G and I visited Zakinthos in March, out of season, staying in Zante Town for 3 nights. At this time of year quite a lot of the shops and restaurants are still closed as the summer season does not really begin until May (lasting through to late October). We did find that some of the larger and more trendy bars were open along the Harbour front area, however Paradosiako was a gem of a find.
Located just off of St Mark’s Square, Paradosiako is a really nice, and welcoming restaurant, with lovely seating and a nice feel. We opted for a 2 course meal on a Friday night - by 8.30pm most of the shops that were open, had now closed and we headed off for dinner.
We were seated in a quiet corner with soft lighting and plenty of space. The staff were friendly and attentive without being overly intrusive.
They had a wine list covering several pages, beers and spirits and an abundance of soft drinks and coffees.
For starters we decided to get some bread and oil - a very common appetizer here in Greece. We had four half slices of sourdough bread, some olive oil for dipping and sea salt for sprinkling - yummy. G wanted to try the calamari which came on a bed of fava purée with onion bits. Priced at just 8.50euros I thought it was worth giving it a try. I am NOT a seafood girl myself, preferring white fish like cod or haddock but I gave it a try - calamari for me needs to resemble an onion ring - this however actually looked like a squid and we were even served the tentacles! To be fair a slice of the calamari and some fava purée together was really nice and I was pleasantly surprised and grateful that it was not too fishy! We ended up using our bread to mop up the fava purée as that too was delicious!
For mains I opted for stuffed lamb with new potatoes - priced at 18 euros this was a relatively expensive main course compared to what you can get elsewhere, however I would say this was almost a fine dining experience in terms of presentation. My lamb was rolled and stuffed with cheese purée, and served in a jus with mint oil and new potatoes - totally yummy.
G opted for yet more seafood with a seafood risotto - again this was 18euros. A creamy tomato sauce, with fresh prawns, soft orzo, topped with chives. She reported this to be delicious!
We declined dessert as their menu did not contain any Greek items - where was the orange cake, the baklava and the frygania?
G opted for a glass of wine - Grampsas Winery Semi sweet rose wine at 6euros for a glass; for a larger party you could opt for the bottle at 26euros. I stuck to my usual Diet Coke and some water for the table.
The total cost of our meal was 61 euros
So the big question, when we return to Zakinthos in the summer, would I eat here again? Yes definitely - it is really a fine dining experience without the hefty price tag. We ate a very similar meal in Las Vegas in summer 2024, 2 starters and 2 mains with 2 drinks and water and spent $165!
The staff were very friendly, the restaurant had a nice ‘feel’ and even the toilets were clean and clearly checked often. I would recommend a visit and perhaps check that you do not need to book - Zante Town can get extremely busy during the peak summer months.
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