Panellinio — Restaurant in Meteora Municipality

Worst experience I've had at a restaurant in a very long time.. My partner and I had been driving all day and were looking forward to a nice warm meal.

Upon sitting down we ignored the weird atmosphere in the shop as we were too hungry to pay it any attention.

We ordered a mixed grill, fried zucchini and a oven pasta dish. Out of the three only the zucchini were enjoyable. The meat was mostly dry, cold and tasteless. Served alongside lukewarm oven potatoes. Only the beef patties were warm, which the waiter served to us later as "the first beef patties didn't come out good so they were remaking them". Lastly, the oven pasta tasted like a supermarket microwavable meal with a slice of cheese on top, reheated for 5 seconds. The sauce tasted like something that had been sitting on the countertop for days.

After consuming this "meal", both of us had to run to the toilet -which was very clean, I'll give them that -. After paying our bill, I politely asked the waiter about the freshness of the sauce and told him that we were both affected by what we consumed there. He disregarded us, claiming that it was too soon to be affected by anything we ate in there (we were there for over an hour).

Save your money and your gut. Do...

This was recommended by our driver who frequents the area and has known this restaurant for a long time. We were there on a rainy, misty mid November day and the atmosphere inside was incredibly cozy and nostalgic. It was our first taverna experience and felt steeped in history with antique collections and stone walls. The staff was attentive and friendly. We ordered the Panellinio salad which was delicious, lamb in the oven also amazing per my husband and I had my first moussaka which blew my mind. I had seen many other moussaka dishes around Greece so far but not ordered it as it looked heavy and with too much potato. This moussaka has a light layer of mashed potatoes with a bechamel sauce that was the best flavor and combination that I have ever encountered in mashed potatoes (which I don't usually prefer). It was an amazing meal and just as good as leftovers which we are later that evening. I will absolutely return when we are in the area again and...

We've eaten at Panellinio's every day for the last 4 days. While I realize that a number of tavernas are closed in the winter, every time we've asked a local for a recommendation, this is where they tell us to go!

First, the house red wine is delicious (and cheap!). I can also personally recommend the mousakas (one of the best we've had over 2 weeks in Greece), fried zuchinni, saganaki (salty fried cheese), greek salad, meatballs, and sausages. The eggplant salad and the pork in the oven are really stand out dishes! We loved the pork so much that when we tried to order it again and it wasn't available, they cooked it for us the next day. Seriously folks - the best pork you've ever had!

The restaurant is always busy so you know the food is cooked fresh and the waitstaff are friendly versus overly attentive. If you need anything, just raise your hand - you'll be taken care of.

Tavern Panaellinio...