The best restaurants Zante

This restaurant is in a truly picturesque location on Porto Roxa beach on the west of the island, ideal for sunset. Access is through a magnificent wild landscape. Away from mass tourism, just 5 km from Agios Léon (follow the signs), you can enjoy a variety of reasonably priced dishes: salads, pastas, pizzas and grilled meats. Specialties include rabbit with oregano and stuffed chicken. The setting is spectacular. And as a bonus, you can enjoy the deckchairs on the beach!

In a bend that beautifully overlooks the sea, this unpretentious little restaurant will serve you excellent homemade dishes. On the heights of Xyrokastello, this tavern has a large shady terrace overlooking the olive groves with the sea on the horizon. The cuisine is typically Greek: grilled swordfish, stuffed peppers, fried squid... The portions are generous and the prices are small! And the staff is very friendly and really good advice. Perhaps the best restaurant in this part of the island.

Seemingly very touristy, Star Taverna serves tasty traditional Greek cuisine: moussaka, grilled fish, fried squid, meatballs... Try lamb chops with garlic or lamb shank with potatoes and vegetables. The portions are generous, the prices are correct, and above all the staff is very friendly! The owner and staff are adorable and may give you some free appetizers (like pita with tzatziki, a small cheese salad) and often ice cream for dessert.

On the highest point of the town, this family restaurant offers perhaps the best view in the area. Ideal for a romantic sunset dinner as the views from the room and its terrace are extraordinary, overlooking Argassi and the town. If you want to meet locals, you should know that the atmosphere is particularly lively on Thursdays and Saturdays (we spotted a menu with traditional dancing and unlimited local wine all night long, that's saying something). Besides, transportation is sometimes free with transfers from some hotels.

When you are invited to come to the kitchen to see what is being prepared as daily specials, it is always a good sign. Anteti means "customer" in the ancient patois of Zakynthos. The shaded terrace is really charming. The local cuisine is in the spotlight: beef with red sauce and a little spicy local cheese, baked rabbit with potatoes, among other dishes with sauce... A family address just the way we like it, a little away from the tourist centres, which exudes authenticity! Excellent service and value for money.

You will always find a warm welcome in this bar and beautiful and very relaxing views. This address is brilliantly run by three brothers and sisters. Typical Greek dishes are revisited: vegetable risotto, saganaki with local cheese (fried cheese), homemade pizzas... The tsipouro, the brandy that is widespread throughout Greece, is also prepared by the owners. Reservation is recommended as the place is usually very popular. But quite ideal out of season or at the beginning of the service. In short, to be recommended!

Very good reception, excellent cuisine and good value for money. Very decent Greek cuisine and, what doesn't spoil anything, an excellent cocktail bar right next door managed by the same owners. It is understandable that the locals are in a hurry. The restaurant is charming, the staff is pleasant and above all the food is incredible! Here you will find homemade dishes but also products from their own garden. If you linger, it is also the story of the owners, Lakis and Diana, and their attachment to the island that you will get to know.

The plus of this tavern: its pretty courtyard filled with flowers in a stone house, a haven of peace in the middle of summer! The dishes are quite classic, with grilled dishes, Greek cooked dishes such as moussaka, fried squid, beef dumplings? On weekends and some summer evenings, a musician comes to sing traditional island tunes. A change of scenery!

On the spot, the service is remarkable. Let the waiters guide you if you have any doubts. Or, as we did, let them choose for you what you like!

Overlooking the coast, this restaurant boasts a large terrace with an impressive view of Kefalonia. As well as the setting, the food is excellent and the establishment is even open in winter, as the owner cooks game to perfection! In summer, you can enjoy fried calamari and fresh fish, as well as beef in red wine, baked lamb, moussaka... Perhaps you'll try an excellent and hearty wild boar with golden potatoes from the oven. The house wine is also very good.

Incredible food, generous and delicious portions and a very friendly atmosphere. It is a simple tavern in the middle of a beautiful garden. The mother simmers the ready-made meals, the father takes care of the grilling and roasting, and the son is in the dining room. The house speciality is the rooster stuffed in the oven. Wine is by the kilo. Every Wednesday, traditional Greek singers come to make a performance that is worth it. Book then, because the place is quickly taken over. Ideal for an authentic Greek evening

Its name, which remains enigmatic, means "Kostas' brother". We appreciate this traditional and family tavern with a beautiful garden, in the middle of which stands a superb rotunda. It will seduce meat lovers with its tasty appetizers, vegetable dumplings, meats in sauce (rooster in red sauce and beef in white wine) or its delicious local cheese... In short, the food is good, the prices are moderate and the quality of the ingredients is very good! A very nice place with helpful staff and a very tasty menu.

A traditional tavern with old photos and posters on the wall where the regulars like to meet in the evening. This is a popular (and noisy) family tavern: workers and families meet all year round. What an atmosphere! The home-cooked dishes are delicious: saganaki with local cheese, courgette dumplings, moussaka, baked lamb with potatoes, veal with lemon and rosemary, stuffed rabbit... Wine by the kilo from the owner's barrels. Live music every day in summer and from Thursday to Saturday in winter.

Probably the most "social" restaurant in Zakynthos, it often serves as a setting for weddings. It is located in the "aristocratic" district of the city: very beautiful outdoor spaces with a view of the Ionian Sea and an idyllic setting in the evenings, with pianist on site. Pork specialities with red peppers and whole mushrooms, risottos and stuffed boiled potatoes, or the exceptional stuffed rooster from Zakynthos... All meat and products come from the owners' farm located in the heights of the island.

An excellent address to remember and to share. The "canteen" of Zakynthos lives up to its name: all the locals come for lunch, winter and summer alike! The dishes change all the time: lasagne with minced meat, beef in red sauce, fava (chickpea purée), baked vegetables, there is something for everyone! There are no menus written in English (a sign of authenticity), although they are written on a slate inside in Greek. Ask to take a look in the kitchen or have a look at the neighbouring tables!

A mainly meat restaurant: grilled meat, beef in sauce, pork cooked with mushrooms... We tested it and we didn't regret it. Here, the cuisine is tasty and rather surprising. The squid stuffed with feta cheese and tomatoes (for example) is to fall for. The products and the meat come from the island, very green in winter, where breeding is widespread. The portions are very generous and the prices are correct! You will find a very warm welcome and a staff of good advice and also always at your service.

Leaving or going to Navagio beach, you will come across this magnificent restaurant, well situated for a stop for a coffee or lunch after having been to see the promontory with the view of the Bay of the Shipwreck or after visiting the surrounding monasteries. Barbecues, typical Greek dishes such as moussaka or beef in red sauce, and homemade pizzas are offered. The staff is very friendly and the prices are very correct. The little extra: some fruit from the garden is offered at the end of the meal.

An authentic Greek tavern in the village of Keri, for a very good dinner, with a great view and a wide variety of traditional dishes. You will find here mainly grilled meat dishes on the menu but also salads, carbonara pasta, saganaki (fried cheese)... The real plus of this address: the view. From the terrace of the tavern, you can see the sunset falling into the Ionian Sea! If you go there for a dinner with a view at the end of the day, you will live here a really unique moment.

Follow the crowd: the place, popular with the locals, is very family oriented. Near the beach of Kalamaki, there is a tavern that offers typical Greek dishes: grilled meat, baked lamb, Greek salad... Good quality local products at an affordable price! Ellie will give you a warm welcome. She is very proud of her restaurant and can be. She is caring, helpful and her food (moussaka, sutrakakia and other traditional Greek dishes) was delicious. She may also recommend her excellent lamb kleftiko.

You'd think you were in that trattoria that smells like Italy! The two owners, Daniela and Camillo, are Italian and you won't be disappointed. You are often greeted with a little glass of prosecco. The pizzas are as good as in Naples, and the fresh pasta is just as tasty. For dessert, don't miss Daniela's tiramisu! This stop is welcome when you want to change, a little, from the traditional taverns. Or even just to eat Italian food. A piece of advice: it's best to make a reservation as it's a very popular place.

Dimitris, Spyros and their father Stelios will attract you and keep you here! This is indeed a must in Zakynthos for good fish, squid stuffed with feta cheese and grilled shrimps. The homemade bread served with tomato sauce is also perfect! In addition to the excellent food, you can enjoy the deckchairs of the establishment on the beach to prolong with a coffee or a juice in the fabulous bay of Dafni...