Kefall-oinia — Restaurant in Sami Municipality

I really wanted to like this place. I had never been, but I have been to dozens of restaurants on the island over the past 20 years. The octopus appetizer at 19€ was largely inedible - the thinnest parts of the leg were ok but the thicker parts were extremely tough, even cutting with a knife was a challenge. The server advised that this happens if they don’t tenderize fresh octopus enough (traditionally beaten on rocks). But the likelihood of this being fresh and from Greece is highly unlikely as most all octopus arrives frozen from Spain and Portugal. I took a chance and ordered the ribeye steak - Greece does not have the beef or the techniques that we have in the US. At 35€, I strongly suggest ordering any piece of pork or beef at a much lower price because the treatment and the result are the same. The ribeye was overcooked, and slow cooked (absolutely no sear) , and treated with lemon. And the cap (spinalis) was missing. The Riganato was not done well either - seemed thrown together, very little olive oil , very little oregano, and the tomatoes and cheese just piled into very thick slices of bread - it was difficult to eat. The chicken souvlaki was fine and their fried potatoes were good, hand cut, but in limited supply with our entrees. The service was the minimal acceptable - not friendly, but not rude, and as frequent as needed to order and to get our food. They have done a nice job with the space, but they have an obvious drain fly problem inside and the moths were brutal outside. I realize it sounds like I’m piling on. But This could have been a much better experience. I imagine others may have faired better. But for us, it just...

The dinner was average – the meat was tasty, but the squid was chewy and the mussels were dry. At payment, we didn’t receive a bill; instead, we were told that if we wanted to pay by card, we had to go inside. We had to pay the amount without ever seeing the bill, because “that’s how the system works” – something we have never experienced anywhere else.

Afterwards, they printed a receipt which only showed general categories (e.g. “starter” + price) written in Greek, without specific items listed. When I politely asked if they could help me understand what was written (as I don’t speak Greek), the answer was simply: “This is Greece.” I did not expect such an arrogant response.

Even more surprising, the handwritten note we were shown had no itemization, no subtotals, and no final total – we were expected to pay blindly. The woman who appeared to be the manager insisted this was perfectly fine, adding that when she is on holiday, she never checks her bills either… which, frankly, is a very odd excuse.

I have never encountered such rude and unprofessional service – not only in Kefalonia, but anywhere...

This is a lovely, family run restaurant with mum Eleni in the kitchen and her lovely daughter Theodore, running the front of house. We have been lucky enough to eat here several times over the last few years and the food is always fresh, delicious and expertly cooked. They have a great menu with a wide selection of traditional dishes to choose from. If you love fish, ask them to prepare the fish soup for you, but they do need 24 hours notice. It is prepared with locally caught fish, rather than the farmed sea bream and bass. The fish and vegetables are served on a platter with the soup in a bowl. It is...