Taverna Zisis — Restaurant in Municipality of Rethymnon

We visited the place by recommendation on a Saturday evening. Had not had a table reserved but they immediately offered one. Good start. We realized it only some minutes later that the table was at the entrance of the playground. So, kids were running around and making noise. Ok, it happens. But, it was not pleasant at all that everytime someone passed our table it was shaking as it was placed on a wooden deck. We asked for a milky veal steak, pasta with shrimps, local meat balls, fried zucchini and some sweets. The shrimps were deep frozen (fairly written on the menu) but the taste had that weird flavour from the mirelit and unfortunately the whole meal had that strange taste. At least some garlic and lemon could have helped which was definitely not part of the ingredients. We left the meal almost untouched. Big disappointment. They served regular knife for the steak which was a struggle for our daughter, so I asked for a steak knife. The waitress had acknowledged my request but never returned. I mean she did as she stood next to our table and saw that I had to cut the meat with my plain knife but did not say a word. The steak had bones and fat so it was most probably sg. similar to a small ribeye(?) of 2 slices. I wonder if it was really from a milky veal. The meat balls were ok. In our neighbourhood 3 French guys sat who were definitely not thirsty at all. Not dressed to the place, they even had a strange smell and it was quite visible from distance that their level of alcohol was not matching the level of tolerance to be offered with a table. Still, they did… and of course it was a complete disaster. After the 3rd round of beers the guys started yelling, singing etc. which the waiters did not know how to handle. The restaurant was so busy that they tried to disappear taking care of other guests. We quickly asked for the bill and left the place. Before leaving we had a visit in the bathroom which usually tells a lot from hygiene (possibly also about the kitchen’s). Believe me, you do not want to know what we have seen. A toilet of a patrol station next to a motorway is cleaner than this one was. There is for sure noone to check and clean the bathrooms through the entire evening of the busiest day of the week. In the middle of the pandemic it is more than a shame. Good news was that our bill remained under 40 Euros for this...

A very satisfying experience. The restaurant looks very nice, both from the outside and the inside. You can already smell the nicely cooked food before entering. I’m pretty sure we were the only tourists in there, all the others seemed to be locals, which was nice! We also found it quite impressive how big the restaurant is, it fits so many people without being overwhelming. Also the service is quite fast, and the waiters have no problem in speaking English or explaining the dishes. They do seem a bit pressed at times tho, but I would not be able to work under such busyness so kudos to them! We were also pleasantly surprised at the quality-quantity-price ratio! Overall really affordable prices, nicely cooked food and generous quantities (even the starters). They also have a loooot of dishes to choose from, and a fantastic variety. There is also many vegan options, although I was a bit disappointed at first because most main vegan dishes were out of season and thus I could not order them. But I ended up choosing a pasta dish that was really nice! If you go with a group I’d recommend choosing multiple starters and dishes and sharing them :) Just for reference, each of us 4 ate a main dish (2 mussakas, a salad, and a pasta dish) + 4 starters + 5 drinks, paid 15 eur each, and were really full by the end haha.

There is free parking right in front of the restaurant, which is great. However, i’d recommend getting there a bit early (we arrived at about 13h30 ) because when we left (about 14h30 - 15h00) there were no free spots, and some people queuing outside (although not for long). It might have been because it was a Sunday though.

Just to give some constructive feedback: my friends who have a baby said the men’s toilets did not have a changing table. There was only one in the women’s and it was not that great. I think it’s important to have one in each, because ofc if it had only been men and a baby esting at the restaurant, there is no way to change the baby’s nappy.

Definitely a must if you’re in Crete and want to eat some real traditional food at a...

If you go to Rethymnon, it’s a must visiting and dining at “Zisis Taverna,” 63 Machis Kritis Ave. on the right just before entering the town of Platanias. It’s our second year we visited while vacationing in Crete. It’s a wonderful place that serves real Kretan food, the so healthy Cretan Diet. Locals eat there and we found it by asking locals. So, you go to Zisis Taverna if you want to eat well at reasonable prices. Several appetizers, salad, main course, fries, drinks (beer, local wine, soft), dessert, fresh local fruit and tsikoudia or raki, some $25 for both of us. And it’s not only the freshness of the food. It’s also the quick service and the politeness and friendliness of the staff that makes you feel great and making it worth visiting. One incident I would like to mention. We were ordering at the ben-mari and Yannis was serving us. Then a hungry and rude customer walked in and demanded Yannis to serve him right away, because, he said, he’s an old customer. Yannis tried to calm him down in the most professional and politest way. He wouldn’t budge. He told poor Yannis off, yelled his order and left and sat at a table before we could even have the chance to intervene. Certainly Yannis apologized for the animated event and continued serving us smiling. As we understood, Yannis made a mental note of that customer’s order and had him served at his table quickly after he took our order. We were amazed with the nerve of the rude customer and Yannis’ professional handling the situation. I wish I had employees like him back...