Il Giardino Modern Traditional Cuisine — Restaurant in Municipality of Rhodes

Restaurants in Rhodes Old Town are plentiful, so it's no real surprise that most have someone outside trying to entice you in, which generally puts me off a place straight away. Il Giardino is a little off the main street but looks absolutely stunning, with it's little foliage covered, cobbled alleyway. We almost walked past but paused to admire and mentioned that it looked nice. The Maitre D merely gestured towards the menu and politely asked if we would like to take a look. That was enough to seal the deal and in we went. Firstly, the servers here are very attentive (although not overly) even though the place was very busy and our drinks and starters were with us very soon after ordering. The food was fantastic, I really enjoyed the Moussaka. Now, probably the most important bit. Cats. If you love cats, you'll love it here. There were probably about 5 or 6 milling around the tables, mostly kittens. All well looked after and there was a bowl of water and food down so I don't know if they live here or just hang out. Having been carrying treats around with us, we handed a few out and became very popular with this band of moggies, which was perfect for us. That said, if you don't like cats, I'm sure they'll not bother you as long as you don't feed them. The big thing for us was the servers reaction to the cats, never shooing them or scaring them, just happily sharing the same space. We liked this a lot.

Starters were a little dear but overall the price was very reasonable, especially given the location. Could maybe use a little background music but not enough to put the place down for. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening and would...

Me and my wife traveling with Windstar cruise ships 3-5 times a year and we eat in many restaurants around the world. I used to inspect restaurants in USA. First impressions of Giardino, the table cloths and tables setup were very clean a nice and their bathrooms spotless. This are the two first indication that is a clean restaurant. In Giardino, the food was very tasty and the service was great. Eleni was our server and the service and attentive was excellent. We ordered spaghetti bolognese, original village salad, souzoukakia, rice, oven potatoes, and coffee. I want to try their Stifado but was still in oven and not ready.Their magirefta for the day made fresh daily. In no time all the tables were full of customers. We really enjoyed the excellent traditional Greek cooking at Giardino. The price was very reasonable and way below the quality of service and food they are offering. I read some of the bad reviewers and I have a commend for them: Daniel Werner, Achilles & Linda Knudsen you complained about food, prices and staff not speaking German. You must be kicking me!!! Have you ever been in Ruth Chris, Charthouse or Norton’s? You don’t expect the staff to speak your language and lunch begin at $75 per person , diner at $95. We look forward to have another great lunch at Giardino traditional Greek cuisine. THANK YOU Giardino for a great food...

I chose the restaurant based on another review below that spoke about the chef's style.

I wasn't at all disappointed. The menu blended traditional Greek and modern Mediterranean, and for me it was the perfect "pause" on the traditional Greek food I've been enjoying so far (though Greek standards are also available here).

I ordered the muscles and the baked asparagus as a combined main. The muscle broth was creamy and well seasoned, with a buttery sheen that complemented the Greek-sourced muscles. The bake used white asparagus, local ham, a cream sauce and was topped with almonds. This was so flavoursome I found myself studiously scraping every last bit from the beautiful stoneware. Side was pita: soft, salty and perfect for dipping.

I finished with a rich and expertly crafted souffle and, no kidding, the best coffee on Rhodes. Wine was the house white, also greek.

The staff were attentive and charming, and it was really pleasant to also have female waitresses as I've not encountered this as much in the Old Town.

If you are travelling alone, as I was, you will also be made to feel welcome here....