Καφενείο Ο Τεμπέλης — Restaurant in Municipality of Heraklion

Restaurants like this make me seriously doubt google reviews. Nothing was even remotely decent about this establishment. Let's go from maybe more serious to less serious. First the food as this can save a disastrous service but wasn't fully the case. We had : Grilled Calamari - almost raw in the middle and completely burnt on the edges; barely edible Apaki - decent; nothing wrong with it Tsisiristo - same as above Shrimp saganaki - very small portion for the price Soutzoukakia - very bland meatballs drenched in tomato sauce that most definitely came straight from a can Now the service - absolutely horrendous. First there are way too many people taking care of one table so confusion is almost guaranteed - one sits you down, one gets the menu, one serves the drinks,one brings the food, one comes to ask if you want something else etc. I ask if grilled Calamari comes with any side, the waiter says no so I ask if it's possible to bring a side of fries for it and says yes. 2 minutes after leaving comes back and says that he cannot delay the fries and they will come out first. I say then please don't bring them anymore as they will be cold by the time the Calamari arrives. Says ok and leaves only for another guy to bring the fries literally 30 seconds later before even the drinks got to the table. I say that I was supposed to get these with the calamari but nevertheless, ok, I'll pay for them even though considering 2.5 minutes delivery time, they were not made especially for me. Next surprise, we get one appetizer and one main course, gee thanks. At this point I was kind of bothered but next one really was the cherry on top. We had ordered some bread so with the first round of food - one appetizer and one main course comes a plate that looks like pita so we try to break a piece to eat. Surprise it was in fact fennel pie. When I ask why did he put this on our table he looked confused around, asked a colleague and came back saying that it was supposed to go to the table next to ours but he is sorry and seemed bothered that we touched it. Seeing this I said no worries, I will pay for it but requested the check there on the spot, paying for the cold fries and unsolicited fennel pie that were left there. Finished the food and left. If you care about your peace of mind and health(don't eat raw sea food) avoid this so called restaurant at all costs P.S. - forgot to say, the Calamari did have a side of...

Loved this place! They were able to suggest gluten-free options for my friend (she was able to enjoy gluten-free saganaki). The server also gave a lot of good options for traditional foods when I asked. It is very hot right now and their many vegetable / salad options were, refreshing, flavorful, and nourishing. The most difficult part was selecting dishes. I ordered too much but am happy to take leftovers to the hotel! I was able to find Χορτα (on the English menu as "seasonal boiled greens"), which was a Greek dish that many people had recommended and it was quite good. My favorite was the eponymous Magos salad, with wild greens, sun dried tomatoes, apaki pork, graviera cheese, and pomegranate syrup - very flavorful. The staff was very nice and the service was excellent. They asked what language we would like the menu in (Greek, English, Spanish, or German). Highly recommend (and would not be surprised if we came...

we have been to this place twice already in our third day in Heraklion. the service is awesome, it's fast and friendly. they're very attentive to the allergies and intolerances. they explain everything and help with choices. the food is very very delicious. we have tried several mezes and moussaka.. all are amazing. we definitely recommend this place and as it's soo good the tables are always full. so come a bit early and wait for your table outside. waiting time is not so long as they're very fast in serving. they also offer free dessert and raki in the end. we...