Manolis Taverna — Restaurant in Municipality of Rhodes

My friend and I wanted to try the so well reviewed cuisine of Manolis Taverna in Faliraki, so we called to book a table placed in the garden for dinner.

After we arrived at the location we were asked to leave the table to a couple that was already there at our table and in exchange we would get another one located in the front door of the restaurant under the roof.

We politely agreed, even though I firmly believe that wasn't the best the decision because at least the garden seemed nice, but this one is on us.

Once sitting at the table, we were brought the menus and we kindly ask one of the many waitresses working there what the "fish of the day" consisted of.

We received a vague answer, she didn't really know the types of fishes they were cooking that day (we weren't the first clients at the restaurant) and she didn't even bother to ask the chef.

In the end, we weren't so hungry so we went for a shared appetizer called "shrimp saganaki" and a dish of pasta with shrimps, all combined with two glasses of a local white wine. Then, we kindly ask to get extra plates and cutlery in order for us to share the dishes.

Little did we know that:

They brought us two glasses of wine (about 9 euros each) without pouring it from the bottle in front of us, meaning it could have been any type of wine that they chose to serve (I find it very disturbing and disrespectful for customers). Moreover, the white wine wasn't even cold enough;

They didn't bring us any extra plates and cutlery at first, so we had to ask again for those;

The saganaki dish was okay, but it was a small portion for 15 euros of appetizer;

The pasta dish (28 euros) was overcooked, soaked in a sauce of curry and coconut milk that wasn't even mentioned on the menu, resulting the pasta tasting sweet almost like a dessert;

Overall the service was slow and the staff inattentive and unprofessional;

Last but not least, the total for 2 glasses of white wine, 1 bottle of water, 1 appetizer and 1 main course was 68 euros. Not justified at all.

These people don't realize they are a small reality in Rhodes, not even in the old Town but in Faliraki.

These people don't know how to treat and respect a client and they don't even know how to cook properly.

Only thing they know is put on a big smile and scam tourists thanks to the many good reviews on Google, from which I was also deceived.

To everyone, I strongly recommend that you chose any other restaurant in the area, this experience was the worst I had throughout many vacations.

I honestly can't see why this place has many good reviews.

I mean, it's your money you can spend it on what you want but at least if you have to pay a disproportionate bill, go eat somewhere where the chef knows how to cook properly and the staff is professional.

Hope you enjoy your staying at Faliraki, but not in...

I’m not sure who’s written all the positive reviews here, but for us it was like Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen nightmares… in so many ways.

Firstly, the setting is nice, so first impressions were good… although, this was ruined by a power outage, which led to being swarmed by flying bugs.

That’s not what ruined the night though - the food was awful. Bland & tasteless, and some people call this a fine dining experience? The chips are cheap & out of a bag, covered in grease to the point you can’t taste any potato!

The chicken souvlaki was shocking & at first, I thought the chicken had been boiled, it was that tasteless & rubbery… the chips, as described, awful… and for a Greek restaurant to have pita bread which I couldn’t consume as it tasted like cardboard?! A total joke.

Also, very weird to order a glass of wine & not have it poured in front of you - they brought the glasses already poured, so it could’ve been any wine that you’re paying for.

The owner or the owner’s son can prance around all he wants, being a nuisance & trying to make friends with people whilst they’re trying to enjoy their dinner, but nothing will hide the fact that the food is shocking.

Similar to another review, we had 4 different waiters/waitresses through the meal - all seemingly disinterested, even when they asked if the food was ok & I very hesitantly said ‘it’s ok…’, with obvious dissatisfaction. They ran to get the card machine quick enough though.

Apparently it used to be good, according to taxi drivers etc, but has gone downhill… which we can confirm.

Much better places locally with Desert Rose & Eteon to name just two - take your money elsewhere & you won’t leave hungry and confused.

I’d expect a 15 year old to be able to knock up the food we...

After reading lots of positive reviews about this place online we decided to give it a try on our last night in Rhodes. When we arrived we were greeted by a lovely gentleman who showed us our seats and offered to explain the menu to us. We ordered a bottle of wine which was lovely and reasonably priced (€24).

We began with some greek pita and dips which included tzatziki, eggplant salad and a pepper hummus type dip. These were lovely.

For starters I had the grilled calamari and was shocked at how big the portion was. It was absolutely delicious and the best calamari I have ever eaten. My partner had eggplant saganaki which was really tasty.

For main course I had the lamb kleftiko, slow cooked lamb and vegetables wrapped in filo and oven baked. This was again a huge portion but so delicious I didn't leave a morsel! My partner had the pork shank which was served with a honey gravy and potatoes. The pork fell off the bone and was so tender.

When our plates were cleared and we had finishedniur wine, we were brought a 'gift' from the chef. A dessert of thin sweet filo topped with custard, whipped cream and pistachio nuts. This melted in the mouth and was beautifully sweet to end the night.

The atmosphere was lovely and all together, for three courses, a free dessert, a bottle of wine and water for the table we only paid €76.

We are real foodies and this place was one of the nicest restaurants we have ever visited and made for a perfect last...