family.

Mainly a takeout restaurant (there’s one table in the hallway) with very good – and inexpensive – southern dishes.

Pho means beef noodle soup and that’s the specialty here. The menu is a bit daunting with over a hundred items, but take your time and choose something that intrigues you.
Vietnamese soups are full meals and you’ll have a hard time eating everything. No need to bother with appetizers, but try the red bean “pudding” for dessert.

The concept here it that you direct each aspect of the pizza-making process, beginning with the type of crust you’d like, the variety of sauce, cheese choice, and the myriad of toppings. A staffer assembles your pie at your whim and tosses it into a glass-front oven for baking. Pies are pretty good. Also serves a variety of salads and pasta dishes.

There are other Pio Pios (Piae Piae?) in the area and although it doesn’t say so on any of the restaurants’ websites, they are all related via ownership. The menus are similar, but, as a pleasant young man at the Semoran Boulevard restaurant explained, “We all serve the same food, but there might be subtle differences like in a sauce.”