Welcome to...
Where The Time Stops!
Castello Taverna, known as "the center of the universe" to its many aficionados who live at or near by the sleepy village of Kastellos. People come here not only to drink, eat, listen to live music and entertain themselves, but also socialize with each other and their charming and enthusiastic host, Vassilis Zoulakis. After dinner, when the raki comes round... that's when the best conversations take place. Vassilis takes an interest in all his guests and thoroughly enjoys exchanging world views.
Its location is superb, just on the left at the beginning of the village if you are coming up from the main road from Rethymno. The courtyard garden is not only full of flowers but also has exquisite views of the sea and the mountains. In summer in the lovely courtyard, or in winter beside the toasty log fire, Castello Taverna is always welcoming.
Virtually everything one eats here is locally produced, mostly from the family animal farm, and from foraging in the wild i.e. mushrooms, asparagus, wild greens, oregano, bay leaves etc. The wine, raki and olive oil is largely Vassilis' own and is organically cultivated and produced. Fresh and mature cheeses come from local producers.
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The Master Of Ceremony
Vassilis Zoulakis
"Doctor?" Vassilis says: "Drink one Raki a day and send the doctor away!"
Vassilis is from a local family who have farmed the area for many generations cultivating olives, vines, fruits, vegetables and meat, eggs and dairy produce. For sixteen years, off and on, Vassilis was president of the village of Kastellos, and continues to this day to care passionately about his village, the people in it, and especially the life chances of the younger generation.
The beginning of 1990 Vassilis began building Castello Taverna and the villagers' reaction was expressed that it was a crazy investment to build a taverna in their village, taking into consideration that Kastellos is in a quiet backwater in the hills above Rethymno. However, the years have proved them wrong... the taverna has rave reviews on TripAdvisor and many people go out of their way to include a meal here in their holiday planning.
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The Chef
Katerina Zoulaki
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Her food... yummy food...
Katerina The Great Castello Taverna cook.
Hailing originally from Ukraine, Katerina is an inspired cook with a superb palate.
The balance of flavours in her food is exquisite. She cooks almost entirely from a Cretan repertoire, but brings her own little twists to it.
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Her husband, Vassilis, brings from his foraging walks wild vegetables, herbs, nuts, fruits, mushrooms and from the family farm comes meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables. Adding her own magic to such superb natural ingredients that her husband brings results in some spectacularly delicious dishes.
