One of the most well-known Greek communities in the world – Tarpon Springs, Florida – known for its sponge docks and Greek food – is changing during the COVID-19 pandemic with a more international flair to new eateries.

Now besides the Greek restaurants such as Hellas, Mykonos, and Dimitri's On the Water are appearing cosmopolitan attractions offering everything from tacos to Italian and creole food, duck tacos, Peruvian/Chinese fusion dishes, and authentic falafel and shawarma.

In a feature on changes, The Suncoast News noted new places are staying open past 5 PM, the time when the dock area used to go mostly quiet, and offering another reason to come.

More than a dozen restaurants have opened in the past year but that wasn't just pluck and luck.

Tarpon Springs Economic Development Manager Karen Lemmons said that, though it appears that all of a sudden these new restaurants are popping up, we laid the groundwork several years ago when we created the Restaurant Recruitment grant,” which has even seen microbreweries launched.

The historic area has kept its Greek identity for decades and it's still the heart of the town.