9 Best Restaurants in The Saronic Gulf Islands, Greece

The go-to taverna for the islanders, Tholos is nestled in the pine forest spilling down from the Temple of Aphaia on the road down to Agia Marina. The wonderful views through the trees down to the sea are complemented by the flavorsome rustic dishes served at this establishment. Meat grilled to your taste is the staple here. The veal in a rich herby tomato sauce with macaroni is another favorite, and most of the vegetables are either home-grown or locally sourced. Another reason to dine here is to take a welcome hiatus from the somewhat frenetic summer high-season energy that grips the rest of the island.

Don't leave Hydra without some traditional almond macaroons in your suitcase. The Tsagkaris family, led by octogenarian matriarch Anna Tsagkari, have been lovingly making them in their workshop for nearly a century.

Ask a local to name the best restaurant in Aegina, and the response is invariably Vatzoulias. In summer the garden is a pleasant oasis, scented with jasmine and honeysuckle; in winter, nestle inside the cozy dining room to dine on expertly prepared taverna classics. Eggplant in garlic sauce or zucchini croquettes are can't-go-wrong starters. Continue with a dish such as veal in red sauce; thick, juicy grilled pork chops; or moussaka, oven-baked eggplant and potatoes with ground meat enlivened with cinnamon and a wonderfully fluffy béchamel. In winter try the hare stew. A 10-minute walk from Aegina Town center gets you to this rustic taverna where only dinner is served, and only on four evenings a week, usually Wednesday and weekends.

Tables sit right in the sand, a few feet from the waterline, and platters of grilled octopus, sardines, and ouzo-friendly mezedes land fast and fresh. Owner Pavlos and his wife Lia open from breakfast till midnight; come early for coffee and loukoumades (doughnuts), stay late for moonlit seafood at prices locals praise as old-school Aegina.

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.

This family-run taverna, a father-to-son legacy, hides behind a stone-walled garden on a nameless back lane in town. Charismatic Dimitris moonlights as a fisherman, so whatever he nets at dawn lands sizzling on the grill by dusk. Enjoy sea-bream and red mullet, graze on classic mezedes—silky fava, vineleaf dolmades, and crisp kolokithokeftedes (courgette fritters) dusted with mint. Take note the house wines go down very easily.

The owners of this spot are as unapologetic about the bad pun in their name as they are about the supertasty souvlaki they dish out. Order traditional gyro or souvlaki wrapped in a lightly grilled pita bread, to eat in or take out. They even cater to vegetarians, with haloumi, fresh summer veggies, or mushrooms wrapped in pita bread.

Fast food all over Greece usually consists of souvlaki or gyro wrapped in a pita and that is available at Tenekdakia, but this spot also has the added draw of being in a superb harbor-front location. The pork gyro is crispy yet juicy and the pita is also stuffed full with fries, onion, tomato, and cooling tzatziki. By the way, if you're missing spicy heat (rarely found in Greek food) make sure to ask for a generous sprinkling of tongue tingling hot red pepper.

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.