Lava Tavern — Restaurant in Municipality of Thira

Sadly, Lava Tavern did NOT live up to expectations/previous reviews. I’m not overly keen on a lot of sea food…we went here for the “authentic Greek tavern” hospitality. We walked 25 minutes, arrived just before 9:00pm…were told “No tables available!”, when we could see multiple free tables, inside and out. Asked if we could at least have a cold beer, and again were told “No. Make a reservation next time.” Very unaccommodating/unwelcoming. Had a great meal at Forty One instead.

Post edit/response to venue’s response: Hey, we’re pretty empathic people. Had we heard the truth from your staff, (“Sorry, our water main is broken, therefore we can’t seat customers, cook, or do dishes. Would you like to make a reservation for once it’s fixed?”), we would have completely understood, and done just that, once the issue was resolved.

We’d already accepted your “no tables available”, but surely the request for a cold beer could have been met/resolved under the circumstances, by simply saying “Of course. However it will have to be by the bottle as…our water pump isn’t working, so we can’t do dishes, nor do we have a functioning toilet on the premises.” We’d have been okay with that also.

What I am now affronted by is the condescending, sarcastic, and passive aggressive response I received to my honest review about your establishment.

A simple, “Sorry, we couldn’t accommodate you last night because of X, Y and Z. We’d love you to join us for a meal _ “ may have seen us return to your establishment.

I’d suggest reviewing who is responsible for your online presence! All they’ve done this time round is support my review’s main point: that this is NOT a friendly, hospitable place to visit/spend coin.

Hope you get things sorted soon, and business runs smoothly, hence forth.

In the meantime, we shall frequent other restaurants in the area…one’s where we’re met with smiles, and genuine desires to treat us hospitably!

I shall not view Lava Tavern as the epitome of Greek Hospitality. That would denigrate the great job so many of your...

Inconsistent. Quirky/baffling/wonderful/unexpected. Right above the beach. Great for fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans who are a little flexible. Ratings out of 5 are unhelpful for Lava. Overall it could be a 5 or 2. We went several times and experienced 5, 4 and 1-2. To maximise the chances of experiencing a 5: [1] dine early [choice declines over the evening]. [2] Go relaxed & be patient - this is not a place to go for the first time after a row with your partner in the car [3] Understand their very unusual system: First when you arrive let them see and seat you [try and sneak a look at the servery inside first to see if it is well stocked but don't dwell or you will stress them], there are no menus nor prices at Lava, order drinks from waiter who has [only] a little English and a huge smile, dishes are on a servery but don't go up to pick until you are called. The older guy who speaks English [and probably other languages?] will explain the dishes and the protein [fish/seafood] he takes your order at the servery and then it is brought [promptly] by the waiter after it has been warmed up - the protein is cooked to order and follows when it is ready. [4] Don't go if you are clean freak - it is not for you [5] Don't go if you are looking for flawless customer centric hospitality. [6] Don't expect to understand the bill or be able to scrutinise it - the value for money decreased with each visit we made - it seemed like the total bill was the most cost for the least food & drink on the last visit but we chose not to ask because this felt uncomfortable. Mistakes must happen because the system is so unusual. [7] Be very sensitive - the owner can be charming but seems to be an easy person to upset - hospitality is a stressful business but I think he could save himself a lot of stress if he communicated the concept on a sign / printed paper table mat in multiple languages - it is unusual. He seemed to mistake guest's confusion for rudeness. We are glad we went and wish these people well - treasuring memories of our first meal there which was a...

Not very tourist friendly. We wanted to try a real greek experience, saw the high rating so decided to be adventurous and give this place a try. There was no menu or descriptions of the items or prices. The chef showed us the item already premade in a buffet setting , describing each side dishes, all vegetables dishes. We asked what protein does he have, he said something and we understood half of what he said. So I asked him if he has squid, he says yes, so I went with that . Then asked my sis what she wants, since unfamiliar with how to order or what the options are , she didn’t know what to choose. So I ordered for her and asked the chef to make us two plates of his recommendations. We received a platter of vegetable side dishes from the buffet , fried squid for me and some meatballs for my sister. The food was good, not memorable. Once finished, we asked for the bill . We have no idea how much it’ll be , and the check came to be $35 euro. The waitress ask if I have cash , I said no, I didn’t have enough. Gave her my credit card and had to wait for over 20minutes, since the waitress claim she doesn’t know how to process credit card and have to wait for the chef to finish cooking, he’ll be able to process the credit card. After such a long wait, my sis and I scrunged up 30 euros and 8 US dollars since we have to leave. I asked the waitress to please take this cash since the chef was still so busy and she reluctantly did take it so we can leave. So for tourists, this place may not be a place you want to visit without a local who can direct you how to and what to order. And...