Ristorante Girasole - Cucina tipica Italiana in Grecia — Restaurant in Municipality of Eastern Samos

Girosole – From High Hopes to Deep Disappointment: An Evening We Won’t Forget (Unfortunately for the Wrong Reasons)

We’ve been traveling through Germany, Italy, and Greece for the past three weeks, enjoying an incredible culinary journey. We’ve dined in about 30 restaurants – from cozy local gems to higher-end establishments. Almost everywhere we were warmly welcomed, well served, and left happy or even thrilled with the experience.

With this positive energy, we arrived in the lovely town of Kokkari on the island of Samos. That’s where we discovered Girosole, an Italian restaurant that looked quite appealing at first glance: tastefully decorated, a pleasant atmosphere, and a friendly welcome from the staff. We were looking forward to a relaxing evening with good food and a great ambiance.

We ordered several appetizers and main courses. The starters arrived promptly and were fresh and tasty. Up to this point, everything was going well – we were in good spirits.

But what followed was incredibly disappointing, especially for a restaurant that presents itself as slightly upscale. After our appetizers were cleared, we waited an unbelievable 1 hour and 5 minutes for our main dishes – with no explanation or apology whatsoever. We politely checked in with the staff multiple times, understanding that delays can happen, especially during busy hours. What’s not acceptable, however, is the way we were treated.

Instead of receiving a simple update or a word of reassurance, we were met with rudeness and visible irritation from our waitress. The same person who had been friendly at the beginning now snapped at us, saying: “If you’re not happy, don’t come again – there are plenty of other restaurants in town.” We were stunned.

When the mains finally arrived (after more than an hour), my wife’s dish was simply missing – forgotten entirely. Still, no apology. No effort to correct it. Nothing.

At that point, we decided to leave the restaurant immediately. It wasn’t just the long wait – it was the disrespectful, unprofessional attitude that made the experience unacceptable. This is not how paying guests should be treated, especially in a tourist-friendly place like Kokkari, where hospitality usually means something.

Our conclusion: If you’re very hungry and can’t find another place to eat, you might try this place – but be warned: if something goes wrong, don’t expect kindness or understanding. The setting is nice, yes – but unfortunately, that’s not enough when the heart, warmth, and respect are missing.

We definitely won’t be coming back.

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Thank you for your prompt response to my review. However, it appears that your command of the English language may be insufficient, as you have completely misunderstood the content of my message. I would kindly recommend that in such matters, you take the time to read carefully, ensure proper understanding, and only then...

went here with my partner (who has stomach problems) to share a pizza since i wasn’t that hungry. when i told the waitress our order she told me i couldn’t order one pizza and i needed to add one more meal since it was two of us. after explaining the situation and saying that my partner had stomach problems she mockingly repeated it saying “stomach problems” while rolling her eyes. her defense was “you don’t know how business works” “this is bad for the restaurant” (while a lovely guy was enjoying his pizza alone next to us). how is that not bad for you but us sharing a pizza is? after saying we were gonna leave the place she agreed to finally take our order but of course not without complaining saying “next time u guys come here u are obligated to order meal per person”. i don’t think YOU know how business works since i’m never gonna come back. absolutely terrible service.

negative stuff aside i see how people can enjoy the atmosphere. the pizza was...

Went here three times while staying in Kokkari because I loved the pizzas and pastas! My favourites were the Pizza Salentina and the Tagliatelle Funghi 🍝🍕. The crust was really thin and tasty and the burrata and toppings were so tasty. The pasta was also really good. Would also recommend the tiramisu 😊. Only downside is that when I ordered the Linguine with Gamba’s I only got three shrimps (NOT gamba’s). I also missed the parmesan on all the pastas but unfortunately you have to pay for parmesan which in my opinion is a staple for a good Italian pasta. But overall my favourite restaurant in...