Greece is a paradise for food lovers – but it has become increasingly difficult to find really good restaurants among the many new places that pop up everywhere tourists go. Crete is the biggest island in Greece, and the most important target for tourism in the country. This means a vast choice of restaurants but also a difficult choice if you want to eat really well. Also, Greece doesn’t yet have culinary guidebooks like the Osterie d’Italia in Italy.

My experience over the last years in both Greece and Italy was that due to Overtourism, the quality of food in restaurants has been going down on average. For a restaurant owner, the incentive of saving as much as they can on food cost is just too high – many tourists are not very demanding, and they will most likely not come back. Many people nowadays are happy with a romantic vista, some live music and average grilled food. But not me. So here’s what I discovered on recent trips to Crete in Greece.

Go where the locals eat

One of the rules I have found to be true for eating well is to stay away from touristic hotspots. Many traditional restaurants that cater to locals as well as Greek tourists from other places within the country, for example Athens, are a bit off the beaten track. But not always. A good reference has always been to ask knowledgeable locals for recommendations, and to heavily use hotel concierges – always with the clear request to name places where they would take their own family.

Also, another ground rule that helps avoid tourist traps is that I never, ever enter a restaurant where the staff is trying to pull me in by saying things like “do you want to have dinner, we have nice seafood, table for two?” when I pass by. It may seem a bit random, but I have found that trait to be a fantastic indicator of bad to mediocre quality.

Finding true traditional Cretan Food

There are several culinary hot spots in Crete, which is a large island. Those are:

• Chania
• Rethymnon
• Heraklion
• Agios Nikolaos
• Elounda

Let’s look at each of those areas.

Restaurants in Chania

Chania is a charming old city with an ancient Venetian harbor and lots of culture. It is still less crowded than other areas of Crete, and tourism here is a bit more sophisticated than on the rest of the island. The choice of restaurants is overwhelming, and especially around the harbor the wait staff will be fighting over you. But there are fantastic places to discover – in fact, more than in any of the other Cretan cities.

Kaiki Seafood Restaurant
This seafood place is right on the small fishing harbor, and just a bit off the beaten path as this is not Chania’s main harbor. Lots of local guests and several recommendations made us go there, and we were not disappointed. Fantastic fresh fish and seafood right from the docks. Nice harbor vistas.

Oinopiio
Located in the old town of Chania, this modern rustic restaurant recreates a traditional Cretan tavern and prides itself on slow-food type traditional dishes and local wine. Their lamb is fantastic, and they have a vast amount of cheese dishes made with Cretan local products.

To Stachi
Amazing Greek food does not necessarily have to put meat on the center stage – this little place in a side street is focusing on vegetarian Greek cuisine. Expect fantastic dishes made from local produce like Cretan Spinach, Fava beans, Aubergines and lots more.

Periplous
One of the most refined restaurants of Chania, with perfect views right by the sea. Traditional dishes interpreted in a modern way. A must if traveling through Chania.

Restaurants in Rethymno

Rethymno is another smaller city in the West of the island, with a lot of tourism but maintaining a historic charm. Their choice of gourmet restaurants is quite good. Here are a few that I recommend.

Hasika
Refined traditional Cretan cooking in a beautiful atmosphere. The restaurant is located in the Venetian old town of Rethymno. They take traditional recipes and give them a modern twist, or deconstruct them and rearrange ingredients in a completely new way.

Avli
The restaurant calls itself “rustic fine dining”, and this is exactly what you get. The concept of taking true traditional recipes and ingredients and putting them into a refined setting works usually well in Greece, as long as the quality is high. In this pick, it is superb.

Raki Baraki
Located just next to Avli, Raki Ba Raki is a modern version of the typical Greek Meze restaurant, which are traditional small plates intended to be shared and usually also a good starting point with aperitifs or wine. To be honest, I could survive in Greece on Meze dishes, making this a fantastic choice.

Tavern Androulidakis
Located way outside the city in the foothills of the mountains, this tavern is part of a small boutique hotel. It is a rustic, traditional setting serving local recipes done the old style. Come here to experience something not entirely done for the traditional tourist.

Restaurants in Heraklion

Heraklion, the capital of Crete, has a vast choice of restaurants. It is also not necessarily the most interesting place on the island for tourists, so I have included only a small selection of restaurants here. There’s much more to explore, and if you like this crowded city, you can find more by just getting lost in the streets and entering places that emit a good smell.

Peskesi
This restaurant is on almost every gourmet’s list of dining in Heraklion. If you eat in only one place in the city, eat here. Again, this is a rustic fine dining kind of place, very well styled, with fantastically done food.

I Rouga To Mpaoula
A small, traditional tavern in the outskirts of Heraklion, way off the beaten path. They are specialized on grilled dishes as well as traditional fare, and cater mostly to locals and knowledgeable travelers. Nice and different experience.

Thigaterra
One of the few restaurants on the island that has embraced the “slow food” type of concept. They base their kitchen on traditional local ingredients and prepare them in a natural way. The area is a bit touristic, with large hotels nearby, but they cater to locals from the city just as well. Thigaterra has won several Cretan and Greek awards for their culinary concept.

Restaurants in Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos is a smaller city on the East of Crete, but it has been growing substantially over the years from a small fishing village to almost a hipster town. The romantic lake setting with its dramatic rock overlooking the harbor makes for a picturesque environment, and has attracted a high number of restaurants competing for the best view.

Piato
The star of the local rustic fine dining scene with a prohibitively beautiful view over the harbor – or, alternatively, a nice quiet backyard terrace. Amazing cocktails and wines as well. This restaurant gives you a perfect overall dining experience for a great night out.

Migomis
There are a number of restaurants up on the rock overlooking the small fishing harbor, and they all have great views. The cooking in this particular one is good – not perfect, but better than any of the other hilltop restaurants. Amazing overall experience, and a recommendation if you want to enjoy Agios Nikolaos at night with a great romantic view.

Elounda Restaurants

The small town of Elounda and its neighbor village Plaka are a bit remote but have an increasing number of five-star hotels. Tourism here is clearly on the upper level – which is also reflected in a high number of amazing restaurants. In this town, you can eat better than in most other Cretan towns. Here are a few highlights.

Magali Cretan Cooking
This restaurant gave us by far the best culinary experience on the entire island. The setting of this small place on the fishing harbor (across the street) is nice, but the focus here is the cuisine. Artfully crafted traditional recipes done in perfection, with a rustic fine dining twist but not exaggerated. Simply delightful from starter to dessert. If you do one restaurant in the Elounda area, come here.

Taverna Despina
A bit outside the town, on a small hill overlooking the bay, this traditional seafood tavern offers both great views of the harbor and fresh seafood done in an expert way. They operate their own fishing boat, and you can inspect the fish before it goes into the kitchen. Always a bit full and very popular, they keep high quality.

Lotus Eaters
The small harbor promenade in Elounda boasts a few very good restaurants. Lotus Eaters is one that stands out, but also check out the other ones nearby like Ferryman. Great views, a romantic setting and high-level traditional Cretan dining are the key features here.

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