Land ho, hungry Gainesville mateys! Pirates’ Grill is open and serving up homemade Eastern European and Mediterranean flavors that will make your timbers shiver.  

With 4.8 out of 5 stars on Google reviews in their first 8 months, Pirates’ Grill husband and wife owners Youssef Semaan, also known as “Captain Joe,” and Nika Semaan, known as “Boat Mama Nika,” are making a fantasy world come to life one meal at a time from 1006 NW 76^th Blvd. in Newberry Square. 

“This is our ship, we are pirates,” Nika said. “And of course we are Gators.” 

The swashbuckling atmosphere of Pirates’ Grill has been described by customers from all over the country as an “absolute must try” and “awesome little hidden gem.” The small dining room is a chest full of treasures the Semaans have collected from around the world, romanticizing the adventurous spirit of Florida’s pirate history. 

Oil paintings of historic captains and a poster of Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, along with a handmade Spanish tapestry, a Ukrainian cuckoo clock telling fairytale time, and candle stick holders from a 1919 German ship captain are just a few of the treasures decorating the troves of the dining room walls. 

One corner of the restaurant features an array of toys for kids to play with while their parents eat. If the kids finish all their food, they get gold chocolate coins to celebrate. 

All Pirates’ Grill customers young and old are encouraged to join staff members in dressing up in pirate bandanas, tricorne hats and gold jewelry. Nika said although the space is small, it encourages customers to talk to one another, a benefit she said is especially valuable when society spends so much time communicating through screens.  

“I just want to make people happy and healthy,” Nika said. “We want it to be a fairytale for people. Life is so hard, stressful. [People] must come and relax and have good food.” 

Nika came to the U.S. as a refugee from the Republic of Georgia in 1996 and worked for the Chicago Police Department. After her youngest son died of a heart attack, Nika moved to Gainesville looking for sunshine, oceans and cows to make her happy. She then met and married Youssef, a Lebanese immigrant and translator of ancient texts, and the Semaans opened Pirates’ Grill for a change of pace in life. 

The pirate theme tries to tell a piece of their journey that enabled the couple to open the restaurant in the first place. 

“Pirates, it’s something about freedom,” Nika said. “Ocean is freedom. It’s a big space; you can go to any land.” 

The menu is a collection of recipes from around the world but mostly Eastern European and Mediterranean. Even though it takes more time, all of the food is prepared from scratch with fresh ingredients. From chicken shawarmas, kabobs and gyros, to tabouleh and Greek salad with Nika’s great-grandmother’s dressing recipe from Elena Island, Pirates’ Grill offers something for meat lovers and vegetarians alike.  

The Semaans are in the kitchen until midnight every night preparing the homemade soup recipes. Anything that doesn’t get eaten in the restaurant gets taken home to friends.  

“One lady asked our server here, ‘Why is everything so tasty here? Do you know the secret?’” Nika said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I know. They cook with love.”  

Nika said if there’s one item people know Pirates’ menu for, it’s the honey cake. The Semaans prepare the dessert using a “secret recipe” with almost no sugar except honey they buy from a local farm. Some customers can’t get enough.  

“One man, he came to buy honey cake,” Nika said. “The next week, only honey cake. Next week, only honey cake. Then he said, ok I’ll tell you my secret. I came with my wife for dinner. She tried honey cake and got so happy. Now the second I am guilty, I come to you [because] I need cake. I am the family man.” 

To get your pirate and honey cake fix, Pirates’ Grill is open Wednesday through Saturday and Monday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.