CAPRICE KITCHEN BAR — Restaurant in Municipality of Western Lesvos

tl;dr: Charged us for spoiled and overcooked items, after taking them away!

Over the years we have eaten in various restaurants from the most casual taverna to three Michelin star fine dining establishments around the world. We eat at restaurants multiple times a week, and consider food the most important part of any trip. That said, today at Caprice was by far our worst restaurant experience, ever.

Ironically, our previous dinners there had been very good, and we had started enthusiastically recommending the place to friends and family. We had been going there almost every day for a week, and we really liked the food and service. But today we realized that even if they try to pretend they're a high class restaurant by hiring a decent chef and knowledgeable staff, the owner has no idea how to run a high class restaurant.

Even before the food arrived, the evening started off badly. After trying the wine we ordered, we both thought it was clearly off. The waiter tried it himself, and agreed. He took it back and apologized, all good so far, these things happen with old vintages. Another waiter came and tried to convince us that it just needs decanting. At this point we can tell the difference between wine that needs some time to breathe and wine that is spoiled because of improper storage. No amount of decanting was going to fix this. After all this, we ordered another bottle (which was fine) and forgot about the matter.

After waiting for an hour and a half for any food to arrive because they were understaffed, my husband's steak arrived. As always, we had ordered it medium-rare. However, unlike previous times, it was completely brown, certainly beyond well done. We had to send it back; it was inedible. The waiter recognized that this was not medium rare, apologized, and took it back, then never brought us another steak. When we asked about it, they said they had run out of all meats (!) but they would check what was available. After even more waiting, we were informed the kitchen had now closed. (!!) We couldn't help but feel that we were being trolled, to punish us for sending the steak back.

Our friend's pizza even had hair in it (!), which we didn't even bother complaining about because we didn't want to add a third complaint to the list and seem overly difficult, since even at that point, we still planned to return due to our previous good experiences.

But the huge shock came at the end: the bill included the spoiled wine, and the overcooked steak that we sent back!! In all my years of dining out, I have never seen anything like this. At first, I assumed it was a mistake. It must have been, right? What restaurant would charge for spoiled wine and returned food? Shockingly, the owner defended the charge, and tried to convince us that the returned wine and steak were actually fine. He was incredibly rude, and pretended to speak no English so he could avoid speaking to my husband (I'm Greek but my husband is not). Of course, when he actually wanted to reply to him, suddenly his English was fine. I asked him, what's the point of the customer trying the wine if you are never going to accept it back when it's spoiled? His only retort was that this was an expensive bottle of wine (it was €35… 🙄).

We paid the outrageous bill anyway, but do not plan to return. It's unfortunate, because we really liked the place until then, and would have, over time, paid them a lot more than the €50 they...

Very variable, not worth the risk.

This is a hard review to write. The first two times we visited, the food was great (easily the best in the area) and the staff was friendly and helpful. The third time, it was a disaster. The kitchen was apparently short-staffed and so the wait between ordering and food & drink arriving was very long (1 1/2 hours). But that wasn't all.

The wine we ordered (described as rich and full bodied on the menu) was brownish, thin, acidic. It had clearly not been stored well (2009 vintage, opened in 2021). It wasn't clearly corked, but was also not at all correct. The waiter tasted it, agreed, asked us to select another bottle. We ordered, it came, it was very nice. Then they brought the original bottle back, with a decanter, for us to try again. We explained that the wine was spoiled, it was not a case of just needing to breathe. Besides, we had ordered and were drinking the other bottle.

The starters arrived and were fine. After a fair wait, my steak (medium rare) arrived - and was well done. Actually brown in the middle. Slightly embarrassed to complain a second time, I told the waiter sorry, this is really not what I ordered and they immediately took it away "to make it right" assuring me that I would have a meal cooked as ordered. Later they came back, sorry we are all out of rib eye, please choose something else. i ordered fullet steak Diane, which I had ordered another night and knew was delicious. They came back, sorry, we are all out of meat actually. What fish do you have, I asked. They went aay. They did not come back. I had a few bites of my wife's meal.

Imaging my surprise, on going to pay. They insisted I try the spoiled wine again! And then presented a bill with both bottles of wine, and the steak which they had taken away and not replaced! I was astonished and tried to complain. he owner claimed to speak no English. As they were clearly unwilling to make things right, and the surly owner had zero understanding of customer service, I paid the whole bill including for things they had taken away to replace.

So the thing is, if everything is correct and the restaurant is not too full and you have plenty of time, then it might be a good meal. If anything is wrong, expect to be lied to , condescended, ignored and forced to pay for the restaurant mistakes.

I don't plan to return. Which is sad because, at its best, this can be a...

This place serves the best food in Skala Kalloni, period! We, a group of 8, ate at Caprice three times during our stay, and every single meal was outstanding. The menu has an Italian twist, but honestly, the quality surpassed most of the Italian restaurants we’ve been to back home — and even topped some of our dining experiences in Italy itself.

The staff were amazing: warm, hardworking, and genuinely appreciative of every guest. You could feel the pride they take in their food and service.

What to order? The beef carpaccio was extraordinary, the Rigatoni di Maiale absolutely packed with flavor, and the bruschetta was simple but perfect. The pizzas were excellent, and the beet, rocket and feta salad was to die for. Everything we ordered was spot on! Don’t miss the watermelon from the house, such a nice touch and incredibly refreshing.

For our final night, we booked a table right on the water, it was perfection. But honestly, no matter where you sit at Caprice, you’re in for something special. Highly, highly...