• Family-run café in Akoumia since 1970.
  • Everything homemadefrom cheese to raki.
  • Famous for snail dishes and old-school Cretan spirit.

A living piece of Crete. Find it here.

 In Akoumia, south Rethymno, the Perantonakis family runs a café that hasn’t changed in 50 years. The Romantic Corner opened in 1970, serving coffee in a briki, meze from their farm, and raki made in-house. The same wooden doors, the same cement floor, the same Cretan warmth. Driving here is a joy on its ownevery turn reveals mountain views and olive groves, exactly the kind of route you’ll find in AUTOWAY’s guide to Crete, the Island.

Food from their own hands.

Everything you eat here is grown, gathered, or made by the family. Cheese from their sheep, vegetables from their garden, eggs from their chickens. The snailscaught by Manolis himselfare cooked in many ways: fried, with potatoes, rice, or tomato.

Locals say they’re among the best in Crete. If you’re planning a food road trip, check AUTOWAY’s Travel Tips for Crete for routes that pass through villages like Akoumia, where the best meals are always homemade.

A café that feels like home.

You’ll sit under a plane tree, share meze with locals, and drink raki that’s sweet, not strong. The atmosphere is quiet, unhurried, and authenticmore like visiting a family than a restaurant. Even better, AUTOWAY offers same-day car rental delivery anywhere on the island, so you can explore hidden gems like this café without delay.

Worth the detour.

Akoumia lies near Triopetra Beach, so stop here on your drive through southern Rethymno. You’ll taste old Cretereal, simple, unchanged.

For more hidden Cretan food spots, explore the AUTOWAY Blog  and when you’re ready to explore Crete your own way, rent a car from www.autoway.gr.

Having a problem? Click here, Email Us.