Poliou House / Το σπίτι του Πολιού — Restaurant in Municipality of Rethymnon

If you’re looking for an authentic taste of Crete paired with lively local culture, this traditional Cretan restaurant is a must-visit. Nestled in a charming village setting, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with rustic decor that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a local’s home.

The food is outstanding — everything is homemade, from the olive oil-drizzled dakos and slow-cooked lamb to the fresh salads and perfectly grilled seafood. You can really taste the difference in the quality of the ingredients, many of which are locally sourced.

What truly sets the night apart is the live music. A trio of musicians played traditional Cretan instruments like the lyra and laouto, performing both soulful ballads and upbeat folk songs. As the night went on, the energy picked up and even some spontaneous dancing broke out among the tables. It didn’t feel like a tourist show — it felt genuine, like a community gathering where guests were warmly invited.

The staff were incredibly friendly and made sure everyone felt at home, explaining the dishes and even offering a complimentary shot of raki to end the meal.

Highly recommended if you want to go beyond the usual tourist fare and experience something truly local. Just be sure to book in advance — it’s a popular spot, especially on nights with live music (tuesday...

There was something missing from our holiday, We'd soaked up the sun, we'd strolled the beach, we'd gone scuba diving along the reef, we had visited the ancient archaeological sites. We were missing a distinctly authentic Greek experience and we found that here at Poliou House. We had genuine Greek beer, house white wine which was tremendously drinkable. We had our starters and mains family style so we could all try a bit of everything. As such I can wholeheartedly recommend: The dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves) The saganaki (a kind of fried cheese) The smoked sausage in red wine sauce The Cretan snails (genuinely was unsure about this one but I enjoyed it) The salad ( yeah I know, but a good salad is always worth mentioning); The main dishes were all fantastic we shared them family style. The rolled chicken The beef pasta dish The lamb with lemon The pancetta

As if the authentic and delicious food wasn't enough, we went on a Thursday night, when they put on a show with traditional Cretan music, and dancers. Make sure you book a table since this was a lively and packed event.

In short this restaurant covered what we felt we were missing from our Crete holiday. A genuine Cretian experience you just can't find on the main strip.

Thank you to the staff of Poliou House, we had a...

We ended up here by accident when me and my boyfriend got lost in the mountains when looking for a place to rent bikes. We therefood beaded to the cafe taverna to take A drink. But the place was clowner. Even though, the owner, Manolis, greeted us with a warm heart and gave us water and desert. He even helped us to find a place to rent bikes. We decided to book a table for the Thursday music night and when we arrived there later in the evening everything was amazing. We were greeted so kindly by Manolis, who definitely remembered who we were. He took good care of us the entire night and the food and service was amazing!! If you want to taste real delicious Greek food, definitely go here! It wasn’t even expensive! The music and the atmosphere at the taverna was amazing. It was really fun and the had dancers who accompanied the music and the guests were invited up to dance. At the end of the night Manolis came and joined us for a little talk. He even offered to drive us back to the hotel since it was very dark and we didn’t have any light on the bicycles. Overall an outstanding experience! Forget every other tourist location, go here for a magical evening! It was the definition of a traditional Greek taverna with great...