La Varka — Restaurant in Municipality of Rhodes

Do not eat here if you have dietary requirements. The menu was unclear to me. I checked with two waiters before ordering (as the first seemed unsure) if the dish I wanted to order was vegetarian. After I started eating it, it was very obvious it had pork in it. It tasted strange, and I began to find small pieces of bacon/ham in the food. I complained to the waiter, who left the table. When he came back, he tried to tell me it was mushroom. It was very clearly not mushroom, and I told the waiter this. He then said it was an accident, as the chef chops things very fast, and some cooked meat accidentally got into the food. I do not really feel this is an acceptable mistake, and do not believe their side of the story is true. The worst part about it is that the staff attempted to lie about it. They did offer to make me something else, but frankly, I did not trust the restaurant after this and declined their offer. I told them I did not want to pay for the meal (one person out of a group of ten), which they accepted. I did not feel the staff were very forthcoming, as I told them I would not be paying, rather than the other way around.

Some of the group enjoyed their food, some did not. We all agreed the service was very slow and poor though. I also witnessed one of the waiters cleaning table cloths with a feather duster in between use. I have worked in restaurants before (both in the kitchen and in customer service) and do not feel this is...

A Hidden Gem in Rhodes Old Town

La Varka was a highlight of our trip to Rhodes. Tucked away in the beautiful Old Town, this charming restaurant serves up truly fresh seafood with care and passion. I ordered the shrimp linguine, which came in a delicious white sauce I specifically requested. The waiter smiled and said, “You can have any sauce you want – it’s fresh seafood!” That kind of flexibility and hospitality sets the tone.

The menu was refreshingly simple – no long descriptions, just trust in the quality. My girlfriend had a seafood pasta in a half-creamy, half-rosé sauce that was equally lovely. The flavors were balanced, and the seafood was clearly fresh and well-prepared.

The bill was reasonable, and I made sure to shake the waiter’s hand on our way out to thank him for the experience. You can tell the team takes pride in their food and service – the awards on the wall are well-earned.

Highly recommended if you want genuine hospitality and fresh...

Came here because it looked cute and the waiter spoke our languages, which was a lovely surprise. The food? Meh. Not offensive, but not exactly a flavour explosion either. Just... fine.

Now, onto the real star of the show.. the staff’s commitment to chain smoking. I counted four cigarettes in 40 minutes from the guy in the kitchen alone, pretty sure his lungs qualify for a loyalty card. The rest of the team weren’t far behind, puffing away like it was a 1950s jazz club.

I’m all for a bit of ambiance, but inhaling secondhand smoke with my moussaka isn’t quite what I had in mind. It’s not just unprofessional it makes you wonder what else is going up in smoke behind the scenes. If you must smoke, surely do it out of sight. Preferably out of customers nostril...