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The Cretan food is the pinnacle of Mediterranean cooking.

Cretan cuisine has become globally recognised in recent years for its health-enhancing properties and nutritional value. Scientific studies have shown that the Cretan diet -  based on the consumption of pure, natural products - does much to improve our health, protect against illness, and even help us live longer.

For Cretans, that knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation, a precious legacy of our ancestors. Today we celebrate that legacy and wish to share it with our guests.

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Cooking Lessons

Join us to learn the secrets of cooking our dishes inspired by the Cretan diet and using the finest local ingredients. This is your chance to take your place in the Avli kitchen, in a truly hands-on cooking masterclass.

Using the extraordinary raw ingredients produced by Crete’s finest artisanal producers - from mountain cheesemakers to small farm producers who have tilled their land for generations - learning to cook the Cretan way is a journey of discovery. Join our celebration of nature’s harvest and master age-old techniques (and some new ones) to create your own gourmet Cretan dishes.
 

 
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The experience
Our cookery classes start in the courtyard. Beginning with an introduction to Cretan culture, history, and gastronomy, it’s here we share our customs, and the many words we use to describe our food, all the while sipping on a favourite Cretan wine.
To begin, we start by sharing the secrets to making a perfect Cretan-inspired appetiser. Then it’s time to get in the kitchen, and with your sleeves rolled up, begin to prepare your own main dish or dessert creation.
Chef will talk you through making a selection of classic Cretan dishes - including ones our yiayias (grandmothers) passed down to us - as well as exciting modern interpretations of traditional recipes.  Once the fruits of your labours are ready, it’s time to sit, share stories and get to know each other, as you sample your culinary masterpieces over a five-course dinner by candlelight. Of course, it wouldn’t be a typical Cretan meal without a shot of raki to conclude proceedings and toast your newly found skills.

 

With one of the largest cellars of any restaurant in Greece, Avli’s wine tasting sessions are not to be missed, offering an opportunity to savour Greece and Crete’s most exceptional wines. With expert knowledge on hand to help you delve into the varieties being tasted, and the techniques used to produce the wines, an Avli tasting offers a unique opportunity to find out more about Greek and Cretan viniculture.

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Each participant receives a glass and we accompany our wine tastings with rusks, cheese, olives, local delicacies and sparkling water. We also provide the participants with notes regarding the wine-activity of our country, the wines and the wineries.

If the participants wish so, we can present a horizontal wine tasting (the presentation of variety per regions) or present a vertical wine-tasting (the development of wine in time).

Food tour

Let your local foodie take you on a culinary journey

Meet us at Avli’s reception area and start a circular walk through all the important ancient and new treasures of the town. Take in the market’s lively atmosphere, splendid architecture, and rich aromas. Let the fresh products dazzle you before grabbing a bit of typical local delicacies.

Unfortunately the words of Olive Oil tasting , Locals' Favorite , Sweet Goodbye.. Can not describe the spirit of the Food tour. The only chance is to live it! Are you ready to taste the best food in Rethymno? What are you waiting for? Tasty local food awaits!

 

 

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Wine Tours

As we are wine lovers, going to wineries is one of the most exciting things we can do.

Please contact us in order to schedule together the wineries of your preference. 

Avli Offers

Get a 20% discount

Cooking Classes & Wine tastings

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Magical guided town walk
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10% on purchases at AVLI Raw Materials

Applies to specific periods and labels

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Special prices for big groups

 We offer special prices for big groups, so contact us and let us know what you're planning.

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Avli Raw Material

Tastes and smells of the past will tantalize your palate.
Raw Materials

Our intensive and detailed engagement with the Greek nutritional culture was cherished by

the creation of a unique era, AVLI RAW MATERIALS, which discovers and presents exclusive products from all over Greece, and especially from Crete.

High-end goods, such as raki, honey, olive-oil, olives, wine, spreads, herbs, beverages and delicacies, produced by the initiative effort and priceless knowledge of talented Greek producers, can now be found on our deli-shop, so to guide you into a lifetime memorable journey of discovering Greece through it’s savory tastes!

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Dreaming

Savouring
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