Manili Bistro — Restaurant in Municipality of Archane - Asterousia

I was really excited to finally visit Manili Bistro after following their Instagram for months and was unfortunately really disappointed by the whole experience.

When we arrived we were "greeted" by a waiter who seemed to be incredibly bored and gave the impression he would rather be anywhere else in the world.

We ordered appetizers, mains, and 2 cocktails (which were 11 euros each). Our appetizers arrived, the dakos was very tasty but the skioufichta pasta was the most bland pasta I have tried in Greece. Our drinks did not arrive with our appetizers despite the restaurant only having two tables at that point (we were one of them and the first to arrive). We waited patiently until we saw the other table had been brought two rounds of drinks already. We informed the waitress we were still waiting for our order and were told "siga siga" (i.e slowly-slowly, be patient).

Then, our main dishes were brought while we were still eating our appetizers and we had to quickly move all our old plates out of the way while the waiter hovered there with our other food. We ordered the lamb and the breaded oat chicken. The carrot mash with the lamb was cold, the "lemon sauce" tasted like water, the lamb itself was very tender and soft which was nice, but needed seasoning. The oat-coated chicken had a very nice flavor and I enjoyed it, just a shame the "mixed leaves" turned out to be some limp chopped iceberg.

We were almost finished with our main dishes when I finally saw a tray with two plain-looking cocktails (and some wine glasses for another table) appear on the bar and excitedly told my boyfriend we were finally getting drinks! The waitress started to come with the tray and then put the tray back down on the bar. After 5 minutes, she came back out with the tray minus the cocktails and took the glasses to the other table. The cocktails never re-appeared.

After another 20 minutes passed with nothing, I called the waiter who took our order and asked him to please cancel the cocktail order since it had been over 1 hour. He said "what cocktails"?! We told him the drinks we literally ordered with him and he said "oh sorry I forgot". He then asked me in Greek if I finished my food, I replied no in Greek and he tried to take my plate. I admit by this point I didnt care enough to eat any more so gave up and just said I'll take it in a box and finish it at home.

Eventually 15 minutes later the waitress comes over and apologizes for forgetting our drinks and told us we should have informed her. When my boyfriend reminded her we had done exactly that, she said she thought we were asking about our food. This is hard to accept since we were literally eating at the time we asked her and this doesnt explain why she prepared two cocktails and then took them back. She offered us a shot of tequila as an apology, but after 1.5 hours drinking water I can't say I was in the party mood, and declined.

Our final bill was 49 euros for 2 appetizers, 2 mains, and water.

For reference, all these interactions were in Greek, so there is no excuse of a langauge barrier or misunderstanding. If only as much effort went into making the actual experience enjoyable, as into curating an impressive-looking...

Manili is the most unique and authentic place in the traditional village named Archanes. The rooms either have their own beautiful characteristics and names. We stayed at “ficus” which is a lovely room, with all of the facilities you need! We immediately felt in love the moment we walked in! It’s a WOW when seeing all of the details the room has. You can see that everything is “created” with care and love for the place.

The staff is super friendly and helpful. Thank you Anastasia for the nice recommendations about activities and must-visits in the area.

We enjoyed the breakfast, with enough choices. Fresh fruit, bread, muesli, fresh juices, etc. We also had a lovely night in the restaurant, we had a great dinner! The taste of the food was amazing and the service was great.

Absolutely recommend this place! And definitely come back in the future to visit it again. See you again soon.

Greetings from a...

We had an amazing experience at Manili Bistro in Archanes. The service was excellent and the hostess was exceptionally friendly and welcoming. We were greeted with complimentary bread and a Cretan appetizer, which was a wonderful surprise. We ordered the octopus with fava purée and caramelized onions, the creamed Greek salad, pasticcio with pork, and fettuccine with clams. Every dish was delicious, beautifully prepared, and served in very generous portions. We couldn’t even finish everything. The meal came with complimentary wine, which was a lovely touch. They also treated us to a free dessert, which was the perfect way to finish. The restaurant itself is charming and beautifully decorated, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. I would return in a heartbeat and highly recommend it to anyone...