In depth 1
Our in-depth guides.
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The back story
Greek island food: what to eat where
Island by island: Santorini fava and tomatoes, Naxos cheese, Sifnos clay-pot dishes, Cretan cooking and more.

94 of the best · Greek Islands, Greece
Grilled fish on the quay, clay-pot dishes, caldera tasting menus and mountain tavernas.
Our 94 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love the Greek islands.
Worth the queue
A tiny hillside taverna above Agios Sostis, with a charcoal grill and a counter of salads; no reservations.
Santorini on a plate
A pioneer of Santorini fine dining, cooking with the island’s tomatoes, fava, capers and white aubergines.
One of the Cyclades’ great tables
A sought-after restaurant on the rocks below Kastro, built on the island’s fish and produce.
Our in-depth guides.
The back story
Island by island: Santorini fava and tomatoes, Naxos cheese, Sifnos clay-pot dishes, Cretan cooking and more.
Restaurants in the Cyclades.
Fish by the little harbour
A family restaurant by the sea in the fishing village of Aliki, with traditional dishes and fresh fish.
Dinner over the caldera
A long-running caldera-view restaurant in Fira, with Greek and Mediterranean cooking, seafood and sunset tables.
Lunch among the vines
A courtyard restaurant at the Artemis Karamolegos Winery, pairing island produce with the estate’s wines.
Long lunches on the sand
A restaurant on Platis Gialos beach where Greek cooking meets a modern style.
Naxos’ most praised table
A countryside taverna cooking Naxian meat, cheese and vegetables with flair.
Ouzo among the caiques
A harbourside ouzeri on Naoussa’s old port, serving fish and meze since the 1960s.
From its own farm
A contemporary Greek restaurant in Trypiti with seasonal cooking and ingredients from its own farm.
Breakfast over the Old Port
A café, restaurant and cocktail bar with panoramic views of the Old Port, from breakfast and brunch to cocktails.
One of the Cyclades’ great tables
A sought-after restaurant on the rocks below Kastro, built on the island’s fish and produce.
Sunset at Agios Georgios
A family-run seafood taverna on the water at Agios Georgios, Antiparos, with sunset views towards Despotiko.
Parikia across the bay
A stylish restaurant facing Parikia across the bay, made for sunset drinks and dinner.
Lunch at the end of a dirt road
A lone taverna above a wild north-coast beach, far from the south-coast crowds.
On the Pollonia waterfront
Fresh fish and Greek dishes at tables looking over the boats of Pollonia.
The fish lovers’ choice
A family ouzeri on the quay of Piso Livadi, known for perfectly grilled fish and seafood.
Since 1973
A family fish taverna at remote Heronissos, grilling the catch from its own boats since 1973.
Looking across to Delos
A beachfront seafood restaurant at Agios Ioannis, with the sacred island of Delos on the horizon.
Above the harbour
A terrace in Ano Syros looking over Ermoupoli, with seafood, meze and local wines.
Once there was a little boat
Inventive Mediterranean dishes in a pretty courtyard in town.
Honest food in Fira
A family-run taverna in Fira with traditional dishes at fair prices.
Worth the queue
A tiny hillside taverna above Agios Sostis, with a charcoal grill and a counter of salads; no reservations.
Fifty years on Ornos beach
A family restaurant on Ornos beach, run by the same family for about fifty years.
Mountain lunch
A flower-filled veranda in Apiranthos serving the hearty food of inland Naxos.
Cosy in the lanes
An atmospheric favourite in Chora with Greek and Mediterranean dishes at fair prices.
Every table faces the caldera
A cliffside restaurant below Oia with terraces arranged for uninterrupted caldera views.
Dinner at Platis Gialos
A Mediterranean restaurant at Platis Gialos, the long sandy beach on the south coast.
Revithada and mastelo
A taverna by Vathi bay known for the island’s slow-cooked clay-pot dishes.
Seafood in Piso Livadi
A fish taverna in the harbour village of Piso Livadi on the east coast.
A Greek taverna north of town
A Greek taverna near Agios Stefanos, north of Mykonos Town.
Nobu Matsuhisa in the Cyclades
Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japanese fusion cooking with Aegean ingredients, near Naoussa.
Octopus by the cove
A taverna on the rocks above the cove of Mandrakia, known for grilled octopus and meze.
Meze in the lanes
A much-loved taverna in the old-town lanes for sharing meze and grills.
The locals’ favourite
A hillside taverna inland, recommended by locals for generous Greek and Cretan-influenced cooking.
Fish in the old lanes
A seafood restaurant in the Lakka quarter of Mykonos Town, with fresh fish, pasta and cocktails.
Simple food by the sea
A family taverna with tables almost on the beach at Agia Anna.
Seafood with a twist
A seafood restaurant in Adamas with Greek cooking given a modern twist.
Farm to table, joyfully
A rustic, cheerful taverna near Adamas cooking produce from the family farm.
Modern seafood plates
A small, much-praised spot for modern seafood small plates and wine, steps from the sand.
Mykonian farm cooking
A farmhouse restaurant outside Ano Mera serving the island’s own recipes and produce.
Sunset at the old port
Home-made Greek food from local ingredients at the old port and yacht marina, five minutes’ walk from town.
Santorini on a plate
A pioneer of Santorini fine dining, cooking with the island’s tomatoes, fava, capers and white aubergines.
Matsata with rabbit
A rural taverna in Ano Meria serving matsata with local meat or rabbit.
Cooked by the volcano
A beach restaurant where dishes are slow-cooked in pots buried in the hot sand.
Dinner in a sea cave
A seafood restaurant built into a natural cave at the water’s edge near Kalafatis.
Rooftop taverna in Fira
A family taverna on a rooftop in Fira, with traditional Greek dishes and a view across to the caldera.
A garden table in Parikia
A charming garden restaurant where French technique meets Parian produce.
Dinner facing the sunset
A beachfront restaurant with a Greek kitchen on Agios Prokopios, facing the sunset.
Where the name says it all
A Greek restaurant in Naxos Town with home-style island cooking.
Traditional by the windmills
One of the oldest restaurants on Ios, serving traditional food near the windmills.
Dinner facing the Portara
A stylish restaurant and wine bar with a terrace facing the Portara.
Sifnian home cooking
A small taverna in a quiet corner of Kato Petali with all the traditional dishes of Sifnos.
From the family’s own land
A village taverna near the kouros of Melanes, cooking produce from the family’s farm.
Modern cooking in Parikia
A restaurant in Parikia with modern Greek and Mediterranean cooking based on fresh ingredients.
Restaurants on Hydra and the Saronic Gulf.
Sunset over Kamini harbour
A taverna above the little harbour of Kamini, known for fish and the sunset.
Feet almost in the sea
A family-run traditional taverna at Marathonas, open for lunch and dinner by the sea.
Seafood by the water in Perdika
A fish restaurant on the waterfront at Perdika, known for its location by the sea and its seafood.
Fish by the sea
A Greek and Mediterranean restaurant by the sea between Dapia and the Old Harbour, known for fish.
The oldest taverna on the island
A fish taverna in Kounoupitsa that calls itself the oldest taverna on Spetses.
Fish in Kamini
A simple family taverna in Kamini, with fresh fish and Greek dishes.
Home cooking on the beach
A taverna on the beach at Megalo Neorio with traditional Greek home cooking.
Modern Greek by the sea
A restaurant and social space in a restored building on the coastal path west of the harbour, with modern Greek cooking and sea views.
Under the old trees
A long-running taverna on a leafy square in the lanes behind the harbour.
Restaurants in Crete.
Restaurants in the Dodecanese.
Restaurants in the Ionian.
Breakfast, coffee, pastries and ice cream.
Pistachio sweets since 1958
A historic patisserie in Aegina Town, making sweets and ice cream since 1958.
Loukoumades in Oia
A casual spot in the heart of Oia for breakfast, street food, loukoumades (Greek doughnuts) and ice cream.
A green courtyard in Fira
A garden café and wine restaurant in the centre of Fira, open from morning coffee to dinner.
Breakfast and cakes in Chora
A café in Naxos Town for breakfast, coffee, cakes and ice cream.
A meeting point in Filoti
A café and taverna in the heart of Filoti, the mountain village below Mount Zas.
Breakfast and crêpes in Oia
A small café-crêperie in Oia for breakfast, coffee, crêpes, waffles and ice cream, with a view.