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DINERS in Southport will still be able to savour the true taste of the Mediterranean after new owners took over 1 of the Town's favourite restaurants.

Cat and Mihaela Pascal are delighted to be running:- Crete Taverna which is famous for its freshly cooked traditional Greek dishes and its Meze banquets, its beautifully decorated interior, and its warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Walk inside and it feels like you are walking into a village square in Crete complete with freshly laid tables; replica Greek windows and walls; huge pictures showing Santorini, The Acropolis in Athens and Crete; and a Greek rose bush growing outside the front door.

The venue was established in 2003 on:- Gordon Street, in Southport's Town Centre where it has attracted a loyal following of customers.

The restaurant is on the road tucked behind Lord Street, and is 1 of Southport's:- 'hidden gems' which is popular among its regulars, but surprisingly still unknown to many.

That is something Cat and Mihaela have set about changing, keen to spread the word to more people about what Crete Taverna offers.

The couple, who live in Southport, have been regular diners at the restaurant for the past 20 years, with Mihaela having also worked there.

They want to keep all the aspects of Crete Taverna which have made it famous, including:- its traditionally-cooked Greek food and its extensive menu, while making gradual improvements along the way.

Luci, the Head Chef who has been there for the past 7 years, is still there, while Cat has joined him in the kitchen.

Opening hours have been extended with the venue now open 6 days a week (except Mondays).

They are open lunchtimes for the 1st time, with superb offers available and new dishes have been introduced.

Mihaela said:- "People tell us that Crete Taverna is 1 of Southport's hidden gems and we are honoured to have customers who have been coming here since it opened. It's now 1 of Southport's longest-established restaurants - and yet a lot of people still don't even know it's here! That's something we're really keen to change. This is Southport's only restaurant serving authentic Greek food with traditional recipes and everything made fresh, including:-:- dishes such as moussaka, lamb kleftiko, dolmades, and many more. We use all the freshest ingredients. The menu is extensive, it must have 1 of the widest choices in the Region. We looked at it when we came in, but so many customers have their own personal favourite dishes and they were determined for us to keep them. Instead we have been adding a couple of new dishes, and we will keep responding to what diners love."

The decision to take over was not something the couple had planned.

Cat said:- "We love this restaurant! We love Greek food. We have been coming to eat here for many years. The owner, Theo Papachristou, had been here ever since the restaurant opened in:- 2003, taking over what was Robert Henry's. He had worked in hospitality for over 40 years. We thought about it for about a week and then said let's go for it.  It's been a great decision - we are really enjoying it. We took over in July. As well as the traditional Greek food, we have a beautiful dessert menu with dishes such as:- baklava, kataifi and galaktoboureko. We serve Greek wines, including:- the famous Retsina, and our famous Greek spirits such as ouzo, black sambuca, white sambuca and raki. We sell Greek beers including:- the popular Mythos. We have extended our opening hours and are now open every lunchtime, between:- 11.30am and 2.30pm. We are open between:- 11.30am and 10pm, every:- Tuesday to Sunday, plus on:- Bank Holiday Mondays, so people have more opportunity to come and enjoy our food. On our Lunch Menu you can order 1 starter, 1 main course and a soft drink for just:- £17. If you'd like to come and explore Greek food, you'll love our Mezedes, Greek banquets with lots of beautiful dishes to try! Mezedes are brilliant for groups of friends or family, sitting together and sharing food. It brings everyone together. Mediterranean food is so beautiful. Whether it's Greek salad, or grilled sardines, the food is so fresh and healthy and delicious. Every taste is taking you back to the Greek islands. This is such a good venue for events too, we have hosted some memorable weddings, Christenings, birthday parties and other gatherings. We welcome lots of people who have been on holiday to places like Greece or Crete and then come in here to bring back happy memories of their times away. People tell us the food here tastes just like it did when they were on holiday, which is always lovely to hear. We are posting more regularly on our Crete Taverna Facebook page and have also started pages on Instagram and TikTok. We are launching our new website soon. We want to engage more with people online, showing them what we offer and look out for some behind the scene footage too. We'd love to show people what we do and how we cook certain dishes, without giving away all our secret ingredients! We always want to improve, to evolve, while keeping all the great traditions that have always made Crete Taverna so popular with diners across so many years. This is a new chapter for our lives, a new journey, and a new challenge. We are so excited by everything happening. We aim to be here for a long time to come."