Anemi Taverna — Restaurant in Municipality of Chersonissos

The most striking thing about this place is obvious it is that they care. They love food: so the products they use are excellent. The restaurant is airy and tastefully decorated to look like you are outside dining on a neighbourhood street. They love hosting: so they customer service is top notch, they understand their clientele: so they can accommodate families with children (there is a play area with toys), big groups of friends (easily combining tables), couples in love (candle lit romantic tables). It pays to mention the toilets are spacious and clean. It was our utmost pleasure to dine here! The compact menu has tried and tested Greek favourites, but please - let them tempt you with the Specials, and give some of the Cretan dishes a go, like the bitter leafed hortas, soused in lemon and olive oil. Or snails swimming in fragrant rosemary and thyme flavoured olive oil, and the Cretan feta cooked in the oven over a thick, herby tomato base. Our absolute favourite meals were the dorade in lemon and olive oil, grilled lamb chops and the roasted pork belly!!! *special mentions to the heavenly spiced pork gyros and the subtle anise flavored creamy pastisicco. Do not leave without sampling the honey spiced raki. You will not regret it!! Alex and Amelia are immaculate hosts and Giorgio’s and Mano and the other staff are simply wonderful. How lucky we were to share the wonderful atmosphere they create at...

I rarely write a bad review, but I didn’t feel like this place was any close to the 4.9 review at the time I booked this reservation so I don’t understand these reviews. This was completely not my experience.

The service was nice and everyone was friendly, the environment was pretty and under the tree in the back was nice. But after eating in Greece the last week, I assure you this was nothing special. Our food came out within eight minutes, so clearly not made to order as the restaurant was quite busy. Salad was fine, potatoes were fine? But the mains were actually awful. The first was so bad I had to send it back. Rubbery and salty calamari. My husband got a pork special, which was one big casserole of mushy meat and vegetables. And even if that was a style, it wasn’t good. Other items were so so. We’ve been eating all over Crete from mountaintop family owned businesses to bigger restaurants in cities and had the most incredible meals at a fraction of this cost. It just feels like we either went on a terribly off night or something weird is going on because all these restaurants have high reviews, and this one honestly felt like a huge...

After being around the island for 9 days and trying many restaurants from north to south, and East to west, we realized this area was quite touristic (both for the prices, the low quantity of locals and the little hospitality: no free water, bread, desserts not raki/liquors offered).

Probably most of the restaurants in the area are similar but we (luckily) only tried this on our way from Ierapetra to Iraklio, due to the average score of 4.9.

Wouldn't stop if you like something more real or traditional. We tried much better saganaki, moussaka and other typical food elsewhere. If you want gyros it's maybe ok, but overall I would say prices over the average of the Island (including Rethymno). Go to any other village better than stopping here :)

Pros: calm environment and...