Botonis Restaurant — Restaurant in Municipality of Chania

The food was (mostly) great, but the service was a real let down. My dad’s water glass tasted of aniseed - as though the glass had not been cleaned properly. When he was eventually able to catch a waiter’s attention, the waiter replaced the glass without apologising or replacing the lost water.

We ordered a vegan pizza, taunted tabbouleh (salad), mixed meat for one, and chicken risotto. The tabbouleh salad appeared to be missing the fried aubergine, which was listed in the description. It was not visible and could not be tasted. We informed a waiter who said he would go and check with the chef. The waiter did not return. When our plates were collected, the waiter asked how the food was. We reiterated that the aubergine was missing from the salad. (Note - Risotto was also missing pumpkin and tricolour peppers - there were only green peppers. But we didn’t mention this due to not wanting to be pedantic). The waiter seemed confused and said oh “He (ie the waiter) didn’t tell you that the chef said the aubergine was finely minced. It was in the salad”. The “he” this waiter referred to was himself — seemingly tried to pretend it was another waiter who we had asked about the missing aubergine - very unprofessional. If you are missing ingredients, inform the customer, don’t lie about it, and don’t go away to say you will find information out, only to not return!! Mixed meat meal for one looked very sad - fries were limp, pale, and hardly any of them, and not served with any side salad.

Not once did a waiter ask us how our food was, nor ask if we wanted dessert. When we asked for the bill, they were quick to ask if we were paying with cash or card, but upon saying “cash”, the waiter (the same one who we asked about the aubergine) disappeared and did not return. We eventually got the attention of another waiter to pay. While we were paying, the chef came out to the table next to us, praising/hyping his cooking of the tomahawk they ordered. Funny how the chef never came out to apologise when we complained about the food. When we paid, a different waiter told us about the missing aubergine again saying the same story that it was finely minced into the salad. It seemed the waiters had spoken amongst themselves about our food, but had not been inclined to update us.

Would not recommend going here. There are many other places to choose from woth better food and service! We will not...

Disappointing dining experience – unfortunately a tourist trap

We visited Botonis Restaurant in Agia Marina expecting a cozy evening and good food – sadly, it turned out to be a major disappointment.

The food did not live up to expectations. The Alfredo pasta was bland, seemingly made with milk, lacking the creamy texture and depth of flavor typically associated with the dish. The steak with béarnaise sauce was equally underwhelming – the sauce was thin as water, yellowish in color, and tasteless. The pepper sauce was no better.

The Iberico pork steak (600 g) was dry, and only about 100 g of it was actually edible. The grilled steak was tough and full of sinew; we received a replacement, but it was nearly raw. The total bill for five people came to 148 euros, which is indeed inexpensive – but it felt like a classic case of “you get what you pay for.”

The atmosphere was cozy, and the setting itself has potential. However, the service was not particularly impressive, and the overall impression was that the restaurant focuses more on attracting tourists than on delivering quality food and a memorable experience.

Of course, dining preferences are subjective, and people have different tastes – but for us, this was sadly a...

This restaurant is on the main road in Agia Marina. It has modern decor and clean white linen tablecloths, so it looks quite sophisticated. We reserved a table in advance for both visits and were glad that we did as it got quite busy.

We had fillet steak with a sauce. The waiter was very careful to check exactly how well we would like the meat done and, when it arrived, it was cooked perfectly (I would suggest that you ask for the sauce to be served separately so that you can put as much or little as you like). The meat was delicious and beautifully tender and the sauce was full of flavour. We asked for some advice on a local wine to go with our meal and received a great recommendation that really complemented our dinner well.

The service was very professional. The waiters were very attentive and made sure that we were comfortable. Dishes were brought out in good time so that we were not rushed or kept waiting for too long. Food was a little more expensive than some other local restaurants but the quality of the food, the setting and the service made it...