Elia and Diosmos - Olive Mint — Restaurant in Municipality of Heraklion

An unexpected jewel. The thoroughly modern and classic restaurant is in a village near Heraklion named Skalia or Scalerea in the midst of olive groves and vineyards. The food and hospitality were exceptional. My wife and I had two versions of lamb, Minoan Lamb and simple roast lamb. Both were memorable for their clean and enjoyable flavors.

For desert we ordered the baklava which was not what we were accustomed. It was not a stack of phyllo dough drowed with syrup: it was flaky, tender, sheets, layered with nuts and topped with honey and ice cream. The strong nutmeg, clove and allspice flavors felt like Christmas in the mouth. Exceptional. Thereafter, they brought out fresh fruit and a special type of dessert called "halva." It is semolina, honey and citrus peel with cinnamon. Unique, fragrant and enjoyable...and free. The local wine was good but not much different than what's available at home.

Any visit to this region MUST include...

Nice place to visit after going to Knossos, not very far from the ruins in the wine region of Heraklion. I believe we were early however as there was only one staff member there but she still welcomed us warmly, we ordered their moscato/sauvignon blanc which she assured us wasn't overly sweet, and it was a very nice wine. The restaurant too is lovely, with an open kitchen and bar. The only downside is that there was a slight mix up with our order, we were a group of 9 (adults and children) and their usual wait staff only arrived after us, but they were very nice about it. They had made 2 pasta dishes even though only one child ordered it, but they told us to keep it and didn't charge us. There was also a mix up with some of the starters. But on the positive side, they had an amazing Cretan salad, the Minoan lamb was good too and a few others complimented the dishes they had ordered, like 3 types of fried cheese which...

As a taxi driver advised: "if you want quality food, follow the smell". It did not disappoint when we entered this place. A lady (probably the chef and owner) warmly greeted us and led us to a table in spite having arrived before open hours. Everything we ordered was good and would highly recommend. The menu is quite unique unlike all other places we've been to around Crete. The only weird moment was paying for the bill. After the usual greek hospitality of offering fruits after the meal, no one ever showed up for the bill. Had to go inside to ask for it. There was a small error but no one came for follow-up. Went in again, explained there's water added which we never got. The man signaled that he understood but still no follow-up. Had to go in for the 3rd time to pay. No one seemed attentive at...