Bassia - Η Μπασία Restaurant — Restaurant in Zakynthos Municipality

We had a reservation at Bassia, but we were about half an hour late as we’re new to the island and coming from another country. We got a bit lost, and I couldn’t call because my phone wasn’t working locally. I was already feeling bad about the delay, but we were grateful to still be seated.

The woman who welcomed us was polite and offered us a different table, which we happily accepted and thanked her for. Then a man — possibly the owner — came to take our order, and that’s where things took a really uncomfortable turn. Instead of a welcome, he immediately began scolding us for being late and not calling. I calmly explained, apologized, and expressed our gratitude for still being seated. But he wouldn’t let it go. He repeated himself — “You have to call next time” — at least seven times, like a loop. It felt like he wanted me to keep apologizing over and over again. I finally had to ask him to stop and said, “Can you please just smile? This is not how you treat your guests.” But he kept going, insisting, “I am smiling — but you should have called.”

I was so stressed I could barely enjoy anything. One of the other waiters noticed and kindly asked what had happened. I told him honestly: I felt terrible, guilty, and like I was being punished for something human — being a bit late in a new place. He was understanding, and I appreciated that. But in the end, nobody came to check in or apologize. They clearly saw I was upset, but no one took responsibility.

This place presents itself as a modern, fine-dining restaurant — but without the attitude, care, or grace that should come with that. The view and atmosphere were beautiful. The food? Mediocre. But the attitude was what truly ruined it. Not recommended.

Update after the owner's reply: The owner claimed we were 45 minutes late — that’s false. According to my own timestamps, it was 34 minutes. Calling that "about half an hour" is both reasonable and accurate.

He also claimed to have repeated himself because he "had nothing else to do," which only reinforces the uncomfortable tone we experienced during our visit.

What’s more disappointing is that while I wrote my review in English to be inclusive and respectful to international readers, the owner chose to reply in Greek — knowing I wouldn't understand it fully.

This was never about a table. It was about how a guest was made to feel — unwelcome, judged, and scolded. Hospitality starts...

This is truly a gem of a restaurant on the island of Zakynthos. We searched for a close restaurant to our AirBnb and found Bassia. We were welcomed by extremely polite staff and seated with a wonderful view of the sea. It fascinated me that all of the seating was outside and there were beautiful lights hung in all the trees and little lights near each table. The staff definitely paid attention to each person’s experience and I noticed how they arranged guests in a way for them to enjoy the sky and the sea. We got here for sunset on a Sunday evening and we were thankful we didn’t need reservations. The menu was fantastic and offered all of the options I was looking for from a Greek restaurant. It felt like the most romantic restaurant because of the seating, the lights, and the great acoustic covers of songs we were familiar with. My wife got the pesto linguini which was just bursting with flavor and the pesto taste while I got the swordfish which was grilled on skewers with onion, green pepper and cherrie tomato’s. We also enjoyed the very inexpensive house white wine for 5 Euro for a half liter. The meal was just so great and as the sun set on the other side of the island all of the whisping clouds lit up like cotton candy and producers such a great show of light and nature. It felt like a dream. A couple of noteworthy things would be that the restrooms were great, comfortable, and situated in a outside way. The seating is outside so bees, mosquitos, and random bugs can totally happen. The staff is super professional and made the experience even better because it felt like we were being waited on...

Excellent restaurant in a romantic setting however to get a good table it is certainly necessary to call and book in advance. Although parking is available it gets full quickly. When we visited only 3 tables were available for walk ins and other visitors were send away as they were fully booked.

The starters do come relatively quickly but they are delicious nonetheless - we had the calamari saganaki and the aubergine with herring. Both excellent and good portions in particular to mop up the sauces with bread.

As mains we had the sea food pasta and the swordfish skewers. The skewers don't come with a side however the vegetables count as one which made in the end a good portion. Similarly the pasta comes with various mussels and shrimps.

The dessert Mille-feuille was also excellent and definitely worth a try! Overall prices, quality and setting are a bit more upscale but are...