O GIROS TON PAXON — Restaurant in Municipality of Paxos

I rarely leave bad reviews, but I have to say that I have never experienced anything like this. So, I went with my family to this little pita gyros place in the center of Paxos. First of all, there were two free tables for four people, one with 2 chairs and another one with 1. We were 4. The waitress brought the one chair to the table with two, but one chair was still missing and my mother could not sit; she decided to take a walk and come back later. There were no other free chairs.

Now, since I'm vegan, when I go to such places here in Greece I either ask if they have some vegan options or I just take a gyros with only fries (without meat and sauces). This time, I saw on the menu that they had grilled vegetables, and also pita bread and french fries. I asked to the waitress (who spoke my native tongue) if it was possible to arrange a gyros with the grilled vegetables and fries for me; if she said no, I would have gladly accepted that and only ate a gyros with fries. I know it's my dietary restriction and I don't pretend places to have/arrange options for me. However, she said yes (even thought she did not look too pleased). The food was ok, even though the vegetables were gummy; I was, however, very grateful for the option. The other two people, omnivores, who were with me, said their food was good. At a certain point, while the food had just arrived, my mother came back and asked if she could sit (at this point, there was a free table with a few chairs). The waitress said no, other people are waiting for that table. At that point my mother just stayed standing still close to our table without ordering anything. A few minutes later another table with chairs became free, and nobody sat there, but apparently no chair was available for my mother nonetheless.

Still, I would not have made this review if not for this last event. The waitress came to the table and asked if the food was fine, after being asked for the bill. I said yes, thanks, it was. My father, laughing, said that he thought it was a good idea to put that vegan option directly on the menu. That waitress looked at me and said "No, definitely not, in my opinion. You vegetarians are too much work for the kitchen..." As I said, the ingredients separately were already on the menu, I just asked to combine them; but I would have gladly accepted "no" as an answer to my request. I would have told her this, but she proceeded to keep taking, telling me that she does not approve vegans/vegetarians and that it's wrong. She then looked at my mother (who, I wish this was a joke, was still standing there completely ignored up to that moment) and asked if at home she had to prepare two separate meals for me and for the others. My mother said that I live alone, and that was it. She said "fine then" and went away shaking her head. I mean, I could understand answering to my father's joke saying it was too much work for the kitchen, but I felt like she went beyond.

I found her behavior incredibly rude and disrespectful, and I felt humiliated. I understand people could agree or not with my food and lifestyle choices, but it was not her place to tell me. A stranger. A customer. I feel like restaurants must be evaluated for the way they treat their customers, not only the quality of their food, and I would not suggest this place to anyone. I have encountered nicer people and had a much better food in every other...

The giro was not bad, even though somewhat dry. The french fries that came with it looked golden on the outside, but were raw inside, hence totally inedible. I informed the server and she said she would let the kitchen staff know. It took me half an hour to finish my meal and beer (minus the fries) and nothing happened along the lines of replacing my raw fries with a properly prepared order.

I then asked the hostess for the check and also told her about the fries. She said that they were having a problem with their potato supplier and that she was sorry about it. My response was that they should not be serving fries until they resolve the problem with which she agreed. I suggested that maybe they could serve the giro with a side salad or something similar. While she was receptive to my criticism and apologetic for my unpleasant experience they still presented me with a full check.

What I found odd was that they did not make any attempt to rectify the situation by either serving a substitute side dish or by applying a symbolic discount to the check, showing that they were cognizant of their shortcoming.

I love Greek food. Over the years I have been to more than 35 Greek islands and have always admired and enjoyed the impeccable service and emphasis on customer satisfaction.

Unfortunately, O Giros Ton Paxon has been a...

This place is a complete rip-off! It is truly a shame that restaurants like this exist, tarnishing the beauty of the wonderful island of Paxos and damaging Greek tourism in general. They charged €6 for a single wrapped souvlaki and an outrageous €8 (yes, €8!) for ONE pork skewer with just half a pita and about five fries on the side. In total, we paid €28 for just one wrapped souvlaki, three skewers, a small draft beer, and a Coca-Cola. Absolutely unacceptable. Stay away from this place! That’s the only way they’ll get the message that they cannot keep...