Geitonia Malia - Cretan Creative Cuisine — Restaurant in Municipality of Chersonissos

Review of Geitonia - A Culinary Journey in Mália, Crete

First off: This review is based on my own experiences and refers to specific dishes and drinks.

Introduction

I enjoy testing various tavernas in Greece and dine at different establishments daily. At the end of my vacation, I crown the best taverna and enjoy my last dinner there. In this case, my choice fell on the family-run Taverna Geitonia in Mália, Crete.

Location

Taverna Geitonia is located in close proximity to the transition from "The Stripe" towards the old town, next to the church and the taxi stand.

Reservation

I dined with my partner on Sunday, October 6, 2024, and the following Saturday, October 12, 2024, around 8 PM without a prior reservation. We still had good seats. Depending on the season and day, however, I would recommend making a reservation, which can be easily arranged by phone.

Ambiance

The taverna combines modern and traditional elements. We were warmly greeted by the staff when we first entered the taverna by chance. Ioanna, the daughter of the family handed us the menu with personal recommendations. She, her mother, and other staff and family members immediately made us feel like more than just restaurant guests.

Food and Drinks

Overall rating of the food: 10/10

We were served small appetizers as a greeting from the kitchen: bruschetta-like bites and a ragout (similar to Greek stifado). The homemade bread is particularly recommended, especially in combination with the semi-sweet house wine.

Main courses we tried:

Cretan Style Carbonara Seafood Linguine Famous Moussaka Homemade Dolmades Traditional Keftedes Cretan Saganaki Tzatziki

The staff was very attentive and gladly gave recommendations. After the main course, we received a small dessert (mousse) and a homemade liqueur as a courtesy of the house.

Price

During our two visits, we spent just over 50€ each time, and we also gave generous tips.

Conclusion

Our stay at Taverna Geitonia was the most enjoyable taverna visit during our Crete vacation. We would like to thank the entire team once again and recommend this taverna to anyone vacationing in Mália or passing through and looking for an excellent establishment.

Greetings from...

Such a great vibe here. It's mostly the staff that offers an unique experience. They are so friendly and helpful. And the decoration is just beautiful. It made us come back 2 more times within a few days, so that says something.

We absolutely loved some of their dishes, but also had some lesser ones - don't remember all of them: Fasolada (Bean soup), awesome! However, super heavy as a starter. So maybe make It part of your full meal with some side dish. Meat balls, fluffy and good flavour. Kleftiko Mix, great flavour. Stewed over 10 hours in the wood-oven. Meat was a bit cooked too long though and didn't have much texture left. Gemista, stuffed peppers with rice. Good, but not the best we've had on Crete. Moussaka, original take on the classic with the tomato sauce separate. Bit heavy with the cinnamon though. Also, not the best, but It's fine. Sardines on the grill, tasty. Dolmades, tasty like always, but we've had many better ones. Mushroom risotto, disappointment. A part of the rice wasn't cooked properly. My wife didn't want to create a fuss about It, but personally I think you can't serve this in a restaurant. But I'm certain they would have made It right If we had said something. Kandaife, basically fried cheese baklava is absolutely amazing! Must try! Three chocolate desert is delicious, but super heavy! So don't order this If you're full already. Red house wine, not recommended. Cheap, but really basic. Their a la carte wines are much better.

Still missed some dishes we'd still like to try, so looking forward to...

This was a gem we stumbled upon by luck. We started the day by driving 1h to a strongly endorsed restaurant in Pacheia Ammos, which was pretty good but surely not deserving the drive. After lunch, we started looking for a beach to spend our afternoon. Since the Pacheia Ammos beach is rocky, wavy, and windy, that was a no go. So we headed back towards Hersonissos and on the way decided to stop in Malia. Since we’ve prolonged our afternoon on the beach, we then started to look for a local place to have dinner. Soon enough we found a recommended restaurant near Geitonia, which I’m not going to name here. This was packed, we had to wait to get a table, and the waiters were actually not handling us in the order of arrival. So we used the time to look on the map for an alternative, and we were convinced this one will suffice for our dinner. And, man, were we wrong! Not in the bad way, but we’ve totally underestimated the place! The fresh ingredients, the innovative dishes, and the perfectly designed terrace made this the best place we’ve had dinner in our two weeks in the area! I assume it’s newly opened, but this is a definite must do in Malia! My only regret is that I had to drive and couldn’t try their wine! Lovely place, perfect food, and...