Actually we thought that the food on Folegandros was not very surprising, which you surely would expect for an island that is trying to put itself on the map as sort of a "posh" destination. We got a little bit the impression that the restaurants on Folegandros had exactly the same on the menus as they did 30 years ago. On some other islands in the area (eg Milos and Kimolos) this is by now quite different. On these islands we saw trained and professional chefs who have made special menus and special food. Anyway, we obviously have not tried all the restaurants on the island and we did also find one restaurant in the Chora where they had used a little fantasy in the menu. With a little bit of imagination they tried to do it different from the other restaurants (Pounta Garden Restaurant).

My restaurant reviews are personal and you may or may not agree. Sometimes a new cook is called in, businesses are taken over, anything is possible. I may write it's bad, you may like it, or the other way around. It is not of any use to write me that you disagree with me because I am not going to change my reviews because of that. I know what I have eaten and where and I know if I liked it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion ;).

After a walk around the island we wanted something to drink. When we sat down in the Evangellis Beach Bar on the beach of the harbour of Karavostasis the waiter was busy talking with some people who were there at that time (the only other customers) and he was still talking with them when we left after waiting for five minutes without having the chance to order anything. Still there was a look of surprise on his face when we got up from our chairs...sorry but I am sure that I didn't put invisible-spray on.

Our verdict: avoid if you are thirsty, a 1 out of 10

Fortunately for us we left the Evangellis Beach Bar without having ordered anything. One street up, behind the little white church, we found this cozy tavern (mother and daughter, both equally friendly). Our drinks were brought to the table in a flash: two fanta for only 1.50 euro each (2011). Afterwards we returned again to eat here as well and we ordered a fresh fish which was served with a delicious olive oil with herbs. They brought us toast with some olive oil and herbs on it and a plate with olives. To go with the water bottle they brought a cooler with ice. After dinner we got a free bowl of delicious sweet strawberries. Traditional Greek cooking in a good way.

Our verdict: good, very friendly service, an 8 out of 10

The only restaurant we visited on Folegandros where, alongside the traditional dishes that you can get everywhere else, they had a menu with a little bit of fantasy. It was not only the Greek salad with tomatoes, cucumber and feta cheese, souvlaki, gyros and tzatziki, but there were some more original recipes as well.

The Pounta Garden Restaurant is located at the bus station in the Chora. There are a few tables in front of the restaurant but behind it lies a garden with more tables and chairs. It looks cozy with flowers on the tables and sparrows flying around. It is a good place for breakfast, lunch or dinner, because it is open all day. For breakfast we took a crêpe (pancake) with Greek yogurt and honey and Greek yoghurt with a fruit salad. In the evening we tried the special mixed salad with rocket (rucola), carrots, sundried tomatoes and local cheese, the fried zucchini balls with tzatziki, the artichoke casserole and the rabbit stifado. Friendly and fast service and good food. This is why the restaurant is busy even though it is not in a spot where lots of people will walk by.

Our verdict: good, an 8 out of 10

The taverne To Asygrito is located on one of the squares in the Chora. We tried the spinach pie, the matsata (handmade pasta) with chicken, lamb chops and tzatziki. The spinach pie is cold but nice, the matsata with chicken was delicious, the lamb chops less tasty and the tzatziki reasonable. The french fries are already cold when they are served on the table. The white wine is simple and does not have much flavor. Highly recommended is the matsata (which is a specialty of the island of Folegandros). When the football on the TV suddenly started we became invisible and no one came anymore to see if we needed anything or wanted to maybe pay the bill.

Our verdict: reasonable, maybe recommended on an evening when there is no football on the television, a 7 out of 10

Kritikos Taverna is situated on one of the squares of the Chora of Folegandros. They serve traditional Greek cuisine. There are several appetizers, mousaka and many grilled sorts of meat and chicken. We try the artichockes / potato dish, the lamb chops, the chicken souvlaki and tzatziki. The chicken and the lamb chops are well seasoned and tasty, the fries are cold (it looks like a sort of tradition to serve cold fries on Folegandros) and the tzatziki was good and seasoned with plenty of garlic. The rosé is a local village wine but tastes good. Kritikos is a cheap restaurant.

Our verdict: reasonable, a 7 out of 10

Taverna Nicolas Place is situated on the large Chora square with the churches. It's quite busy with people checking their e-mails on their laptops because there is wifi available. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is yoghurt with fruits and honey, several kinds of omelettes, crêpes, ice cream, pastries, toast, salads, grilled meat and chicken, fish, spagethi...I could go on writing for days. The menu is so extensive and confusing and includes "bread with toast"...we couldn't make up our minds and were dazzled early in the morning when we just wanted a simple breakfast and a few things to choose from. We ordered the bacon and eggs and a cappuccino. The eggs came in half raw and still cold on the inside, with both the egg yellow and the egg white still liquid. Not my idea of a jummie breakfast. The cappuccino had way too much milk in it, it was hard to taste the coffee. Besides that it was really expensive: 4 eggs, 4 slices of bacon, some toast and two coffees for 18 euro (2011). At that price I believe it should have included fresh orange juice and some butter and marmelade. It was also strange that they removed things from the table without even asking if you were finished: plate empty? gone! glass empty? gone! cup empty? gone! The waiter didn't just do this to us but at all the tables.

Our verdict: expensive, raw eggs, confusing menu and could be better: enjoy, a 5 out of 10

Dunavis Taverne is situated on the large Chora square with the churches, next to Nicolas Place (Dunavis has the traditional Greek wooden taverna chairs plus more comfortable blue ones). They serve different kinds of breakfasts, omelettes, grilled meat an chicken, Greek salads etcetera. The waiter is very, very friendly. It is a bit chaotic, somebody in the restaurant is sick and didn't show up (I hope it's not from the food, ahah). We order an omelette ham and cheese and a breakfast with bacon and eggs. The breakfast includes home made marmelade, butter, toast, fresh orange juice and coffee. Everything was okay except for the coffee, which tastes like boiled water. Later that day the waiter from the restaurant saw us walking over the island and gave us a lift with his car to his favorite beach.

Our verdict: sufficient to reasonable, better than the neighbour, a 6,5 out of 10

Ano Meria is famous for its "matsata", the home made pasta, and so several people had told us that we had to eat this when we were in this village. Even my friend Anna from the island of Paros who I had on the phone told me I couldn't leave without eating this dish. So we headed from Chora to Ano Meria looking forward to a lunch with this famous specialty. After an hours walk we ran into this friendly looking taverna with a view of the village church and we sat down for our matsata. But unfortunately when we looked at the menu (you should look too and enlarge the thumbnail of the menu above!!) the prices for the matsata dishes were not filled out and they did not serve it. So disappointed we decided to try some other dishes instead. I wish I could say that it was all delicious but the only good things that they placed on our table were the bottle of water and (surprisingly) the french fries (warm and crunchy!). The saganaki (fried cheese) was as hard as a rock and you could easily break your teeth on it, the Greek salad had no fêta cheese on it and the tzatziki was also nothing special. My tip is to walk a little further to the next taverna (couldn't be any worse than this taverna) and avoid this one or buy a bag of potatoe chips and some bananas at the supermarket just before the taverna.

Our verdict: terrible, but just for the water and the french fries a 3 out of 10

Our verdict: good, an 8 out of 10

Our verdict: reasonable, a 7 out of 10