Rustic Garden — Restaurant in Municipality of Chania

For us this was truly a hidden gem! After planning our trip to Crete and selecting a few restaurants based on reviews, we stumbled upon Rustic Garden by mistake, since it was right near our accommodation. We went there without a reservation and they managed to place us at a shared high table (it was really nice, you can have the secluded feel even there). Firstly, the people were really friendly and professional at the same time, making us feel welcome. Second, the food was beyond words. Truly a different experience. As people who believe food is an important part of travelling, we always try to find places who offer a traditional view, but also interesing and memorable combinations. And Secret Garden hits all the marks. We were so impressed that we booked a table for the next evening, this time asking for a table near an olive tree, where the golden hour at sunset really makes everything magical. All the dishes we tried were very impressive, but the three dips with warm pita (it comes covered in a basket, so it stays warm longer) and the bacon jam that accompanies the deep fried cheese balls still bring back the memories of our cretan summer dream. Also, the shrimp saganaki made our top two shrimp dishes ever tasted and the calamari dish was as tasty as...

The best Greek restaurant that we have ever visited. A bit untraditional style with Greek meze plates served only, and slightly - but not much - more expensive then the other normal restaurants. The scenery was really nice and even though we hadn’t reserved a table we got one anyway. But it felt a lot like luck, the waiters calendar seemed packed and she needed to check and double check that she could offer us a table before we got in. The food was really good, and their recommendation of 2-3 dishes per person was a bit overwhelming. We were 4 people, 2 adults and two teenage children and in total we shared 7 dishes. It was more than enough for us but then again we are not ”big eaters” 😊 We ordered the dishes and they decided in which order each dish was served, and they like served one at a time with some space in between to have a nice experience. When leaving, we decided that we would do a revisit before we go home and reserved a table for some days later - I guess the best review...

Rustic Garden describes their food as ‘Greek tapas’, which I guess is another way of saying meze. The restaurant is approximately 250m from the main road; the garden setting is lovely with gnarled olive trees between the tables and feels quite romantic, especially when the night falls and candles are lit.

We visited twice during our stay in September, booking in advance to make sure we could get a table. The first time we visited the waiter explained the ‘concept’ of the meal and we were advised to order 4-5 dishes between the two of us, with lighter dishes being brought out first and ‘bigger’ flavours left until later. This worked fine for us. On both occasions we started with a salad and finished with grilled lamb, with different dishes in between. The food was delicious and well-seasoned, and the pace of the meal was just right.

Only downside was that they had run out of draft beer on our second visit.

Service was very professional, courteous...