462 Best Restaurants in Greece

Ordering your meal at this establishment in the heart of the bustling Ladadika district is quite an experience. The waiters bring their own eccentric individuality to this often mundane ritual, and the menu is printed on a "newspaper" with photos from old Greek films and articles heralding the dishes you're about to munch on. The taverna itself is done up as a deli (as a matter of fact you can buy Greek charcuterie and cheeses), which gives a rough idea of the fare served. There is a wide array of cheeses, smoked meats, and fish (served either straight up or cooked in spicy sauces). It's food that goes great with a beer or an ice-filled glass of ouzo on a hot summer evening.

Christina and Manolis, the former owners, have now passed the baton to their son Constantinos, who has modernized the homestyle Greek dishes served here, in his traditional old Hydriot house with stone floors and wooden ceilings, where time seems to have been standing still since the 1950s. If it's available, try the fresh fish that is prepared to perfection. Rooftop tables sit beneath a vine-draped pergola and vanish quickly, so aim for dinner before 9 pm.

Heartful, homemade, original and unpretentious cuisine made with love in a modern taverna ambience. Its menu, popular among students, couples, and groups of friends alike, includes saffron risotto; chicken marinated in orange juice, ginger and turmeric; green beans with garlic butter; and creamy cheese pie made with crispy angel-hair phyllo-pastry. Named after a character in a famous Manos Hatzidakis children’s song, the taverna has a playful spirit and sometimes becomes even livelier with improvisational Greek music performances.

A Kolonaki institution, this bistro-style traditional restaurant is slightly fancier and more costly than the normal mezedopoleio, with cloth napkins, candles on the tables, and walls decorated with writings by its famous patrons. The menu centers on delicate Greek classics (such as lamb with lemon or roast suckling pig) but also some international fare. The service is warm and professional and the clientele includes politicians and diplomats on their lunch break. For the freshest dishes, ask the waiter for the day's specials.

This old kaffeneio is the perfect place to sit and watch the yachts while the clack of the tavli (backgammon) boards rattle around you. Come the evening—like all the cafés along the dockside—it switches from coffees to cocktails, but the easy atmosphere remains the same, and in winter the fireplace makes a welcome spot to gather around.

Kanoni is known for its fine breakfasts, served on a rooftop terrace that gazes down to the square's cannon and across the old battlements to sea. Choose from omelets, ham and eggs, or thick, creamy yogurt and honey, then come back at lunch or dinner for a nicely varied menu that offers some sumptuous seafood alongside old Greek standbys of moussaka, lamb kleftiko (a traditional slow-cooked marinated lamb dish), and stamna (beef stew). There's little innovation here, but the views and food are still mouthwatering.

Located in the central market, To Kastri is run by the Women’s Union of Syros, a group of ladies who cook 10 dishes a day—home cooking so good that local housewives secretly buy food for their husband's midday meals here. Open all year, this cafeteria often sells out by early afternoon.

Chef Giorgos and his mother take traditional Greek dishes and gives them a twist at this recently renovated restaurant 10 km (6 miles) from Volos in the village of Katochori. Most of the vegetables are grown in their own garden and the olive oil is produced nearby. Signature dishes include pork shank with rosemary, zucchini fritters in spicy cheese sauce, and chicken fillet with honey mustard—all cooked in an open kitchen. A fireplace keeps things cozy in cooler weather, while the open terrace is the favorite for the rest of the year.

On a small alley off the Panagias road is a brightly decorated eatery, run by the equally brightly decorated Eleni, that dates back to 1812. Once a wineshop-cum-hangout for artists and writers, it now serves the most memorable of classic Tinian dishes in a homey environment. Alleyway tables groan under the hearty dishes served with flair and passion—it is home-style cooking that reminds the Greek clientele of their childhood days.

This casual, friendly place in the midst of busy Modiano Market is known for great garides (prawns), served in many different ways, and its humor: the name translates as "the meteoric step of the prawn." The locals also come time and again for the tamaras (white cod roe), butter beans with chestnut, and homemade dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves). Order your ouzo and a selection of mezedes, and take in the bustle of market life.

The name means "traditional," and that's what this comfortable spot decorated with colorful weavings and folk crafts is. Vasilis Bissas, the chef-owner, has revived many of the more esoteric regional specialties. Try the fileta tou dasous (fillet of the forest)—a choice beef fillet stuffed with cheese, ham, tomato, mushrooms, and "woodcutters' potatoes" (potato slices baked with bacon and four kinds of cheese). "Grandmothers' bread" is toasted and stuffed with cheese, bacon, tomato, peppers, and onions, then baked in the oven. Accompany your meal with the house wine, guaranteed to be a well-researched regional specialty, or choose the heady local red Katogi.

This homey restaurant is known for its outstanding seafood—it's always fresh, artfully prepared, and surprisingly cheap. The grilled meats are good, too, as are the fresh bread and the dips—especially the kopanisti (the punchy spiced cheese dip) and the melitzanosalata (lovingly made from roasted eggplant and garlic). The fish soup in winter is also a specialty. Follow the signs 100 yards up from the main square and to the left around the corner.

For eating on the hoof, nothing beats a satiating pitta gyro or souvlaki. As you travel northwards in Greece, pitta bread becomes interchangeable with a soft and lightly toasted baguette. To Souvlaki tis Alexandras speedily serves these up, packed full with meat, fries, tomato and tzatziki (the creamy yogurt and garlic dip). They can also deliver to your hotel.

Up the hill toward the top of the village you will find this popular gathering spot with tables straddling a bridge that crosses the main thoroughfare. The menu consists of local favorites and most of the delicious produce is homegrown. You can't go wrong with a simple Greek salad and a plate of locally made and surprisingly tasty touloumotiri (a cheese left to mature in a goat's skin).

Unpretentious and overall unremarkable, this restaurant is justifiably famous for its freshly grilled paidakia (lamb chops), to be eaten with unabashed gusto by hand. It's always busy and always a great escape from an increasingly modernized city, but avoid the hima wine, which almost certainly leads to a headache. Enjoy your lamb with thick-cut fried potatoes that might have come from your yiayia's kitchen and perhaps some tzatziki or fava bean spread. The meat taverna's popularity led to the opening of a second branch farther down the same road and an extension across the pedestrianized Eptahalkou Street into a garden area.

Dine to the soothing sounds at this riverside tavern as the water makes its way over a series of steps. Cool and comfortable under the shade of lofty plane trees, this traditional taverna serves up your favorite Sfakian dishes. Homely and unsophisticated, plates are packed full of flavor from the neighboring farms and mountains. Open all day---come in for morning pancakes, enjoy a breezy lunch, or order meats from the grill for a meal under the stars.

When Rhodians want a traditional meal, they head to this simple little taverna on a residential street south of the walled city. Dining is in a plain room and on a sparkling-white terrace in warmer months, where you can compose a meal of such delicious mezedes as bakaliaros (salted cod) in garlic sauce, pumpkin fritters, and zucchini flowers filled with feta cheese. It's a bit of a walk, but worth it for the quality of food and to escape the hordes of the Old Town.

On one side there is a romantic terrace with grandstand views of the iconic hilltop Church of Komisis tis Theotkou, on the other a pretty garden with one of the old island buses repurposed as a dining room. Whichever you choose, the heart of the kitchen lies in the fresh pasta and pizza dough, handmade every day to old island traditions. Wines from neighboring islands are a good match for the local flavors or choose one of their innovative cocktails to salute the dying of the sun.

Occupying the same spot in the New Market since 1946, this traditional café has been trendily face-lifted but stays true to its roots with a menu of salty snacks, sticky sweets, and more substantial seafood dishes. Plenty of dishes here are homemade, laced with specialist local ingredients. It has an excellent value-to-quality ratio and is a hit while in this part of town.

Set at a tree-shaded crossroads in the depths of the countryside, Tristrato was formerly an old wayhouse and still retains many of the building's original features. It now functions as a restaurant where you're presented with whatever they've got cooking—generally a choice between meat or fish mezes with salads and dips, all traditionally Greek. The location at the head of two valleys means there's always a cool breeze for pleasant summer eating.

Abutting the Sanctuary of Poseidon and facing the sea, this multilevel taverna offers traditional Greek taverna fare. Open all day, a stone's throw from the beach, and away from the wind that blights much of Tinos, the art of the grill is key here. Local meats and homegrown vegetables feature and fresh fish is available, depending on the weather.

A tree shades the terrace and blue, multipaned storefront of the Tsinari Ouzeri, the last remaining Turkish-style coffeehouse (opened in 1850) and the only one to have survived the fire of 1917. During the 1920s it became the social hub for the refugees from Asia Minor who lived here. Now a café and ouzeri (a bar where appetizers are sold), it is especially popular before siesta time (12–2 pm) and gets busy again after 9 pm. Have an ouzo and share delicious appetizers such as melitzanonsalata (pureed eggplant salad), octopus, or charcoal-grilled sardines.

On the harborfront, two spoons is what you will need to share the delicious sweet creations from this cozy little coffee shop. Shaded waterside tables are just the place to enjoy decadent desserts all handmade on the premises. Fruit salads and healthy bowls are offered at breakfast but islanders flock here for the indulgent cheesecake, mille-feuille, and ice-cream creations.

In the Faragas area of town, overlooking the old market and in the shadow of the castle, Typografio gets its name from the former newspaper office it inhabits. Thick stone walls border charming terraces where local ingredients are put through their paces with some panache. Presentation is a step-up from most tavernas and the romantic setting is often accompanied by local musicians playing in the square below.

The excellent island cooking here is spiced up by the sea views, which you can savor from a seaside balcony table or right on the beach below. The mezedes menu includes traditional favorites like leek pie, fried eggplant, and smoked pork. Grilled lamb chops and other main courses are served as well. Live music is performed many nights, usually not earlier than around midnight—in fact, the restaurant's name, Tzivaeri, roughly translates as "my beloved" and is the name of a popular Greek folk song.

Chatty owner-manager Lefteris is reason enough to stop by this cute café, but it tempts also with its great coffee, tasty pastries, and ingredient-packed sandwiches---all freshly made every day. The brunch is a popular order.

Loved by the locals, this traditional Greek restaurant serves belly-busting portions of gyros, souvlaki, and grilled meats to queues of hungry diners. With plenty of outdoor seating shaded by the immense canopies of fragrant pine trees, and with pretty pendant mood lighting, it's a chilled out space to eat after a scorching day at the beach.

This delightful patisserie-cum-coffee shop in Dapia serves fresh cakes, chocolates, and the quintessentially Greek island almond macaroons.

Garden terrace views gazing out to Xi Beach and across to the island of Vardiani offer a feast for the eyes. The menu is no less satisfying, with some of the best boat-fresh shrimp you'll ever savor. The cocktails here are also some of the best on the peninsula.