Big Marina Grill & Deli
| Address: | 4755 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55421, USA |
| Phone: | +1 763-571-0222 |
| Site: | bigmarinagrillanddeli.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Robert Gerhart
"Greek and Mediterranean" food? I missed the memo when Greece had been overrun by the middle east. Food on the buffet was decent, price was good ($14 with a drink), staff were friendly enough, but we probably wont be back. Why? The food isnt good enough to override the clientele. Several of the men there glared and leered at my wife and daughter the whole time, making them feel unsafe. That is simply unacceptable, and after reading deeper into the reviews it appears that it isnt an uncommon occurrence here. Too bad if you cant respect my culture of not forcing women to cover from head to toe like you do, and get offended/excited at the sight of a female forearm or shin. Also too bad that an otherwise decent restaurant would allow this kind of intolerance, but a similar story is playing out along much of Central Ave. I was just shocked to see that it had crept this far north already. Ill stick to the Greek places in the "burbs, where Greek guys cook up *Greek* food (e.g., Olympia Cafe in Osseo - a fantastic little place with an awesomely friendly staff, and customers who dont give women and children a staredown).
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nick anderson
The lamb was quite good along with the humus in pita bread, but there were just so many other problems we had encountered with the food and atmosphere when we attended this place. The Food: 2.1/5 stars They were out of chicken when my wife tried to order a chicken salad, they were out of spanecopeda, the watermelon drink tastes like childrens cold medicine, the deserts were all bland and tasteless and they didnt have any Greek sausage. For a Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern restaurant, I was disappointed. The Atmosphere: 0.6/5 stars Seating is on the cramped side and not very comfortable at that. There is little room to get up and reach the buffet. Luckily the bus boys are rather thin and can easily maneuver in between the seats with delicate ease. The mens room does not have a urinal. I just found that kind of odd. There are excerpts from the kuran posted on the wall in this public place. This is really disgusting and in poor taste. Also, during our visit, there was a bizarre couple praying in the corner. Had I been drinking the watermelon drink, I may have thrown up. Overall 1.35 stars
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Waleed Ahmed
As the "Best Mediterranean Food in Minnesota" quoted by CBS Local is no joke. I have been a customer for over eight years, it hasnt disappointed me at all. It sure changed a lot during the years, but those changes brought a better atmosphere and food. Speaking of the atmosphere, its really comfortable and active. The employees are really nice. Theyre really fast at disposing plates away and give you support in anyway possible. At times, the Restaurant will be really busy which can spark a lot of excitement in the atmosphere. If you want to expiriencing the full potential of this Restaurant, not that its great already, you should invite your family and friends. Also, to get the best quality and atmosphere, please go during dinner time. My only complaint is that it doesnt retain its quality of food sometimes.
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Nuey S
Positives: I loved this place as their dinner buffet always had fresh food in and out! They had gyros, falafels, american dishes, a lot of different salads, desserts, and their buffet include beverages you can fill on your own. Our server was very helpful and cleared plates quickly! Negatives: Before coming, I had printed a coupon for a purchased dinner buffet there. The deal was you buy a dinner buffet at full price and you receive a second free one on spot. There was a cashier who answered the phone when I called to ask about the coupon who seemed unfriendly and even so in person. I could tell by his voice that he was slightly annoyed both times. He had the same voice and he did not appear to be very happy or customer friendly. I would have given this place a 5 star otherwise!
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Kynaru Helio
Buffets start at 11am for lunch, and my experience was pretty different from the usual buffets. The idea of all you can eat Greek and Mediterranean food alone is enough to give this place a try if you like such food. The gyro meat was really tasty, not the best around but certainly for a buffet its good. Since we were here at 11am everything was very fresh and hot. The baklava was on par with most others around but obviously trimmed down for buffet fare. The atmosphere is really cozy and relaxing, the people are friendly if not a bit quiet, but its a very serve yourself kind buffet. Over all Im most likely going to be back to this little gem. For $11 for lunch I really like the variety and quality you get though I would go Jay for the all you can eat gyro and baklava.
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greg11360
Ive eaten here dozens of times. This is a great place to have lunch or dinner at reasonable price. They have a large buffet or you can order from menu. I always eat the buffet. Theres American style food (roast beef and mash potatoes) or live a little and try their Mediterranean dishes. Large variety of food that we bland midwesterners dont usually eat. It all tastes good & is hot which is a good thing sometimes places that have a buffet just put everything out there but its lukewarm I cant stand that. And its clean & they are always nice and greet me right away. Every time I eat too much because everything tastes so good. So if you go home hungry after eating here well thats your own fault. I like eating here its my favorite restaurant.
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Jesse W
I wonder if the positive reviews are from employees and family friends.. I tried thier lunch buffet the first thing is that the price is on the high end of what you would expect to pay for a dinner buffet.. There were very few choices especially when you consider much of the buffet is filled with things like frozen mixed veggies they heated up and put in a pan or strawberries that were obviously past the experation. The few prepared dishes on the buffet were bland.. there was no signage anywhere to inform what anything was but what appeared to be biryani wasnt horrible until i bit into plum pit after plum pit in it.. Why are there fruit pits in the rice?! Well atleast I wasnt hungry anymore... Disgusting and dissapointing.
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A Private User
I have to disagree with Maiero’s dumb comments. My husband and I are white and have never had a problem with the staff or other patrons. They were even courteous to us when we accidentally went in right before sunset on a Ramadan night and kind of threw off their buffet system. In fact, every time we order from them, they always throw in a free desert or an extra appetizer. Considering we can split an $8 plate, that’s a great deal. Any “coldness” can usually be chalked up to a language issue. Perhaps one should consider that a scratched car is the result of being an obnoxious parker, not because the world is against you.
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Ada A
Mom and I have been exploring new restaurants within the TC, and we agreed to visit this place based on the positive reviews. Lets just say that the atmosphere was very very uncomfortable. The cramped sitting, sly glances, and the absolute disorder made eating the food a very difficult feat. Food was bountiful, but there wasnt much flavor to anything. We paid for the drinks even though we had nothing to drink because the drinks and buffet meal are billed together. We didnt sit down long enough to let anything wed eaten to get past our esophagus before we scurried out. I... we wont be visiting this place again.
