Olive Tree

Hi, Lakis and Diana....we're getting fired up for yet another memorable trip to Tsilive, and more importantly the two Olove Trees...the Taverna and the Villas in Kypseli.

Look forward to seeing you all again....Sue and Richard

Our daughter and family have been going to Zante for 10 years so in May 2008 we thought we'd check up on why. We found the Olive Tree to be really friendly and the food was superb. We had Ladies Shoes (aubergines, mash and mince) which is to be recommended. 

See you soon xxo 

I cannot understand the last comment at all. I have been going to Tsilivi and known Lakis the owner for 20+ years and have never seen anyone being treated badly in any way by any of the staff in all that time.Update 22/10. Seems like whoever put the bad comment on this page has had second thoughts as it has been removed. It would be nice to know what restaurant they did have the bad time in !!

hi Larkis, got back last Friday sadly had to come home early as illness at home.  We managed to have a lovely meal on our first night with our friends Sue and Brian.  The meal was lovely as usual. We were coming back on our last night but had to fly home Friday.  We will be back next year.  Olive Tree is so lovely food and service is great, Larkis is so pleased to see you.

Have a good winter see you next year

Went to Tsilivi in June 2008 and had a fantastic time.  Lakis, Diane and their team made our evenings at The Olive Tree fantastic as did Bob & Mike!!!  Wanted to get in touch, but since coming back I had my handbag stolen in a London Pub and all your contact details were lost.  All I have now is my Zante tablecloth and loads of great memories...

The food at the Olive Tree was some of the best we tasted in the resort everything from the traditional Greek dishes to their Pasta Carbonara - YUMMY! 

The FOOD is wonderful. We have been so many times and the food is always amazing, it is soooo welcoming & you don't have to wait too long for your food. My favouite food is the spagbol. This resturant is a must go. I would give this resturant a 10/10 rating! See you soon Lakis, Diana & Alexis.x

Had a very nice meal here. Im vegetarian and there was only 2 things 2 choose from, and the general menu didnt have alot on it either but it is quite a small palce. Wasnt anything too special but ok. Cant remember the price of the meal but i think it was cheap. Havent got anything bad to say about this restaurant. It seems like alot of people go back year after year so it must be good!

It was really great to see you all again, thank you for looking after us and for the excellent meals as ever.

Cathy & David

Hello Lakis and Diane,

Hope you are well. When we last came out food was great as usawall. Thankyou.

I cant wait to came out in August. We will come and eat at your resturant.

See you soon!

Love Amber Maurice (Spag bol lover ) ha ha

Happy New Year to you all .I'll see you in May .Came several times last year and the food and welcome were brilliant as always ,Viv ,Libby & Amber 

2007 was our 31st visit to Zakynthos and of course most nights we have feasted at the Olive Tree.  Truly the best food on the Island and every year the staff have been great.  Diana & Lakis accompanied sometimes by Alexi have created a Taverna/Resteraunt of excellence.  If you think the food on the menu is great try to get Alexi to create one of his special pizza's, they are great.  (and I don't normally like pizza)

HELLO PPL how are you allllll we had a lovely meal there and i had a great time hehe c you all soon xxxx

Well the Olive Tree is certainly a special place for us! Last Year I saw Cathy there and asked her for a date, this year (almost a year to the date) I proposed and SHE SAID YES! Many thanks to Fiona for handling the 'situation' and to Lakis and Diane for a memorable time and lovely food. Look forward to seeing you all next year. The Olive Tree is the place to be in Tsilivi, believe you me...

We love the Olive Tree, for the quality of food, the atmosphere of the place is just great, well done Lakis and Diane, and all the staff what a team, this is our 7th year, see you next year.

Lovely resturant to eat in!went there every day for breakfast and at least twice for the evening. the staff are very welcoming and will do everything to make you feel comfortable

The Olive Tree is one of the best restaurents in Tsillivi .Lakis and his staff are welcoming, the food is excellent, and the greek music makes a change from the English played in so many restaurents.Can't wait to come back next year

Great restaurant, lovely traditional Greek food, and perfect hosts in Diana & Lakis.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visits to the olive tree  - good food, good atmosphere and excellent hosts - thank you Laccy (hope spelling is correct!) and Diana. The Plaice was delicious as was the traditional Lamb cooked in foil, Beef and Chicken dishes. Ttraditional and delicious!

Yes I can only agree with most of the other posts on this restaurant excellent food and terrific service. It does get very busy and is a little cramped. At the end of our meal we felt that we where expected to leave immediately although to be fair nobody said this, it was just a feeling.  However its well worth a visit for the quality of the food. We shall return.    Kath and Jim Bolton UK. 

Hello Lakis,  we came for another lovely meal in July when when we were on our third year to Tsivili. This time we were on our honeymoon and Lakis made us a lovely drink to celebrate.  The Olive Tree is the nicest place to eat in Tsivili food is great and so is the service. If you visit Tsivili you must go to The Olive Tree it will be a night to remember and you will have a lovely meal.We are coming back in September so will come and see you Lakis.

The best restaurant in Tsilivi! Excellent traditional Greek food. Every meal we had was fantastic, but I can certainly recommend the rack of lamb. Lakis and his team - Fiona, Yianni and the young lad whose name I can't remember (sorry), definitely made us feel welcome. Andy and Zena

Please don't mistake the OLIVE TREE (fab!!) up with the OLIVE GARDEN (naff!).  We had some of the loveliest food at the Olive Tree that we've ever had in Tsilivi.  The mussels a la chef were simply divine.  The owner, Lakis, is always happy to see you, the service quick and the food simply superb.  They may not be the cheapest but personally I'd rather pay a bit more and get something a bit different to souvlaki & chips!

My wife and I and 11 friends stayed in Tsilvi in August '06,we ate at the Olive tree most nights and considering we had 9 different meals we were all very impressed.The owners Lakis and Diana are a lovely couple,the staff are very friendly and efficient and the price is reflected in the quality of the food.We have visited Tsilivi many ,many times over the last 17yrs mostly staying at the Princess hotel with Babis and Dimi,this hotel is highly recommended and so is the Olive tree 10/10

Dined at the Olive Tree restaurant a couple of times during our holiday in Tsilivi and it was fantastic. The staff there are lovely. In fact on our second visit they treated us like old friends of theirs and even offered free drinks! The food was delicious but some of the dishes could be a little pricey! Olivia the cat was extremely cheeky but very sweet. Would recomend to anyone staying in Tsilivi to eat at the Olive tree.

The Olive Tree is a great, authentically Greek restaurant with great food - especially the fish - a super atmosphere and lovely owners/staff. We ate there 4 times during our  one week holiday and every meal was excellent. By our last visit we were treated like old friends, invited to join in a family birthday celebration and instructed in Greek dancing! Of special note were the prawns in ouzo, and the baked bananas in dark rum. Although a little more expensive than some of the other restaurants - we were averaging £60 for 3 courses for 4 people with 2 bottles of wine and coffees with Metaxas.- which has to be good value by anyones standards.Highly recommended 10/10.

After reading Mr Hunts post, I feel i have to point out to him that he has confused The Olive TREE with The Olive GARDEN. 2 completley different restaurants owned by 2 completely different proprietors. The Olive Tree has no assasin, i have to agree........unusual for Tsilivi.

This is one of the reasons i decided to give it a try dispite reading Mr.Hunts post. Im so glad i did!

We have just returned from one of our best holidays.  The Olive Tree contributed to this. It not only offers great food but is a meeting place for friends and family who return to the resort year after year - like us it was lovely to see Diana, Lakis, Alexi and Zoe who we miss very much.  Daniella and Yanni are great and the greek hospitality of the taverna never ceases.  The lamb stamna and beef stifado are superb.  The seafood menu is fantastic, the swordfish steak is not to be missed. Don't forget to try one of Lakis Olive Tree steaks!!!  We look forward to returning next year.

ate here first night in resort. good menu with greek food for 2 adults who like to eat local food and 2 children who don't but are encouraged to try. service slow but who cares you're on holiday. if you want it fast try macdonalds!!!! cats and kittens to entertain but no problem if you don't feed them 

SURPRISE! CAN'T FAULT THE FOOD ,AND THE STAFF ARE BRILL .WE'VE BEEN 9 TIMES AND MET THE NICEST PEOPLE HERE,NOTHING IS TOO MUCH TROUBLE .LOVE TO YOU LAKIS ,DIANA AND ALEXIS ,GIVE YIANNI OUR LOVE TOO.   ALL OUR LOVE ERIC AND  MAGGIE XXX  PS CAN YOU SEND SOME KLEFTIKO (ha ha) 

 Is was really poor food was very bland i agree with comments about cats one to avoid

when we went to view the menu at this restaurant we were greeted by a smiling assassin ,he sweet talks you in and precedes to hand you a menu.  When  we said we did not want a starter he made a face and started to question why we did not want one.  The meal arrived quite quick for greek restaurants and as i had chosen steak 2/3rds of it was all fat.  When we had finished eating he appeared again and questioned why i had left the majority of the meal.  He nagged us about coming back, personally i would give this restaurant a wide berth - lots of other nice restaurants to choose from where the staff do not drag you in from the street.  Beware of the smiling assassin.

considering this resturant is the oldest on the island i think the food we were served was put in the oven on the day it opened, the food was disgusting and cold, there were cats and kittens running about your legs and vomiting up in the plant pots, that can't be hygenic, dont think i will visit this place again

service was slow but it was very busy and not many staff on so cant really blame the staff. the food was ok but a little cold it wasnt the best or worse meal i had in zante it was just the service that put us off

Been home nearly a month now and can't wait to come back. This is the best restaurant in Tsilivi, great food and company.   Hope Zoe got the picture of her and Elena.  We're all set for October and can't  wait to get back out there.  Keep in touch.  Love Andy, Carolyn and Elena xxx

Hi Lakis, thaks for looking after us in May.Great food and hospitality as usual, even got live music this year!!A must for anybody visiting Tsilivi, great menu, good wine and a generally top will be had.Back to see you 30/6 for the weekend.

By far the best in Tsilivi and the best food we have had on the island. Lakis, Diana, Alexi, Zoe, Daniella and Yannis make you feel like family.  We have visited Tsilivi seven times and each visit feels more like home making it harder to leave.  The food is traditional and a wide variety of choice also greek music played whilst you eat.   All our love to everyone at the Olive Tree and hope to see you all really soon.lots of love nick,linda,josh and ash xxxx 

To Lakis, this restaurant is superb, with excellent food, drink and company.  We will be returning for the 4th year running in May and this will definately be our first night meal. See you then.  Can you get in touch. Love Andy, Carolyn, and Elena x

Great restaraunt and food Lakis and Hilary are great people, they make you welcome and treat you as one of the family, we are coming back this year Mick, Wendy, Jessica, & Samuel.

This wasn't the best meal I had in Tsilivi, but was still far better than most food I have had in the UK.  The house white wine was gorgeous - we ended up drinking more than we intended to because it was so nice!  Although this was the most expensive meal we had in the resort it certainly was no more than it should have been (about 20 euros each for 2 starters, 2 mains, litre of wine and 1 dessert) - would have probably been almost double that in the UK.  Would go again, but would probably stick to slightly cheaper places if on a budget.

Not the best Greek food that I have had. Lamb klitico had just too much cheese for my liking. waitress made a mistake with my starter. Apple pie was bland. Free 1/2 litre of wine, glad I did not pay for it.  

With so many English resturants around the place was good to see a resurant serving traditional and excellent Greek Food. Every meal we had there was excellent. We will be back to steal Olivia from you!

Hey! Ami, Kirsty, G and Stacey here! We loved the Olive Tree, i can't belive people have been saying bad reviews about it! it was the best restaurant we went to in Kalamaki  For the ladies...the waiters are hott! Espesh Yannis, do you remember us? we were the girls on our last night that you sat with us for about an hour chatting and doing a painting with us!! loved the spag bog, lasagne and those wrap things! we wrote in your comment book and left our addresses so we are expecting a card! see you in London Yannis so we can meet up for that coffee you promised! x YIAMAS!

We chose this restaurant because it appeared attractive and inviting compared to the others in the main street.

 we didnt like it here at all, i got the chicken which tasted burnt and my boyfriend got spag bol which was drowning in oil!!!!! really dissapointed to say it has good reviews!!!!!

Hi Lakis and Diana.

Just a reminder that Maureen and Denis will be back in Tsilivi on 15th September.

See ya!

Over-priced and over-rated. We were recommended this restaurant and were very disappointed. Some of the staff were unfriendly and we felt they were trying to get you in and out as quickly as possible. Food was average and not worth the money. Try Benikos or Family Restaurant instead.

really lovely food here, the pasta is spot on. really lovely fresh pasta and sauce was really tasty, full of fresh ingredients.

We  had a great meal here , worth a visit to all that visit tsilivi well done to all the staff

We read the comments and thought we had to try it but were very disappointed. The food was distinctly average and I got the impression that they felt they didn't need to try. I left most of mine as did my partner. I was disappointed to see a microwave in their kitchen, its not how I want my greek food. Try Fiorentinos next door or The Olde Vineyard.

Enjoyed the meal, good food, good service.  Would have been prefered to have been greated by a Greek person not English.  Old well established restaurant, think this is its 21st season. Kids menu was a bit british.  

 <<<<< THE OLIVE TREE is the best place to go in Tsilivi. Lakis and the rest of the staff welcome you with open arms and make you relax their food is all fresh. Danni and Sara ( in the picture ) are fab you won't find a better place than this, we ate there 4 times and we only stayed a week. So I highly recommend it as a good place for warm and friendly chat as the day turns to night. If you do decide to go in just tell Lakis (the owner) that JIM and JULIE says hello.

Loved the atmosphere and food at the Olive Tree in 2004. Any truth in the rumour that it is closing as we would like to think we could spend every evening there on our next trip.
Can anyone confirm.

We loved it, tryed a few other restaurants around that area olive tree was the nicest by far.

Couldn’t fault the food or service.

This was one of my favourite restaurants having just got back from Tsilivi. Food was really good and no more expensive than many of the others. Service was always excellent and the food was really good - tried lots of Traditional Greek dishes and enjoyed them all.

Had a good meal here, but thought it was slightly over priced compared to others

All i can say is Good it was ok but could be better

Some of the best cooking we ate. The oriental souvlaki was a treat as was the bifftekki (home made filled burger). Suffers from being jammed in beside a couple of noisy cocktail bars. Worth a visit

Thank you so much Lakis, Diana, Alexi,and all the gang in The Olive Tree. You were very welcoming and the service was the best on the Island.
As a great Neice of Bett and Doug, My family and I had heared very highly, and was all proved 110% correct when we finally visited Tsilivi.
Thanks again Lakis for a very enjoyable time.

Well Lakis once again you have provided the best meals on the Island, both in June and July!! Having come to Zante on 24 occassions and eaten with you and your very friendly and helpful staff since the first year we came, the only thing I can say is: SIMPLY THE BEST!!

We didn't go hear whilst in Tsilivi and I regret not going as lots of people said it was a nice restaurant.

Does anyone know if there are vegetarian options available here? or anywhere else in Tsilivi?

The food here was lovely. We went twice and both meals were really nice. The muscles for starter were lovely but i dont think they were fresh, probably frozen. The fillet steak was really nice. Well worth a visit but for fresh muscles go to valentinos (near china garden chinese)

Me and my boyfriend found this restaurant on our second night and ate there every night after because the food was sooooo goood!!.

You have to try the Olive Tree Steak and the Meatballs. The House wine was so nice. Also we found it great value for money for starter, main course, one desert and wine it rarely was more than 30euro for two.

Some of the nicest people i've meet worked here. There is no one at the entrance trying to drag you in like everywhere else. On our last night the staff asked us to have a drink with which was a lovely gesture. Definatley one of the highlights to a wonderful holiday. It's a MUST!!!!

From my 8 year old daughter - "the food was delicious (chicken kebab) and the strawberries were great but they weren't very children friendly". I think she got spoilt at Piero's where they were all over her and her sisters.
Food for adults was great quality, if somewhat small portions. Only real criticism was the prices were a bit over the average - but it was worth it!

Excellent Food every Time, Brillant service especially with the children. Special thanks to Paula for her kindness x x x
Clare, Andrew, Christopher x, James and Barry

Not as good as we were hoping. Over-priced and over-rated.

We have just returned from our first trip to Zante, one of the highlights of which was all the lovely food, including one meal at the Olive Tree on what must have been the windiest night Greece has ever had. Both being vegetarians, we were pleased with the selection of food on offer at the Olive Tree. I started with Gigantes, and Tom had the baked feta. We actually thought the cheese arriving in its foil was a good thing - it seemed more rustic and fresh, that way.

For our main course, we both had Briam, and we finished up with honey and yoghurt. All that food, plus half a litre of red wine and a couple of Ouzos for less than forty euros can hardly be caled expensie in anyone's book.

The service was great and the ambience and decoration of the front garden was lovely. Our only problem with the Olive Tree was that it wasn't open when we wanted to go again for lunch on our last day!

Sorry to disagree with most of you - but I think this place is very overrated. The food was better and cheaper almost everywhere else that we ate.

For the record, my friend had the "garlic swordfish" (tasteless he thought) and I had the "Briam" (I am vegetarian). My first course of saganaki arrived still in the aluminium foil it was obviously cooked in - I expected better than that for the elevated price. The house wine wasn't that good either.

My 4 recommendations for an alternative are:
Popeyes (so good there was always a queue outside waiting to get in)
Ariadnes (you can get a free bottle of wine with the coupon on their website)
Athena (offering a free glass of wine each to get you in)
The place on the right of Ozzys bar looking from the outside(I can't remember it's name) was pretty good too, but we did get 15 euros off for winning the quiz at Ozzy's the night before.