Pelekanos — Restaurant in Municipality of Rethymnon

After arriving at a completely empty resort — with just the three of us and a small child, there were only six people there — we were greeted by the staff, who explained how things work, how much a spot under the umbrella costs, and that we were not allowed to eat or drink anything of our own. We had to buy everything there. Not great when you have a three-year-old child.

When I asked the bartender why no one was there, he very confidently stated that people are stupid and go to other beaches instead. It was clear that the surrounding beaches were quite lively and looked more attractive.

Anyway, we decided to stay for a little while and try to enjoy the peace and quiet. The prices for food and drinks weren’t exactly low.

What really disappointed me — and to this day I don’t understand the behavior of the staff — was that even though the place was completely empty, they had a problem with me sitting on a little walkway in the shade, where I was reading a book. There were literally meters of space around me for people to pass by, yet the staff insisted I move. Completely incomprehensible and quite arrogant. I honestly don’t get it. I definitely wasn’t in anyone’s way — there was no one there.

A shame. We rather didn't take anything to eat. So I can't judge. So we paid 10 euros for the umbrella, finished our Radler, and left. Bottled Radler was good and cold so at least 3 stars for that.

Maybe it’s the little details like this that make people choose other places.

Time to think...

I never EVER had such a bad experience in a restaurant. Everything was awful!! We waited 5 minutes to be sat although there were only 3 tables that were already occupied. The table the waiter gave us had a lot of crumbs. We asked if there were any fresh fish. He said that there were no fresh fish anywhere in Crete. We gently told him that we had one yesterday which we saw being picked up from the fridge. He simply said we lied. The food was simply rubbish. We asked to have some other napkins to another waiter who didn't understand English. We asked if he could asked his colleagues. He clearly replied he didn't care, left and no one ever came back. I will pass the overall rudeness everywhere and the eggplants which were simply not eatable... The main dish didn't want to come. So we decided to leave and left a note of 10e to cover at least the 2 cokes and the first dish.

The two waiters came back to us as we were about to leave in our car, they tried by force to remove the car key. And argued we were robbing them and that we needed to pay for the food. We paid more than enough for what we could ate. After a strong argument, (they wanted us to get out of the car to "beat out ass") we managed to leave...

My only advice, never ever go there, Crete is full of amazing restaurants with...

This is not just a place to eat — it’s a sanctuary for those who reject the empty noise of consumerism and seek real connection. Pelekanos stands as a quiet act of resistance: simple, honest, and unpretentious.

Here, under the shade of trees, the air feels clean — untouched by the rush and greed of the modern world. The food is humble but made with care, like the burger with homemade fries that tastes like home, and a Caipirinha with strong black rum that’s more than a drink — it’s a toast to freedom and quality over profit!

Pelekanos is for the rebels, the dreamers, the comrades who want to slow down, share a moment, and remember what it means to live with dignity — away from exploitation and hollow luxury.

It’s a place to gather, to breathe, to watch the sunset not as consumers but as equals, bound by a shared love for simplicity, beauty, and honest living.

If you hunger for something real — not just on your plate but in your soul — this is where...