JackieO’ — Restaurant in Municipality of Mykonos

Unfortunately, after looking forward to visiting Jackie O’s, my husband and I were seriously disappointed, and left the place feeling quite upset. We found the staff were really quite rude and very unhelpful. We asked what the policy was re use of the bar pool, to find that although it was free to use, the furniture nearby cost £30 per person, despite the already hefty drinks prices. We were told quite abruptly that we could leave our things at the table we were already sat at whilst swimming, but that we must not make a mess at the table - or get pool water anywhere near the table. This was quite unreasonable given that the table was only about 3 metres from the pool itself, and the tone of delivery made us feel hamstrung and as if we were simply in the way. When we asked to pay by card, the abrupt waiter (named Ilias, according to the receipt) asked quite clearly “will you leave a 10% or a 20% tip?”. This was the first time during our time in Mykonos and Páros where someone had openly expected a tip (we do pretty much always tip, but the certain expectation of tips hadn’t been our experience of these islands so far!), and given what had happened we weren’t feeling very kindly towards this, and insisted there would be no tip this time. The waiter then laughed at us and shook his head! On top of this, the vibe was really quite old, and we felt that we were being leered at by so many older men, who weren’t being very respectful that we were together; we were approached by several whilst there, even though it was clear we were a couple. In summary we were made to feel very unwelcome and uncomfortable for the duration of our visit, which was not what we had expected given Jackie O’s generally...

We booked a table in advance for 2 for lunch and prepaid 60 Euros towards this lunch and 70 Euros for two sun beds on the beach. Jackie O has a set of strict rules that doesn’t go along with the relaxing Mykonos atmosphere. First: you have to claim your beach bed by 12pm or you loose it. So they are pre booking the sun beds and then selling them a second time if you don’t follow the rules. If I prepaid for a product, what difference it makes if I show up at 12, 1, 2 or 3pm? It was prepaid for the day, but not at Jackie O.

The food at the restaurant is delicious but extremely overpriced. Everything in the menu is overpriced, for example, they will charge 8 Euros for bread and butter but if you want tzatziki or any other Greek sauce to eat with the bread, they will charge 12 Euros for a small serving of each of the sauces. Abusive to say the least.

Now the best example of how greedy this place is: Every night at 8pm they have a drag Queen show by the pool. By that time you already spent a fortune on lunch, plus $70 Euros for the beach beds, plus drinks on the beach, but if you want to watch the show you have to spend another 200 Euros per couple. Yes, 200 Euros for a mediocre drag Queen show with the same old and tired ballads from every gay bar around the world.

I shared with some local Greeks Jackie O’s policies and prices and they were appalled about how abusive this place has become. The whole world went through a rough patch last year but you cannot recover your losses in two months exploiting...

We visited Tzaki O again this year with my partner, after two years... and honestly, we shouldn’t have. The mess started before we even got there: the lady on the phone hung up on us with a blunt “I’m busy.” Apparently, basic courtesy is optional.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a very polite young man — thankfully, a rare bright spot — but that didn’t last long. We were left standing at the bar for quite a while, while the cashier seemed surprised by the concept of a reservation. Instead of checking the booking properly, she ran around in a panic trying to figure out who we were, speaking about us in her language as if we couldn’t understand.

Once they finally realized we were actual paying guests, we started experiencing what turned out to be a tragically disappointing night at what used to be one of our favorite spots. We had chosen this place specifically because we’re a gay couple and we usually go for gay-friendly venues. Bad choice, clearly. The bartender, instead of engaging with us — or anyone, really — spent the entire time flirting and playing around with the cashier.

We ended up leaving and heading to the beach to relax. And the only person who actually made us feel welcome was a lovely jewelry seller, who, upon hearing it was our anniversary, gifted us two beautiful necklaces along with our purchase. Simple, kind, and authentic.

Conclusion: Once a beloved destination, this time a complete letdown. The “friendly” vibe seems to have relocated... probably somewhere behind the...