Ελιά Ταβέρνα — Restaurant in Municipality of Chania

We had the pleasure of dining at this charming family-run taverna, conveniently located near our Airbnb. The highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the authentic, traditional Cretan cuisine, lovingly prepared by the sweet grandma who is the chef! The Cretan salad was exceptional, with fresh, flavorful ingredients that shone through in every bite. The accompanying bread with oregano and olive oil was a delightful touch - perfect for dipping in the rich, extra-virgin olive oil.

The lamb chops with fries were cooked to perfection, with a lovely charred flavor from the grill that added a distinctly local touch. My wife's margarita pizza was also top-notch. The service was warm and friendly, thanks to the lovely woman who runs the place - she was super warm and made us feel right at home.

What made the experience even more special was the peaceful surroundings, which felt like a blissful escape from the world. It was the perfect setting to enjoy a wonderful meal. And to top it all off, we received a complimentary dessert of lemon cake with watermelon, which was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. If you're looking for a truly local dining experience, this taverna is a must-visit!...

We visited this restaurant after seeing the high rating on Google Maps. We enjoyed the restaurant so much that we returned a second time. The food was fantastic. The first night we had the rabbit stew and sardines with a starter of fava with garlic bread and house red wine. The rabbit (which I normally am not a fan of) was fantastic and the sardines were grilled well and seasoned very well. The fava and the bread were great as well. Then on our return we had the lamb chops, chicken pie and a starter of the stuffed courgette flowers with house white wine. Once again the grilling and seasoning of the meat was perfect. The chicken pie was great as well, much different to the meat pies I am used to from the UK (which is not surprising) but had great tomatoes and local cheese stuffed inside a sesame pastry with the chicken and mushrooms. The courgette flours had a great stuffing of large grain rice. All of this was capped off by the great staff at the restaurants, the beautiful views of the sea from the restaurant which is perched on top of a hill, and the rooster which lives in the garden of...

We have decided to have the lunch here based on reviewes of the locals, but it was a disappointment: The bottle of tap water we didn't ask were found on our check; Cats managing their furr on the tables with already prepared dishes and cutlery for upcoming visitors (and no one from stuff cared); The so called food was the cherry on the top: a) pork ribs should be called pork belly (chewy), b) meat plate had the worse lamp (which surely wasn't a chop from any point of view), c) pork gyros was just a simply cutted pork neck (also chewy); Portions weren't that big as it may be found in the reviews. Those are much smaller than other much better places. For us it was not a cons, but still important to notice; And I'll finalize with not enough stuff to manage all clients.

As a positive feedback I'll mention only the Moussaka which was the only great dish we had.

Overall, I'd take more time to check to reviews and would try to ignore as much as possible the local guides, which seem just to help their neighbour's business or just they got the better food...