The best restaurants Héraklion

The Fifty is the new name of 50/50, an establishment that for more than 12 years welcomed its clientele on 1860 Street. It is an allday café-restaurant that attracts the young people of the city. The food is good and the prices are reasonable. If you don't feel like eating, just have a coffee, a glass of ouzo or raki, it will leave you with a pleasant memory. Otherwise, late at night, especially on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, there is a DJ atmosphere or live Cretan and traditional music.

An establishment that's got people talking. This tiny tavern on the corner behind the Bogatsi doesn't have a view of the port - but we're quick to forgive it. We love its little blue-and-white terrace, where it's good to sit down for an aperitif, a coffee or a homemade sorbet. Dimitris trained as a chef in Switzerland before settling in Mochlos, and his French wife is in charge of cocktails and reception. Impeccable, tasty and surprising cuisine, at reasonable prices. Hospitality, culinary discovery and an authentic atmosphere.

Peskessi is established in the manor of the Kapetan Polyxigkis, a character who participated in the uprising against the Ottomans. The renovation of the building in 2014 has earned it a place among the 10 best bar-restaurants in Europe. In its stone-built rooms you can enjoy authentic Cretan cuisine: just taste the Peskesi salad, made with organic products from the owner's farm, to find out. You can also choose the habiba snail dish or the sindrimades . The list is long, original and impressive.

At Hippokampos you will find fish and seafood specialties at unbeatable prices. In particular, we recommend the unmissable grilled octopus, always a pleasure. But lovers of Cretan cuisine will not be outdone with good traditional dishes as well. To be tasted in front of the sea (and unfortunately also the road!), and just a stone's throw from the old Venetian port. This address is frequented as much by tourists as by locals for years: you can go there with your eyes closed.

True to its reputation and with over 50 years of history, this ouzerie is among the best in town, according to the locals who flock to it. Close to the port, it's behind the pedestrian street in a hidden alley in the old town, opposite the tiny chapel of Saint Dimitriou. The mezzedes reinforce its reputation, but the rest is very good too. The kitchen uses mainly organic olive oil from the Toplou monastery. The menu varies according to the season. Ask the waiter for the daily special and the price per kilo of fresh fish.

A rather trendy restaurant that offers, on the kitchen side, quality dishes with generous portions. Cretan and Greek specialities cooked over a wood fire are carefully prepared in accordance with the old tradition. Fresh fish, pasta, rice, mushrooms and grilled vegetables, fava, various salads, meat... In Cretan dialect, parastia refers to the kitchen area where food is cooked in the most ancient way: with two stones on each side of a wood fire, resulting in a very rustic and warm decoration for this restaurant which is well worth a stop.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Here is a simple ouzerie where tourists and Cretans mingle to taste fish, grilled octopus, but also shellfish and seafood. All the dishes, to the rhythm of the ouzo and raki decanters, are of excellent quality! We eat outside copious dishes, unpretentious but succulent. Among the dishes, seafood pilaf and lobster pasta are to be tasted. The occasion is ideal to savour fresh fish. Friendly welcome and quiet service that makes no regrets about the meal. We'll go back with our eyes closed.

Alla & Alla is the kind of place you'd expect to find on vacation: a friendly atmosphere, where you can eat well without breaking the bank! Take a seat on Kaillambi alley, a stone's throw from the Fontaine aux Lions, and enjoy dishes prepared with quality ingredients: the salads are fresh and the small dishes inevitably attract a glass of chilled raki. Opt for the mixed grill dish for a meat-based meal. Bulk wine is of good quality. Efficient service. On the menu, solutions for vegetable lovers too.

One of the best addresses in town. A good family restaurant that is dedicated to welcoming its customers at lunch and dinner, facing the sea. Excellent Cretan cuisine cooked over an olive wood fire, in an elegantly renovated setting. Different dishes of the day, usually organically grown. It is prepared with olive oil... but it is also a restaurant of meat, salads and fish. The traditional Cretan dishes are highlighted, with succulent snails, octopus and pieces of lamb. Very affordable prices. We'll be back, with pleasure.

This wine-restaurant bar has just moved into the premises of the Héracleion tennis club. From the top of the modern and renovated room, you can enjoy the dishes proposed by the chef Mr. Maniadakis with a full view of the tennis court or enjoy a good glass of wine. The tuna fillet is excellent, the sushi is a pleasant surprise as well as the Benedictine eggs served at brunch. A good address that is already making people talk about it thanks to the talent of the chef and the impeccable service.

Very good pizzeria if you want to change a little bit from the Cretan diet, even if there is nothing better for health and taste! Quiet and romantic setting, it doesn't look good but it's always nice to enjoy a good pizza once in a while. The kitchen offers a menu of good quality Italian dishes, copious and inexpensive food. It will be an interesting alternative for large families who want to satisfy the little ones while paying attention to the budget.