222 Best Restaurants in Greece

It's the savvy locals' treasured secret—and one of Athens's oldest tavernas—where everyone wandering around Omonia Square has been welcomed through the years. Owner-chef Barba Mitsos keeps everyone happy with his handful of simple, delicious, and dirt-cheap homemade dishes, from the always exceptional horiatiki (Greek salad) and buttery gigantes (giant beans in tomato sauce) to saucy boiled meats with vegetables and tiny fried fish. Wine is drawn directly from the barrels lining the walls. As for decor, the feeling is authentic 1950s Athens. There is no sign on the door: just walk down the staircase of this corner Neoclassical building.

This friendly family-run spot is named for the 2,000-year-old "dopia" olive tree that grows in the front yard. It's the perfect retreat for a cool drink or a home-cooked meal in a nicely shaded garden terrace. They also sell their own honey.

A traditional Greek grillhouse with a homespun country vibe (all stone walls and shotguns). The owner's mother is in the kitchen, dishing up hunks of wild boar, pork chops, and succulent legs of lamb, their juices seeping over sides of fries or tagliatelle. The menu forever changes depending on what's fresh that day and what's left, so it's best to arrive early or not at all.  

For a lot of travelers a perfect day in Kardamyli includes a meal beneath the olive trees in the Elies garden, which stands directly across from the pebble beach that lines the coast here. A solid menu includes Greek classics, from grilled chops to gigantes (butter beans in a tomato sauce). It's comfort food, but made with skill and attention. And for those who find it hard to leave, 10 handsome apartments are also tucked away here in a cluster of stone cottages.

Blessed with a wonderful location by a wave-lapped jetty in the little waterfront Faliraki area north of the Old Fortress, En Plo offers everything from snacks and pizzas to a full meal. Enjoy mezedes, a big variety of salads, and interesting pastas. Book ahead as this unique spot gets very booked up.

Everything here is geared around the view of the beautiful Itea valley from the large, open veranda. Even in the colder months, a glass canopy protects the seating area and allows diners to look out year-round. Start with rooster soup and peppers stuffed with melted cheese. The house specialty is a must: the wild boar stifado is cooked with plenty of baby onions and fresh tomato sauce—the chef likes to add tasteful twists to traditional Greek recipes. The restaurant is a favorite with tourist groups, so it can get quite lively all of a sudden.

One of Heraklion's most traditional restaurants, just by Kazantzaki park, serves authentic local fare, mainly to a local crowd, far removed from the tourist havens in the center. Mouthwatering bite-size sfakianopita (pies), filled with cheese and honey, are a classic true taste of Crete, and the lamb and goat are always popular, as are tremendous keftedes (meatballs). The dining room is cozy, especially in colder seasons when the fireplace is lit, and the generous welcome is equally as warming.

At this spot on the main square, a local favorite since 1925, the Gkertsos family serves food prepared by the matriarch, Ketty. This taverna is known for hearty main courses—try Ketty's special wine-and-pepper chicken, veal, or pork stifado (stew)—and some specialties from Asia Minor, including tzoutzoukakia Smyrneika, aromatic meatballs in a red sauce laced with cumin. The surrounding hills and mountains are noted for goat and sheep rearing, and these meats are grilled to perfection here. Customers are ushered through the kitchen to place their order.

Named after a TV series that put Elounda on the map in the 1970s, Ferryman is the pick of the tavernas that crowd the waterfront. Dishes are a cut above, well presented, and with an emphasis on Cretan flavors that put fish, seafood, and locally reared meat in the spotlight. The open kitchen lets the chefs create culinary theater if you can tear your eyes away from the postcard views.

The reward for the trek to the highest point in Pyrgos is a seat at Franco's Café where cocktails and light snacks are served on breezy terraces overlooking the village, vineyards, and the sea. This spot is especially popular at sunset, but does a brisk business throughout the day, when the bar brews great coffee.

A local classic with vintage rustic charm (crackling fireplace included), situated in the town’s main square, this has been a go-to choice for quality local flavors for three decades. Try various homemade pies, a wide array of regional cheeses, trachanas (a Greek type of buttermilk-soaked pasta crumb, served here in an extra creamy rendition with feta and butter), local hylopytes pasta stewed with tomato sauce in a ceramic pot, local game, and kokoretsi (lamb’s intestines seasoned and cooked to a crisp on the spit).

For more than 30 years Mr. Vassilis has run this friendly place, where you can discover how Greek grandmothers cooked before the comforts of electricity were introduced to Epirus. The gastra is basically a large clay or iron container placed on a fire with hot coals scattered on the iron lid over the pot. Your meal (of lamb, chicken, or goat) roasts very slowly in its own juices, resulting in tender, juicy meat with a crispy outer skin. Even though the location is rather charmless, the great food has local diners coming in droves.

For nearly 50 years sunset dinners have been a specialty with views over the island and harbor from the large, wide veranda of this yellow-and-green-dressed charmer. Leave the fish dishes down in the harbor, up here the emphasis is on hearty meat—grilled lamb chops are nicely spiced, lamb is slow-roasted in earthenware pots, sausages are piquant and punchy, and the salads enormous and fresh.

Meals at this simple taverna, as popular with locals as it is with tourists, are served in a high-ceilinged, whitewashed dining room; or, on their terrace partially shaded by a grape arbor, which affords wonderful views over the sea and surrounding hills. Fish is a specialty, and simply prepared mezedes such as roasted peppers topped with feta cheese and fried zucchini are a great start to a meal here. The atmosphere is laid back and casual, but the food is exemplary.

Tucked away in a garden tangled up in stunning flowering vines, this fairly new family-run restaurant (whose location really lives up to its "secret garden" name) serves up food cooked by mom in the kitchen, with her two sons running the show out front. Dishes feature fresh, locally sourced ingredients and are paired with a thoughtfully curated wine list, with unusual picks. The kleftiko (slow-cooked lamb in parchment paper) is a showstopper.

Dimitris and Koula Kapris's beachfront taverna is popular both with sun worshippers on Agia Anna Beach and locals from Chora, who come here year-round to get away and sometimes to dance until the late hours, often to live music. The daily-changing menu is extensive and the fresh fish comes from the caïques that pull up at the dock right in front every morning.

A 10-minute walk east of the evening bustle on the main waterfront leads to this waterside gem. The accomplished Haritomeni has a lofty terrace with spectacular views over the bay. Like most places on the island, either eat early or book ahead as it fills up fast later on. The menu is decent value, with typical Greek mezedes dishes—calamari, fried saganaki cheese, papoutsakia (stuffed eggplant)—all crafted with skill and propping up meatier grilled fare.

Bright, multicolor decor sets this apart from your average grill shop as does the freshest of food. Family-run, the owners take a real pride in their establishment. Superclean, superfriendly, and all at superprices. Perfect for a just-off-the ferry souvlaki as well as for dinner.

Part grocery store, part taverna, this step back in time is the real deal for homecooked dishes. Matsata, a Folegandros specialty of handmade pasta with meat sauce and traditional soutoto cheese, is the star. Utterly charming and special, it feels like dining in somebody's living room.

Situated on Skiathos's stylish run of seafront restaurants, Kahlua draws in diners thanks to its distinctly bohemian feel, ample open-air seating, and ambient mood lighting. Reserve ahead for a spot by the seafront, where you'll have the best views of bobbing boats and sunsets. The Greek menu features plenty of exciting salads with fruity twists, but it's most-loved for its fresh seafood.

No Greek experience is complete without a quick gyro pita on the hoof. And if that's what you're after pop into Kai Kremmidi for the best of that ilk on Hydra. Also try the tasty lahmacun, an Arabic-style mini pizza topped with spiced ground meat and a squeeze of lemon. It's located a couple of blocks up from the harbor.

An ever-popular ouzeri and grill on shady Thassou Street in the Old Town is an almost mandatory stop while shopping along adjoining Ermou Street. Fresh grilled baby calamari and lightly fried courgette flowers stuffed with cheese are among many enticing bites that accompany the generous selection of ouzo. Some evenings local musicians come and play rembetiko (Greek folk music), which makes the ouzo taste even better.

In the quaint seaside village of Petra, this pretty garden restaurant set amid potted plants and vine-matted pergolas specializes in grilled meats. The usual gyros and souvlaki are offered but it serves traditional Greek favorites, too—lamb chops, kebabs with yogurt, and a wide selection of local cheeses. Family-owned and freshly spruced up, it's a popular spot for the locals who sit down to chit-chat over coffee throughout the day.

In a picturesque position next to the sunken ancient city of Olous, and the later canal from where it takes its name, Kanali serves elegant Greek seafood staples. Wooden furniture and an old stone building dressed with white furniture and ship lanterns lend it a shabby-chic air that could grace the seasides of Mykonos or Santorini. Fish is the main event, often simply grilled and always impeccably sourced. It may be little more than a beach shack dressed up in Gucci but the kitchen really delivers—a humble lunch here of salad, sardines, and a glass of wine can be a sublime experience, a world away from the nearby resort offerings.

Housed in a cool, airy building with modern and traditional touches, this lively example of a neo-taverna serves mama's cooking but infused with Gazi's creative energy. Regional specialties, great barrel wine served in lovely carafes, and a familial atmosphere make dining here a pleasure. Warning: when the neutral-tone interior gets busy, it gets almost psychedelically loud. Thankfully, there are outside tables on the street where you can dine in good weather.

Right on Lake Voulismeni, Karnagio is a riot of multicolor tables, shouted orders, and running waiters. Proud of their local products, the grill is the center of attention here with a wide selection of meat and fish. Salads and a meze selection top up the offerings and the outdoor square is a fun, lively place to spend a couple of hours. Be prepared to wait at busy times, though the staff hand out glasses of wine to queueing customers.

The friendly welcome of owner Petros is just the appetizer for a traditional Greek taverna where much of the produce served comes from the owner's personal farm. Gaze out from the pretty terrace over olive and lemon groves to the coast below as great juicy hunks of pork and fine stews arrive with thick wedges of potato, crispy at the tips. A post-prandial wander among its serene grounds is well advised.

With no telephone number or signs, this simple little family-run garden taverna would likely be missed if there wasn’t a constant line of people waiting to grab a table—in the summer, expect to wait up to an hour. The sea views of Agios Sostis Beach are relaxing, and the perfect thing to gaze at as you wait for your meat and fish dishes that will be expertly grilled on a barbecue. The specialty is the pork cutlet but most traditional Greek tavern dishes are served with salads and creamy dips. To find it, head down a few steps toward Agios Sostis, but before the beach, off the paved walkway, follow the smell of barbecue and look for a line of hungry people.

Devotees of loukoumades, deep-fried balls of dough soaked in honey, find ample satisfaction at this family-run café. Selections come in a multitude of preparations including with hazelnut praline, dark chocolate, white toffee, and sour cherry sauces. Combinations of several can be ordered by the skewer. If you don't have a sweet tooth, more lunch-friendly versions come with cheese, bacon, and sesame.

The name means "ark of flavors" and the number one bakery in Milos is the place for breakfast in the shaded yard, or to stock up on lunch essentials before a trip to the remote beaches.