Rousios — Restaurant in Municipality of Sfakia

It was recommended by the Samaria Gorge tour group to stop at this restaurant. It is one of the first spots as you exit the town from the Gorge. While the setting was cute, with nice tables and chairs, the food and service were quite lackluster. Our server let us know what was available from the menu. She came back and took our order, 2 beer, a salad, lamb in yogurt and homemade sausages. The salad with green vegetables was fresh, and the lettuce was tasty, but quite salty. At this point we were also brought bread. The other 2 dishes arrived, nothing came to accompany them, just the meat. My husband enjoyed the lamb dish, I tried it and did not. I expected more flavor, but it was lamb, yogurt and salt. The sausage was incredibly dry, the insides crumbled out as you cut into them, and very salty. I would not recommend this dish. When the server brought our food, she also gave us the bill and we didn't see her again until we got up to find her to pay. Although it wasn't busy, just a handful of tables when we were there, it felt like they wanted us to eat and leave so they could seat the next table...yet no one was waiting. We would have stayed for another beer, coffee and dessert, but from the lack of interest in our business we moved on. There are many nice places along the water and the food looked and smelled fantastic. If I were ever to go back, I'd spend my money there. Also, the little snack shack called Maria is owned by a lovely hospitable lady who makes a great...

Found this place immediately after hiking through the Samarian Gorge. Ambience is nice and waiters were respectful and not unfriendly. The rating reflects my personal disappointment with the food. Ordered the Cretan salad and Lamb with Yoghurt sauce. While the Cretan salad was reasonably good, the Lamb dish had several hairs in the Yoghurt sauce. When I asked the waiter/owner to take it back, he informed me that the hair is from the lamb itself and implied it was not unusual for there to be several hairs in the dish. That did not sit right with my personal taste. Perhaps it is more my ignorance with cultural norms in Crete as I am not used to eating any lamb dish (or any dish) where the hair of the animal is still included. But I was not thrilled with that experience. The prices charged were touristy and even higher than several restaurants I tried in Chania Old Town so I felt that value was lacking and the restaurant benefitted from just being one of the first that trekkers see when they enter the town from the gorge. Unfortunately my partner and I had to leave hastily and found more worthwhile lunch places down the street in...

Conveniently set on the path from the gorge toward the beach, this taverna feels like stepping into someone’s garden patio — welcoming, shaded, and tranquil. Service is friendly and impressively fast, adding to the laid-back charm.

The menu sticks to local staples, and everything we tried was excellent. My goat stew was a standout: meat falling off the bone, tender and infused with the herbs it had been slowly cooked in. The Cretan salad was hearty and original, mixing chickpeas, lentils, and other beans, all generously dressed with their own olive oil. They even bake their own bread, and it shows. The classics like tzatziki and baked feta were also spot on.

To drink, order their house lemonade, a cold beer, or simply a big bottle of icy water — nothing feels better after a hike. The terrace is wrapped in greenery, so you don’t really see the sea, but you can smell it in the breeze and feel how close it is.

Practical note: like most of Crete, cards are accepted here, so no stress about...