To get it out of the way, here’s why I gave four stars to the best restaurant in Crete: they messed up our reservation. We called several days in advance because we knew how popular the place is, only to discover upon arrival they didn’t have us on the list because they probably didn’t put our name in correctly. My advice is to make sure they got your name right before you hang up the phone. We were seated after all but not where we supposed to be (outside), and then we were served by three waiters, which seemed a bit disorganized and took away from the overall experience a little bit. On the other hand, the food was amazing. We decided to go to Peskesi twice during our holiday, which says a lot about how much we liked the food. We tried several appetizers such as ham on toast, tzatziki, stuffed zucchini flowers. Our main courses were goat meat in yogurt, pork glazed in honey, smoked pork chops, blue crab. Even though the dishes are filling we always made sure to take desserts, and those are super-tasty and huge, especially the cheesecake. On top of all the food you order, they always bring a small appetizer, a dessert and rose liqueur on the house. It’s a nice gesture, very common in Crete. As far as the experience goes, the 40 herbs spa ritual is something unique I hadn’t experienced elsewhere and it is a perfect little touch at the end of your feast. The restaurant is elegant yet cozy, with beautiful gardens and interior. I highly recommend everyone visiting this place!

This isn’t a restaurant just for food. It’s an experience. It’s a story. 10/10 I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Crete, it’s a must. The people who work here are so passionate about what they do and our waiter took the time to explain to us both the story of the restaurant and the origin of their products. The olive oil tasting was great, we even got the chance to buy some bottles to bring home as presents. On top of it all, the food is outrageously good. Really recommend the zucchini flowers and the cheesecake!

Good atmosphere and food. Peskesi’s unique selection of dishes combined with fresh ingredients creates a memorable dining experience. I appreciated that many of the dishes roots were explained on the menu. Service was impressively fast and the food quality and value was good. Additionally, this restaurant accommodated for food allergies very well by indicating allergens on the menu. I recommend the fried, stuffed zucchini flowers and wine-cooked octopus. I did not find the mains particularly noteworthy as the meat dishes felt dry and lackluster. Nonetheless, a good restaurant with a great concept that is worth trying. Definitely make reservations in advance.

Can't imagine a restaurant having this high of a rating out of near 10k reviews before I went. Now I get it. Definitely make reservations in advance! I went back for a second time within two days. Still so good! I was curious and read the bad reviews. Somehow I realized they indeed say they're fully booked every day, but they usually can still squeeze out some time for guests. I'm also concerned about how some reviewers say the restaurant chooses their guests by appearances. Nonetheless, I love their sustainability efforts in sourcing local and responsibly. The no waste and farm-to-table explanations took up one entire menu - keep up the great work!

We visited for dinner after reading about this place on TripAdvisor. It was supposed to be gluten free and vegetarian friendly. My friend has severe allergies and the waitress working our table was able to answer all of her questions. I am able to eat everything so I was very happy with the roasted goat with yogurt sauce. The goat was perfectly tender and melted in my mouth. My son ordered the sausages cooked over a wildfire and served on rosemary. It was so delicious! At the end of the meal we were given a local sweet made from semolina. My gluten free friend was given a sour cherry preserve.

Oh boy. I just have to say upfront that you have to have an olive oil tasting, it was an otherworldly experience. Their olive oils are extremely rich and complex, from sweet and fruity to herbal and fresh and all from carefully harvested local olive cultures. They have a delicious range of veggie options but could add some more protein, but again, delicious. Staff is incredibly friendly, one of the best that I saw while in Crete. Amazing, beautiful atmosphere for both lunch and dinner that will make you feel at home. Highly recommend it.

Great restaurant! The foods are sourced from local farms and are very fresh. The dining atmosphere is good, you will enjoy a cup of special tomato soup before the meal, and a special dessert and local liqueur will be offered after the meal.

Great find just around the corner from the park! The entrance looks like just a quiet corner, but the restaurant itself is quite big. Staff is friendly, the food is locally sourced, and I enjoyed all the dishes we ordered: the shrimp, the snails, the zucchini flowers, the octopus, and the bread. I would come back if I'm back in Crete again.

Unforgettable. From the beginning till the end, it was such a perfect experience. Very neat business, farm to table with impressive service. Words are not enough to describe our feelings. Loved it. In the beginning a kind gesture of soup, salad, lamb with rice, all increased the joy bite after bite. Atmosphere was great, all crew were well motivated and seemed to be enjoying their role in this good business. Highly recommended.

I had an incredible experience at Peskesi restaurant and highly recommend making a reservation in advance. The waiter was exceptionally kind and provided thorough explanations of the menu. The selection of olive oils and bread was delightful, setting the tone for the meal. We started with a warm bean starter featuring roasted eggplant, a surprising combination that resulted in an amazing taste. The slow-cooked goat meat, served over perfectly cooked risotto, was nothing short of extraordinary. The meat juices infused the risotto, creating an unforgettable combination. For dessert, we enjoyed a semolina-based treat with a delightful touch of orange jelly. While it was excellent, it leaned towards being sweeter than necessary. Overall, our visit to Peskesi was an exceptional culinary journey, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone visiting Heraklion. Make sure to book in advance to ensure a fantastic dining experience.

Actually we didn't dine inside the restaurant, we took away due to our time. But the waitress let us in to order and wait for our meal, so I can tell that the environment and vibes inside are good! Besides, since we had no idea what to order, the barmaid kindly gave us some advice. It turned out that the foods she recommended were soooooo great😍 We both agree that this was the best food we ever had in Greece! Everyone who visit Crete should definitely visit this restaurant too, and do not forget to make a reservation~

We were honestly BLOWN AWAY by this restaurant. We both agree that it's in the TOP 3 BEST RESTAURANTS we ever visited. WOW. We don't get easily impressed but the food here was on another level. The combination of flavours and textures, the presentation, the service, everything was top notch. Not even mentioning the extra touches such as mentioning in the menu the distance from the actual farm they're sourcing the main ingredients from. Or that they have a SEPARATE MENU just for the olive oil !!! So many choices. I asked for balsamic vinegar to go with my olive dip (and complimentary freshly baked bread) and the waiter told me they don't have it. What? He then told me that they actually use a combination of moscato wine and lime juice to create a substitute. When I tried it...oh boy. So much better !! Amazing. (couldn't take photos of everything we ordered because we were too busy eating it. The bill came to 84 Euros) We can't wait to come and eat here again!

Very nice place , traditional with cozy atmosphere. There was a welcome treat. The food was nice , we got the first salad on the menu, it was perfect. We got two main dishes, the were good. Although there were not so many options on the main courses.

Peskesi restaurant in Heraklion Crete is by far the best place we have eaten at in Greece. The food quality was superb. The service was beyond excellent. We went there for the first time without a reservations and we got lucky and found a table. We were so impressed we reserved a table for dinner two days later. The Greek salad was out of this world with all the natural ingredients. Make it a point to eat there at least once if you.

We had an amazing experience at Peskesi. From the service to the food, it was 10/10! We would fly back to Crete from England just to have this food again. Special thank you for Kosmas who really looked after us, such a great guy. Thanks for making our experience memorable! But not to mention all of the other staff who were also so lovely! Plenty of vegan options available, so anyone will be able to enjoy this restaurant. We would recommend the mushroom stew. We would recommend this restaurant to everyone who is visiting Crete!

10 out 10 would recommend. If you're in Heraklion, this place is a MUST. Worth every penny. Food and service were all top-notch. Make sure to reserve a table as this place is very sought after.

This place is absolutely amazing all the way around! During our stay in Crete we arrived at this little gem and they were packed. They asked if we had a reservation, we did not. So they asked if we wanted to wait, if course we did. They were so kind and the host chatted with us and offered us drinks while we waited. So worth the wait. The food is just out of this world. The atmosphere inside is lovely, makes you feel like you aren't on the city. Don't miss this place, but be sure to make a reservation 😉

We went to this restaurant today (18 October 2023). We were a walk-in. They were brilliant - the waiters handled my difficult dad really well. The food was also delicious and appropriately seasonal. It was Cretan food and it really was delicious as well as beautifully presented. They take their food and service very seriously. A lovely experience (aside from my difficult dad but that wasn’t their fault - they were faultless in everything!)

DO NOT MISS !!! This dining experience should not be missed, while visiting Crete. Make sure to reserve as early as possible. The food is farm to table Cretan Cuisine. There is a great wine selection. We started with olive oil testing, our waitress Tiffany was very helpful with the selection. She was very kind and explained us everything ( even where the olive gets it name from ) to make sure we have a good experience. We are really happy with our food selection, all posted here. But i’m sure every dish in this restaurant is cooked to perfection…

Our favorite restaurant during our two weeks trip in Crete. We only found out this place on the day before we left Heraklion and we already had plans for other place but we had to squeeze this place into our schedule and had our second dinner there. We loved everything we had: lemony blue crab with olive oil, honey and thyme roast pork, the wild rose drink are all heavenly. The complimentary dessert and raki were unlike any other place we tried. Staff are professional and attentive. Food came lightning fast. The service deserves 6 stars! I can tell the owner and chefs have put so much love and thought into the food, the menu and the presentation. It’s a very unique experience.

We were both excited about our reservation at Peskesi. The restaurant has a farm to table concept with each item on the menu being sourced ~100 km or less from the restaurant. We had the slow cooked pork chop steak that were finished by smoking with sage and the slow roasted lamb. The lamb was cooked perfectly. We were set on having dessert, the cheesecake looked amazing but we just didn’t have the room. Service was great.

Really special atmosphere, the restaurant with consciousness. They cook from products grown close in the area. Attentive service, very delicious food. The portions are big, as everywhere on Crete. They served us some local dessert and drinks on the house after all food. We enjoyed our visit, and also we liked the way of cleaning hands at the end 😄 The only thing to remember- you need to book the table in advance

Every dish was delicious. We came back twice because it was so good. The inside is big, but I recommend making reservations still. This place should be on the Michelin Guide list.

First time in Crete and I had to check this place out due to the great reviews. I emailed a month in advance about reservations and experienced no issues. The restaurant itself is tucked away in a quiet corner and there is an outdoor covered terrace area that looked lovely. We were sat inside, but in the courtyard area. Our table was a high top and the chairs were not the comfiest (as you can see in the picture). From start to finish, the experience was amazing. The ambience was buzzing, service was attentive but not pushy, and the food was amazing! The ONLY thing that I wasn't a huge fan was the complimentary dessert they brought out. I am unsure what it was, but nonetheless it was FREE! I am so happy I got to bring my fiance here for his birthday! A must try if you're in the Heraklion area.

Not my usual start of review but whole experience was WOW! I stayed with my family in 5* hotel for all inclusive holiday but if I knew about that place earlier I would go there at least for dinner every night. Decor, staff/ service and of course food are top notch! It wasn’t only our order but looking at what people were ordering around us everything looked absolutely amazing. We were given really good advice by a waiter and it’s one of those places that you want to come back. Menu is rather limited (what I see as a good thing) but has loads to offer for both vegetarians and people who prefer meat. Max I can give is 5/5 but if I could I would go higher. If you are around during high season please make sure you make a reservation asap. According to taxi driver during high season sometimes you have to wait a week to get a table and to be honest I’m not surprised.

Maybe we had too high expectations after seeing all the good reviews, or maybe we didn't order the right dishes, but all in all the restaurant doesn't really deserve more than 3 stars in my opinion. We ordered smoked eel and grilled cheese as starters. The eel portion was very small and grilled cheese was good but then again little can go wrong with grilled cheese. The main dish pork stew has a nice presentation but too salty. In addition one of waiters asked a bit impatiently if I'm finished and wanted to take away the plate when I was obviously still eating. I appreciate the effort they made to source locally (the distance of the ingredients are listed on the menu) but honestly there are way more other local restaurants who use even vegetables from their garden for delicious homemade food and provide a much better value for money.

Wow! This place was incredible. All the food was perfect and I tasted things I had never tried before. The menu is a modern take on classic Cretan dishes and it is delicious. The place itself is beautiful in the evening when all the well placed lights illuminate the old buildings and vegetation. The staff were all amazing helping us with many choices and answering all our questions with a smile! I recommend trying the “grand cru” olive oil with some bread from the olive oil menu ( yes they even have a separate menu just for olive oil! 😍)