The Pines

We ate at the Pines several times over the last two weeks and found it to be the best in Skala.We found the food and service to be of a very high standard and the prices are about average for cepholonia. Try the Greek Plate very good value.

Perhaps Wendy would have preferred to have gone to Italy as she ordered pizza and spaghetti bolognese, not exactly traditional Greek food. The 'bread and butter' that she spoke of is fresh, warm Greek bread accompanied by a wonderful olive paste and a fresh garlic butter. The fact that she said the Pines was fully booked every night surely indicates that the quality of the food is very good with a high standard of service and excellent value for money. We and our friends have always enjoyed our evenings at the Pines.

Have to say that the food at The Pines was great either side of the day. We had a couple of dinners there and the one breakfast (note that the drinks were free with the breakfast). Traditional English in the morning and traditional Greek at night. All the food was of a well cooked standard and the kitchens were very clean. The staff were more than helpful, didn't interupt whilst eating, but had got time to speak after... you certainly didn't seem like just a paying customer. The view from the restaurant is fantastic and boy does it cool you down when its raging at 37C degrees. Oh and if you do go make sure you use the toilet just to see the revolving toilet seat in action.

I found the food at The Pines rather bland. The pizza was very doughy and the Spaghetti bolognese was tasteless.The staff like entertaining the customers but it can be hard to gain someone attention without feeling you are interupting! I found the prices quite high but had decided to try it as it was always packed out on a nightly basis. The staff also insist a service charge is paid which is called -cover charge. This usually means bread and butter etc, but this remains whether you have the bread or not. I found the staff to be rather arrogant so didn't go back again. There are too many restuarants in Skala to waste money on bland food and bad service.

The Pines is the our favourite restaurant in Skala. The staff are very friendly and the food is excellent - try the lamb stamna and the beef kleftiko - both wonderful. For desserts the banana split, served in a black china swan is fantastic, as is the ice-cream dessert 'Temptation' - and the orange pie is mouth-watering. The choice of dishes is extensive, with traditional Greek food as well as cosmopolitan fare and a great British breakfast. We eat there all the time as we loved the island so much that we have now moved here permanently!

we ate at the pines several times last week. i loved the kleftiko and the breakfast was delicious. location is brilliant because you can see the sea through the pines, but its cool because of the trees. the staff are very friendly, even when they are busy.

We attended several times and everything was of a high standard especially the chicken kebab. We received complimentary iced water each time our glass became empty due to the heat which was a nice touch

We found The Pines served very good food and were very friendly , but thought they we a little too expensive compared to other restaurants in Skala.

There seems to be a difference of opinion here, but as afamily of 4 we thought it was superb and with Flamingo the best in Skala. Agree a little more expensive, and rather cramped, but the food was worth it. Lamb a la Pines, kleftikho memorable.

We went on two nights. First night had the Greek meal for two which was good value but too much to eat, after mezes and Greek Salad had Kefalonia Meat Pie and Moussaka, followed by typical Greek dessert (can't remember it as too full to eat it). Service that night was very good. On the second occasion we had Kleftiko (excellent) and Steak a la Creme (excellent) but the bill was quite expensive as it included a service charge which doesn't happen with the set Greek meal for two. On that night we found the service poor, couldn't seem to attract anyone's eye to order dessert and we felt that they just wanted to clear the restaurant. Perhaps it had been a long summer for them ... it was beginning of October. The waiter did comment that it's up to us to make sure we let them know we want dessert as they are so busy and people queue to get in in high season(that comment put us right off going again as there was no apology and a certain amount of arrogance as they are already obviously busy enough).

we ate breakfast there, full english, it was not very good the ketchup was in heinz bottles but it was not heinz(illegal)we had heard good comments about dinner but the breakfast experience put us off.

The Pines is Great. A littly 'Up-Market', perhaps, but OUR time spent there was WELL SPENT. We particularly reccomend the "Lamb a la Pines" - A very fruity and succulent dish. The Beef Stifado was also superb! Very friendly AND efficient staff (there's no pleasing some people though, is there?). Breakfasts are a REAL TREAT too!!

Food excellent and service second to none. Slightly higher prices than the other tavernas but generally a higher class establishment. Not a place for people seeking traditional Greek taverna.

We ate breakfast here most days of our holiday, loved the free coffee and top ups, we thought it was good value and service. The Eric Cantona lookalike was very worth it!

We only ate here once and only then because we felt we should after reading this site. I don't think it was particularly any more expensive then some of the other restaurants we ate in but certainly didn't think the standard of food was any better either. Try Zorbas and Ta Pitheria for better value for money and the fact that you won't be sitting in your next door neighbour's lap!

Popular, busy, make sure you get there before 7.30pm, when its good its very good, when its bad its average. We enjoyed the meals there but smaller restaurants such as Zorba's have the edge for the personal touch. Enjoy

The service was very good but we did eat early,seemed a bit busy later on. Food was very nice and all staff very friendly. Will be there again as soon as possible!

We had read no reviews of anywhere, so had no preconceptions. We ended up eating here several times as we preferred it to anywhere else. We only ever had a main course and this was plenty. We tried most of the greek dishes between us and they were all lovely. My favourite was Kleftiko. The staff were friendly and but not too attentive and could stay as long as you wanted, even when very busy you were not herded in and out.

Been to Skala three times now, and we've tried The Pines three times. Why oh why do people think it's sooooo great??????? One couple - you know who you are - went to The Pines *every* night during their two week stay there recently. Takes all sorts, I suppose.....

Yum yum yum. The best meals we had in Scala were in The Pines. We had tried a lot of other places before we went there and nowhere was as good. Spring rolls (starter) and stuffed Aubergines (main course) were the best for me (I'm veggie) and I've been told the stuffed lamb was delicious. And at least the veg in The Pines was fresh (I thought it was tinned in a few other places). A bit more pricey than other places but worth it!

We tried The Pines because of its reputation, but were very disappointed. Perhaps it has become too popular, and that has spoilt things. The food was OK although about the dearest we found in Skala, but the service was dreadful. Our first course arrived quite quickly after a 20 minute wait for our order to be taken. Then there was a 40 minute wait for the main course, followed by another 20 minutes before our sweet order and coffee. If you have 3 hours to spare, and don't mind the very cramped conditions, then it's worth a try I suppose. We preferred the Flamingo next door which had none of the problems and was noticeably much cheaper.

To say the pines is overated is an understatment, we looked forward to dining there after reading reviews on this site . To start with everything could not have been better, order taken quickly and drinks arriving promptly, thats where it ended i,m sad to say starters were ok but a little cool then came a wait of half an hour for the main course(and yes it was busy but other peoples food arrived who ordered at the same time)when it came the food was tepid and of very small proportions(my wifes starter was bigger than my main course)then came the biggest sin in my eyes it took 40 mins yes 40 to clear away the dirty plates(i tried several times to get attention of our waiter but to no avail)so we payed the bill damn quick and went to the flamingo next door for excellent desserts and coffees. it might be ok for some people but if we vist skala again we will give the pines a wide berth.

The most expensive restaurant in Scala. Very nice but not as Greek as the others. A bit too formal and impersonal, the least friendly place we ate in. OK for a change but not as good as Flamingo. Nice cutlery though.

We heard that The Pines came highly recommended, and with the Greek Dinner for 2 (meze starter, salad, mixed platter, 1 litre wine, and desert) priced at 35 Euros, you can't complain. However, you might be hard pushed to find a seat at busy times, and the seating plan can mean you find yourself almost in your neighbours lap, or sat next to the road (with associated late-night motorbikes!). I preferred Flamingo's for both service and ambiance/atmosphere due to its more secluded location.

we used this place once ,it was a nice looking place but too fast service ,too rich food and too pricy

Another favourite - the beef stifado was to die for it was so tender and tasty, as was the special pizza - all fresh ingredients, chicken souvlaki and Kefalonia almond pie for dessert. Very efficient and friendly attentive staff - free water supplied from the moment you're seated which is topped up continuously (nice touch!) throughout your meal.

Loved the restaurant so much we hired a car on holiday on Zante this year, caught the ferry and drove to Skala just for lunch!! The food is that good.

Loved this place,please try the tomato soup you wont regret it.The best restaurant in skala.

All round good food and service. Try the freshly squeezed orange juice.

wonderfull food and they do a wicked breakfast.Just enough to get you started in the morning. Service is great too.

Excellent in all respects.

More expensive than the others on Skala but it is a very good place to eat. Worth saving the pennies to eat there on your last night!

More upmarket than other tavernas in Skala, a little bit more expensive but well woth paying the extra for.I particularly enjoyed the lamb stuffed with pine nuts.

Food was very good especially the lamb and beef dishes. Good entertainment on the Greek night, well worth a visit.