PRIMA PLORA Οrganic Restaurant & Wine Bar - Rethymno — Restaurant in Municipality of Rethymnon

Could have been a great experience but unfortunately, it wasn't. We were here at the end of July, 2024. We came twice, first on a Monday and the second time on a Wednesday. Our first experience was really nice, especially as we got a big table in the more elevated private area in the back. It was already dark, so we couldn't enjoy any views, but still it was a very nice ambience, with the cozy lighting and the music was great too, if you enjoy electronic music that is. The food was at a high level, probably one of the best we had in Crete. The service was great too, the host and the waiter were nice people, with a good energy and attitude. So all well with our first experience at Prima Plora. That is why we decided to come back. We made the reservation for Wednesday evening. When we left on Monday night, we talked to one of the hosts (the guy with long hair) which is actually a nice person, and we asked him if it's possible to get a table in the same private area when we arrive on Wednesday evening. He said that he will help us with this request. However, when we arrived on Wednesday evening, this host was probably really busy since he couldn't assist us, and another host came. This host had a different attitude, he seemed a bit more rushed. Anyway, we told him that we wanted a table in the private area and he told us that at the moment they don't have an available table there but one is about to be free soon and will be available in about 15 minutes. We were surprised to hear that since we specifically asked for a table in that area, 2 days prior. We felt it was very unprofessional and we were let down by it. We were then seated at another table, till the one in the private area is available, like 15-20 minutes. Meantime, another waiter came to "assist" us. We told him that we don't want to order yet, since we were seated there by one of the hosts, for about 15 minutes and then we will change the table. He said that we cannot sit there and rudely told us to go and wait at the bar, inside till our requested table will be free. In all this time he was a bit aggressive and impolite ! We objected to that and requested to speak again with the host ! He responded we can speak with the host once we get to the bar and that we need to leave the table immediately ! We felt extremely insulted and humiliated by this pathetic attitude ! We are not. your f..ing ping pong ball, just to make things straight ! After this "treatment", it had ruined our mood for anything that night, so we left ! We left with a sour taste and won't be returning at Prima Plora, definitely. The greediness of that waiter (he only cared that somebody would sit and order at his table) and his attitude really ruined our night ! I also heard, from locals, that this place is a "flashy" spot, some of the local "hot shots" go there to brag, etc. So if you don't like this kind of atmosphere, be mindful of this place. Yes, the food is great, and some of the staff are nice, but as you can see from our experience, everything can change easily ! Overall, we left...

The food and setting are both fantastic. Unfortunately our waiter was terrible, which made the whole experience less than what we expected for a restaurant of this caliber and price class. He disparaged my daughter for being a vegetarian and not liking mushrooms, reacted miffed to some of our basic questions, and was slow and quite inattentive. After ordering our starters we did not see him again for about 25 minutes. We had planned on ordering cocktails, but our starters came and we finished them before we saw him again. We told the back waiter that we would like to order drinks, but he just shrugged his shoulders and told us we had to order from the head waiter. We even saw him mention this to the head waiter, but he still did not come to our table for another ten minutes after that. By this time we had finished our starters, still with nothing to drink but water, so we abandoned the idea of cocktails and just ordered the wine. Then, my main course came a good ten minutes before the main courses of the rest of our party (4 people). Totally inexplicable, and totally unacceptable for a restaurant in this category. Big disappointment. I also question the judgement of the owners on having a head waiter with with straggly hair done up in a messy bun and ugly, faded tattoos on his arms. OK for McDonalds but not for a classy joint like this. One last thing, we sat down on a Friday evening at 19:30, and the very first thing the waiter told us was that there were a whole bevy of items on the menu which were not available. Friday night at 19:30 and the menu is already sacked? Don’t want to know how it looked for the guests on Saturday at 21:00! Bad...

The taverna is in a great location, especially in the evening, and the tables are set out in a number of different locations. The service is attentive and excellent. I could have done without the waiter telling me I was making excellent choices as I selected from the menu, he told everybody the same thing on other tables regardless of what they were selecting, but that’s a small irritation. They have background music that was not to my liking at all, but maybe some people like anodyne trance beats to while away a couple of hours. The food was superb, we chose three starters, the stamagathi, the mixed mushroom and the taramasalata. The mushroom wasn’t very mixed at all, but they tasted great. But it’s not difficult to get mushrooms to taste great. You put them in a pan with some oil, some garlic and hey presto. The taramasalata though was something else and it left me pondering on how they created such a delight. That’s what I like when I go to a taverna, to leave wondering how they hell they did that and then trying it back at home. I had the ribs to follow and although I would have preferred that they had been marinated before cooking, they were still very good. And I was very full. The wine list is expansive, but it’s also expensive and way overpriced. I chose a bottle for €30 that I can get for €6.50 from the vineyard. They also bill you for the bread and water, neither of which is complementary, though the pudding and tsikoudia are. I enjoyed the dinner though and would be happy to return, albeit I would do without the wine and just have some...