Avli Tavern Hersonisos — Restaurant in Municipality of Chersonissos

My boyfriend and I went here on our third night. It was a bit hidden since it's not directly on the main road but rather on a side street. We just came here by accident because we saw two Chinese restaurant on the way, which we thought was funny. We saw that it wasn't opening during lunch and only for dinner, so we thought that it must be good. And we were right. It is a traditional crete Meze Taverna run by a local husband and his Norwegian wife. The food was quite delicious. They have vegetarian option but mainly as starters, which can be considered as Mezes because after 2-3 plates I was already full. Other than the tourists restaurants and Tavernas along the beach, who would offer you an endless list of food, is this menu limited as most good restaurants (We are speaking of approx. 2-4 small pages). The owner was friendly and open minded. As far as we understood he has been having several job offers in other countries and a lot of cultural experiences. I would recommend this place and have a nice talk with the loquacious owner. (Careful, fast speaker and slightly heavy accent. Sometimes hard...

Look, I'm not entirely sure I should be writing this review. Why would I want to spoil the absolute ecstatic joy of discovering a place like Avli on your nighttime walk? It feels almost like sacrilege.

That said: Avli is too god-damned good to not write up. Nikos and his wife were the nicest, most pleasant hosts I've been around in a long time. Recommendations, stories, jokes, camaraderie - they're all part of the fun of hanging out with the crew here. And let me be very clear that that's exactly what you're getting.

If you like a family/friend kitchen environment, where people know the food, know the island, and make sure you enjoy every minute, then this is your place. If you want a quick meal without love and character, look somewhere else.

Avli crew, you guys were sublime. Thank...

MUST GO

This cute tavern is run by the owner and his wife. They're the most open and friendly restaurant owners I've ever met, you can have great conversations with them. Niko has been all over the world and is very knowledgeable about many different cultures.

And don't get me started about the food. In one word it's AMAZING.

In a lot of words: The mezzes are absolutely delicious and a great size portion wise. You can just taste the love and care that went into making the dish. They're also all very local greek cuisine unlike most "tourist traps" in the area. The ingredients taste very fresh and locally sourced. Quality is definitely their #1 priority and you can taste that in everything they put on a plate.

Thank you for the great food and conversations! I'll definitely be back...