462 Best Restaurants in Greece

On the road to the windmills, this is the prettiest place to relax over breakfast. Under a bougainvillea shade, healthy plates of yogurt, muesli, and fruits are perfect pick-me-ups to start the day, alongside classic eggs and crepes.

Breakfast is served with a genuine smile at this friendly, family-run café, with superbly comfortable seating facing out to the crystal clear blues of Roussoum beach. The food here is nothing pioneering, but it's familiar, tasty, and well-priced.

Many a late-night craving in Volos has been satisfied at this gourmet creperie near the waterfront. It's not just the sweetness or savoriness of the dishes that stimulate hunger pangs, but the inventiveness of combinations by chef and owner Konstantinos Siatras in dishes like bitter chocolate crepes with sauteed orange and cinnamon, and salmon with vegetables and pink pepper. More fun, however, is to let Siatras play consultant to the moment's desire. An excellent selection of beers and cocktails also adds to the late-night vibe . . . and munchies. Saturday night features a DJ.

Crumb not only serves great coffee but also the best healthy options in Heraklion. Eggs are offered in a variety of ways, alongside energy boosting drinks and fruit-laden bowls. The shaded outside tables are an ideal place to reflect and recharge before returning to the fray of the city center.

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.

Small metal tables line either side of a steep pedestrian road leading from across the St. George hotel right under Lycabettus down to Dexameni Square, where one can peek through the glass to see the ancient Roman aqueduct. Throughout the year the greenery-surrounded café serves coffee, refreshments, and meze dishes to a chatty, vibrant crowd of all ages and styles. On the square you'll also find Cine Dexameni, one of Athens's old open-air cinemas that operates throughout the summer, and a playground.

Locals claim this is one of Sparta's best restaurants, but then again, most head out to village tavernas for a big meal and leave this place to the tour-bus crowd. Even so, the food is reliably good. The classic specialties include a fish dish made with garlic, wine, oil, and rusks; bardouniotiko (chicken cooked with cheese and olives); and, occasionally, sheep's heads cooked on a spit. The tree-shaded garden rounds out a perfect meal.

Excellent food and true Greek filoxenia (hospitality) await at the combination tourist shop, café, and three-meal-a-day restaurant. Recommended are the loukanika (sausages); rolled, spiced, and spit-roasted meat; and the excellent yemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers) and papoutsakia (eggplant halves baked with cheese, spiced ground beef, and garlicy tomato sauce). If you want to try the specialty of the area, katsikaki sti souvla (roasted goat on a spit), order at least a day ahead. The krasi hima (house barrel wine) is locally produced, and the owners also serve homemade tsipouro (the Greek version of grappa) in a small carafe served with snacks.

This famous, historic restaurant has often been featured in movies due to its astounding location, looking out onto exquisite views of the Acropolis, and it has been a favored dining spot for the world's glitterati for decades. Today's plush establishment serves confident Modern Greek dishes with classic snacks and brunch dishes available during the day, while in the evening the restaurant offers beautifully presented plates that riff on traditional Greek ingredients allied to bold contemporary techniques. A far-reaching wine card and attentive service make this a must visit for those in search of quality cooking allied to an unforgettable view.

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.

Airy blue-on-blue sofas and chairs look over the lake here, with a menu dreamed up by sweets lovers. Waffles, pancakes, and toasts are offered, but it is really all about the ice cream---up to 45 flavors are offered.

A jetty juts out into the sea and is a memorable setting for lunch, while on calm nights the moon playing off the water makes this quiet outpost on the southern end of the island one of the most romantic spots around. By day it's not unusual to see fish being hauled into the kitchen fresh from the docks. Lobster spaghetti, a quick meal fishermen used to prepare in their boats, is the specialty, and the fresh catch kept on ice is nicely grilled and served with generous salads.

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.  

On a tiny street, across from Takis Bakery, one of Athens's best, is a small spot with outside seats that serves coffee and fresh juices in the morning and turns into something quite different from noon. As the clock strikes noon, you'll hear bubbles and the chatter intensify as drinks (especially Spudorato and other Buglioni wines from Italy, Aperol spritzes, and craft beer from Tinos island) are poured into glasses. These are happily paired with premium cold cuts and cheeses from Greece and around the world. The charcuterie and spritzes are served until midnight.

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.

Chef Adam Kontovas turns fusion on its head with bold pairings and fearless flavors. Falafel with soy mayo, citrus-lacquered octopus, or umami-rich eggplant tartlets say it all. The space is raw yet refined, with an upstairs glass box for the full view. This is one for the curious and creatively inclined.

The smart option for tasty street food in Fira—the Middle Eastern--inspired dishes are a delight here—quick, healthy, and inexpensive. There is a small indoor dining area but the steps and benches outside are a great place to swap tips and photos with fellow travelers.

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.

Sit on the waterfront terrace and watch the boats heading in and out of the marina at this lovely waterside restaurant. Choose from whatever fish is fresh that day—it could be sea bream, mullet, sole, squid, or snapper—accompanied by a great range of zesty, garlicky side dishes.

For innovative street food look no further than Folk. This Americana-style diner has a modest but creative menu. Beef burger with feta sauce, lettuce, tomato and crispy pear chips, a mizo tsatsiki chicken sandwich, a soft brioche filled with rib-eye fillets, orange mayonnaise, pickled cucumber, tomato, arugula and melted cheddar. For vegetarians there is the option of celeriac gyro pita with leak cream, pickled apple and popcorn.

In a former tomato cannery off the Agios Georgios section of Perivolos Beach, Forty One is a chic, stylish destination for fine Mediterranean dishes, with a calming sea view. Besides creatively presented favorites like regional salads, risotto, pasta, and freshly grilled seafood plates, there is a sushi menu and a host of creative cocktails that make a fine accompaniment to taking in the black-beach sunset.

This is a fantastic little Greek bakery filled with myriad honey-soaked and cheese-covered treats, ranging from baklava to bagel-style kalouri and pizza-like peinirli. It's perfect for a midmorning snack or lunchtime treat.

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).