A near-perfect Greek restaurant experience is what you get here: Taverna Maistrali (27. June 2022)
The world is an oyster – once more, something which got reconfirmed to me that night. Friends of mine were about to spend two weeks of holiday on Crete, so we had one overlapping night, and it was time for a small feast, which started, as somehow always, with a “Greek salad (tomato, cucumber, onion, pepper, rusk, feta, olives)” (EUR 5.50) which was good.
The “trilogy of spreads with pita (aubergine spread, spicy cheese spread, tzatziki)” (EUR 7.50) was quite interesting too. The tzatziki was delicious – quite intense, but delicious with a lot of garlic. The aubergine spread was nice, and the spicy cheese spread was quite okay all in all as well. Not really something you would order again, since it is quite spicy and quite intense, but worth trying.
As mentioned, the “tzatziki (with herbed crispy pitas)” (EUR 3.70) was so good, that one had to order more of it!
The mandatory “mum’s stuffed vine leaves (with fresh yoghurt and spearmint)” (EUR 4.50) were enjoyable too. I start wondering how easily one could do them oneself …
The revelation of the evening were the “pita wraps with slow cooked lamb (caramelized tomato, tzatziki and goat cheese)” (EUR 7.50). They look relatively unappealing, but damn (!) were they good. Full of flavour, full of delicious juices – just a really amazing dish! Can’t wait to try it again (some day).
The “fried calamari (with home-made lemon mayonnaise)” (EUR 8.50) were quite fine too. Not as exquisite and outstanding as the wrapped pita, but definitely something which I can recommend!
Last but not least, the “fried small fish” (EUR 7.50) were basically anchovies again, and they were nothing special. Of course, eatable, and with enough lemon juice quite fine, but not something which you would keep in mind.
The “grilled pork belly” (EUR 7.80) was generally fine. Not really what I had expected from “pork belly”, but it was fine. Not the honey glazed, crispy type of pork belly, but rather a very traditional one. But, it was definitely too much food.
What you should absolutely try though is the “chicken spit roast ‘kontosouvli’ (roasted vegetables, chips)” (EUR 14.00) which is amazing! The chicken is super juicy, super delicious, just making your mouth watery. Although I’m often not the biggest fan of chicken, this particular version is exquisite and very recommendable to order and enjoy. Skip the fried seafood and order this! Worth it!
The dessert is on the house, and I’m not sure what it was, but it was definitely something like a Greek donut, which is highly enjoyable. And I’m not often a fan of dessert …
The place is super lovely – and only a few minutes later, the whole thing was packed. The restaurant is a true gem – it was basically full the whole evening. And as soon as the table emptied, it was re-occupied with another group of people keen to dig in. And I get why. The place is lovely, the food is great, and the price is ridiculously low (for Swiss standards). All this food and two bottles of wine ended up being EUR 139.50. I mean, that’s a meal for one person with wine in Zurich.
The service adds to the whole experience, since they are friendly, attentive, and make sure you get everything. And they make it in a joking, but still very professional way. If you are in Agios Nikolaos, I can highly recommend you to visit the Taverna Maistrali. If you’re a larger group and want to sit by the seaside, I would highly recommend you to book in advance. If you’re fine sitting on the “inside part”, then no booking is necessary if you either come early (before 8pm) or are willing to wait.
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Contact Details:
Taverna Maistrali
Akti Pagkalou & Evans
Ag. Nikolaos (GR)
Tel.: +30 69 84 90 16 44
Homepage: http://www.maistrali.gr
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
