The 21 best restaurants in Crete
Don't come to Crete expecting Michelin stars. In Crete (as every restaurant owner will proudly tell you) the ingredients for your dinner sprang fresh from the soil under your feet. Some of the best restaurants are rustic tavernas with rusting signs, where you'll listen to the click of komboloi worry beads as you (according to season) taste meze portions of stuffed snails, wild greens or lemon-drizzled artichokes, served with Cretan rusk dakos twice-baked in the village oven. No stars, perhaps, but dazzling all the same – and you won't pay a fortune, either.
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Best all-rounders
Kritamon
A cluster of tree-shaded wooden tables grouped around ancient trees are the humble backdrop for a dazzling display of dishes, many of which that you won't find elsewhere. Look for delicate handmade skoufichta pasta (with mushroom); maggiri, a dish of fresh pasta (part fried, part boiled) in a meaty broth scattered with shavings of white cheese; and hilopites egg noodles with chicken chunks in a rich, dark sauce. Owner Dimitris Mavrakis learnt his trade from Alain Ducasse and other top chefs, before settling here, with his wife Maria, in the busy little village of Archanes, located 15 kilometres (nine miles) south of Heraklion.
Area:Archanes
Website: kritamon.gr
Prices:££
Reservations:Recommended
Peskesi
When dietician Panagiotos Magganas opened his groundbreaking farm restaurant 12 years ago, locals thought he was mad. Since then his gloriously atmospheric taverna, set in a huddle of stone houses that once belonged to a Byzantine church, has become a firm favourite. Produce sourced from Magganas' 60-acre biodynamic farm is used to create sumptuous dishes including avronies, wild asparagus, in broth; creokakkavo pork, slow cooked with honey and herbs (a dish dating back to Minoan times); and katsikaki stamnagathi, kid goat dished up with Cretan superfood wild chicory.
Area:Heraklion
Website: peskesicrete.gr
Prices:£££
Reservations:Recommended
Peskesi is a farm-to-table restaurant that sources ingredients on site - Peskesi
Maiami
As bright and breezy as the art of its New York-born owner, Alexandra Manousakis' hip and happening brasserie on the seafront in Chania's Koum Kapi district serves a string of creative dishes that are as joyful as the décor. Topping the luscious list are the plump grilled oyster mushrooms drizzled with a peanut and lime aioli emulsion, and the playful Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde pizza topped with mozzarella, charred broccoli and salty white goat's cheese, kefalotyri – with roasted almonds on the Jekyll half and fermented peppers on the Hyde half.
Area:Chania
Website: maiamichania.com
Prices:££
Reservations:On weekends
The menu at Maiami is as vibrant and creative as the vibe
Thigaterra
The Greek expression siga siga (slowly, slowly) takes on another meaning at this taverna, member of the Slow Food Movement, where raw, organically grown ingredients sourced from local producers are used to create dishes that burst with flavour. Served on stocky wooden tables squeezed between chunky stone walls and framed by lofty wooden-raftered ceilings, standouts include crusty smoked pies stuffed with tomatoes and pancetta, and melt-in-the-mouth goat fricassee swimming in a garlicky, lemony avgolemono sauce.
Area:Heraklion
Website: thigaterra.gr
Prices:££
Reservations:Recommended
Slow food and fresh Cretan produce is the focus at Thigaterra
Best for fine dining
La Bouillabaisse
A short drive from Agios Nikolaos, the latest venture of celebrity chef Yiannis Baxevanis stands on a deck overlooking the wide-mirrored curve of Mirabello Bay The menu changes according to the season, but Baxevanis' – known locally as the "aroma magician" – creative take on Mediterranean and Cretan cuisine translates as a series of standout dishes. One of my favourite dishes is the tender kleftiko lamb marinated in garlic, lemon juice and olive oil and slow-cooked in parchment. Dishes are paired with spicy reds and crisp whites from some of Crete's best wineries.
Area:Agios Nikolaos
Website: minosbeach.com
Prices:£££
Reservations:Recommended
Dine overlooking the turquoise waters of Mirabello Bay at La Bouillabaisse - Bluegr Hotels
Ferryman Taverna
Originally overseen by celebrity chef Yiannis Baxevanis, this waterside tavern, which has been open since the 1970s, attracts the likes of Leonardo di Caprio and Lady Gaga. Although Baxevanis' place has been taken by another skilled chef, the restaurant still has lashings of star appeal, from the velvety white cod roe taramasalata to the slow-cooked lamb with artichoke puree. Don't miss the charcoal-grilled carob pie.
Area:Agios Nikolaos
Website: ferryman.gr
Prices:£££
Reservations:Essential
Alibertos
Named after the Cretan word for "free", you certainly feel unfettered at local chef Giorgos Badogiannis's taverna in the laid-back village of Kounoupidiana. Ardent lover of life's finer things, the walls of Badogiannis' taverna display the work of Greek artists. This ties up neatly with the use of what he describes as "undervalued ingredients" to make a smorgasbord of intriguing dishes – like beef tartare with turnip pickle and wild mushroom-stuffed ravioli – that ooze flavour.
Area:Chania
Website: alibertos.gr
Prices:£££
Reservations:Recommended
The food at Alibertos is refined yet the atmosphere remains serene and comfortable
Apiri Greek Eatery
Scandi gastro culture meets the best Cretan ingredients at chef Stefanos Lavrenidis' low-key bistro away from the frenetic bustle of Heraklion's touristic centre. Previously executive chef at Daios Cove, one of Crete's most luxurious resorts, Lavrenidis was inspired by chefs like Noma's René Redzepi when creating beautifully plated signature dishes like the delicate smoked sea bass steeped in a lemon, seaweed and sea urchin emulsion or Macedonian sausage meat ( kavourmas) and fried egg-topped mushroom fricassee.
Area:Heraklion
Contact:0030 281 034 2228; facebook.com/apirigreekeatery
Prices:£££
Reservations:Recommended
Apiri is a coming together of Scandi and Cretan food culture
Almyvyta
Housed in a beautifully restored Venetian building with high vaulted ceilings and massive chandeliers, there's plenty of culinary magic to match the scenery at Michelin-starred chef Ettore Botrini's latest venture in Chania's old port. Unctuous beef tartare with parmesan cheese, black truffle and chilli-spiced egg yolk star alongside linguine with plump mussels, slivers of artichokes and lemon confit.
Area:Chania
Website: almyvita.gr
Prices:£££
Reservations:Recommended
Best for families
Leventis
The best restaurants are often in the hardest-to-find places – Leventis, a hole-in-the wall taverna in the backstreets of upper Stalos, is no exception. Owners Giorgos and Panagiotis Chatzimanolakis have (justly) received countless awards for their hearty traditional Cretan cuisine: dishes like xoirino me selino (pork with celery) and the wine drenched kouneli stifado (rabbit stew) are the best you're likely to taste on this side of the Aegean.
Area:Chania
Contact:0030 28210 68155; facebook.com/Leventis-Taverna
Prices:££
Reservations:Advised
Agreco Farm
Owned by the local Grecotel luxury resort chain, this stone-hewn mock up of a 17th-century Venetian village surrounded by olive groves near Rethymno aims to showcase Cretan cuisine and rural life – and it's surprisingly authentic. Before sitting to eat at rough-hewn wooden benches, guests are led out to see the copper pot where the farm's raki is made, sample the home-produced organic olive oil, and meet the goats whose less fortunate fellows will later be on a set menu, which includes fried quail, wheat-stuffed zucchini flowers, and antikristo lamb cooked over a blazing fire.
Area:Rethymno
Website: agreco.gr
Prices:£££
Reservations:Essential
Agreco is as much a show-piece of rural life on the island as it is of Cretan cuisine
Onisimos
Farm-to-table eating is becoming increasingly popular in Cretan culinary circles, and this striking stone-clad restaurant where all the raw ingredients are sourced locally – or come from the owner's organically run smallholding – offers some of the best. Along uneven paved streets of the village of Peza, surrounded by endless fields of furled green vines that produce two thirds of the island's wines, this rustic taverna's cosy plant-filled interior is a perfect backdrop for Crete's hearty specialties, including wine-simmered lamb dish, arni tsigariasto and rich beef and onion stew, stifado.
Area:Heraklion
Website: tavernaonisimos.gr
Prices:££
Reservations:Recommended
Kalliotzina
Open since 1954, this traditional taverna on the waterfront near Koutsouras has been taken over by the original owner's children, who've done little to change the whimsical décor or the simple, hearty food. On the tree-shaded terrace packed with flowering plants and walls decorated with Knossos-inspired frescoes, expect handpicked pumpkin flowers stuffed with rice and pine nuts, snails shiny with garlic sauce, or the catch of the day with a side of handcut fries.
Area:Koutsouras
Website: tavernakalliotzina.gr
Prices:££
Reservations:Recommended
Kalliotzina's tree-shaded terrace is the perfect setting to enjoy the simple, hearty menu
Dixalo
Don't expect translated menus at this rustic gem hidden away in a vine-covered, squat stone building, situated within striking distance of the quad biking hordes, bars and souvenir shops of Hersonissos. It might be all Greek to you, but the friendly waiters (who are mostly family members) will be happy to explain the different charms of traditional dishes like dakos, cretan rusks drizzled with pulped tomato and piled with mizythra , a white sheep's cheese. Classic spit-roasted meats and chunky Greek salads are also on offer.
Area:Hersonissos
Contact:Chersonisou, Iraklio 712 01; 0030 2897 024000
Prices:££
Reservations:On weekends and local feast days
Best for cheap eats
I Strofi tis Gefseis
Vyzari is some 40 kilometres (24 miles) from Rethymnon, but it's well worth making a detour to meet papa (priest) Manolis Stavroulaki, and energetic wife Eleni who cooks what are probably the best deep-fried, honey-doused, doughnut-like loukoumades in Crete. The tiny tavern, sheltered beneath fat-leaved mulberry trees, is on a bend in the road, hence the name, which literally means "the bend of flavours". Manoli greets you with a tumbler of raki, whilst Eleni heads for the garden to pick vegetables to make crisp courgette fritters ( kolokokithedes ), creamy pasta, béchamel and minced beef dish ( pastítsio ), and other home-cooked delights.
Area:Vyzari
Contact:0030 28330 41258; facebook.com/hstrofithsgeusis
Prices:£
Reservations:Walk-ins only
Dounias
Some of the best food in Crete is found away from the coast and Dounias is no exception. It's in the foothills of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains); during the winding drive to get here your appetite is whetted by hot odours of thyme and oregano baked on rugged slopes. Owner Stelios Trilirakis learnt his trade in Chania's restaurants, before taking over his parents' remote tavern. He scorns electricity and toils over big clay pots above a log fire to produce gardoumakia (sheep's intestine meze), creamy rabbit casserole and other traditional dishes flavoured with pungent mountain herbs.
Area:Lefka Ori
Website: ntounias.gr
Prices:££
Reservations:Recommended
Xatheri
A traditional hamlet high in the Dikti mountain range near east Crete capital Agios Nikolaos, Koustas is home to several excellent tavernas but Xatheri is up there with the best. Grab a seat on the pavement outside this family-run mezedopoleio (a taverna mainly serving meze snacks) and wait for vlita wild greens dressed with olive oil and a drizzle of lemon, marathopita (wafer thin flaky fennel pies); wild mushrooms in a rich meaty sauce and other meze snacks to arrive.
Area:Agios Nikolaos
Prices:££
Website: xatheri.gr
Reservations:Recommended
Family-run Xatheri serves delicious meze in a traditional hamlet
Thromyli
Played with lyra and laouto, lively Cretan music is the island's soul. In the time-locked village of Ardaktos, you can feel some of the local fervour at this traditional century-old kafenion, owned by Alexandros Papadakis, one of the island's best loved lyra players. Of course the live music is excellent, but the food is not to be sniffed at either. Papadakis only serves a few meze each day, generally using foraged ingredients – like crispy pies stuffed with wild greens and snails swimming in garlicky sauce – all washed down with the local white spirit raki.
Area:Ardaktos
Contact:0030 69781 66168
Prices:£
Reservations:No
Best for walk-ins
Karnagio
Tavernas dotted around Voulismeni, the so-called bottomless lake (it's actually 64 meters deep) tend to be touristy, but local-loved Karnagio is definitely an exception. Seated at colourful tables clustered beneath the shade of a sprawling vine you can expect huge – and very affordable – portions served up with a big smile, and spectacular lake views. The young chef's local dishes with a modern twist include meltingly tangy local goats cheese, pan-seared and served with fresh fruit; patates tis yiayas, olive oil-fried potatoes topped with creamy xinomyzithra cheese. Mains include luscious astakomakaronada , lobster spaghetti; velvety fish moussaka; and various meats which are grilled on a charcoal fire near your table. There are also several vegan dishes and kid-pleasing salmon burgers.
Area:Agios Nikolaos
Website: karnagio.gr
Prices:££
Reservations:Recommended
Vira Potzi is as close to the sea (and the catch of the day) as it gets
Vira Potzi
This family-run seafood taverna in Ierapetra, Europe's southernmost city, is so close to the harbour you can watch the fishermen buzzing back and forth in their traditional kaiki fishing boats bringing in the catch that will appear on your plate later. Brine-fresh dishes here include the fish carpaccio, the shrimp linguine swimming in a luscious bisque sauce, and the lightly grilled calamari served on a velvety bed of yellow split pea puree fava.
Area:Ierapetra
Website: virapotzi.gr
Prices:££
Reservations:Only on weekends
Plateia tou Syntagmatos
The high-flung mountain village of Anogiea is a place of pilgrimage for Greeks who go there to visit the museum dedicated to local son Nikos Xylouris, the "archangel of Crete". Almost as popular with pilgrims is the village's 150-year-old kafenion (it's one of the island's oldest) owned by the family of Vassilis Skoulas, another well-known Cretan musician. For a big dose of authentic local life nothing beats sitting by this cafe's old fashioned somba (wood burning stove) and faded walls lined with ancient photographs, sipping tumblers of the Skoulas' family's raki and saucers of hearty meze.
Area:Anogia
Contact: facebook.com/mixaloskafeneio
;00 30 2834 031396
Prices:£
Reservations:No
Best table:By the somba when it's chilly; beneath ancient mulberry trees out on the terrace when it's warm.
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
