The best restaurants Crete

Located a stone's throw from Place Saint-Tite, this all-day bar is a warm and welcoming place. Seasonal vegetables, salads, meats and pastas - directly inspired by Mediterranean cuisine - dominate the menu. You can have lunch, dinner, drinks and a chat... It's a modern and elegant place where you'll come back again and again, because it's so good to eat light creative dishes to the sound of modern music. It's also a nice bar where you can easily chat with locals and travellers until late at night.

In the Halepa district, Tabakaria's seaside is home to the city's former tanneries. It is a particularly picturesque area that is really worth a visit. This very good fish restaurant has taken over part of the area and spreads its tables almost with its feet in the water. We are like out of time, especially when the sun sets in this unique setting. Beyond this decor, the fish is fresh and deliciously cooked. This very popular address of Haniotes fills up quickly in season: we recommend you to book

This restaurant offers a peaceful atmosphere and is one of the best restaurants in town. Here, the chef offers refined dishes based on fish, seafood and shellfish. Very popular with the locals, the 7 Thalasses is an establishment to be discovered. Opt for black cod, tuna fillet or crab pasta. The paella is exquisite as well as the lobster pasta. Do not pass, either, besides the vanilla ice cream of Madagascar. Impeccable service. A little expensive but the quality-price ratio is never disappointing.

This establishment, open only during the day, has been unanimously acclaimed by locals and tourists alike for several years. And for good reason, it offers home-cooked dishes, both traditional and refined. Not very fat and very digestible, they give the beautiful part to spices and delicate flavours. The owners are young and have chosen a resolutely modern, even trendy decor. Fast and very professional service. You choose what you want to eat by lifting the lids of the smoking pots, just like in the old days!

A fun atmosphere with waiters and waitresses in antique Greek garb, but that's not why everyone gathers here. On the table, white tablecloths, candles and crystal glasses to enjoy original dishes, all washed down with a local white wine. This is undoubtedly the best restaurant in the area. Since 1987, the family-run Galini restaurant has been serving creative Cretan cuisine, inspired by French and Italian cuisine and prepared with organic ingredients. Panoramic view of Hersonissos harbor from the terrace.

With a full view of the bay of Mochlos, only a few kilometers from the beach, this tavern is well worth a visit. It is a family tavern, tastefully decorated in a dark yellow ochre tone, where the owners and staff are calm and friendly. Sit on the beautiful, shady terrace and enjoy the authentic, home-made Cretan cuisine. The quality of the raw materials and the know-how of the managers are the guarantee of a succulent meal with Cretan and Mediterranean flavors.

This gastro-pub bears this name because it was established in the ruins of old buildings. It is one of the best bar-restaurants in the city and for good reason. It is very posh, but it offers a nice atmosphere with locals who flock there to taste its specialties, cocktails and have peaceful moments that last until the early hours of the morning. The renowned chef N. Kassotakis offers brunches, fusion cuisine and snacks to accompany the original cocktails. An excellent address both for the service and the quality of the menu.

A very beautiful establishment that, beyond its modern decor, reinvents traditional Cretan cuisine. The ingredients are of the highest quality and the menu changes regularly to ensure more freshness and creativity. A refined address that fills up quickly in season

It is one of the oldest taverns in Crete, housed in an old Venetian mill dating back to the 14th century, which can still be admired today in the courtyard of the establishment, which is green and shaded by century-old trees for the most part. This popular restaurant offers excellent traditional and Mediterranean cuisine. All the dishes are prepared with local products and olive oil. Several of the wines on offer come from Cretan vineyards. Reservations are recommended in high season.

An excellent address to taste the inventive Cretan cuisine from the beginning of May to the end of October. Ideal for a romantic dinner on the roof terrace overlooking the old port and the Venetian ramparts. The chef, a native of Crete, uses only fresh produce from the island and herbs that grow on the hotel roof (hence the name of the restaurant). The panoramic view and the professional service of the staff are appreciated. The menu changes regularly. Remember to make reservations, especially for dinner in season.

In a relaxing atmosphere, this all-day café-restaurant is the ideal place to meet up with friends or to spend pleasant moments, far from the crowded tourist circuits and the noise of the city. The brunch, composed of home-made bread, is a reference, the dishes are succulent. Among the specialities are pasta with carrots with mushrooms and pieces of chicken fried in white truffle oil, with fresh thyme and a bit of garlic, all served with grated local cheese. The prices are unbeatable and the staff is very friendly.

Set back from the tourist flow, O Tembelis (the lazy one) is a must when visiting Heraklion. It's a café/mezzedopoleio where you can enjoy a variety of tasty dishes prepared daily to accompany the excellent fresh raki... Take a seat on the chairs that cover a good part of the esplanade in front of the establishment and let yourself be carried away by the friendly atmosphere. Dishes include homemade sausages, stews, mushrooms... To round off the meal: doughnuts with a scoop of ice cream.

A small, simple but pleasant restaurant where tortillas and salads are prepared before the customer's eyes. Opened in 2019, Umami is a popular address for vegans, vegetarians and anyone who likes fast food but good quality. All dishes are prepared with organic raw materials from certified Cretan producers. The menu varies according to the season. The eggplant lasagne, the mushroom tortilla, the salad with coconut bacon are real delights. To take away or to eat on the spot.

This pretty tavern is nestled in a quiet location in the old village of Malia. This restaurant of traditional Greek cuisine and mezzedes distils a cosy atmosphere in a beautiful handcrafted setting. An address a little apart in Malia, to be preferred in high season to try to avoid the crowds and the mediocre taverns of the tourist centre. We like the warm and quiet atmosphere, the successful and unpretentious but tasty cuisine. A good address, tastefully decorated and pleasant, with all the basics of a good Greek meal.

Change your perspective and discover the fortress from the west coast of Rethymno! Far from the crowds that crowd the old port, this waterfront restaurant offers a 180-degree view of the sea with a terrace on several levels above the rocks. Chic and simple at the same time, it attempts to offer Mediterranean cuisine, based on local ingredients carefully selected from nearby producers. All the products used are organically grown. The best address in town to enjoy sushi.

In front of the small beach of Kom Kapi, east of the old town, Estrella is a pleasant café-restaurant where the trendy young families of Hania meet for brunch on weekends. They love its freshly squeezed juices, its vegan or vegetarian options, its street food from all over the world and its modern decor. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere: you take your time with friends to drink coffee or have lunch. Here you will find contemporary Hania, with young people living in the city year round, far from the tourist city.

This is an address that really deserves a detour as the dishes (all homemade from day to day) are so tasty! The waitress will be happy to explain you the specialities of the day. Among them: local sausages, rabbit stew, stuffed zucchini flowers with a creamy yoghurt, salads... Even the setting is appreciable: the terrace is shaded by a majestic tree, drowned in the song of the crickets... You can also opt for the room inside the establishment and its guns on the walls.

A beautiful restaurant, in a courtyard that offers a pleasant setting for a quiet meal - a little away from the tourist crowds around. You can eat all the Greek and Cretan classics and for a very low price. The service is ideal, both friendly and professional, one could not dream of anything better. Very good wines on the menu too. And a small dessert is offered at the end of the meal, as is often the case in Greece - even if it is not necessarily the case in the most touristic establishments of the center of Hania.

Olga was the first name of the deceased grandmother who, in 1977, left it to her son Stathis to carry on here (in this museum) the Cretan culinary traditions that she had successfully served in her best years. At present, her son and his daughter work in the dining room, with a smile on their faces, while mummy works in the kitchen for our happiness. The dishes are prepared with great care and with raw materials of impeccable quality. Moreover, the view is simply splendid from the shaded terrace with local fragrances.

Among the alignment of tourist restaurants on the port, Glossitses is an exception. Of course, it is frequented by tourists like any restaurant on the port, but the locals also recommend it, which of course is a sign that does not deceive! On the warehouse side, this fish tavern cultivates a modern approach and less traditional than its competitors. A good address to watch passers-by, while being watched, reveling in fresh fish (check the prices per kilo, as always!)

Since 1924, this café has been synonymous with Heraklion's history. In its early days, the establishment, which measures no more than 15^m2, served coffee to market traders. Over the years, raki and ouzo, accompanied by a few delicacies, brought together a clientele who flocked to the small tables to catch up on old times. Today, three young chefs are carrying on the tradition with succulent dishes. Don't leave before you've tried the zucchini dumplings and goat's cheese stew... You'll be back again and again, jostling for a seat.

Faros Restaurant offers good Cretan cuisine prepared according to traditional recipes and has been serving it for over 30 years. You will also find some international specialties, pizzas, among others. But locals and discerning visitors alike come here especially for lamb, the restaurant's specialty, and fresh fish grilled on charcoal. It's a very affordable, family-run address where you can literally eat with your feet in the water. Ideal for families as there are children's games and the beach is right next door.

No doubt, one of the best tables in town that will delight gourmets. Located in a pedestrian alley, it will enchant you with its superb vaulted room, its interior stone courtyard crumbling under the vegetation. The creative cuisine is rooted in the Cretan culinary tradition: let yourself be tempted by the tender and tasty goat meat, cooked with honey and thyme. Impressive choice of wines. Pleasant service. An address you will fall in love with! Most of the ingredients are organic and come from small local farmers.

In Splanzia, the old Turkish district of Hania, here is a singular place that will surprise you both for the quality and originality of the cuisine offered, but also by the architecture of the place. The interior is that of an old Turkish house with a well, hence the name of this establishment. The cuisine that is concocted there, always successful, combines the warm flavours of Turkey, the Maghreb and Greece. You can also eat on the terrace in the freshness of this intimate and authentic neighbourhood.

At the foot of the hotel of the same name, the Porto Veneziano restaurant is a promising new address in town. First of all for its unique location, on the edge of the quay and with a view of the entire port of Hania. Then by the service, sincerely friendly and attentive. And finally by the dishes which, if they are for the most part in the great classics of hotel catering, allow themselves some tasty escapes towards local specialties. A fusion cuisine without excess.

Traditional Greek cuisine for this family-run restaurant, which is already 25 years old, as we love them at the water's edge. You will enjoy tasty seafood pasta, octopus or squid grilled over a wood fire, fresh fish to choose from in the entrance window (as always with fresh fish, confirm the price per kilo before ordering to avoid salty additions), steamed mussels, grilled lamb chops... Impeccable, quick and polite service. Kostas and his family have been at it for ages.

This beach restaurant offers classic seaside tavern and snack dishes. The manager and waiters are very pleasant. As an added bonus, you can rent deckchairs and umbrellas to spend some time on the beach in front of the restaurant, for a few extra euros. Ideal for a relaxing afternoon, or for a drink in the evening, as the food itself is not particularly worth the detour. But we appreciate the location and the opportunity to grab a bite to eat during a beach day.

Charming little restaurant with a shaded terrace with your feet in the water on the beach of Ammoudi (not far from the city centre). Here reigns a beautiful atmosphere between bar and gastronomic restaurant. An annex of the famous Ble Katsoralakia restaurant where you can enjoy seafood as well as a salad, but also succulent traditional mezzes and some inventive recipes. An excellent address for a very pleasant dinner with friends in a typically Greek atmosphere. The menu is very varied and the prices are reasonable.

Alexis Taverna is a small and unpretentious family tavern, like the ones you can find everywhere in Crete. The food is very simple but tasty, and is also family style. You must try the excellent seafood risotto. There are no big restaurants in the village of Malia anyway, you have to be satisfied with a simple, efficient and inexpensive cuisine - and a restaurant where the service is, as at Alexis, well done. You will certainly return there several times during your stay in Malia.

The Ristorante Italiano sign of this restaurant refers to pizzas baked over an olive wood fire. Apart from that, here is a Cretan address as we like them, offering traditional local cuisine. As for the decoration, it's rustic but whatever, here is the most romantic address on the walk, offering a beautiful view as a bonus. Opt for the famous Cretan snails(Κοchlioi), offered à la carte and which have nothing to do with ours: an opportunity to discover a deliciously prepared Cretan speciality.

Vritomartes is another restaurant of Cretan specialties and fish, right in the heart of the port as it is literally located on the water! Open from March 25 to the end of October, this establishment is also accessible by sea. Coveted by tourists for the calm and the magnificent view it provides, it is advisable to book in high season. You can enjoy Greek and Cretan musical evenings and a quiet and gentle atmosphere. Taste the shells and especially the gyalisterés, a shell found in Greece and Crete.

A traditional tavern in a rustic village setting. The owner studied in Belgium and speaks very good French. He will make you discover a local and tasty cuisine, as we like it. Alekos cooks everything with his olive oil, as it should be in any self-respecting establishment in Crete! He collects his snails himself under the surrounding mountainous rocks and prepares them with a pinch of garlic. The wine in carafe comes from the Lylarakis estate. A greedy stage not to be missed if you are passing through.

This family tavern looks like it's straight out of a 1960s movie. It opened in 1953, and since then it has been treating its customers to the same traditional good food. In the shade of the large tamarisk trees, facing the sea, you can enjoy grandmother's cooking: veal simmered in a tomato sauce, roasted goat's cheese with artichokes (in season), rabbit in sauce, snails with rosemary... and a variety of dishes (taste the zucchini flowers stuffed with rice). Nothing but the traditional, cooked of the day. Delicious!

We come here a little by chance, when we try to avoid the rabble-rousers and the touristic affluence of the old town. In the bend of a quiet little street at the top of the city, this restaurant has set up its tables, in the cool. The cuisine is inspired by old grandmother's recipes, Cretan above all. One is welcomed with ouzo and at the end of the meal a cake is offered, often accompanied by a raki. The family owns vineyards and offers a wine of their own production. The atmosphere is friendly and family oriented.

This tavern installed in the former village school offers a very pleasant setting with its terrace shaded by numerous trees, including a large olive tree. In addition, there is a beautiful view, beyond the Anidri Gorge, towards the Libyan Sea. Traditional drinks and food, authentic flavours. Among the dishes: kreatopitta (meat pie with goat's and sheep's cheese, a succulent regional speciality), rabbit with lemon sauce, stuffed zucchini flowers... A good address.

Don't necessarily rely on the slightly classic appearance of this establishment from the street, as there is a beautiful terrace at the back, with a view of the sea during the day. Here you can enjoy a hearty breakfast before going to the beach, which is just behind. Also on the menu is a range of snacks and small pleasant dishes for a short lunch break. The desserts are just as good. A good address, practical at any time of the day. Free wireless internet and 4 large TV screens to watch the games.

This tavern, located on the waterfront and facing the island of Spinalonga, invites you to taste very fresh fish. The owner of this tavern also owns the Megaro tavern in Elounda. The fish comes from the same nets, thrown by the family boats. Between two courses, you only have to go down a few steps to bathe in the transparent sea. The addition of salt is a bit salty, but it is well worth it because the dishes are really good quality and quite copious.

This small address in the old town has recently opened its doors to lovers of authentic cuisine and we are delighted. You can meet with friends and share a lot of small dishes made with Cretan products, but the chef, Michalis Hassikos, allows himself to be creative and to invent recipes that go beyond the local traditions. There are only a few tables on the terrace and a few in the beautiful dining room. The food is tastefully presented and the dishes are tasty. A varied wine list. A very good address.

The terrace of this establishment, located 2 minutes from the Aristea Hotel, is almost on the water. The restaurant's winter room is housed in one of the oldest buildings in the village, giving the place a sought-after authentic character. The cuisine is traditional, especially the fresh fish specialities, which are renowned: the varied fish platter, shellfish and seafood salad, lamb stew, veal stew with vegetables, grilled prawns... are among the favourite dishes. Very reasonable prices.

Charm and romance guaranteed. This is the restaurant of the Hotel Pallazzo Di Corina. It has the Greek "organic" label. On the large terrace in the square you can taste, among other things, the following house specialties, depending on the season: "Mitato" lamb with honey, yoghurt and thyme, saganaki kavourma, boureki (meat puff pastry) or stuffed zucchini flowers. Also a la carte, fish, shellfish and seafood, a mix of traditional Cretan cuisine and more creative and contemporary options. Professional service and friendly atmosphere.

A high-flying, generous and gourmet cuisine, intelligently revisiting Cretan and international classics. The menu is adaptable, but you will find there some fans that we can only warmly recommend: tarama revisited with avocado, deconstructed pasticio with truffle, guinea fowl with orange and tarragon sauce or sea bass in paupiette. Everything, absolutely everything, is excellent. No wonder if we look at the personality of the owner of the place, a meticulous and passionate epicurean.

The owner of this tavern has restored and renovated an old village house built entirely of stone. The establishment is located on the edge of the old site, a few minutes from Argyroupolis. The terrace is very pleasant, shaded by old olive trees... It is a classic tavern that offers good dishes cooked in a traditional way and based on local products only. The place is very pleasant to have a coffee, a drink, a breakfast or a glass of raki. There are also rooms for rent with a view of the mountains.

Ladokolla is one of the best restaurants in Heraklion. Very popular with locals, it is an address still unknown to tourists. However, it is an excellent choice if you want to enjoy, in the heart of the city, a refined cuisine inspired by traditional cuisine, mainly based on fish, shellfish and seafood. Herb and vegetable sea bream fillet, lobster pasta, steamed mussels are recommended. The service is remarkable. The welcome is a pleasant surprise!

It is a kitchen that blends Hania's gastronomic influences throughout its history. Thus, you will taste Turkish, Jewish, Smyrnate, Cretan or Arabic specialities. Everything mixes and comes together to create a typically Haniote and therefore cosmopolitan gastronomy. Opt for the few tables on the terrace to take the coolness in the evening but during the hot days, prefer the room below, installed in the old baths of the district and quite fresh. The small room in the bar opposite offers a more contemporary atmosphere

Romanticism guaranteed with a unique sunset in this fish restaurant on the beach. Very good address with a large and beautiful terrace by the sea. Lunch and dinner are served in an idyllic setting. Here we are very far from the Nordic breweries along the main street higher up in a bewildering noise. The establishment also has a cocktail bar. You can relax while admiring the exceptional view.

This tavern is housed in a very old forge, hence the name Sideradiko (forge). Renovated but retaining all the charm of an old workshop, it offers tasty dishes of successful traditional cuisine: goat's cheese, chicken or vegetables are excellent. Enjoy snails with Cretan couscous and tomato sauce, stew and, above all, yoghurt with honey for dessert. High-quality food in pleasant surroundings, with impeccable service and reasonable prices.

Renovated in 2019, New York style, the Kouzeineri is the best meat restaurant in Crete. Even if it is mainly aimed at inveterate carnivores, lovers of tender steaks or nostalgic for farmhouse pork cooked slowly over a wood fire, a few dishes, no less successful, can satisfy vegetarians as well. The menu of hot appetizers is very rich: enjoy artichoke pie and baked potatoes with garlic... without skipping the New York cheesecake. Professional and very accommodating staff.

In the heart of the old town, here is beautiful Venetian architecture in a particularly well-kept setting. Pretty terrace, well shaded and pleasant, marked by bougainvilleas and large flowerpots full of geraniums! Here the cuisine is traditional, Cretan and Mediterranean. Delicious salads and good local meats. Great selection of wines. An address not to be missed both for its intimate setting and its menu. Enjoy the pretty garden and mingle with the locals. Very good address and good value for money.

At this address, the delicious and traditional puff pastries filled with fromage frais, sprinkled or not with sugar are a reference. Since 1924, Iordanis has been revamped. No more formica tables, the room is now ultramodern and very comfortable with its bay window overlooking the street. The recipe for the classic bougatsa is always the same, mixing the crispness of the dough and the melting of the cheese, the salty and the sweet. Unless you prefer the cream version. Their reputation has been established for two or three generations!

Located in the heart of Hania's historic center, this tastefully decorated all-day café/bistro, distinguished by its white tablecloths and courteous staff, offers a varied range of dishes for an excellent breakfast or brunch, lunch or dinner for couples or friends in search of tranquility, good taste and good food. The establishment also offers relaxing moments to enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail. The pastries on offer (strawberry tart with a scoop of ice cream, among others) are also very good.