Romeo Restaurant — Restaurant in Municipality of Rhodes

While we wanted to keep only good memories from our holiday in Rhodes, our visit to Romeo Restaurant turned out to be a serious disappointment, both in terms of food quality and service. We went on September 4 around 9:00 PM, sat on the 2nd floor, and I want to share our experience in detail so future visitors know what to expect.

From the moment we sat down, the waiter’s manner was not welcoming at all it felt almost aggressively cold. Myhusband naturally asked for a recommendation about ouzo in a taverna setting. The waiter’s first reaction was: “I don’t drink alcohol,” said in a harsh tone. To lighten the mood, we asked where he was from, but his answer was “doesn’t matter,” which came across as rude and dismissive. This attitude continued throughout the evening, not only with us but also with other tables around. Hospitality is the most basic rule in a restaurant, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any of it here. Despite everything, we still left a tip, but the overall service ruined our impression of the place from start to finish.

The menu seemed to follow the “a bit of everything” approach: plenty of options, but none prepared with real care. The dishes we ordered lacked freshness, balance in cooking and proper presentation. This is often the problem with very broad menus in the end nothing is done well. We came here with an expectation of “taste,” but not a single dish left us satisfied.

We specifically came for a taverna atmosphere. What we expected was the traditional Greek taverna repertoire at a volume that allows conversation. Instead, they played random Turkish pop songs like Demet Akalın, which completely broke the vibe. One or two Turkish songs could have added a nice touch, but the playlist destroyed the taverna spirit. The loud music also disrupted our conversation and made the atmosphere far from what we had hoped for.

Prices are higher than in Turkey, but you don’t get the quality to justify it , not in food not in service not in atmosphere. For the same price, in Istanbul (eg Nakkaş in Kadıköy, Kalamaria, or Teos in Cunda) you can get far more delicious food, much better service, and genuine hospitality.

A combination of unwelcoming service, careless food, wrong music choices, and high prices puts Romeo Restaurant firmly in the “never again” category for us. If you want to enjoy the real taverna spirit in Rhodes, we absolutely do not...

We were holidaying in Rhodes and were recommended Romeos for a traditional Greek dancing night with plate smashing. Its a lovely restaurant with live music however the Greek dancing seemed to be dominated by tables of Greek people who all seemed to know when to get up and when to smash plates etc. No one else was encouraged to join in. I suspect this is a primarily Greek clientele and if you are looking for a more touristy experience this may not be for you. I have been to various other Greek nights at other locations where the staff encouraged everyone to join in and plates were handed out. In the end I asked if my children could smash some plates and was told one euro per plate...how many do you want? It wasn't very inviting. However the food was nice and the restaurant was lovely so if you like sitting back and watching then you will probably have a great night. We wanted something a bit more involved. If you follow them on Tik Tok you will see exactly what I mean in their videos....

We visited as part of an excursion with our cruise. Romeos is lovely. You eat outside under a giant shade tree. I imagine at night it is particularly lovely with the lights strung. We did not choose from the menu, but thoroughly enjoyed what was provided. We started with bread with 4 different spreads, all different colors and flavors. Bottled water and white wine was provided. The wine was on the dryer side and reminded me of a reisling. We then had a salad of tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers, red onions and olives topped with olive oil. Our main course was a vegetable stew (we had the vegetarian option). It has root vegetables, eggplant, peppers and onions. It was delicious. Dessert was an orange cake drenched in a light syrup. We enjoyed the whole meal. The staff were very efficient and kindly accommodated our dietary requirements. The women's restrooms are upstairs to the right and the men's is upstairs...