This is one of the places where you sit down to eat as a visitor, but leave as a friend.

Mr Manolis Vardakis has created a situation where the authentic and sincere Cretan hospitality is displayed, combined with the freshest vegetables and other homegrown products you’ll ever have on your dish.

Everything about this place is as simple as it can get, but at the same time so, so precious. Make sure you find Mr Vardakis and Maria, ask them to sit down with you at your table and have them speak to you about their philosophy and their vision of preserving and reviving flavors that the incredibly fertile plains of Messara so generously offer, yet we don’t see them anymore on the menus because they’re not subsidized by the government and are, therefore, not financially beneficial anymore. Manolis has kept old seeds and has mastered the practice of drying fruits and vegetables that he later uses in his cooking.

Also, this place is great for vegans and is located at a very convenient spot, among the many villages of Messara in Heraklion.