Basilico Ristorante — Restaurant in Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

A truly “unforgettable” experience — just not in a good way

The online rating is suspiciously high. I even read some reviews saying the owner asked customers to leave 5-star ratings before leaving — and although that didn’t happen to us, it suddenly explains a lot.

We had walked past this restaurant many times, always avoiding it because the waiters didn’t look particularly clean. One evening, however, it was late, and we didn’t feel like going farther, so we told ourselves not to judge a book by its cover and decided to give it a try. Well… turns out some covers are perfectly accurate.

The first red flag came when the head waiter tried to sell us a bottle of white wine that, according to him, was on special offer for less than 50 euros. By a curious twist of fate, the owner of our apartment had left us the exact same wine as a welcome gift, and we already knew it was terrible. We’d even seen it in SYN.KA for 3–4 euros a bottle. So yes, quite a “special” offer indeed.

We politely refused and ordered beer instead (something I rarely do at dinner — but desperate times, desperate measures). We ordered just two dishes, enough to fill our stomachs and get out of there as soon as possible.

Of course, “complimentary” items began to appear on the table — bread, for instance — which, unsurprisingly, later made their way onto the bill.

While waiting, I noticed something rather odd: couriers on scooters delivering food TO the restaurant. I suspect some of their dishes are cooked elsewhere — which might actually be a good thing, considering the quality of what they serve.

The food was mediocre at best. At the end, they brought us a slice of watermelon “on the house” (which we hadn’t asked for). I declined — beer and watermelon is a combination best left to those conducting digestion experiments.

When the bill arrived, the surprises continued: the bread and the “free” dessert were both charged (even though we hadn’t touched the dessert), and the total was noticeably higher than it should have been. At that point, the waiter conveniently forgot all his English, and we decided to cut our losses and leave.

And now, with this review, I suppose I’m finally returning the favor — though unlike their wine, my feedback is...

What a gem of a place. There are so many seafront restaurants trying to tempt you in and it becomes almost second nature to ignore everyone who asks you if you'd like to sit down, but this is one place that you don;'t want to walk straight past. A very extensive menu, much of it Italian inspired, and first rate service make this a place to return to again and again. We stopped for a spot of lunch and we were so impressed we returned the next evening for dinner. On both occasions, we were provided with a beautifully presented selection of bread, baked on the premises, with olives, tomatoes, etc., on the house, while we waited for our meal. Our meals were all outstanding. My partner order a 'small' pizza, which would have easily fed a family of four. On our evening visit, I ordered the steak. The menu was a little vague, and simply said 'steak'. I asked the waiter if I could expect a good one, and assured me it was a speciality. And he was very right indeed - it was HUGE. No idea of the weight, I would guess maybe 32oz at least. And it was beautiful, too. After each meal, we were served some lovely little deserts, again free of charge. I really can't recommend this restaurant highly enough. Please visit if you get the...

Very good food. Everything was done to our expectations. Grilled salmon and beef fillet done to perfect along with a wonderfully grilled selection of vegetables. Great free starters with home made bread, cheese, olives etc. and some nice fresh and juicy water melon afterwards. Also for free. Attentive staff, kind and polite. A big thumbs up. Oh and the view to the beach/sea is great too.

All this at very fair prices.

We also saw food being served to the other guests and everything looked really good.

If we have to mention something negative it would be that the men's toilet had no seat! Lucky I only had to go number one 😂

P.s. I see one person mentioning that you should check the bill for any errors. I always look and there was nothing wrong. Everything was priced the same as on the menu. I personally tipped 5 euro because it was such a pleasant visit.

Edit, 29th September 2022: Here we are, one year later and we're in Agios Nikolaos again. And where else to eat, but Basilica? Once again everything was absolutely amazing. Fresh, delicious, generous portions and prices are great. I can only do one thing and that is to award one more star because everything was - once again...