Widow Brown's: Homestyle Eats on The Cheap

feels like home.  The quaint décor, the close camaraderie between employees and the home style cooking make you feel like you’re walking into a place that hasn’t changed much, in a very long time.   It works though. 

Is it mind blowingly delicious or is its cuisine innovative?  Not quite.  But, is it simple and ridiculously affordable?  Absolutely.

Amidst our dismal, but improving, economy, it’s understandable why a restaurant like Widow Brown’s is staying above water. Their entrees are all on the cheap, Most of them hovering under the $10 mark and they offer genuinely fantastic service. 

The waitstaff may not know everyone’s name, but they sure knew a few during this visit.  It’s so often restaurant 's wait staff go into robot-mode.  They’ve got their inner-bank of pre-determined phrases and gestures crafted to just get you in and out as fast as possible and leaving a suitable tip, which is fine, and almost necessary in a high-volume restaurant. But, it was refreshing to see waiters and waitresses actually taking time to sit at the tables and chat with their customers at Widow Brown’s.

The menu was incredibly expansive.  American classics like bacon cheeseburgers sat right next to Greek classics like souvlaki platters and gyros.  It’s a little overwhelming, but nothing a waiter can’t help you out with, which mine did.  

"The ribs were great," the waiter said.  So I went with a half rack, which is only one part of the meal. 

Each entrée at Brown’s comes with a choice of soup or a visit to the small, but adequate salad bar as well as a choice of a starchy side like mashed potatoes, fries, rolls and a cruel choice between the vegetable of the day or a few different deserts. 

For $7.99, this restaurant very well may be in the running for most affordable three-course meal in Largo.

Was it good?  You know, it was.  Nothing extraordinary, but nothing close to horrendous either.  The salad bar was stocked with those fake bacon bits, and a few toppings like garbanzo beans, green peppers and a Greek favorite, potato salad.  It was all incredibly fresh and made for an adequate appetizer.

The ribs were, naturally, the highlight of the meal.  Modestly tender and coated in a sweet-reddish barbeque sauce. The ribs were slightly crunchy on the outside and incredibly tender throughout.  Very impressive for such a small price tag.  The side of mashed potatoes was a tad bland, but their thick and flavorful brown gravy easily made up for it.

Rounding out the meal was a bowl of homemade tapioca pudding with whipped cream and cinnamon.  If you make it this far, you’ve done good.  The two bites I could suffice were pleasant enough and a nice addition to the meal.

Overall, knows what they’re doing.  They’re not pulling out all the fancy bells and whistles a restaurant could, but for good reason; they just want to feed and take care of you, nothing more, nothing less.  For the many of us diligently budgeting, that is A-ok sometimes.

is located at 2076 Seminole Boulevard, Largo, 33778