Various Skala Restaurants Reviews, Kefalonia, Greece

This is a beautiful little place just off Skala main street behind ocean view, makis grill house serves traditional greek food cooked to perfection, either in the oven or cooked on charcoal, regular specials include, lamb, pork and even goat roasted on the spit, all served up with fresh vegitables from the garden, the atmosphere is very friendly, the service superb and the prices very competative which together with the free flowing wine and a little something on the house like fruit and honey, make this place well worth a visit!

If you are looking for a traditional Greek atmosphere, good food, fine wine and a place worthy of your precious holiday time. Symposium is NOT it!

I was very disappointed with every aspect of Symposium. I have read many reviews which I would never agree with. How anybody could give this place anything more than 2/10 is beyond me. It makes me wonder if symposium is under new management since these reviews were written?

If you plan on eating out in Skala I can recommend the following Restaurants for the more discerning diner:

1. Symposium

A very nice looking Restaurant with a menu and food to match. I tend to judge Restaurants abroad by London or UK standards and have to make allowances for the difference in the Greek approach to cooking food.

The Restaurant is right next to the Beach front and has great views over the Sea; they even have retractable Ceilings and Walls if it gets to hot or cold!

The service is excellent with highly trained and hard working staff to attend to your every need.

The menu is extensive yet not confusing and just by looking at the variety of dishes available, it is obvious that Symposium offers something that other Restaurants in Skala do not.

I liked Symposium so much, that I ate there twice during my week long stay.

I had the Snails for a starter on the first visit followed by Steak Fiorentina. Both of these dishes were cooked to perfection and were both delicious.

On my second visit, I had the Parma Ham with Melon to start followed by the Chateaubriand. The Melon with Parma Ham was a little out of proportion and came with too much Melon and not enough Parma Ham but the Chateaubriand was cooked perfectly and more than made up for the starter.

Symposium is a little more expensive than other Restaurants in the area but is worth every penny.

2. Pikiona

This Restaurant has all the glitz and glamour. It has a lovely Pine Tree garden with Swimming Pool where you can have Cocktails and Aperitifs before dinner.

The staff in Pikiona are some of the best to be found on the Island and made us very welcome. They were also very attentive and made sure we had everything we wanted, when we wanted it!

I would recommend visiting Pikiona in the evening rather than during the day, as the pool is very busy and the menu is different, offering only burgers and snacks.

In the evening, Pikiona is geared towards being a Restaurant, with the pool closed and the staff concentrating on serving diners, Pikiona offers a great dining experience.

The menu offers more of a traditional Greek approach than Symposium whilst maintaining a flair to impress.

I had Barbeque King Prawns with a Walnut Pesto to start, followed by Rack of Lamb stuffed with Sun dried Tomatoes and a Sesame seed crust. The starter was delicious with the largest King Prawns I've ever seen and the Walnut pesto, whilst being new to my palette, was a delightful accompaniment. The Lamb was a little disappointing, the emphasis of the dish was on how it looked rather than how it tasted. It came with a clever rice and spinach stack; however the rice was dyed bright red! The Lamb was very fatty and the sesame crust covered the whole rack which overpowered the whole dish.

My girlfriend had Aubergine rolls stuffed with bacon and Greek cheese to start, followed by the Chicken Salad. Both of these dishes were beautifully presented and tasted delicious.

Pikiona is a must do when dining in Skala.

3. The Pines

There are 2 restaurants called The Pines in Skala, one is on the Beach and is a Snack Bar/ Beach Bar and the other is at the end of the Main Street on the corner.

The one on the Main Street is the Restaurant.

This Restaurant is quite busy most of the evening but tables are still usually available.

The service in this Restaurant is good but not quite to the standard of Symposium or Pikiona. Having said that, the Semelier is very knowledgeable about Greek Wine and chose us a very nice bottle.

The Menu adopts a more traditional Greek style and offers a good range of Seafood, much to my delight.

I had the Calamari to start followed by Swordfish. The Calamari was fine, if a little over cooked but the Swordfish was absolutely cremated! I know that Greek cooking can sometimes seem a little over-done but my Swordfish steak looked more like crispy bacon by the time it arrived and being a Chef, I know when things are intentionally well cooked and when they have been forgotten and left on the chargrill for too long. The Swordfish was so burnt that I couldn't eat it, coupled with the fact that it was a very thin steak, made it in-edible in my opinion.

I would recommend avoiding the Pines Restaurant.

4. Irida's - Fiscardo

If you plan a night out in Fiscardo at the north end of the Island, approx 1.5 to 2 hrs drive from Skala, a real treat awaits.

I went to Fiscardo on the recommendation of the famous Captain's Cabin Restaurant which is on the quay there. However, when we arrived at Captain's Cabin it was empty and the staff still took 10 minutes to even acknowledge that we were there. When the menu finally arrived we decided to leave in search of a more inspiring choice and location, where boats weren't obscuring the view across the harbour.

A few yards round the corner in prime location is Irada's Restaurant, in my opinion the finest Restaurant on Kefalonia.

The staff and service are second to none, Pikiona comes very close but Irada's had a style a sophistication about it that just pips them.

The menu offers a wide range of traditional Greek dishes and an extensive choice of Seafood.

I would recommend savouring the Lobster with a bottle of Champagne whilst admiring the stunningly beautiful harbour.

Irada's was the most expensive Restaurant we visited but again, worth every penny.

This was my favourite Restaurant in Kefalonia.