Thira Taste of the Greek Islands

This Greek restaurant has gone out of Business for what ever reason in 2012.

Perfect setting & dining experience on this authentic Greek restaurant. I once dined here for over 4 hours — its that kind of place. The apps here are unique & well-​priced. Its like a slice of Greece without the $ 800 fare. (There, I just saved you money).

The Gigantes are huge white beans in an orange colored savory sauce. This is my favorite appetizer at Thira. I had the Chicken Souvlaki and it was very tender and flavorful. I look forward to my next visit.

I’ve eaten here a couple of times thanks to 50% off coupons at
They’ve done a nice job with the interior, cool-​looking bar area, etc. Although they have outdoor seating, it’s right next to U.S. 1/​Federal Hwy.; hearing cars wiz by, honking, smelling the fumes, etc., does not lend itself to a good dining experience, so my advice is don’t eat outside.
Each time I’ve eaten there w/​small groups (4 – 6 people) everyone has enjoyed their meal.

We will dine here again before leaving SFla — 2 or 3 more times. Vegan-​welcoming, fresh and delicious food, enthusiastically expert service — a big winner for everyone in our party.
Our server discreetly helped us select the best wine by the glass to go with our orders and even brought us a small taste of each to give us the chance to change our minds.
The coarse and creamy hummus sitting in a drizzle of dark Balsamic-​like vinegar with bread would have done me but I forged on. I could have ordered any of a dozen appetizers, salads, and the veg lentil soup of the day. In the end I ordered these items and shared them with my companions, who also ordered entrees for themselves:
Pyrgos * a tower of marinated grilled tomato, eggplant and feta cheese,
drizzled with rosemary vinaigrette
(I had the feta served separately and gave it to my non-​vegan table mates)
Melitzanosalata * grilled eggplant spread with garlic, olive oil, 6
red peppers and tomatoes served with one pita
Gigantes * oven baked giant beans in fresh tomatoes and herbs
Manitaria * mushrooms sauteed with garlic and rosemary
It was a riot of fresh, healthy comfort foods, any of which I’d gladly eat again. The giant beans and mushrooms were standouts, even to my table mates who are not usually huge fans of either food. Next time I also want to try:
Patates Fournou * roasted potatoes with lemon and oregano 4
Fasolakia * string beans and peas in a light tomato sauce with sauteed onions

Basically good.

Let me preface my remarks with the warning that I finally signed up for full Unilocaler status just so I could write this review, and that based on the high marks others have given, what I and my friends experienced must have been a one-​off, but still.
What a lousy meal and terrible service! Poor service and management, from what I could see.
This was a group of 8, not something that should have presented a challenge to a large restaurant in a beach town, esp. on the eve of the tourist season.
Service was borderline nonexistent: water glasses sat empty for half the meal, half the food came out at one time, then the other half about 5 – 10 minutes later. I’m assuming it was all ready at one time, but the server obviously couldn’t carry it all or didn’t ask for help from several of the other employees who seemed to have time on their hands.
I usually hate to blame a server for a bad night, but this almost entirely fell on his shoulders. However, when I witnessed whom I assume to be the manager or hostess getting involved in an argument with customers at their table, in full view of other customers.. .I’m thinking bad habits may be the norm. Yet bussers were there grabbing plates the minute anyone put their fork down. Strange.
The food was mixed: the hummus and tirokafteri were good, but they’re almost always good wherever you go. To their credit, they didn’t charge extra for more pita bread, and the portion was generous.
I split a pasticho with another friend. Good, not great. $ 15 for a bowl of beefaroni, as someone at our table put it. They used the right noodles, and the bechamel was nice, but the meat sauce was terribly bland. I make a similar-​style sauce constantly (living in Cincinnati for years, Cincinnati chili is, at heart, a Greek meat sauce), and would have liked to have tasted some cinnamon, allspice or cumin. I didn’t.
The thing that stood out the most to me is that nearly everyone after taking their first bites of their main courses reached for the salt shaker. I think that’s a sign of a bad kitchen if the food comes out in need of basic seasoning.
The restaurant has a nice interior, and the patio is all right, but it’s not the most conducive for dining or conversation to be facing eight lanes of US-​1. The restaurant makes the most of it though.
One star for food, one star for service adds up to two stars.

It was excellent! Not knowing anything about this restaurant, we randomly stopped here for lunch the other day. We were not disappointed. I love Greek salads, but I can be quite critical of them. This was top-​notch, close to the real-​deal. There was no lettuce in the salad (which is a good thing), and the dressing was great. The grilled chicken was juicy and flavorful. It was an excellent salad. One person I was with ordered an eggplant sandwich, and she said it was the best she ever had! The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because I need to go back for dinner and sample more of the menu.

I am reading over other reviews of this establishment, and I just cannot agree that it was good enough for 4 stars.
I can get an amazing gyro sandwich including pickled vegetables at any Mediterranean restaurant for $ 9– and at Thera it is $ 19. I wanted to try the lamb dish, and they were out of it for the evening. I love feta cheese, and tried the appetizer spicy fetta spread, and it tasted like dank blue cheese dressing. I ended up getting a lamb skewer and wasn’t cooked well enough and tasted gamy.
The service was quite good, and the ambiance was inviting and relaxing. I just don’t think it was worth the $$.

This place is sooo good that I really am mad at myself for not visiting more often. This is my second visit and it was just DELISH. The service was wonderful. Waiter offered vegetarian options. The complimentary hummus is divine. Our group had several appetizers and entrees. They were all wonderful. We ordered a greek wine, which was also fantastic. The prices are affordable and the food is honestly superb. Parking is great. Love it and highly recommend!

WARNING: The coordinates on this location are not accurate.
BUT, the food is amazing. I forgot about the extra 15 min it took me to drive after I took the first bite.
I had the gyro dinner — ah-​may-​zing! awesome flavor, a lil’ salty. Tzatziki is awesome, but not enough — order extra!
And the appetizer that is fried zucchini/​eggplant. A little greasy but tasty!
I’d give 5 stars if they gave more tzatziki, mmmm.

Great place. Went there with my snobby New York cousins and they approved.
Had lamb chops and shrimp. They also make great soups. My one complaint s is that their hummus is to heavy on the garlic. They have a nice selection of apps the spinach pie is tasty.
Good selection of greek wine.
Save room for dessert and greek coffee.

Just had a great lunch here. A nice, quiet pleasant place for lunch. We were craving gyros and ended up here. I’m glad we did. The Greek Salad was fresh and crisp. The gyros were delicious and perfectly sized. We split a bottle of Greek wine that was great. Friendly, prompt service and reasonably priced. We will be back — probably for dinner next time. Very good!

Thira truly is a taste of the Greek Islands. The food is reasonably priced for the portions and everything I’ve tried so far is delicious.
In preparation for my trip to Greece and the Greek Islands, I celebrated my birthday by having dinner there earlier this year. They offer you free yummy hummus and bread and a menu full of delectable Greek foods. Since that time I’ve dined there several times and actually having been to Greece, it’s pretty authentic.
Some standouts on the menu include the lamb Gyro Dinner (even though it’s not on the menu, you can ask for chicken if you prefer that), the stuffed grape leaves (Dolmadas), the chicken kabob (really juicy!) and the baklava. The «vegetables» they serve with your entrée is really just peas and green beans in some sort of Greek sauce that is surprisingly good (it doesn’t look it).
If you like Greek food, you won’t be disappointed at Thira. The only downside is that the waiters think they are in Greece and take their sweet time in taking your order and serving you. But they are courteous. It’s a cute atmosphere too, all decked out in white and blue with photos of the Islands.
Ooh — also, between 3−6p.m. they have a «Sunset Menu» where you get like a 5 course meal for $ 18.95. Besides that, they’re constantly offering different deals on specific days of the week.

I guess I will have to visit this place again and try for better service next time but my experience this weekend left an extremely bad taste in my mouth. After running around and working out Saturday morning, I decided to order a Chicken Greek Salad from Thira’s over the phone after reading their reviews on Unilocal and visiting their website. OK, mind you this is the ONLY Chicken Greek Salad on the menu and it has no description, but being the HUGE Greek food fan that I am, I believe I know what to expect when I order a Chicken Greek salad on a lunch menu. WRONG!!! I get my salad home and LOW AND BEHOLD there is NO LETTUCE!!! I paid $ 9 for a half hot dog sized styrofoam box filled with two very nice tasty portions of grilled chicken on top of grilled tomato’s, onions and peppers. WHAT THE!!! Veggies are ok with me, but I’m not a super grilled veggie freak, and I don’t like huge chunks of grilled tomatos. I was so starved, I didn’t bother to call them, but I searched the TO GO menu I got at the restaurant and the website and there was no mention anywhere of this SALAD not having lettuce. I’m aware that some salads don’t have lettuce, but usually they mention it in the description (there is no description on the menu) or there is another version with lettuce. There is only one chicken salad on their menu so I’m not sure if they forgot my lettuce or what. Who knows. I mean, seriously, is there anyone that would disagree with me that a Chicken greek salad should have lettuce? It even came with a side of Greek dressing, but to poor over what? The veggies were already marinated. Overall, terrible customer service and terrible salad mix up or whatever it was. Read below for customer service attitude. Not a big deal, but after my food mixup and bad hostess, I think it’ll be awhile before I go back again.
When I arrived to pick up my salad, I asked the hostess for a cup of ICE with my TO GO order. She brings me a foam cup of Iced Tea. I politely smile and say, oh no, I said ICE. And she goes Oh, no you didn’t, you said Iced Tea. (What? Ok, I never order tea but whatever). May I have a cup of ice please? Mind you, the restaurant was EMPTY at this time with no music or anything so it’s not like she was busy or couldn’t hear me. So she goes and brings me back a GLASS GLASS GLASS of ice water with lemon. (Again, I say what?) At that point, I should’ve just taken the restaurant’s glass and went to my house with it. I then asked her could I have a cup because it was TO GO. She looked at me very cross, and made a sound like I was annoying her. Finally she comes back with a FOAM CUP filled with ice water (NOT ICE that I asked for but whatever) and I tell her thank you, and she just grunts at me and walks away. I’m sorry, did I do something wrong? Lol. What a mess. Maybe this place is better for dinner? I give it 2 (½)stars because the chicken was tasty, but I really wish I had gotten what I ordered. Especially since the restaurant was empty except for 2 girls on the patio.

This is my first review. I’ve been a Unilocal member for about two weeks now and I haven’t really come across a location that’s motivated me enough to write about it until Friday night.
Friday night we initially had sushi in mind until a friend called and suggested going to Thira, a Greek restaurant. What a great suggestion! The location was nice. There’s indoor and outdoor seating available. Our server was a french guy who somehow made the food sound ten times more delicious with his lovely accent. He’s been working there since the restaurant first opened and every time he suggested something it was with such passion. You know when you see a person put their fingertips together and kiss them as to say it was magnifique, absolutely perfect? That’s what he did when he described a yummy dish.
I’m just going to give you a run down on what we ordered. For appetizers we had four different dips served with warm sliced bread and pitas. One of them was the traditional hummus, except this one was on a bed of balsamic vinegar which enhanced the flavor so much more. It was awesome! The second one was another traditional dip that most people are familiar with called tzakziki, yogurt mixed with cucumber and other seasoning. That too, was absolutely tasty. The other two was an eggplant spread and a spicy feta cheese spread. I’m a freak about cheese and spicy food so you know I loved the feta stuff. The eggplant dip, although it might sound kind of funky, was good too. I think most of us were stuffed before the main dish came. We couldn’t stop eating!
For dinner, most of our friends ordered the lamb chops and I believe everyone enjoyed it. I don’t eat red meat so I couldn’t tell you for myself. I had the sea bass cooked in lemon and butter served with a side of spinach and rice. I also tasted my friends shrimp dish that was served with cooked tomatoes and herbs topped with feta cheese. All of it was great. We had two bottles of white wine and finished the meal with three different desserts and some coffee and cappuccino.
Dessert consisted of rice pudding, baklava, and some warm custard stuffed in a crêpe-​like pancake thing. I’m sorry I don’t have the specific name. I tried looking it up on their site but their menu doesn’t list the desserts. Wait! There was another dessert. Gosh, I almost forgot. It was plain yogurt topped with honey and walnuts. If you like simple dishes but with a pop of flavor, that was the dessert for you. Not too sweet but still had a ton of flavor.
The only reason why I wouldn’t give a perfect score is because one of the shrimps on my friend’s dish was actually bad. That can make or break the review obviously. The rest of the food, the cleanliness of the place, and the great service outweighed this one little bad shrimp and the fact that my friend noticed it before sticking it in his mouth and potentially getting sick is what saved this restaurant. Not to mention, they removed that dish from the bill which again, demonstrated great service.
Our dining experience overall was wonderful and we (6 of us) ate like little piggy’s including two bottles of wine for a total of $ 310. Great food, great service, for a great price… You can’t beat that.

4.5* (i just kept it at 4)
I took my wife here for Valentines Day. I had read good reviews about the place on here and some other websites. I wanted something different than the same old and ordinary American, Chinese, Italian and/​or Spanish food.
Well, this place worked out to be nearly perfect.
I had made reservations and that worked out perfect. Thira is decorated with low lighting and traditional blue and white Greek influences. The decorating is nice and not too overdone.
The food. They start you off with some hummus and bread. I have Lebanese in my family and let me tell you, the hummus was DELICIOUS. We also ordered the Tzatziki spread which was fresh and delicious with nice warm pita slices.
We actually both ordered the Gyro Dinner which came with strips of Lamb and beef with pita bread slices, Tzatziki spread, two potato slices and a pee soup… The portions were very generous and the food was excellent. We ended up taking some home for a second meal the following day.
As for the dessert… They have several choices. We tried the Backlava… it was actually really good. They did sprinkle some cinnamon on it which we weren’t very fond of. Traditional backlava does not have sprinkled cinnamon.
I would recommend this place to anyone.
The only drawback I could include but it really wasn’t a big deal was that the service was slightly slow and i didn’t get a refill on my water for while.

If you are looking for delicious greek food, without the annoying environment that OPA offers, then this is the place for you. Thira is decorated with subtle lighting and traditional greek influences here and there, nothing too overdone.
The food is great. They start you off with complimentary hummus and bread, which was great for being complimentary. I ordered the Lemonokato chicken which came with veggies and potatoes. I found my plate to be lacking something, I just wasn’t all that impressed by it. But that didn’t mean the other entrees in my table weren’t good. My friend ordered the Gyro Platter which was delicious, especially the fresk Tzasiki sauce they make. Another friends had the Chicken Souvlaki which I wish I wouldve ordered cause the chicken was full of flavor and it came in a big portion. And my sister had the 12 oz steak with feta mashed potatoes and that was pretty amazing as well.
Thira could benefit from being a little quicker in service, especially when waiting for refills or take our orders, but for the price and the food, it was well worth it.

Good Food. As for the service it depends on the night… it’s like playing the lottery one night you may be lucky one night you may not. Food’s good… the potatoes are great

i want to marry this place.
good any day of the week.
first time i came, i had the pleasure of tasting their homemade hummus, which was topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. it might be the best thing i’ve tasted in a long time.
then i had the yemista dish (peppers and tomatoes stuffed with rice, onions and herbs), which was so fresh and tasted like it was cooked in a Greek grandma’s kitchen. other trips to Thira have included Thira salad, grilled calamari, fried zucchini, mushrooms with rosemary & garlic, pastichio, grilled octopus — all to die for.
the staff is very nice and attentive. this is a good first date place. there is a cute little patio in the front of the restaurant where you can dine outdoors.

Yep, I’m Greek, so I know when I find good Greek grub and Thira is solid. Opa!
There’s something to be said of this calm, tranquil Greek resto… I’m so over people dancing on the tables and throwing napkins in the air where the music is so loud you can’t even hold a conversation. Thira is the anti-​Greek restaurant in that sense — it’s pretty and calm and annoying belly dancing music is not playing at deafening decibals.
The food is delish. I can vouch for the grilled octopus, saganaki, gyro and freshly mashed hummus. The pita with tzatziki is also yum.
So if you want great Greek grub and are in the Hallandale area, go here. You will be pleasantly surprised.