Restaurants in Largo

The aroma of roasting pork and simmering mojo sauce wafts through La Teresita’s dining room, weaving past hanging tropical plants and a trellised ceiling. Back in the kitchen, chefs plate traditional Cuban dishes, ladling yellow rice and grilled onions onto succulent cuts of beef and layering pork or palomilla steak between slices of toasted bread. Dining companions can cap meals with classic Caribbean sweets such as flan, guava shells filled with cream cheese, or the edible chocolate cigars that Cuba is so famous for.

A quaint teashop with a Scottish flare, Moffat's Cup of Tea at first seems as if it would be more at home in the Highlands than basking under Florida’s perennial sunshine. With its bright-green walls and purple trim, however, the shop has adapted well to its tropical surroundings. The vibrant decor lifts guests’ spirits as they sit down for afternoon tea, which is often accompanied by freshly prepared sandwiches, pastries, and fruit. Steam rises over tables draped in lace as the staff pours selections from more than 35 varieties of tea into cups of English china, each delicately painted with a stamp to verify its dual-citizenship. After taking tea, guests can peruse the gift room's selection of teas, pots, and other fine wares.

Gazing out his window at Veni Vici Pizza, owner Gustavo Arriola watches pods of dolphins splash through the cresting waves. The diners take in the same scene at the waterfront tables, sipping glasses of wine and splitting deep-dish pizzas. Formerly in the banking business, Arriola decided that he wanted to take charge of his future by making his own way into the restaurant industry. He naturally gravitated toward opening a pizzeria because he "loves everything about pizza," especially the limitless topping combinations that you can invent yourself or select according to the pizza almanac. From his kitchen, he can decorate dough with everything from fresh green peppers to italian beef and spicy giardiniera. As an alternative to typical thin- and pan-crust pies, Arriola also spotlights Chicago-style deep-dish and stuffed-crust pies on his menu with their special sauce and thick, buttery crusts.

The sound of the sizzling skillet is as regular as a rooster's crow each morning at Rodie’s Restaurant & Pancake House. Before long, the wait staff is delivering skillets, omelets and crepe creations to diners eagerly clutching their forks, knifes, and maple-tree taps. As the afternoon sun perches high in the sky, the lunch crowd lingers to enjoy greek salads and triple-decker sandwiches paired with a collection of homemade soups.

In the back corner of Le Souk Florida, a large, tiled bar draws visitors’ eyes into the restaurant. It beckons them inside, where they’ll see tables lining both walls, and a plush white couch in the back where patrons can puff fruity hookah flavors from 11 a.m. until 3 a.m. seven days a week. Exotic, homemade appetizers with Middle Eastern flair lure fingers into platters of hummus and stuffed grape leaves, and cocktails, wines, and beers splash across palates late into the evening. Underscoring Le Souk’s international vibe, belly dancers perform on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, demonstrating moves that guests can imitate when shimmying out of sleeping bags in time with the morning bugle call.

Formerly known as Morae’s Cafe, Persia House of Kebabs treats patrons to grilled kebabs and fresh sandwiches with Middle-Eastern panache. Cooks prepare sandwiches with gyro meat and falafel, and skewer lamb, vegetables, and catch-of-the-day fish. In the dining room, guests eat amid colorful wall murals that depict verdant plant life, sandy hills, and lords and ladies who jealously ogle the food. In the adjoining marketplace, visitors can prepare to make their own Middle-Eastern dishes by taking home pita breads and feta cheese, or peruse imported spices, and artwork.