Elli's — Restaurant in Sami Municipality

We were lured to Elis by praizing blog reviews claiming it was the place to eat in Fiscardo. Spoiler: it isn’t. Not even close.

The place tries to channel some tired version of fine dining white tablecloths that have clearly seen better days, a vaguely formal vibe and… that’s about where the effort stops. We had a reservation, but when we arrived the place was nearly empty. That should’ve been the first red flag.

We started with calamari fritti. Well “started” is generous. What arrived were pale, soggy rings that clearly took a detour through the freezer aisle and never made it near a proper fryer. They were tasteless, floppy, and honestly felt like a dare to finish.

Then came the lobster pasta a dish you’d think is hard to ruin. Think again, the pasta overcooked. The lobster over-overcooked. Like rubber bands with a shell. The only impressive thing was the portion size, so much of it, yet none of it edible.

After we paid (and without expecting any compensation or gesture), we gave polite feedback. The response? “You should’ve told us you wanted your lobster al dente.” Honestly, what does that even mean? Lobster is either properly cooked or ruined. They followed up by saying, “This is how people like it,” with zero apology or curiosity. I guess we’re not ‘people’.

What made it worse is that we actually made a whole boat trip just to eat here. Luckily, we wandered into another restaurant nearby afterwards that restored our faith in food, hospitality, and the concept of seasoning. Amazing ambiance, great music, friendly service, everything Ellis doesn’t have.

So: if you’re going to Fiscardo, do yourself a favor and skip Elli’s. Unless you’re in the mood for disappointment served...

I am not one two complain, but was literally the rudest person I have come across ever. We wanted to keep an eye on our car before we went on the boat which was filled with our luggage. So we went to sit at a table with a view of our car. The owner abruptly came up to us and asked us if we were going to eat and we said no but we will order a few drinks. We were then told to move a few tables further. We explained then we could not see our car and we would be gone in 15 minites. (Also we were the only people in the restaurant mind you. She proceeds to be very rude so we moved. At this point my husband and mom ordered drinks but my son was complaining that he wanted ice cream from the store up the street and only there. While he played with rocks on the beach (not sitting in a chair in the restaurant) I got him an ice cream. She stopped me one store before and said no way you go! I have ice cream here. I said “this is for my son and he is sitting at the beach.” She begins to yell “you go you leave” I said why what are we doing wrong? She said you only ordered drinks! I said this is nonsense, we are still paying customers.” But she kept yelling “you pay the bill and leave. “ So we just finished our drinks and left, literally in awe! This was not the Greek hospitality we experienced everywhere else. Was sad to leave the island with that as our last experience, because it was really a...

Best moussaka we’ve ever tasted (or smelled)!

I’d held off on ordering moussaka until reaching Fiskardo (stayed in Skala and Sami for a week before this) and finally caved to the temptation not realizing this was like nothing I’d ever experienced (in NYC, London or in Greece many years back). The moussaka was so good that we had to come back on the third and final night, and after having major FOMO(moussaka) from the first night there, my girlfriend also ordered it, and we’d been fantasizing about it since that first night. And it was as good as the first time. I even told the waiter that this was outrageously good... the best I’d ever had... and he shrugged it off saying this is how it tastes here in Greece. I beg to differ, as I’ve had it since then and no sir, it is not the same. We will keep searching to see how others compare but am afraid we’ll continue to be disappointed . Do not miss...