Παραστιές Εστιατόριο Ηράκλειο Κρήτης - Leof. Sofokli Venizelou 81

Such a lovely restaurant making real Mediterranean dishes with great product. We ate a big Cretan salad with figs, cheese, fruit, beans... The fava purée was simple yet super tasty, and the prawns were phenomenal as well. Ambience and service were impeccable even taking into account that we sat down nearing 4 pm. Prices are very fair. Don’t miss it if you’re in the area!

The staff and service was absolutely lovely but I did not enjoy the food portion of the dining experience - found (lamb) hair in my food. I ordered the lamb with lemon sauce because they indicated on the menu posted outside that lamb was a specialty. After I placed an order, the server came back and explained they were not able to serve the side of mashed artichoke on the menu. She offered different side options: fried potatoes, mashed carrots, grilled vegetables. To me those are not equivalent to mashed artichoke, but I didn’t say that and ordered the grilled vegetables. The dish arrived (a generous portion) and the flavor of the sauce was good but the first piece of lamb I tried was tough and the asparagus was over cooked. I tried a second piece of lamb, which was tender, and the grilled carrot, which was quite good, so I thought it could still be a good meal. Then I found a hair in my dish. The server quickly apologized, explained it was a hair from the lamb, and cleared the dish. At least for me, a lamb hair in my food is as bad as human hair. The server brought a menu so I could order a different dish. However, after the subbed side, tough lamb, and hair, I didn’t have it in me to try again, so I sat and waited for my friend to finish her meal salad and the glass of wine the server recommended (both of which she seemed to enjoy but I am reviewing based on my direct experience of their service and staff). The staff was absolutely lovely and apologetic - full points for the quality of the service staff. It may have been an off night for the restaurant (or maybe it was just the specific dish I ordered that was off on that specific night). I thought really hard about whether to leave a review because the staff was so nice, but I tried to be as generous as possible and I figured my one review of a poor experience would be taken in context with the many favorable reviews posted. This is not a factor in my rating, but a side note: we asked for an ocean view and they said they didn’t have anything available. This is understandable - it was almost sunset, we didn’t have a reservation, and I know people tend to linger over meals. However, they seated us right next to the entrance with a view of an alley, which may have been the least attractive view they had. When we arrived, there was only one table occupied in the section they seated us in, so there were plenty of other options available but they were very specific about what table we had to sit at.

We went diner tonight with my boyfriend and it was… the best experience we ever had. Local products, delicious meals, nice and welcoming waiters and waitress. I liked the fact that we were served potatoes rather than fries, such a huge difference! I highly recommend this place, the best restaurant in Heraklion so far.

Fantastic, innovative Cretan cuisine in a beautiful restored villa. Definitely get the omelet. Portions are huge and delicious. Staff is very attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. Wine list is great. Ask for a table on the back terrace for an amazing view of sunset.

Fantastic food, and lovely people. Don’t be put off if it looks quiet - there’s a lovely terrace at the back!

I had a pleasant dinning experience of this restaurant. In the middle of the ruin town, this is one of the nicest looking romantic restaurants with nice ambiance. Sitting in the restaurant with welcoming friendly staff, the service from Nicos was fine. As to the value of the service, we indeed enjoy the big dishes for a very reasonable price. First 3 courses were just perfect and wonderful! And for main course, some improvement can be made with the octopus, the olive source was yet about to bring the best flavour of the octopus, suggest to use something a bit sour and aromatic flavour, even charcoal grill would be nice. Never the less, I still recommend to come and try this restaurant although Peskesi was the most popular one around, but this restaurant has potential to compete with a bit more improvement and experiment of the fresh taste of Greece!

Delicious. Don’t sit on the terrace or balcony but in the middle by the kitchen. Well worth it. Ask for recommendations. Nikos will take care of you. They are taking such a good care of their customers it’s unbelievable. The food is awesome, staff is lovely and the interior is Instagram material.

The setting is beautiful and the food tastes good in general. What was weird is some of the portion sizes. The gyros appetizer was huge, while the octopus main was tiny. It would not have been enough to fill me up on its own, even for lunch, although it was absolutely delicious. We also had the goat risotto but were a little shocked and disappointed to literally get a bowl of risotto rice with nothing in it but two chunks goat meat, still attached to the bone. It looked so boring and plain that I didn't even take a picture of it. The flavor was bland as well. But then again that portion size was huge compared to the octopus, way too much to finish, especially since there were so little different flavors and ingredients in it. We got two free desserts: watermelon and delicious chocolate ice cream, both extremely welcome on a hot summer day, and quite surprising as we were only there for lunch. Overall, a bit expensive given our experience.