7 Best Restaurants in Arachova, Attica and Delphi

The first words on most locals' mouths when you ask them where they like to eat are To Tsoukali. Owner Yannis Lambrakis prowls the kitchen dressed in black, emerging to chat at length with diners and talk them through a menu that takes some classic Greek dishes and, through assiduous preparation and little tweaks here and there, emerge as intensely flavorsome as you'll find anywhere, typically served alongside tagliatelle smothered in local cheese. As well as the best rooster you'll ever taste, the menu is forever changing, so just let Yannis talk you through it. Make a reservation because it fills up fast.

Fine views from the rear terrace overlooking the rock-topped clocktower and valley accompany tasty waffles, cakes, pastries, and coffee. This café dates back to the 1950s, though it had a makeover a couple of years ago. It's still one of the most adorable spots in town. 

Catch a coffee or freshly squeezed mixed-fruit juice at this popular hangout in tree-covered Lakka Square. This is where all the café-bars congregate, their terraces often spilling into one other. It can be a bit packed, but the croissants here are the best in town!

Arachova's oldest taverna (more than a hundred years old) still draws gargantuan crowds—causing occasional staff surliness—simply because of the amazing food. Lamb with oregano, and beef in a red sauce are both served with hilopites, the thin egg noodles cut into thousands of tiny squares, for which the area is known. Sample the fried formaella (a mild local sheep's-milk cheese); the hortopites (pastries filled with mountain greens); or the bourekakia (grilled beef patties stuffed with formaella or Gouda cheese). The brusco red wine comes straight from the barrel here.

The antithesis of the noisy café-bars that proliferate across the road in Lakka Square. This is defiantly a tea shop; it has no pretensions to nightlife, it just serves wonderful teas in a variety of herbal and dried-fruit profusions on its rooftop terrace. Bliss. 

It is well worth climbing the 263 steps leading from the main road up to the church of Agios Georgios, where the lovely smells wafting from the kitchen of this hilltop institution (dating from the 1930s) will prepare you for a tasty meal. Start with local specialty opsimotyri (a tart yogurt dip) and the house salad of shredded red cabbage, carrot, and grilled mushrooms. Then, dig into a plump bifteki (ground-meat patty) flavored with parsley, or dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) with a creamy lemon sauce. The lamb stewed on vine leaves is also a favorite with regular clients. Reservations are essential during winter weekends, when there is Greek live music and the impromptu party continues until the early morning hours.

In the winter you can warm yourself at your choice of several fireplaces in this old stone house that's been deemed a historic building by the state, and look out at the excellent views of the mountains. Tirokafteri, a piquant cheese spread, is the perfect accompaniment to the stone-ground country bread to start. Follow with a sampling of the large purplish Amfissa olives, fava (mashed yellow split peas, lemon, and raw onions), or the potent skordalia (garlic-mashed potato spread). Meat dominates the mains: rooster with hylopites (tiny pasta squares) in tomato sauce, stuffed lamb shank, and even excellent burgers.