Around 55 kilometres away from the town of Rhodes, at the last turn, the downhill road ends at a flat stretch, a sort of square just before the entrance to Lindos. Nowadays it’s swarmed with taxis and buses that bring visitors to the old town.
As my eyes fall on the familiar sign “Mavrikos – since 1933” I already feel euphoric. I know that when I pass through the restaurant’s arched entrance I’ll enter a very special placee where I’ll meet the Mavrikos brothers, the hospitable owners, third generation of restaurateurs, and undisputed guardians of the island’s culinary tradition. Two people who always welcome their guests with sincere smiles and true kindness.
The restaurant is in essence a large cobbled garden, with the typical white arches of Rhodes and thick grapevines creating a shaded ‘roof’. The tables are set with white tablecloths and the wooden folding garden chairs, along with the dozens photographs on the wall ‘talk’ of the eighty-eight-year history – I’m only taking into account the years the restaurant has been in this location, in the entrance of Lindos, without accounting for the years from 1912 when the family’s grandfather first opened the restaurant in another location.
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In this shaded garden, as the photos show, thousands of visitors have enjoyed their meal here, including important politicians and artists. And they’ve all left feeling charmed by the warm welcome of Michalis Mavrikos – who studied finance – and by the tasty, real food by Dimitris Mavrikos, as well as by their professionalism and consistency. And when I say consistency I mean their constant presence, and consistently great quality in everything that comprises a restaurant, from the choice of ingredients to the actual food, and from the welcome to the service.
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The cuisine of the talented cook Dimitris Mavrikos –hospitality sector studies– is based on fresh fruit and vegetables and other ingredients he gets from local producers and from the island’s fishermen, placing extra emphasis on selecting seasonal produce. That way he manages to present a very interesting, sophisticated, personal version of traditional Rhodes’ cuisine.
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I’d say that what makes his food exciting for someone interested in analysing the logic behind his dishes is that he has a gift for adding, in a charming way, ‘new’ ingredients, offering a version that not only does not alter the identity of a traditional dish but, on the contrary, becomes the key to its survival. When, for example, he combines sweet pumpkin and orange with his tarama salad, or he cooks fennel in sweet wine and cherry tomatoes, and calamari with saffron, beets and bergamot cream, or he serves cold aubergines with onion and carrot like a light pickle, he is not faithfully sticking to tradition. But, as you taste his dishes you feel as if you’re somewhere between being pleasantly surprised by an original recipe and being safe in recognising the familiar and loved tastes. When I bring to mind any of the dishes I’ve tried in the past I can’t help but feel moved by its deliciousness and its truth. Be it the squid in its ink, the traditional lakani (goat and chickpeas cooked in the oven) or the beef giouvetsi (traditional Greek dish with beef and orzo in tomato sauce cooked in the oven) with the orange, the cinnamon, the bay leaves, the onions and the sweet garlic cloves. Dishes that always have the same delicious taste but are each time just a hint better.
This lovely cuisine and this unique feeling of hospitality are what make me feel that the Mavrikos brothers are really guardian knights of their island’s culinary tradition.
Lindos Square, Tel. 2244031232 Price range per person: € 25-35
Open daily for lunch and dinner from April to October.
