Galini Tavern — Restaurant in Municipality of Ierapetra

I've been spending weekends and summer vacations in Achlia for as long as I can remember myself. In fact, I didn't remember how far behind I've been to this place and my parents remimded me of our holidays there in the 70's and 80's. Anyway, this weekend my friends and I (3 grown ups and 7 kids) spent at least 200-250 euros at the Tavern in food, water, umbrellas, beverages, etc. Everybody knows and accepts that prices are high and the quality of the food is low. But the thing that made me write this review is that the owner of the tavern scolded our 6 kids and and expressed her discomfort to us for one of the least significant incidents. This is not what Cretans do, they were plainly rude and inhospitable not only towards the kids but towards us. The incident was the following: the kids found an urchin and (at about 20:00 o clock) they started collecting ash trays from the umbrellas at the beach in order to fill them with fresh sea water and play with the urchin. I've done way-way worse as a kid in vacations all over Greece and I have very vivid memories of friendly tavern owners laughing kindly, expressing their understanding to my parents and repeating what every Cretan knows, that this is how healthy children grow up here, by exploring and playing in the sea. What can I say, maybe I come from a different era, but not from a different place...

So, do not have sea food here and be prepared for a very hot environment with no air conditioning that might ruin the huge potential for a very great atmosphere at this beautiful bay. Cheers to the staff though, they are very polite, very eager to help, clearly...

Overall:

Food: Greek/Cretan

A really run down but great spot to eat. The food here was delicious and really good value. Unfortunately some of the other photos didn’t turn out but they will be added as I intend to return. The Greek salad, homemade fries, little sides and grilled fish were all sized very well and service was fast and food had little wait time. You can easily tell the difference between fresh food and frozen and this did not disappoint. Six people ate so well for 110€ including wine!! This is unheard of anywhere else.

What I liked:

• The fries • The Greek Salad • The aubergine • Charcoal grilled fish

What I didn’t like:

• A bit shabby decor wise but doesn’t mean anything in the context of how good the food is.

Do I recommend going? YES Will I go again? YES Was it good value?...

We had lunch here two days ago and, unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. We ordered pork ribs and sardines, which according to the menu were supposed to be fresh. The pork ribs arrived undercooked, with parts still bloody – completely unacceptable and unsafe. The sardines had no flavor at all, tasting either frozen or very old, certainly not fresh as advertised.

On top of that, the prices were noticeably higher than in other restaurants nearby (at least 2+ euros more per dish), which would be fine if the quality matched. But instead, the place felt more like a basic cantina while charging above-average prices.

Overall, very poor value for money and an unpleasant dining experience. Definitely not a place I...