Kalypso’s Sports Tavern

One word: modular (in a cool way). That’s because Kalypso’s has a layout that fits different personalities and moods. I’ll explain. For sports fans out there, you’ve got plenty of TVs (and a crowd of fellow fans, for popular games) in the bar area. Beer tends to flow quickly, and, for the rambunctious, there is even karaōke and live music at times for those who enjoy a weeknight/​weekend drink (or several).
If you’re in a more upscale, white tablecloth, yet still-​somewhat-​casual type of mood, there is distinct restaurant section for you, on the opposite side of the bar. The décor is a bit warmer, contemporary, with dark wood panels and cool glowing blue light fixtures. A large window faces Lake Anne plaza. Yes, you might hear the noises from the bar, but not too loud or bothersome to me.
If your mood/​personality is somewhere in between, you may find yourself in the middle section if the restaurant. This part reminds me of a hotel lobby, with sofas, chairs, and small tables. It might feel wrong and even awkward to eat here, but trust me people do it and so should you.
Finally, the outdoor patio. For when the weather’s nice, and you want to enjoy the fresh air and unique pleasantness that is Lake Anne. Plentiful of tables, lounge chairs, and outdoor patio heaters to make you comfortable.
Finally, the food is good, too. I wouldn’t say the most unique, freshest, or most delectable cuisine. But thoughtfully prepared and delicious nonetheless. Quick synopsis of what I’ve had: lamb sliders (very tasty on well-​toasted buns despite not being fresh), dolmodakia (texture off but still good), basmati rice (undercooked), lamb chops (overly salted but cooked perfectly), filet mignon (overcooked), chicken (very tender and well-​seasoned), pita with tzatziki (yummy tzatziki, pita ok). Of these, lamb sliders, chicken, and tzatziki are my favorites.
Although it may seem like all these sections make the place disjointed, it somehow doesn’t. All of it together makes the modularity that is Kalypso’s. Perhaps it’s the Greek-​style food that keeps it all together. Anyway I recommend it, whatever your mood.

Nice local bar feel, friendly bartenders and the food is good. Great spot to watch a sports game on the bar side or dine with a friend on the dining room side. I was even surprised at the dinner specials, the whisky chicken is easily my favorite. I also tried the smothered filet on another visit which was very good. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because of the bathrooms; while always clean when I visit, they need to be updated.

Raised the prices without informing anyone. Since when can you surprise someone with a tab full of $ 7 fireballs? They are $ 3 at Blue Iguana. Are we paying for the ambiance? I’m not impressed by this tiny place where you are constantly being shushed due to residential apartments located directly above this overpriced disappointment of a bar. My tab was more than twice what I expected. These are poor business practices and I will not return. Such an unethical establishment should be avoided.

Since my original review, we have not often visited Kalypso’s as our lives have changed: we now have a nearly two-​year-​old. Tonight, we decided to stop in for a glass of wine and appetizers while our daughter had some dinner. Due to a private party in the center bar, we opted to sit in the dining room. We were a bit nervous that our active daughter might disturb others, but it was before 6pm on a Friday, so we went for it. I’m so glad we did!
There were two servers in the dining room, Megan and Diana, and they were both wonderful. They accommodated us with a high chair (standard) and then a balloon tied to it (amazing for our daughter!). They were happy to put in her dinner early, and they didn’t push any drinks that weren’t already offered on the happy hour menu (available in the dining room!). Our appetizers (all we were ordering) arrived promptly – unlike previous visits – and Megan and Diana checked in regularly to see if we needed anything else.
Tonight has really changed our opinion of Kalypso’s. Though I’m still not sure that brunch on a Saturday is something I’d try, dinner on a Friday night with a toddler is definitely something we’ll return for soon.

It’s a great spot for drinks. The ambiance is nice by the lake. The pizza is always good. The staff is always nice.

Local beer selection is great: surprisingly good food (greek menu); when weather is nice, outside seating is nice with some live music in the evenings.

Can I give this place no stars?
This was some of the slowest service I have ever had at a restaurant. Dirty, smelly I mean the place just looked unsanitary including the servers, with that being said we sat outside. When our food finally came it was mediocre at best; «Greek, Mediterranean» should be removed from the name as this is a lie. The food tasted like they went and bought it at Giants hot bar right before they closed. Our waiter was not attentive, forgot our order forgot our drink orders. When our drinks did finally come it made me regret even ordering because it tasted like vodka water not vodka red bull. No toilet tissue in the ladies room and as the sun went down so did the quality of people. My date and I were trying to eat dinner while surrounded by screaming drunken teenagers is what it looked/​sounded like. Finally we decided to just leave, I think we waited 15 mins to get our waiter then another what felt like 30 mins to get our check. We would have not even left a tip as much as we did if it weren’t for the fact that had we asked for change we would of been there for another 30 mins. If I had to compliment one thing it would be the location, Im 100% sure this well this and the drunken teenagers are what keep them in business.
Never going back

We started off ordering just waters and when they came I noticed something strange floating in the glass.
Then we ordered the «dip trio» when that came it was drenched in oil and gross.
We then ordered the «Kalypso pizza» or whatever it was called. It took forever and was burnt! Not to mention left a bad taste in your mouth.

If it wasn’t for the location on the lake and view this place would be closed! Went for an event, patio seating was cramped and the layout inside was even worse. It took forever to get a server’s attention. I asked for hot wings and was served wings with a creamy disgusting white sauce. It tasted like the wings were flash fried instead of fully cooked. The drinks were weak and my overall experience was not good. No tissue in the ladies room, There is potential at this location but it requires a staff and facility makeover!!! I not be visiting again

Come here for the outside view and ambiance only. The food and service were both extremely lackluster. But that view, that view, that view! This is definiltey one of the most relaxing places around to enjoy a meal while sitting under white canopies and watching the kayaks and pontoon boats go by. My friends and I all thought it felt like being outside of the country in some small European town. If you need to get away from it all, you can find a nice little respite in Reston.
Don’t come hungry or you might starve. Basically the food is non-​authentic Greek. It’s more like cafeteria style food with poor presentation and inferior ingredients. How does a «Greek» restaurant make a unpalatable Greek salad? The lettuce was poor quality, there were only two olives on the plate, very little feta, and the dressing was horrible. Granted, Kalypsos’ name says «Sports Tavern» but they also like to cross advertise as Greek. My expectations would be lower if it was simply a sports bar. My friend got the steak Greek salad and she thought it was bad too. The Grilled Chicken Kabobs over rice was suboptimal. Basically, the food is blah.
The only interesting item on the menu was a beer that supposedly tastes just like root beer. I was unable to try it since it has gluten in it but I would have if I could have.
Service was close to non-​existent. The server took our order and we did not see her again until we had to ask someone else to find her so we could pay the bill.

The food here is AMAZING! Its a chill location to go to with family or friends. I love that you can sit either inside or out. Its clean which for me is always important and the staff is charming.
I have also been here for drinks at night and I can say that I had a blast. Good music and friendly people.

I’ve wanted to try Kalypso since it opened at Lake Anne a few years ago and finally did last night. It was unfortunately a bit uneven (in most respects), but maybe this was due to it being a Saturday night with beautiful weather and a very packed house. So I’m not writing them off by any means, I will try them again, but probably not anytime really soon, and next time probably in the middle of the week when it’s not going to be quite as busy.
The food was good at times, not so good at others. We didn’t order many things, but hopefully what we did will give you at least a sampling of what they offer. Prices are cheap, but they aren’t unreasonable, especially given the fairly generous quantities that are provided.
I ordered the falafel appetizer, which comes with tahini and a generous portion of freshly warmed pita slices. The falafels are very generous in size also. Many people would probably fill up on them and be fine without a main course, maybe just adding a side salad. I might consider that if I actually enjoyed the felafel. I really wanted to like it, as I’m a big fan of felafel and have been eating them a lot recently at various area eateries. I have to say that these were unfortunately some of my least favorite I’ve had. They are big and filling, but they are not very tasty to say the least. They are so big that the majority of what they consist of is the meal inside the felafel, which essentially tastes like a grain meal with maybe a tiny bit of chick pea mixed in? Not much spice or flavor in that or the tahini. Even worse, there seemed to be a very slightly bitter taste to the felafel. I don’t know whether that was the tahini or the oil they used to fry the felafel in, but it made what would have been a mediocre dish into something I would never choose again unless I knew they had completely revamped their recipe…
For the entrée I had the Kalypso Greek Salmon. This came with a mixture of tomato, olives and feta on top of it, which was good. Not overly greasy or rich, and not piled so high that it completely took over the dish. It was also surprisingly not super salty, and the salmon didn’t seem overly salted either. I need to watch my salt intake, so I appreciated that. Unfortunately, the middle of the salmon was undercooked to the point of being raw. This wasn’t most of the salmon though, but maybe just the middle 20%, so technically it was even a smaller percentage that was undercooked. Still. I mentioned this to our server and asked that it be reheated. She asked if I just wanted a new fillet but I was a) almost full by then and b) didn’t want to wait another 20 minutes (or more). I could have just left it but thought sending it back would potentially help the kitchen realize they might need to up the cooking time just a little.
Entrees come with a house salad and I found mine to be good. The vinaigrette served was tasty and the salads were fresh and not your typical iceberg tragedy.
My wife ordered a chicken kabob which she said was ok, nothing special, but decent. The rice accompanying both of our meals was good and cooked perfectly.
The service, like the food, was a bit uneven. In general, the service was good. We didn’t have to wait around much to order, to get our dishes, or to get the check, despite it being a very busy night. The servers were also generally very friendly and outgoing. The one issue we had though did kind of leave us on a slightly sour note. When we asked for the bill, we mentioned that we had an Entertainment card. Our server was not familiar with it, came back with an incorrect discount which had to be corrected. After that, her demeanor towards us was quite cold and unfriendly, which was not a good note to end on!
One of the nicest parts about Kalypso is the atmosphere. It is friendly (the occasional hiccup as described above notwithstanding), lively, relaxing, and on a beautiful night like last night when you can eat at their outdoor tables, can be wonderfully pleasant. We saw lots of families and couples in a variety of ages, colors, etc. Some even brought their dogs to hang out with them. The only downside (in my point of view) to their atmosphere, is that Kalypso is also a bar, and I suppose because of this, there is a smoking section outdoors that, of course, can waft into the areas where no one is smoking. Unless you physically close off spaces for smoking, «sections» are really a misnomer. Smoking has become something so rare in the venues I go to that we are particularly sensitive to it and so it becomes a distraction to have to even occasionally breath this stuff in. Then again, this didn’t happen throughout our entire meal, so I’m guessing it’s just the luck of the draw when you go there — especially on a Saturday night. Otherwise, you do really feel like you are at some seaside town (given the proximity to the lake front) where everyone is on vacation, the large umbrellas shading the sun enough to keep you cool on a warm evening like last night.

This was some of the slowest service I have ever had at restaurant. It took 20 minutes to get salads and bread, and we had empty drinks for over 5 minutes without anyone noticing. We would have ordered more drinks… if anyone came to our table. If it was very busy I would understand, but it was not.
I witnessed multiple people with the same problem, as well as the wrong food, very delayed entrees or side salads coming out a minute before the entrees. In regards to the food, it was fine but I was already not happy with the service. Oh and did I mention we saw our waitress a total of 3 times (I do appreciate the apology for not stopping by more, but unfortunately it was a little too late). The view was nice so that earned a star increase from a 1 to a 2.
I will not be going back.

Decent food, though my salmon lacked seasoning. I was able to season it okay, and the salad wasn’t overdressed, which I appreciate. So many places just drown their salads in dressing, when less is more. Hubby’s souvlaki platter was tasty and plentiful.
Service is slow, but we weren’t in a rush.
We had our dog with us, and though our hostess put us at the sunniest table in the place, the waitstaff were very nice and brought water, treats and attention to our dog. Made up for the sunburn I got after an hour in the direct sunlight.
My only real complaint was the terrible blueberry sangria. Pretty tasteless and overpriced at $ 11.95. I could have sent it back, so my fault for keeping it; I was thirsty and not feeling like reordering. But I’d never drink it again.
Great place to laze away an early dinner evening outside. Will come back, but will leave our dog at home so we can get a better table.

Great for watching football on Sundays! They have the NFL Sunday Ticket and 30+ TVs, plus a great «game day menu.» The gameday menu has $.50 wings which are very meaty and come in a variety of flavors. They have other great deals like a $ 5 burger + fries, and nachos, but you should try their wings.
Besides coming to watch games, they have great outdoor seating and fantastic Greek food. I would recommend the Gyro platter (comes with bread, salad, the Gyro, and fries). They also have the best hummus I’ve ever had. Look out for them on Specialicious (like Groupon) because they have a lot of $ 15 for $ 30 deals. Definitely worth checking out!

My wife and I hosted a wedding rehearsal dinner at Kalypso’s on Friday, March 27. We had 35 people there. Everything about the night was awesome. The staff was attentive, gracious, fun. We were all treated as well as I could have ever imagined. And the food was spectacular. Beef kabobs, Brandy Chicken and the grilled shrimp were all perfect. And you must try the calamari
I had stopped in the day before to finally see the place for the first time (since it was all planned without ever seeing it). Nick the bartender was very knowledgeable when I asked about the beers. Thanks for introducing me to the DeChutes Fresh Squeezed IPA (I finally remembered the name)! And having a beer and pizza outside by the lake is a great way to spend some time.
And a HUGE thanks to the server who dealt with my mother in law and her allergies. That can be a trying experience and it was handled quite graciously. And for getting the NCAA games on the right TVs for some fans.
And thanks to Vicky and Kevin. I had been in touch with Kevin via e-​mail to arrange the whole event. He understood what we wanted to do and made it all happen. He even sent me pictures of the place to know what the layout was like. It was the easiest event I’ve ever planned. A huge thanks to all the staff at Kalypso’s for making the night one to remember. I can’t recommend this place enough.

My husband and I had dinner here when the weather was nasty. It was nice to be welcomed in — the dining room was empty, as everyone with smarts, was at home keeping warm. We were craving Greek food, so we ordered the spanakopita and the gyro platter. Everything came picture perfect and was good to eat. The spanakopita didn’t seem to be homemade, just well made, store bought fare. The platter had a good amount of food, maybe a little more greens than we expected but the gyro meat was tasty and not chewy or overcooked. The fries also seemed store bought, but well made — they were not soggy nor burnt.
The service was a little bit slow considering we were the only ones in the dining room area, but we didn’t mind, we were grateful that Kalypso’s was open.

I had high hopes for this restaurant, since people in Reston reference it all the time and it looks really nice inside. We went there for my birthday and while our waiter was unbelievably awesome, the food was just «meh.» We went at normal dinner time and the entire dining area was empty which was weird; just people on the other side in the bar area. It would’ve been a romantic and nice setting except being the only ones there in this giant room made it kind of a buzzkill. We may go back here to try it for a more casual, lunch-​time experience but it was pretty disappointing.

The best TYROPITAS in the world!!! We had a white pizza and a Greek pizza. They were both delicious. The service was great and the staff very friendly. Definitely coming back!

Server recommends a wine then takes a half hour for it to arrive at the table once my meal was done. I had to get the wine myself.
Fish tacos have no flavor & I asked why do they come with a curry sauce. Waiter has no idea and doesn’t find out. My table listened to the wait staff talk about another table wondering who’s table it was. They resolved to wait until someone complained before addressing the patrons.
No wine with my meal & my water was empty too. I could have sooner filled my cup from Lake Anne than summoned the waiter to refill my cup. We opted for ice cream elsewhere afterwards.