REVIEW – ikos Odisia Luxury All-Inclusive Restaurant Guide – Part 2

Following on from yesterday’s part 1 article on ikos as a hotel and experience, in this article I am speaking about the culinary options available which you will see are extensive.

ikos Odisia Restaurant Guide

The ikos brand is fairly unique in that its all-inclusive package includes so many a la carte options. Many times before, we have looked at all-inclusive hotels, but have been put off by the idea of eating at a buffet most or every night. For some, this may be ideal for the range of options or the ease, but we personally find buffets informal and rushed.

ikos Odisia has eight restaurants, and we have eaten at all of them. So, we wanted to give a little run down for anybody thinking about going so they can plan ahead where they might want to eat. Many of the restaurants are copied throughout the hotels, so some of this information will be relevant for other ikos resorts too.

In 2023 we were rarely presented with a menu and instead told to scan a QR code or use the app. This is obviously something that came about from COVID, but Odisia opened after covid and we just don’t like sitting at the table and immediately being engrossed in our phones, so asked them to bring menus each time. Thankfully, this year, we were presented with a proper menu which was a welcome change. Each menu also includes a vegan menu, toddler menu (homemade purees) and kids Menu which is handy to have all in one place.

We often needed help with wine suggestions as we aren’t particularly knowledgeable on Greek wines. There is almost always a Sommelier close by though who will be able to make suggestions. They are also very happy to change a bottle of wine if you don’t like the one you have ordered.

Below is our thoughts and more information on each restaurant. If you are considering a visit to an ikos resort, we hope it just gives you a better idea of what to expect if you have never been before.

A snapshot of each menu can be found at the bottom of this article.

In no particular order:

Fresco (Italian)

• Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Location – Beach Front

Fresco offers an a la carte breakfast menu along with a substantial buffet. It can feel a little busy here at breakfast as it seems a popular choice for guests, but it is nice that you do not have to visit the buffet and can have a whole a la carte meal if you fancy.

This is our favourite place to eat lunch, it is right by the beach with both indoor and outdoor tables and close to a couple of the pools. It’s also much quieter than at breakfast. The menu is Italian and has many classic options, from excellent pizza (Eugene is a pizza snob and highly rates it here), lighter pasta dishes, salads and more.

Dinner at Fresco does feel more casual than some of the other restaurants, but in a relaxed way. The menu differs slightly from lunch with more seafood, meat and pasta dishes. We have never had a bad meal here and it is a consistently strong option.

Anaya (Asian)

• Open for Dinner
• Location – Main Building (With outside seating)

This restaurant is located in the main building which is its only drawback as it doesn’t feel like the setting is as beautiful as most of the other restaurants, however, it does have a large outside section that is designed in a great way that overlooks the hotel and its beautiful grounds. There is an Anaya at every ikos we have visited to date and it is a favourite of ours, however, we didn’t visit it this year so we could try the other new restaurants. It offers a wide range of Asian dishes that are high quality including thai curries, pad thai and ramen.

Ouzo (Greek)

• Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Location – Private Beach Front

Ouzo has a Greek taverna feel to it, which we love. Last year there was live Greek music which was such fun throughout dinner, we missed out on that this year as our booking didn’t fall on the right night, it can be a bit of a lottery.

We had most of our breakfasts here. They have a nice sized buffet and a live egg, pancake and waffle station, so plenty to choose from.

Lunch here is also buffet and is quite popular with resort guests as it is casual, but you don’t have to walk far from the beach to get to it, unlike Flavors which is at the top of the resort so can be a bit of a trek.

We’ve tried many of the dinner menu dishes, the mini beef kebabs and the sea bass fillet were our highlights however we do feel the food could be improved here.

Elia (Greek)

• Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Location – Top of Private Peninsula (with wraparound Sea Views)

Elia is at the highest part of the resort and has absolutely stunning 360 views. It is up a very steep hill, so there are often buggies buzzing up and down with guests and staff. We walked each time, but be prepared to take it slow so you aren’t a sweaty mess when you arrive for your dinner!

We had breakfast here once which is full a la carte. We both had avocado on toast with poached eggs, it was delicious but small, so we had a plate of pancakes to share too. Obviously!

Lunch here is also lovely, it is usually quite quiet and can be very hot after the walk up the hill with a pushchair, but there is enough shade to cool down in.

We visited Elia twice for dinner. One night there was a live DJ and it gave such a great atmosphere to the whole place. There is a lovely bar area for you to enjoy pre or post-dinner drinks, so when there is music, it really adds to the experience.

The menu is slightly similar to Ouzo but more refined. We really enjoy their mezze dishes to start, especially their Santorini plum tomatoes with sour feta cream.

Oliva (Spanish)

• Open for Dinner
• Location – Hillside (with sea views)

Oliva is halfway up the hill that leads to Elia and it appears to be the restaurant that struggles the most. From most of our conversations with other guests, it was their least favourite place to eat, and I think we would agree. It’s not to say that we didn’t have a lovely meal there, but none of the dishes wowed us and I think the outside terrace may be too small for the number of tables they have out there, so it feels more crowded.

The setting and views are great, and the staff were fantastic in suggesting dishes and wine. Service was fantastic and very friendly which always makes the difference.

Sea Grill (BBQ)

• Open for Lunch and Dinner
• Location – Beach Front

Sea Grill is, as suggested by its name, overlooking the beach. It has a calm, relaxed vibe and seems like a great setting for lunch. We did only visit once for lunch though, as they seemed to struggle with shade there and it just felt too hot in the middle of the day. We also found the lunch menu quite confusing because we assumed that the name suggests we could order fresh fish or steaks however instead it was very much fast food and served in such a way too. Think nachos and fries served in newspapers.

We didn’t have a dinner at Sea Grill specifically, but we did have the Deluxe Beach Dinner which is served from the Sea Grill and I believe is mostly the same menu. Whilst the beach dinner sounds like a nice idea, in reality it just did not work for us. It may have been the fact we had a toddler who outright refused to sit in his seat, favouring instead throwing stone after stone after stone into the sea, but we also felt uncomfortable in our bean bag style chairs that were too low for the table.

We really feel like they missed a trick with this one. The setting is too good to be wasted on average food. They really should specialise in fresh seafood and grilled meats.

Azul (Peruvian)

• Open for Dinner
• Location – Main Building (With outside seating)

Azul only opened the week before we visited in June 24. We were not initially booked in, but heard many positive reviews from other guests so switched some bits around to make sure we had a chance to try it out. They were not operating at full capacity as they had just opened and wanted to make sure it was right and made us aware of this early on to try and manage our expectations on the speed of service. We had no issues though and found the staff very attentive. We hadn’t eaten much Peruvian food before, so didn’t really know what to expect and had to have some of the dishes explained to us. We really enjoyed it through and would love to try more Peruvian food in the future.

Located right next door to Anaya it has the same feel about it with lovely décor inside and out on the terrace.

Flavors (Mediterranean Buffet)

• Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Location – Main Building (With outside seating)

We didn’t visit Flavors for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. With it being in the main building, it was not convenient for us to get to from our room or the pool we had chosen to sit by.

The general consensus though, is that the offerings are substantial with many live cooking stations. Whilst there is much more on offer at Flavors for breakfast, we would always rather choose a smaller, quieter setting with less options. Our little boy pretty much lives off croissants or chips on holidays, so we are sorted wherever we go.

Dine Out

As part of the all-inclusive, there is the option to use their ‘Dine Out’ programme. At no extra cost you can eat at a local restaurant and experience a different perspective of Corfu. We have heard mixed feelings about the restaurants chosen, however, it is always nice to break up a holiday with an outing. It’s such a great benefit of staying at an ikos hotel.

Tips

• If you are Deluxe you are allowed to book all of your dinners in advance and the best time to do this is when reservations are released for the season (Usually mid-February). If you are not Deluxe you are allowed to book your first 3 nights in advance.
• Our suggestion would be to book as many up front as you are allowed which will avoid disappointment. We heard of so many families and couples who could not dine in the restaurant of their choice because they did not book in advance. ikos are also very strict on walk-ins and almost never allow this so please don’t freestyle it, as you will very likely be disappointed.
• It states in many places on the website that men are not permitted to wear shorts and flip-flops to dinner. When you are there, this is not the case at all. Eugene wore smart, tailored shorts and a shirt nearly every night as did many other guests and it was not an issue. We did see some people wearing flip-flops too, but the majority of men were wearing shoes or trainers. As a further tip, if you are wearing shorts or have skin on display, use mosquito repellent, we saw far too many people who looked like they had been eaten alive. Eugene was one of these after falling asleep on the balcony after too many rums one night, but that’s a different story.
• You do not need a reservation for breakfast or lunch at any restaurant.
• If you are Deluxe, you get a separate enhanced menu with extra options at dinner such as at Oliva and Azul. We weren’t always offered this so if you are Deluxe make sure you ask for the Deluxe menu when sitting down.