Prima Plora

🇬🇷 Πρίμα Πλώρα
📍Rethymno, Crete, Greece
Eatery type: upscale restaurant
Food: mainly seafood
Vegetarian score: 🌱🌱🌱
Quantity score: 🥣🥣🥣
Quality score: ✅✅✅
Housewine score: 🍷🍷🍷
Location score: 🗺️🗺️🗺️
Parking score:🅿️🅿️
Ambience/comfort score: 💺💺💺
Outdoor score: ⛱️⛱️⛱️
Kids score: 👦👦
Service score: 💁💁💁
Price level: €€€
Overall score: ⭐⭐
Score system
Intro to Cretan eateries
Cretan diet guide

Prima Plora is one of the most upscale restaurants of the greater Rethymno region offering top quality creative cuisine and a fine dining experience. It is located in the prime Koumpes area of the western outskirts of Rethymno city and has great views of the city and the coast. The food is made of organic ingredients and is based on Cretan cuisine with international and creative touches. Prima Plora is well known for its seafood, although it also has a fairly rich selection of meat-based dishes. Our focus has been seafood as we have an inherent preference for this nutrition type and we also felt compelled by the nice seafront location of the eatery. We started our meal with a very balanced Ceviche (raw fish carpaccio) made of locally caught fish. As mains we tried a perfectly executed seafood linguine, having mussels, prawns and squid, and an authentic Italian-style saffron risotto with cuttlefish. The biggest surprise of the meal was the dessert; we ordered a cheesecake topped with strawberry jam which was probably the best of its kind we have ever tried. Prima Plora is an ideal place for enjoying a top notch meal that transcends the local culinary standards.

Top quality bread with olive oil served as appetizers

Location

Prima Plora is located at a nice seafront location in the western outskirts of Rethymno (Κoumpes area). It offers good views of the coast and the city, especially from the seafront tables. Although it is quite far from the city centre (approximately 20 minutes on foot), it deserves a location score of 3 out of 3 (🗺️🗺️🗺️). There is a designated parking area with limited parking space though, resulting in 2 out of 3 parking score (🅿️🅿️).

Ambience, comfort, decor

Prima Plora has a large and comfortable indoor seating area that is stylishly but rather simply decorated. Tables are nicely set and the ambience is cozy. The ambience/comfort score is therefore 3 out of 3 (💺💺💺). The restaurant has also a nice outdoor area on the waterfront, suitable for warmer weather, justifying also the top outdoor score of 3 out of 3 (⛱️⛱️⛱️). There is a friendly attitude to children, although there is no special play area, justifying a 2 out of 3 kids score (👦👦).

The large wooden tables are nicely set at Prima Plora and the decor is simple but yet stylish

Food, quality, quantity

The food is made of organic ingredients and is based on Cretan cuisine with international and creative touches. Prima Plora is well known for its seafood, although it also has a fairly rich selection of meat-based dishes. There is also a good range of salads and all sorts of Cretan starters. The vegetarian crowd will also be satisfied as there are seafood and vegan dishes on offer, justifying a 2 out of 3 vegetarian score(🌱🌱). Food portions are large and food is of great quality, justifying a quantity score of 3 out of 3 (🥣🥣🥣) and an equal quality score (✅✅✅). The house wine is exceptional (although its availability is not made obvious on the menu), justifying a 3 out of 3 housewine score (🍷🍷🍷).

The meal started with top quality bread and olive oil with a bit of grated tomato to be used as dip. We continued with a rich rocket salad topped with slices of Parmesan cheese and various seeds.

Top quality olive oil served with grated tomato as dip (left) and rich rocket salad topped with slices of Parmesan cheese and seeds (right)

Our focus has been seafood as we have an inherent preference for this nutrition type and we also felt compelled by the nice seafront location of the eatery. We chose as starter a very balanced Ceviche dish (dish of Peruvian origin), that being raw fish carpaccio, made of locally caught fish.

Ceviche made from various fish of the daily catch, marinated in lime, jalapeno peppers and coriander and topped with radish slices and saffron

As mains we tried a perfectly executed seafood linguine, having mussels, prawns and squid. The linguine of this classical Italian dish was al dente and was suffused by the taste and the aromas of the seafood. We also tried another greatly executed Italian classic, that being saffron risotto. The twist was that it also contained chunks of cuttlefish which could not really be tasted, as saffron dominated the dish.

Seafood linguine perfectly executed and nicely presented

Saffron risotto with cuttlefish nicely prepared. Saffron was dominant and we could barely taste the cuttlefish.

Service

Service is fast, attentive and discrete and deserves a 3 out of 3 service score (💁💁💁).

Dessert and treats

The biggest surprise of the meal was the dessert. After being asked whether we wanted to order dessert (something unusual in Rethymno, as dessert is almost always complimentary and you do not have to order it) we ordered a cheesecake topped with strawberry jam which was probably the best of its kind we have ever tried. A rich creamy panna cotta arrived as a second complimentary dessert together with good quality raki served in a stylish bottle.

Amazing cheesecake topped with strawberry jam

Rich and tasty panna cotta offered as a treat

Top quality raki served in a stylish bottled

Reservation advice

Reservation is advisable especially at peak times, such as weekends and summer time.

Price and overall score

Prima Plora is one of the most expensive restaurants of the greater Rethymno area. The price for a full meal lies between between € 40,00 and € 50,00 per person (price level: €€€) including bottled wine (one bottle). The overall score, that mainly accounts for value for money, is 2 out of 3 (⭐⭐).