Where to have lunch on the go - Crete in 2025

Practical information : Take a break Crete

Timetable

They are rarely posted (or reliable), but it's not uncommon for an establishment to open for breakfast and close late into the night... In tourist areas, bar and café owners have to cover the summer season in order to survive all year round: they are therefore open every day, from morning to night, and their opening hours depend on how busy they are. Some night bars only open from 6pm-7pm and stay open until the early hours. Some traditional kafeneio open early in the morning and again around 6pm, but close a few hours after lunch. But most of the time, these places are open continuously: in summer, waiters simply wait for the last customer to leave before closing. This flexibility can be extended out of season, especially at weekends, in establishments that remain open. In Greece, you'll never be pressured to leave an establishment, or recommended to leave, once you've finished your drink. Unless you ask for the bill, you'll be left to enjoy it, without necessarily clearing the table. But don't be fooled: if you see that you're the last and the waiters are exhausted, it may be time to vacate your seat!

Budget & Tips

Drinking coffee is an institution in Greece: you can stay for hours with a freddo or a frappé for a few euros, without having to renew your order. Be careful though: the coffees are not cheap. At 4 € for a frappé, it is sometimes understandable that some customers linger... A cocktail costs on average 7 €, a beer between 4 and 6 €. For a well-drunk evening, count around 25 € per person.

What's very local

The traditional café, the kafeneio, is often the heart of local life on the islands. More precisely, it's often the heart of public life, and therefore of male life... The kafeneio opens early in the morning, where people come to have their first coffee and see the village slowly awakening. Sometimes it stays open for lunch, but usually closes between noon and 5pm for siesta time. It reopens at 6pm for a last coffee or a game of tavli at the end of the day. Later, it transforms into an ouzerie, where people drink ouzo, beer and raki while sharing small dishes, mezzedes, against a backdrop of rebetiko, the popular Greek music par excellence.

Smokers

Fine weather and outdoor cafés limit the problem in summer. It has to be said, however, that the law against smoking in public spaces has been in place since 2008, but has never really been enforced.

Where to have lunch on the go Crete

Map of top points of interest Crete

TO CHALIKOUTI

COOKING WITH LOVE - MAGEIREVONTAS ME AGAPI

SORAYA – ΣΟΡΑYΑ

ELA TAVERNA

C'EST LA VIE

SNACKS & CAFÉ - POLDO

PRASSEIN ALOGA

GREENDAY'S

NATURELIA

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Practical information : Take a break Crete

Timetable

Budget & Tips

What's very local

Smokers