Restaurants in Coral Springs

A blue awning and fragrant wall of tropical flowers transform Taso’s Greek Taverna’s patio into a private enclave, illuminated by a string of twinkling lights. Inside, the ambiance is no less welcoming: sunlight streams through windows and illuminates pale-yellow walls and paintings of Mediterranean vistas. At the restaurant’s sister location, Taso’s Greek Taverna 2, the atmosphere is just as charming, with glistening wooden tables and a serpentine ceiling outlined with fluorescent light.

The ambiance is the first sign of Chef Taso Katechis’s commitment to celebrating Mediterranean culture. In the kitchen, chefs roast lamb and beef, stuff fresh fish and flaky filo dough with spinach and feta, and garnish their edible masterpieces with traditional accoutrements of Greek potatoes and warm, homemade pita. Additionally, they serve up a kid’s menu of Greek specialties to help create an experience that’s pleasing to both children and parents, much like a sock-puppet rendition of Law and Order.

Bejeweled sombreros hang from Tequila Sunrise’s ceiling, their gems glinting next to strands of hanging lights. In keeping with this flashy, festive atmosphere, bartenders dole out award-winning margaritas, which are blended from freshly squeezed sour mix and served in glasses that dwarf the circumference of their customers’ heads. Though Tequila Sunrise specializes in libations, it doesn’t shirk cuisine: chefs sauté fresh seafood in Mexican spices and drizzle tender chunks of meat with homemade sauces. Their dedication to high-quality, fresh ingredients helped earn the eatery its spot as one of 2011’s best Mexican restaurants in South Florida, a poll determined by Local 10 viewers and one guacamole-obsessed Magic 8 ball.

Asia Bay serves the "best sushi in this town," according to actor Alec Baldwin, who tweeted his recommendation while in Fort Lauderdale to film Rock of Ages, according to pbpulse. The man behind this A-list-worthy cuisine is executive chef and co-owner Peter Hepp, who according to Miami New Times "is hip to the aesthetic of clean lines, vivid colors, and brightly delineated flavors." Hepp's chefs drizzle the menu's more than 60 sushi and sashimi plates with colorful sauces as carefully as painters adorn canvas, yielding dishes that are as nice to look at as they are to eat. The 50-seat dining room operates under a similarly modern theme, with large picture windows, white leather chairs, and curved-back banquettes which Social Miami calls "minimalist-chic."

Outside, a patio held up by stilts lifts diners above the rippling waves of the Tarpon River, helping garner Asia Bay an OpenTable Diners' Choice Award for Best Outdoor Dining. Here the decor invites relaxation with large parasols, old-fashioned street lamps, and seagulls who will give backrubs for fresh-cut sashimi.

Dapur’s chef and designer, Edi Mulyanto, draws on culinary traditions from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan while chopping, sautéing, and simmering Pan Asian tapas and entrees. A reviewer for the Miami Herald praises the elaborate sushi rolls, which include lobster and rock shrimp, as “crowd-pleasing” and predicts that the 7,000-square-foot venue will enjoy “sweet success.” Many of the menu’s ingredients, according to Edge, spring from Mulyanto’s own garden or sorcerer nephew before ending up in small plates flavored with lime juice and garlic ponzu jelly.

A giant golden Buddha statue surrounds diners lounging on the bar’s cherry-red couches or practicing casual heists with the modern art hung on the dining room’s purple walls. High ceilings support dangling chandeliers, and soft lighting spotlights artistically arranged plants and baskets. In addition to delighting eyes during dinner and drinks, this elegant interior also hosts Dapur's nightly events and theme nights. Stop in on Wine Down Wednesday and lift a glass to an all-you-can-drink wine special, or fight off the impending work week on "Sake To Me Sunday" with cups of half-priced sake.

Rochelle Koff of The Miami Herald wrote that Trata Greek Taverna "isn't the typical belly-dancing, confetti-tossing, plate-breaking Mediterranean restaurant. Its spell is more subtle, cast by a charming staff led by co-owner Dimitrios 'Jimmy the Greek' Tsiakanikas, who warmly greets patrons with a 'welcome home.'" His hearty salutations drift from a building the color of fresh artichoke leaves out onto a covered patio with flower boxes and twinkling string lights.

In the dining room, lights like glowing tulips hang over the fully stocked bar, casting a buttery glow on flame-kissed kabobs, gyros, spanakopita, and lamb chops soaked in olive oil and fresh herbs for 24 hours. Lilac napkins cover diners' laps as servers arrive with flaming cheese saganaki, the crackling flame punctuated by shouts of “opa.” Photographs of ocean-side Greek villages and stone statues on the wall give one the feeling of having landed in the sun-soaked country without constantly getting hit in the head by college kids throwing discuses.

Ever since 1981, owners Joe and Helen Mineo have been serving generous portions of wings and seafood, integrating New York–style pizza seamlessly into their menu years after. Mineo’s tempts taste buds with dishes that range from lightly battered wings and spaghetti with chili to fried scallops and catfish sandwiches. It also dazzles palates with a raw bar, which features clams and oysters that appear raw, steamed, Rockefeller, or casino. No matter what they order, diners marvel at Mineo’s atmosphere of warmth and familiarity, fostered by the three generations of employees on staff and their leader, Debbie Carvalho, who’s been managing the restaurant since the day it opened.