Taverna Bar Vasilis — Restaurant in Municipality of Malevizi

I typically don't write reviews. Good, bad or indifferent, my experience is my own and I allow people to judge theirs for themselves. However, I'm leaving one here because not only were we unfairly treated, but the owner is trying to paint a narrative that just isn't so, in response to my husband's (poorly written) review. So I thought I would write what actually happened, the reasoning behind why this place deserves our 1-star review and an encounter I have not yet experienced at any other establishment in Greece in our nearly 2 weeks here.

I had this restaurant on my list since before we left the states, but wasn't certain which day we would go, and whether it would be for lunch or dinner. We walked down here for dinner from our hotel, arriving at around 8p. We did not make a reservation, but even our hotel said many tavernas don't require reservations for 2. That you may have to wait a little, but they can usually accommodate. As we arrived, the place was already uninviting, with a little gate on the steps, closed, and a sign that advised patrons that you required a reservation, as they were fully booked, and a man who stood at the top of the steps with a book, acting gatekeeper. There was a couple there, English (not American), and they were making a reservation for 2 days later. I said to them, "oh no, they are that full? They can't accommodate 2 people?" I noticed, however, there were quite a few empty tables, but that did not mean they weren't reserved. The couple informed us the restaurant advised they could accommodate in about 20 minutes, but they weren't willing to wait. We were hopeful, as we were. And we said as much once we walked up to the gatekeeper. Only he didn't care. I don't know if it was the fact we were American, where we were staying, or our enthusiasm to eat there, but they turned us away, saying no reservations until Monday.

My husband (more annoyed with me that I didn't make a reservation) decided to take advantage of the wifi and sat on the beach to look for another place to eat in the neighboring town. At that point, 3 (Greek) men walk up to the restaurant, exchange words with the gatekeeper, and it was pretty clear that after a moment they were going to get a table. My husband wondered if they had a reservation, so he asked the men. They said no, but that the restaurant said they could accommodate in 20 minutes.

Personally, I don't want to be at a place that doesn't want me, and I certainly don't want to give them my hard earned money. And I don't need to say anything. It's a waste of energy. I just take it as a sign and find something better (and found something better we did - thank you Zorbas!). But my husband felt the need to say something. And he didn't say it rudely, but he did call out the gatekeeper and, who I assume now, is the owner. And the owner's response was rude (as I'm sure his response to this review will be) and uncaring. He may as well have flipped us off.

So, although I can't say anything about the food, I can say there is a serious lack of customer service (I believe the owner's reply to my husband was "the customer is not always right"), and perhaps a sprinkle of discrimination. And I agree, the customer is not always right. But we didn't even have a chance to be customers. And in this case, these are the facts. This is what happened. Certainly nothing more, nothing less. We were not these stuck up, 5-star tourists he will try to make us out to be, but merely a hungry couple eager to eat here. That's ok though, because we ate where some locals eat and it was fantastic. So everything worked out. And to those who do come here, I hope they have a better experience, especially if they don't have a reservation. My advice would be, if you are coming from one of the resorts just above, don't mention it, as that might be what set them off. That, or the fact we were American. Because if they say it was anything else, it's...

The worst experience in Greece tavernas. The tavern is conveniently located 2 steps ( literally) from the beach. Before we went there for lunch I went to check on the menu. Although prices were almost twice as high as in any taverna we been to, we still decided to have our lunch there, just for the convenience of it. I noted a post outside- do not come with wet clothes and hair, so before we went in I made sure we spent enough time out of water , our clothes were dry, and we looked presentable. We walked in, 3 tables are taken, the rest are empty, the host ( I presume the owner also) asked us : " Reserve?", no we didn't have " reserve". And he continued- "sorry, everything reserve." I noted , that rest of the tables had " reserved " card. Mind you that more than half of the tables were reserved. Ok, that happens. We went to the next place, had very good lunch, for less money, I should add. However, an hour later, as we were passing Vasilis, all the same tables were still vacant, but still had " reserved " cards. So we were denied a table based on what - that we were a women and a child, we didn't look good enough for the place? If Vasilis expects you to show up in a black tie attire, they choice a wrong place to do their business. A beach. We drove almost 800 kilometers around the Crete. We been to an array of different tavernas and cafes, and everywhere we met famous Cretan hospitality. Reserved signs were taken off the tables for us, extra table and chairs were brought from the storage to accommodate us. And only Taverna Bar Vasilis was a bad sheep. I suggest to potential customers- take your business elsewhere.

PS. Respond to the owner response. Your explanation would be good, if... We were at the steps of your tavern well after 3 in the afternoon. I try my best to avoid restaurants at the pick times. So from your explanation the tables were reserved probably...for dinner at 7? Just to add to the picture - we were leaving around 6, and those tables were still " reserved ". I appreciate your response, but it didn't make sense. It definitely didn't change my opinion that we were denied a table based on unknown to...

First of all I will never understand why anyone would ever write a review, let alone a 1-star review for a restaurant they’ve never eaten at before. How privileged you must be to think you’re entitled to eat at a restaurant that is fully booked ahead of time. For the record, I am an American who had exceptional service at this amazing family run restaurant!

Now to start my actual review… My husband and I had a phenomenal dinner at Taverna Bar Vasilis. Apparently the stars aligned because we showed up without a reservation and the restaurant was already fully booked for the night. They let us know if we waited around 30 minutes there MIGHT be a table opening up. Because we’d heard such wonderful things about this restaurant, we happily waited on the beach. About 40 minutes later they had a no show reservation and we were in, yay!!

To start, the restaurant is absolutely adorable. It has cute beachy decor and vibes with nice stone accents on the walls. Next, the service here was incredible. To my understanding, all of the servers were either sons or nephews of the chef who is the owner. While some people mentioned the food being expensive, I actually found it to be cheap for the quality and quantity of food we were receiving.

The food here was amazing! My husband and I sampled a few of the appetizers and shared an entree. I would highly recommend the split pea dip, shrimp saganaki, and the grilled octopus. I’d say it may be the best octopus I’ve ever tried. The portions here are huge and there’s no way you will leave hungry! All the ingredients seemed to be extremely fresh and high quality.

If you’re coming to Crete, make sure you eat here, it’s an incredible experience! You can tell this family puts so much love in to their restaurant, food and customers. I would highly recommend making a reservation at least 2 weeks ahead of time (I heard you can do this through their Facebook page).

Pro tip, you may be able to order from the beach chairs if they’re...