The Five Restaurant — Restaurant in Municipality of Chania

We came to this restaurant by accident, we where passing by and it started to rain, so we snug under the umbrellas and where invited to stay as long as the rain pours down.

We took one, two peeks to the food on the plates of the other people there and did a table reservation for the next evening.

Water is not Water...Disclaimer! So, we came in the next evening, they offered us water, we decided for some sparkling water. I write this, because, there is sometimes confusion I saw also in other reviews. The usual procedure is... Tab Water is offered usually for free and they bring it to your table without asking, Sparkling Water (Bottled) is offered and if you decide for that, you pay for that. That is totally fine and standard procedure. If you are not aware of that, you might have the idea of "they ripped me off, because of the water!" - No they don't. I just wanted to explain this.

Restaurant, not beach bar! Another confusion, some people might have...just because this restaurant is on the seaside, this is not a beach bar or a pub. That means, they want you to have cloth on (no beachwear, not topless) shocking!!!

They don't serve snacks, sweets only and/or drinks only! Even more shocking!!!

And, I also write this, because I read this in reviews before. Seriously, are you going to a restaurant in your home town, even when it is summer time topless, without shoes and just order a glas of wine or just the dessert? I don't think so.

What is greek cousine? Greek restaurant means not grilled fish plate and/or meat plate for 2 for 39,99€ including 1/2 Liter of wine per se! There is nothing wrong with this and I also like it after a hiking tour to dig in, but, if you are entering a restaurant that has a total different concept and tries to combine greek food with some extra kick, than you should be aware of that.

Concept... The concept of this restaurant is, that you explore different tastes and you share your food, so you can order 3-4 dishes and try our what it is. And, this is very very very clearly explained by the staff. They explained it to us. And over the evening, I witnessed, that they did this also to anybody else. I write this, because, also I read this in some review here.

How does it taste... Sure, food is always a personal taste and if you don't like it, you don't like it. For example, I don't like caviar and/or mussel. And you now what?! Then don't order it. So, I ordered what I like and/or what I was curious to try.

And, the food there is just amazing! It is just very, very good. The combination of the food, the seasoning, it is just great! Period!

The where 2, ordered 4 different dishes, had a dessert, wine and 2 Mojitos (and, damn, those are good Mojitos). And we were close to 90€. That is totally acceptable and a fair price. I don't know where you life, but in Germany I would have paid easily 150-160€ for the same food.

We did a reservation for our last day there and tried something different, also, just damn good...

If you do one thing while in Chania, visit this restaurant!! I will be honest, initially I was apprehensive about trying The Five Restaurant as it looked very ‘shiny’ and I was after something more traditional. Let me tell you, was I blown away and eating my words within the first ten minutes….yes!

The owner was not just passionate but knowledgable and genuinely excited to share that knowledge. That alone was a wonderful experience but then the food started to come out and I quickly understood the rave reviews.

Each dish was delightful, using Greek/Cretan inspired flavours and balancing them perfectly. The ceviche was fantastic, the squid an absolute delight and the cabbage was the biggest surprise - so tasty! It’s a meze style service but there are some bigger dishes if you don’t feel inclined to share. The meze style definitely makes it a more enjoyable experience as you can share the excitement in the delicious food with the person/people you’re with!

The cocktails were also fantastic, well balanced and well thought out. True cocktails, not awful naff sweet drinks that you find everywhere else in the harbour. On mentioning I liked classic cocktails, the owner proceeded to write me a list of cocktails bars she would recommend that were in the area but hidden away or not so known about by tourists.

Thank you for a fantastic evening and making the night wonderful. It is so clear that this restaurant genuinely operates on customer experience and happiness and not just trying to get people in and out for a quick turnover.

(And for the review below complaining about the attire people were wearing - yes it’s a very nice restaurant but I get the impression from the owner that she wouldn’t care what you were wearing so long as you were wearing clothes and taking joy in the food being served to you. It’s a restaurant situated on the beach, you’ll get those who have dressed up for the evening and those who have stumbled out of the water and put their day clothes back on, looking to have...

I highly recommend this restaurant. It is one of the best restaurants in Chania, Crete and one of the best restaurants I have eaten at in my lifetime. Out of the 5 days I was in Chania, I visited here 3 days for dinner. Reservations are highly recommended, especially if you want to eat and view the sunset.

I tried a good chunk of the items on the menu, and everything I tried was delicious. However, I believe you cannot go wrong with anything you choose. Kleopatra and Nikos did a wonderful job melding traditional greek flavors with the items on their menu. My husband & I's favorite item on the menu was the fried potatoes which came with vegan truffle mayo - SO delicious! The short rib was falling off the bone and perfectly cooked. The sardine toast was delicious and not fishy at all. Their cocktails are also delicious. I felt the prices for the food are reasonable and I enjoyed having a "tapas" style and being able to taste multiple items in one sitting.

Furthermore, Nikos and Kleopatra are wonderful and the nicest people I have ever met; they truly care about their customers. I am very thankful my Airbnb host in Santorini recommended this restaurant. I cannot...