Proino Breakfast Club ~ Largo

Address: 201 W Bay Dr, Largo, FL 33770

Phone: (727) 444-0937

Hours: Open daily 7:00am - 3:00pm (breakfast & lunch only)

Extras: Covered/shaded outside dining that is pet friendly. Mimosas & Bloody Mary’s on weekends. 

Website: proinobreakfastclub.com

(Scroll to the bottom for a quick rating/review)

I found Proino in 2013, at the same time I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer (I was in my late 40's). I had 18 inches of my colon removed and started chemotherapy at the now defunct Walgreen’s Treatment Center in the Diagnostic Clinic. Every other Monday for six months I would go in, get blood drawn and then a couple hours later, based on the the results of that blood work, get my chemo treatment for the next 3-4 hours. I won’t go into all the gory details, but chemo does some nasty stuff to a person’s body. My once low carb, meat and veggie filled eating habits no longer agreed with my stomach while on chemo. However, I could stomach carbs like a champ! Enter Proino’s Breakfast Club….

During my wait between blood work and treatment was usually the time I could muster up the energy to eat a meal. Many a time I would head over to Proino with my chemo buddy of the day and buy him or her breakfast as a thank you for their kindness in taking care of me during that day’s session. Crepes were my go to meal during treatment as they were carbs that my body could easily digest with out regret. Proino has amazing crepes!! Sweet crepes… savory crepes… even crepes as a base for one of their many Eggs Benedict meals! I also like the fact that they have a portion of the menu called Little of Both Worlds which gives you a mix of eggs, meat and sweet or savory crepe options.

Ham Benedict

I did a little online research and found out Proino means breakfast in Greek. The owner, George Soulellis, also Greek, owns a chain of restaurants in Montreal called l’Egsoueufs. The Greek Canadian sure knows is breakfast stuff! Ingredients are sure to tickle your tastebuds!

Now when I go to Proino, I favor the Eggs Benedict meals, they are beautifully presented and very filing. I'm a sucker for a creamy rich hollandaise sauce! I’ve tried almost all of bennies and what should be my favorite, the seafood benedict, was not as fresh as I would have hoped give our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. It's made with blue cheese and crab meat that tastes canned or frozen. I'd like to see George use a mellow and creamier cheese (blue cheese is very over bearing) and some local shrimp and fish for this menu item. With that said, I do have two favorites - the Breakfast Club Benedict, which uses french toast as a base in place of an english muffin and the Ham Benedict that uses crepes as the base.

The Breakfast Club Benedict

My healthy eating companions like the home made yogurt. It’s served artfully in a fancy oversized martini glass alongside a bagel. You can dress your yogurt various ways with fresh fruits or berries, they even have the Athenian, greek yogurt, served with pears, walnuts and honey… it’s esquisit! There are more skinny options like a fresh fruit platter and Light Delight that features a poached egg, cottage cheese, fresh fruit and bagel.

Strawberry Yogurt

The omelette portion of the menu will leave you in the land of indecision. The good news, no matter what you pick, you won’t be disappointed. You’ll get the typical mix of Veggie or Western omelets. Then there are some more adventurous options, like the Southwest omelette that is served in a tortilla (Greg’s favorite). Same goes for the Chicken Fajita omelette.  The Blue Cheese omelette (on my short list) is filled with bacon, ham, sausage and blue cheese. They also have the Athenian with Greek sausage, feta, tomato and red onion. Then there is the Le St-Jean-Baptiste which is described on the the menu as, Trois oeufs, choix de deux viandes (saucisses, jambon ou bacon) cretons, pommes de terre maison, fruits frais, rôties et café. Sounds fancy, eh? Translated via google it means; Three eggs, choice of two meats (sausage, ham or bacon) greaves, house potatoes, fresh fruit, toast and coffee. These are just some of the 18 omelettes available. 

Southwest Omelette

The menu has so much to explore, Belgian waffles, smoothies, fancy coffees and salads. I’ve barely skimmed the surface as I’m a creature of habit, when I find something I like it’s hard to venture past the dish I crave. I’ve started a short list that includes the smoked salmon platter, french toast with fruit and english cream or any of the lunch sandwiches, like pastrami or tuna melt. 

Today's Receipt

As for my cancer, I’m working through bi-yearly oncologist check ups and a yearly colonoscopy in hopes of achieveing the coveted 5 year marker (summer of 2018) where I can truly say I’m cancer free! My next yearly is coming up. Wish me luck! 

RATING: 5 best / 1 worst

Food ****

The menu vast. Primarily breakfast items with some salads and sandwiches mixed in for the lunch crowd. Limited alcoholic beverages available. 

Vibe ***

The look: Bright and roomy inside and a bit chilly, so you may want to bring a cover up if you get cold easily.  (welcome to Florida, land of iceberg air conditioning!)

The crowd: 8 months to 80 years ... a mix of families and older couples. 

The bathroom: Cold but fairly clean.  

And: A good amount of covered outdoor seating along West Bay in downtown Largo. We always like the outside vibe, however today we encountered our first smoker, something I wasn’t aware they allowed anywhere on the premises. 

Service ***

The servers we’ve had are always friendly and very helpful. However, they can be a little slow on orders and refills from time to time especially if the place if hopping. 

Moola $

We spent $36 (before tip) for two people, two meals, plus we split biscuits and gravy (basically a third meal) and no adult beverages, just coffees and one OJ. (FYI: mimosa and bloody marys are $5.95 ea.) The average price of a meal is around $9 - $10, portions are ample.  

OVERALL: 3-1/2

Overall - we’ll keep going back. We love the outdoor seating, relaxed atmosphere and the occasional weekend brunch mimosa. The food is consistent and plentiful. We always leave full.