[June 2025] Well, our summer holiday in Agios Nikolaos in eastern Crete, Greece, has finally come to an end.
After checking out of our Airbnb, we took a taxi to Heraklion, where the airport is located.
We’d booked the taxi with the same company we’d used on the way there, and while I thought the same person would show up, it was someone else.
The vehicle was large and could seat six people facing each other.
Our driver told us that the previous driver on the way there was named Manos, and while he was modest, he seemed to be a prominent figure in the area.
He plays folk instruments, and apparently the music playing in the car on the way there was also his music.
The driver said Manos couldn’t come that day because there was a festival being held in a town a short distance from Heraklion.
This driver didn’t speak much English, so we didn’t talk much, but he did say, “I’m really lucky to be friends with Manos.”
We arrived in Heraklion just after noon.
We headed to Petousis Tavern, the restaurant my husband had made a reservation for earlier in the day.
The taxi driver also gave it his stamp of approval, saying, “Yes, that place is great.”
When we got there, we found it was a large restaurant, and we were the first to arrive.
They had reserved a table for us by the window.
After a while, people started coming in one after another, and the spacious space became quite full.
For starters, we had a simple yet unique taste dish of grilled pork tenderloin, and a feta cheese pie with jam.
We’d had the latter at our favourite restaurant in Agios Nikolaos, but the pastry here was flaky and almost firm, which was also delicious.
For main courses, my husband ordered pork with cheese, and I ordered a lamb dish called Anticristo.
The lamb seemed to have been roasted for a long time.
The outside was a little salty, but the meat inside was delicious and I was very satisfied.
For dessert, we shared a bean paste covered in sweet syrup and something that looked like nutty konjac.
Both were interesting local sweets and we enjoyed them.
The total, including a bottle of chilled red wine, came to a bargain at €64.90.
We were served raki at the end.
By the way, on our way to this restaurant, we passed a restaurant district lined with so many restaurants that it was almost overwhelming.
So many that I was worried they would all go bankrupt.
Perhaps that just shows how many tourists there are in Heraklion.
