Shoestring Restaurant Beach Bar — Restaurant in Zakynthos Municipality

What a bizarre experience we had here with one of the owners. We visited the bar one day for lunch with some friends and family who had looked to book the area for a wedding a year or two ago, and who recommended it to us for lunch. It is a lovely spot, nice views and beach access, and the bar has been built with some very nice features and architecture which we all remarked on. We had quite a nice lunch although one of the owners (the barman) was quite brusque with us. My wife and I returned in the car for lunch a couple of days later whilst driving up the coastline of the island, since it was such a nice spot. One of the brothers took our order, and was very friendly and polite. However, 5 minutes later the other brother came across to us from behind the bar(we had not spoken to him at all during the visit), told us he didn't like the way we looked and the way we were looking at the bar, and that we were not interested in the view, and forced us to leave in a very rude manner and that we should never come back. He also told us that he knew the real reason that we were there (whatever he thought that may be). It was very bizarre, random and extremely rude behaviour, and something I have never experienced in any of the places across Zante, where restaurant and bar owners have been extremely welcoming. In fact, I can't recollect ever having been treated that way in any establishment before in my life anywhere in the world. It really wouldn't have been out of place in a Fawlty Towers episode.

My wife went up to talk to him calmly, to try to find out what had triggered this inexplicable behaviour, but the owner was still both rude and adamant we should leave. She believed that he thought we were building inspectors or something (which didn't make sense for a couple of English tourists on the island for the first time)??? Anyway, whatever the reason, we were forced to leave !! So, what can I say. The bar is in a nice spot, it's very nicely laid out and designed, the lunch on our first visit was OK, but the extreme and rude behaviour on the second visit means we can never visit the bar again (even if we wanted to), and I urge caution to anyone visiting the bar- or worse, planning a wedding function here - to think again. Looking at other reviews, it seems we are not the first to experience this random rude behaviour from one of the owners, and given the current COVID situation of hardship on the island there are many other businesses that would welcome the tourist trade, and this is certainly not the way to encourage customers back to the business.

It seems that the real Basil Fawlty is alive and well and running a...

This comment has been removed several times, but i swear i'll costantly re-post it as what happened is unreal.

We visited Shoestring Beach Bar expecting a relaxing beachside experience. Instead, we were met with rudeness, aggression, threats and complete disrespect.

I’m 40years old and have travelled in 36 different countries around the world, worked in the hospitality industry for years, but what happened is just pure madness.

At a beach bar — yes, a beach bar — you’re not allowed to sit down in a wet swimsuit. And That’s already ridiculous.

But the worst part came when our little daughter accidentally dropped her Coke twice on the ground while we were waiting for our lunch to be served. We immediately offered to clean up — we’re responsible parents and guests. But the reaction from one of the owners (two brothers running the place) was beyond unacceptable. He became aggressive, raising his voice, intimidating us in front of our child. He acted like we had committed some crime and the situation suddenly escalated. Yes, for a coke dropped on the floor, on a beach bar, on a terrace. Ridiculous, inappropriate. His tone and posture were threatening, completely disproportionate to the situation and got worse for no reason. In all honesty, at that point I thought he had some kind of issues.

Our daughter burst into tears, scared and confused, terrified by the hostility. This is supposed to be a beach bar, not a battlefield.

If I hadn’t stayed calm and intelligent in front of such an aggressive attitude, things could have easily escalated to a fight, as he was threatening me and challenging me to a fight. I repeat: for a coke dropped on the floor of a terrace of a beach bar. Unreal.

Obviously, we walked out, Previously, we had ordered three burgers, and when this happened, it had already passed 40 minutes, nothing had arrived (that's only to say the kitchen is slow, 4 tables only). We left. Thankfully.

Aggressive. Rude. Completely unprofessional.

Avoid. There are far better places in Zante where respect and kindness still...

On Sunday afternoon, I visited Shoestring with my family, intending to enjoy a meal there. Initially, we tried approaching through the water, but the waves became dangerously large, especially for the young children with us. Concerned for their safety, we chose to walk the last few meters along the grass, which directly leads to Shoestring’s ladder entrance—this was our first visit, and we had no idea that entering this way was prohibited.

Upon arrival, three large men who worked at the establishment immediately confronted us aggressively and ordered us to leave at once via the water. We calmly explained that returning through the water was unsafe for the children, but they dismissively replied that it wasn't their problem since the children were not theirs. One of the men escalated the situation further, threatening to become violent if we didn't leave immediately. When I politely asked him not to speak to us in that manner, he leaped over the stairs towards the grass area, clearly intending physical aggression, as he and another staff member aggressively shouted, "Or what?"

We quickly left, deeply unsettled, while they continued shouting threats, such as "Don't even look." I am genuinely shocked and disturbed by the extreme hostility and threatening behavior exhibited by the staff towards a family simply trying to enter the...