February 2004

The Greek Isles restaurant on A1A, just south of the Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale is really a gem. Locals and tourists alike flock to this former Howard Johnson’s location on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

This place just has good food… period. It’s not cheap, however the Greek Isles does have a great lunch special. For about six bucks you can get one of the best roasted chicken lunches I’ve ever tasted. Dinner can be quite crowded at this restaurant, so my suggestion is to get there early. Recommendations: The Avgolemono Soup is exceptional, although the bowls are smaller that they used to be. Oh well, everything fades with time. All the usual Greek dishes are on hand; souvlaki, moussaka, pastitsio… But my big recommendation has to be the lamb chops. I have yet to take anyone to the Greek Isles that hasn’t gone freekin’ nuts over their chops. The chops will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty bucks. One added plus: The waitresses are cute, but remember this is South Florida, they can sometimes be inattentive. Typical Fort Lauderdale. The Greek Isles is a keeper. And don’t forget the flaming cheese and the exceptional Greek Salad. Cheers!

* Just as an update to this review: I wondered in today (7/7/2004) for lunch and as usual the food was excellent. But I unfortunately have to say the service was just plain lousy. I finally had to get the hostess (who handled our complaint like a complete professional) to bring me the bill. This following our waitress screwing up our order twice, never coming by to fill our water glasses or ask how the meal was and for the most part completely ignoring us. The waitress however had no trouble talking with her friends behind the bar and chatting with “regular” customers. It’s really a shame that such an excellent resturant has some really lousy waiters.

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