Nice Harbour View and other Paralion Astros, Greece Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Avra

Restaurant Avra fronted onto the beach, looking out over the harbour and was one of our favourites.
Good views, especially of the full moon.
It had quite a large outdoor seating area and appeared quite posh but the prices were fine and the owners friendly.
Our first evening eating here was calm and warm but later in the week the see through "sides" had to be rolled down to protect people from the wind.
All the items on the menu were available which we thought was remarkable for early season.

This year, 2006, we found the place empty of custom, prices higher and not so much choice. A big disappointment. As the staff were all sat waiting to attend non-existent customers we felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb. Also, the service was so fast there was no banter that we like to have with the Greeks.

Favorite Dish: Particularly enyoyed gigantes and pig in oven here.
All the food was of good standard and served fairly quickly by the young staff.
The dopyio krasse was very palatable and at 1.75euros a 1/2 kilo soon turned into a full kilo withuot too much of a problem!

All cooked dishes (meat) were at least 8 euros and the wine 2.5 euros.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 27550 51007
Address: Estiatorion Avra, Paralio Astros
Directions: On the main street, looking over the harbour.
Other Contact: This was in 2002 and 2006

Restaurant Name: Anon

Another of our favourite eating places, can't remember the name of it.
Anice, smart little place with a smaller outside area. The interior was quite swish with carpet and matching curtains and tablecloths. It also had a fireplace so presumably this place was open all year.
Again everything on the menu was available and on more than one occasion we had to eat inside due to the weather.
The staff/owners were extremely friendly and loved me videoing them cooking on the grill.

2006 update. Not yet opened in late May.

Favorite Dish: I was able to have fassolakia here, always a favourite of mine and some of the best I'd ever eaten.
The bifteki stuffed with cheese hit the spot also.
One thing we noticed was that the chips were real, none of the frozen rubbish.
Again the wine was very palatable at 3.50 euros a kilo.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: Paralia Astros
Directions: Just beyond the square, near the post office.

Restaurant Name: Souvlaki Place (Psistopoleo-Estiatorio)

Obviously where all the locals were. Sat inside as no room outside.
Watched the cook using the hairdryer to turbo boost the charcoal.Good fun.

Returned 2006 and just as good. In fact, we ate here three times this holiday. Gyro pitta was the one thing I yearned for which you just can't get in England so we made it our first meal of the holiday. Excellent choice!!!

It was doing a roaring business and we really enjoyed our evenings watching the comings and goings of the locals.
This year, they even had printed menus.
Excellent service and the staff enjoyed us videoing them.

Noticed this year there is another souvlaki place nearby but they didn't always have gyro.

Favorite Dish: No favourite dish.
Bifteki: 4.50eur.
Giro in pitta: 1.20eur.
Local Wine: 1.30eur. 1/2 kilo

A nice ambience.

2006 prices:
Wine 1.8 euros a half kilo.
Beer 1.8 euros
Gyro pitta 1.7 euros
Souvlaki sticks 1.2 euros
Bifteki 6 euros (a huge plate)

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Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 27550 51366
Address: Paralio Astros
Directions: On the main street in P.Astros.

Restaurant Name: Mouragio

This was not a favourite of ours but seemed to be for many people. Service was fast and efficient, run by an Aussie Greek.
There seemed to be a huge choice of food, ranging from breakfast, Greek cuisine through to fancy European dishes.
Cover consisted of a huge basket of lightly toasted bread (hey, at last someone has cottoned on what to do with all that old bread!!!) Personally, we would have preferred bread but no sooner had you sat down than the toast appeared. It was served with a spicy dip which seemed to consist of mayonaise/salad cream. A definite "fake" flavour.
Whatever you ordered came with a plateful of lettuce, salad cream, rice and cold chips. Not what I would call very Greek but the English seemed to lap it up!
All I can say is the prices were cheaper than a lot of eateries.
Comfy seating with a seating area up the steps next to the establishment and a much larger area on the esplanade, complete with swinging garden chair!!!

Favorite Dish: Umm, well, I can tell you what my least favourite dish was! This was the Pilion dish of Spetsofai. It was awful. It should be slices of spicy sausage cooked in a rich pepper, tomato and wine sauce. I could tell as soon as it arrived it was the wrong consistency. Smooth and packet/tin type sauce with some curry powder added and a few bits of sausage and undercooked pepper thrown in. Actually the sauce had the consistency of instant gravy granules. It completely put me off the place but we did give it another go on another night and the Saganaki and cheese balls were good but unfortunately the huge pork chop was completely smothered in salt. Too salty even for Nick who plasters his food with the stuff.
Philip had spaghetti with red sauce which again appeared as though it had come out of a jar. Oh dear.......

I have to say that the red wine was good at 2.5 euros a half kilo.
We were given free puddings, creme caramel, which wasn't bad.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 27550 52635
Address: Paralio Astros
Directions: The furthest place to the left of the square, facing seawards.
Other Contact: mob. 6973049420

Restaurant Name: Harmonia

This was the best place we found to eat. Still on the esplanade along with lots of other cafes, Harmonia advertised pizza, spaghetti, breakfast. We don't usually eat at these places, Nick and I not being into pizza and spaghetti but we gave it a try so Philip could have pizza. What a great move!!The menu was quite extensive with all sorts of starters and salads as well as fish and kalamari and wonderful mezes.
Philip's cheese and tomato pizza was amazing,I think it was less than 3 euros and it was thick, full of cheese and tomato and had a very authentic crust. The mezes came in different catagories, for ouzo or beer,or larger plates. I had the one for beer, meat, and it was a whacking plate of sausage, chicken wings, cheese, potato balls, cheese balls and other such delights and this was the astronomical price of 2 euros. The wine was 2 euros a half and Amstel 2 euros.
The seating was again luxury compared with other holidays we've had and inside was fully carpeted with a plasma tv. and the most amazing toilets. It was obvious the resort was catering for discerning Greeks, not the average package tourist.

Favorite Dish: Nick had a plate of huge prawns in their shells in lemon sauce. These were delicious and cost 7 euros. Everything we had was excellent and the service was good.

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Theme: Pizza
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 27550 51144
Address: Paralio Astros
Directions: The end cafe on the esplanade before the eateries, heading towards the harbour.

Restaurant Name: Selimos Dionysios Cafe

We gave this cafe a try one lunch time, not feeling hungry ourselves but having noticed that cheeseburger was on the menu. This Philip had and enjoyed for a change and we had a plate of meze between us for 3 euros The cheeseburger was 2.5 euros and the wine 2.8 euros a half. Not a bad place.

Favorite Dish: The meze consisted of different cheeses, including a soft blue one and bits of smoked bacon and ham amongst other bits. Very enjoyable and a good snack when you're not feeling hungry enough for a full meal.

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Theme: Breakfast
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 27550 51482
Address: Paralio Astros
Directions: First cafe on square by harbour.

Restaurant Name: Blue Sky

A great place for a seaside meal. The restaurant , in the tiny seaside village of Xiropigado,sits above the beach, with access to the shore via steps from the restaurant.
We found ourselves a table in the sun, as it was quite cool the first few days of our holiday. I tried to pull my chair out to sit down only to find it already occuppied by one lazy, sleeping siamese type cat called Eazi. No way was it going to move!!! It was very friendly and made a good photo with it's tongue sticking out!!!
Some of the awning sides were still down, because of the wind, on our first visit but the next time, summer had arrived and they were rolled away.
The propriotress is extremely friendly and told us to go and look in the kitchen. We opted for saganaki, kalamari, and keftedes which were all delicious. So was the rose wine.

Favorite Dish: Keftedes : 4.5 euros
Saganaki ; 2.3 euros
Kalamari ; 4 euros
Amstel ; 1.6 euros
Wine ; 1.6 euros half kilo
Coke ; 1 euro
This place was incredibly cheap, compared with Paralio Astros and the food was hot and not thrown at us as soon as we'd ordered.
Just a great experience and we felt this was the real Greece.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Xiropigado
Directions: 10 km. north of Paralio Astros, on the coast.
On the very narrow main road through the village. We opted to park in the school playground that had a P sign by it.