Kanali — Restaurant in Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

Let me start by saying that the location and atmosphere of this restaurant is unmatched and if you’re planning on going, the best time to visit is right before sunset, but make sure you have a reservation! Probably the best option for a romantic dinner date with a rustic feeling by the sea!

The quality of the food was great, we had a few dishes (Greek Salad | Grilled Halloumi | Shrimps | Fried Zucchini | French Fries | Salt Baked Sea Bass) but our favorite dish was the Salt Baked Sea Bass - if you’ve never tried Sea Bass cooked in that way, then I suggest you try it because the fish was extremely soft and fresh tasting.

One thing that was a little disappointing, which can happen anywhere every now and then but seems to be a regular occurrence here judging by the other reviews, is the service.

Slip-up #1: We went in person to make a reservation (for 2 people) at the restaurant for the same night, but since they didnt have any available tables, we reserved a table for the following night. When we arrived there (on time) we were told that they could not find our reservation. Thankfully, they managed to seat us at one of the empty tables.

Slip-up #2: We were sat at the table for about 15 minutes and nobody bothered to bring us a menu. In my opinion they should provide us with a menu upon sitting us down at our table.

Slip-up #3: When ordering, we were told by the waiter that the sea-bass was around 800-900g. The price of the fish was shown per kg. So when we got the bill, I noticed that we were charged the price of a 1kg sea bass instead of 800-900g. I didnt mention anything as I wasnt really bothered to debate that we were told a different weight.

Positives: At the end of the meal we were served with complimentary fruits and traditional liquor shot (Raki). So the intention for providing a memorable service to their customers was there, but I guess sometimes things happen.

Overall impression: I would recommend trying this cute restaurant as the scenery on the water overlooking the cliffs of Elounda is...

Don’t get fooled by their great reviews (4.6 stars by the time I’m writing this). We booked a table 4 days ago. When we arrived, they told us to wait for a table to free up. They sat us down on an improvised table in the middle of the waiter’s passage in order to have a drink and wait. Nevertheless, they didn’t serve us anything to drink for 20 minutes. After speaking with other foreigners around us, we realised that they all had the same experience (like waiting for their order to be taken for over 40 minutes, even though they also booked a table). Thing is, while sitting there, waiting, we saw people arriving (all greeks) one after another, being greeted friendly, and being given a table to eat. If you’re not greek, dont go there. We ended up leaving without eating dinnner. The guys couldnt care less. This place is the opposite of the warm and welcoming hospitality Greece usually has to offer. Btw, there are dozens of better restaurants in Elounda that welcome you with the real greek (or cretan) hospitality. Food looked good from afar though. But it only « looked » good that’s why the 2...

We booked this restaurant because it had been recommended to us because we were celebrating our engagement. The food was fabulous - we had the beetroot which was probably the nicest beetroot we've ever had, the shrimp, and half a kilo of the dorade which came with vegetables and potatoes and was delicious. The view was beautiful and I can imagine is even nicer in the evening. The service was friendly albeit a little slow and because we were sat outside I think we were slightly forgotten. The only downside, and this isn't the restaurants fault and hasn't affected our rating, but there was an English couple sat on the table next to us who had a very personal phone call on loudspeaker for 15 minutes which resulted in me having to go over and ask them to take the call off loudspeaker. If you like delicious food and a beautiful setting then we'd highly...