DESPINA TAVERNA

We drove past this restaurant every night on our way to our hotel from Elounda harbour and it was always busy, so we figured the food should be good, so we decided to make our own assessment of the place :) Starting with the service and the atmosphere. The waiter was very friendly and kind, and the view was absolutely gorgeous, as the restaurant is on a little hill overlooking the water. Now moving on to the food - this was hands-down some of the tastiest food we’ve had in the whole island of Crete. You could tell the ingredients were fresh and locally-sourced. You can definitely tell of the quality of a Greek restaurant by the freshly-cut fries instead of your usual frozen ones that you would get anywhere else. Everything in this restaurant was tasty and fresh fresh FRESH! Finally, we were impressed by how fair the prices were! We had a meal with 2 salads, 3 starters and a main dish with 60 euros! I would HIGHLY recommend this place, but just make sure you make a reservation for dinner!

Tasty and nicely cooked dishes with lots of fresh ingredients. The view is great too, if seated at the front part of the balcony. It gets very busy so you will need to make a reservation in advance. The waiters were polite but overall the service was slow

We were recommended this restaurant by a local. The service was very friendly and very kind. They were happy to answer all of our questions, and they were not pushy at all which I appreciated. We were served without having a reservation! The view from the restaurant is excellent too. Now to the food! We only ordered seafood and fish of the catch of the day. Everything was cooked to perfection. You could feel the flavour in every bite. Excellent wine list too! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

A local friend recommended this place and we are glad that we visited! They have fresh seafood with traditional but also modern recipes. Crap salad was so refreshing! I liked the grouper pasta too, flavors were in harmony and the portion was quite good! The wine list has very nice selection! The dessert was one of the best that we had in the island. Last but not least, the ictopus pasta was sooo unique felt like a octopus moussaka! Come and enjoy these delicious food in a very nice setting under the trees with the view! Definitely recommend this place!

Excellent experience, the fish was delicious (we had grilled red snapper), for appetizers we had the mussels and prawns, both delicious. the service impeccable and the view was lovely. Will definitely be back.

Lovely restaurant perched on a hillside overlooking fishing boats and the sea. The fish selection is fresh daily and the owner is super attentive. We ate here for lunch and came back 2 days later for dinner. The bread is made in house and outstanding 👍. The execution of the menu is superb. Mainly locals were here for dinner which is positive. Menu prices right in line with the tourist places in town along the busy waterfront. Go here and enjoy better food and ambiance.

It’s the second time that we visit this amazing restaurant. Friends recommended to us and we became fans. The food is well presented, tasty and an up market Greek restaurant. Great views, friendly and efficient staff! We had the cold gazpacho, octopus carpaccio, beat root salad, squid ink risotto. Highly recommended Next time that we come to Elounda it will be first stop.

Best restaurant in Elounda! Nothing comes close. To go one step further, I have travelled all over the world and this one my global favourites! Why? The quality of the produce is first class, the flavours go together like a grand symphony, the staff are very friendly, view is beautiful. Recommend dishes; muscles, octopus, tomato croquettes, Greek salad and for mains a rock fish variety or the grouper pasta.