Restaurants in Homosassa Springs

In bold, illuminated letters, an outdoor sign proudly proclaims the restaurant's name—Sportsters. Neon baseball and football players flank the whimsical moniker, tipping patrons off to the athletics-themed decor and Gatorade-scented air that await them beyond the entryway. Past the neon beer signs hanging in the front windows, guests will discover the classic trappings of a sports bar blended with a family-friendly atmosphere. More than 15 televisions broadcast sporting events as servers deliver draft beers, sauce-drenched wings, peel-and-eat shrimp, burgers, and pint-size portions from the kids’ menu.

Originally branded as the Top Hat Drive-In, Sonic Drive In didn’t acquire its nationally recognized name until 1959—six years after its inception in 1953. Today, the franchise operates out of 3,500 locations across the country, making it the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants. Sonic Drive In specializes in made-to-order American classics, including burgers, hot dogs, milk shakes, and Ford Thunderbolts—which customers order and receive without ever having to leave their cars. Unique menu items include toaster sandwiches stacked on thick slices of texas toast as well as the brand’s signature tots and fresh limeades.

Sonic Drive In’s numerous awards include a 2011 Zagat survey ranking it among the top five fast-food restaurants in three categories: best value menu, best milk shake, and best drive-thru. The benevolent eatery has also donated more than $2 million to public schools throughout the country through Limeades for Learning, which helps to fund educational projects and retirement plans for classroom guinea pigs.

Penn Station's interior, rife with dark hardwood paneling, could have been carved from the trunk of an enormous redwood. Within that space and beneath the glow of old-fashioned street lamps, taste buds globetrot by way of American-style burgers, Italian shrimp scampi, and a full Cuban menu outlining such delights as seafood paella and lime-infused chicken. While two-handing a specialty sandwich named for North Carolina's regal mountains, guests can peruse Penn Station's many antique décor pieces such as a wall-mounted carriage wheel, ceramic boots, and the original wooden flippers from Columbus's voyage across the Atlantic.

John Pappas didn’t know much English when he first arrived on American soil, but he did know the secrets of cooking excellent Greek cuisine. The native Greek passed on his recipes and expert techniques to his son Nicholas, who would go on to open his own Mediterranean restaurant—Greek City Cafe.

Deep in his restaurant’s kitchen, Nicholas and his chefs fold juicy meats and fresh vegetables into a variety of Greek-inspired paninis, wraps, and salads. They layer pitas with juicy slices of shaved lamb and beef before adding dollops of flavorful tzatziki and creamy greek dressing. To craft specialty pizzas, the chefs shower soft pita shells in mixed cheeses, diced tomatoes, and grilled chicken. When discussing these dishes with a reporter from Westchase Patch, Nicholas explained, “We take a mainstream item and put a Greek twist to it. I make them feel comfortable, but when they taste it they realize they've never experienced that flavor.”

In the casual dining room, where sunlight streams onto soft blue and green walls, guests can linger over their last bites of these inventive eats before ordering desserts such as baklava. Countertop seating surrounds a lush olive tree in the center of the room, which was imported from Greece and lives off of sunlight and Greek wine.

The grams of protein add up at Kally K's Steakery & Fishery, where the staff serves a surfeit of burgers, seafood, and steaks. Though the menus at the eatery's two locations differ slightly, they both showcase salmon, shrimp, sole, crab, scrod, and hefty portions of new york strip steak and roast prime rib of beef. The Spring Hill location's specialty is a baked fillet of flounder stuffed with shrimp and crabmeat au gratin. Both locations feature a salad bar for patrons who are 1/16 brontosaurus.

A pastel-colored mural of the Parthenon welcomes diners to Lakis Greek & Italian Restaurant—a place where appetites get to travel to far-off lands from the comfort of a blue-vinyl booth. The menu here includes classics of Greek and Italian cuisine, as well as hybrid dishes that feature elements of both. Spanakopita spinach pies share appetizer turf with mozzarella sticks, while multi-tiered entrees include both Momma's lasagna and moussaka. The Greek pizza puts a Hellenic spin on the traditional Italian pie, and baked strombolis double as Olympic torches when placed in close proximity to appetizers of flaming saganaki.