26 Best Restaurants in Crete, Greece

Opposite Avli, and part of the same stable, on one of Rethmynon's myriad pretty walkways, this is a modern reinvention of the classic Greek rakadiko—a place to eat small plates and drink raki. Don't assume the food is an afterthought to drinking, though, this is top-quality mezedes. Plates come thick and fast; it's food to be shared. Think imaginative Cretan tapas—sutzuki (spicy beef sausage), askolymbri (marinated hand-picked mountain greens), pastourma (crispy spiced pork cigar rolls), and hot feta with caramelized figs. It's relaxed dining, in a stylish setting reminiscent of an old grocery store, and perfect for a group of friends.

In an herb-filled multitiered courtyard that leads to a barrel-vaulted dining room, some of the finest food for miles is skillfully prepared. Refined, distinguished dishes are its calling card; sophisticated but true to their traditional roots. Most remarkable is that the same high culinary and aesthetic standards have been maintained for nearly four decades. The focus is on the ingredients, the majority of them local and organic, artfully transformed into a cooking of rare elegance. Reservations are essential in season.

High in the White Mountains, lambs and goats roam free on the family farm, while on lesser pastures in Sfakia, vegetables are tended to. These top-notch ingredients are transformed in the wood oven that dominates the dining room in this backstreet beauty. Moussaka is as fat as an airport paperback but with more action, Mizithra cheese comes with home-baked bread, and those lamb and goats are cooked tsigariasto—slowly in a clay pot. Authentic, this is the true traditional taste of Crete and where the locals come for a taste of home.

On a mountain perch above Chania is one of the most singular restaurants in the whole of Crete. A holistic approach is taken---this is farm-to-table eating but ramped up to the nth degree. Your meal is cooked in traditional clay pots that sit over the wood fire, as they have no electricity in the kitchen. Ingredients come from the family farm and they produce everything in-house, organically, of course---only the salt comes from the coast 20 km (12.4 miles) away. There is no menu, merely what is in season that day, but all tastes are catered for by the friendly staff. It's not fancy, nor is it fast, but it is honest and truly memorable as an experience of Cretan food and hospitality.

A finger of rock stretches into the sea on the edge of Chiona Beach with a handful of blue-check-clothed wooden tables. It's a magical location with kids diving into the clearest water nearby, and fishermen tying up to the jetty to unload a fresh catch. Those fish are grilled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon for you, along with a menu of traditional Cretan dishes. It's a simple proposition but one that few do as well as here. Choose a local Sitia wine from their list and snooze off the afternoon at the nearby beach.

Tucked away behind the Rimondi fountain on a pretty pedestrian street, this little gem makes the best loukoumades---light and fresh doughnuts. Take one of the streetside tables, order a portion with honey and cinnamon, and ask for one of their homemade lemonades. If you want a coffee, be prepared for some theater; it is made by plunging a small pan into boiling hot sand to retain the delicate aromas.

In a restored sea captain's mansion, stone walls and arches provide the backdrop to some of the best food in Crete: traditional cuisine brought to life with modern techniques and presentation. A 60-acre farm in Harasso is dedicated to supplying the restaurant with seasonal local produce, much of it organic, and the flavors really shine through. Stand-out bread arrives in a wooden drawer, salads are creative, and there is pure theater when syglino, smoked pork chop, is bought to the table in a paper bag with smoldering thyme and sage leaves. Sensational cheeses, plentiful vegan and vegetarian options, and a brilliant wine list make this a must-go destination. Reservations are needed in high season as it gets very busy.

On a tiny pedestrian street a block back from the harbor, sweet sorcery takes place. Extraordinary creations are offered; minitarts, macaroons, and eclairs that would grace the finest Parisian patisserie. The pastries are beautifully presented and look like they belong on a Michelin-starred dessert menu. Tea and coffee is served in fine china; choose the charming interior or the alleyway tables but be prepared for serious cake envy from passersby.

On the quieter end of the harbor next to the Venetian arsenals and removed from the tourist joints that surround the port, this lively taverna caters to locals and discerning tourists alike. Fresh fish and seafood are the standouts here, but also consider the stuffed aubergines, rabbit stifado, kleftiko (lamb), or the meats from the charcoal grill. The views from the waterside tables across the bobbing boats to the lighthouse are serene, the raki and sweets offered as a gift at the end of the meal most welcome.

Open and cool, this no-nonsense riverside café serves up waffles, pancakes, pizza, and roasted meats but it is maybe best to take a coffee and some yogurt and honey and watch the water run by.

Talented pastry chef Lefteris Kokonas makes a point of only making small batches of his delicious creations, thus ensuring everything in his display cases is as fresh as possible. The 10-minute walk from the beachfront is well rewarded—this is patisserie as an art form.

Handily placed for mid-shopping treats, Crumb serves not only great coffee but also the best healthy options in Heraklion. The shaded outside tables are an ideal place to reflect and recharge before returning to the fray.

Airy blue-on-blue sofas and chairs look over the lake here, with a menu dreamt 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.

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-sized 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.

An open kitchen where the chefs practice their alchemy connects directly to the tables in the small dining room and on the pavement outside. A Cretan bistro, it draws influences from the great culinary tradition of the island and Asia Minor where the family of the chef hail from. Hearty cured fish and meats are a specialty—lamb prosciutto, beef pastrami, apaki (smoked pork), and piquant sausages are all prepared in an off-site workshop—and they are presented as modern dishes with artistry and finesse.

In a modern wood-and-glass conservatory overlooking the Koules, this Heraklion institution serves some of the best fish in town, with the waves only a stone's throw away. Ask a local for a recommendation and they will invariably mention Ippokambos. Family-run with an unflustered spirit, the dishes are simple and well executed, the house white perfectly acceptable, and the portions generous. It takes skill and confidence in your raw materials to present food so honestly.

In an impossibly picturesque position next to the sunken ancient city of Olous, and the later canal from where it takes its name, Kanali serves elegant updates of Greek staples. Wooden furniture and an old stone building dressed with white furniture and ship lanterns lend it a shabby-chic air that could grace the seasides of Mykonos or Santorini. Fish is the main event, often simply grilled and always impeccably sourced. It may be little more than a beach shack dressed up in Gucci but the kitchen really delivers—a humble lunch here of salad, sardines, and a glass of wine can be a sublime experience, a world away from the nearby resort offerings.

Right on Lake Voulismeni, Karnagio is a riot of multicolor tables, shouted orders, and running waiters. Proudly Cretan and proud of their local products, the grill is the center of attention here with a wide selection of meat and fish. Salads and a meze selection top up the offerings and the outdoor square is a fun, lively place to spend a couple of hours.

Stop into this venerable old bougatsa shop for an envelope of flaky pastry that's either filled with a sweet, creamy filling and dusted with cinnamon and sugar, or stuffed with soft white cheese. A portion of each, served warm with Greek coffee, is a nice treat. Thick Cretan yogurt and ice cream are other indulgences on offer. KirKor is the classic place to hang out after getting off the night boat from Piraeus and the museums and businesses are yet to open.

The promise of a meal in this cozy, family-run establishment is alone worth the trip up to the plateau. The taverna is in its fifth decade and still offering delicious pies as well as casseroles and lamb dishes, accompanied by fresh-baked bread and followed up with homemade desserts. The charming proprietors encourage you to linger over your wine or raki, and are a mine of knowledge about the Lasithi Plateau.

The family has a small apartment complex, Maison Kronio, a couple of miles down the road with a pool and glorious views of the Dikti Mountains.

An enchanting courtyard garden and the high-ceilinged parlors of an elegant Neoclassical mansion are the setting for what many consider to be the best fish tavern in Agios Nikolaos. Simple is the keyword here: fresh catches from the fleet bobbing in the harbor just beyond are plainly grilled and accompanied by local vegetables and Cretan wines. Salads are a winner, often with unusual combinations, and the pasta is well presented, too, but really you are here for the daily seafood specials, handsomely displayed on ice in an old wooden boat at the front of house.

Steps away from the busy harbor, Tamam feels like a giant leap back in time—it's an ancient Turkish bath that now houses one of the most atmospheric restaurants in Chania's Old Town. Tamam means "alright" in Turkish, but the plates presented are certainly more than okay. Under the former bath-house's cool arches and in the newer building opposite, Politiki Kouzina, Turkish-tinged plates from the Greeks of Asia Minor predominate. More than 40 wines are carried, mostly from Crete, and many are available by the carafe.

Residents from villages for miles around come to the town of Sivas to enjoy a meal of stifado (meat in a rich tomato sauce), artichokes with avgolemono (egg and lemon sauce), and other specialties, including delicious roasted lamb and chicken, all served on the vine-dappled front terrace in warm seasons or in the hearth-warmed dining room when the weather is cold. A meal comes with friendly service and a free glass of raki and a sweet.

The owners also have some apartments and studios in a quiet complex nearby to rent.

Enhance the short trip out to Kritsa and Lato with a stop in the nearby village of Exo Lakonia to enjoy a meal at the homey taverna run by the Stavrakakis family. Dishes are still based on hand-me-down recipes, and most are made from ingredients the family grow themselves. Dolmades are made with zucchini flowers instead of vine leaves, wild mountain greens appear in salads dressed with local olive oil, pumpkin is served stifado style, and the local wine and raki are good. It's all served with charm under the shade of a magnificent bougainvillea or by a roaring fire on nippy winter nights.

Dine to the soothing sounds at this riverside tavern as the water makes its way over a series of steps. Cool and comfortable under the shade of lofty plane trees, this traditional taverna serves up your favorite Sfakian dishes. Homely and unsophisticated, plates are packed full of flavor from the neighboring farms and mountains. Open all day---come in for morning pancakes, enjoy a breezy lunch, or order meats from the grill under the stars.

In the old Ottoman district of Splantzia, opposite the underground church of Agia Irene, this restaurant is somewhat difficult to find but it is worth the endeavor. With vaulted ceilings, terra-cotta floors, cobalt blue walls set with jewel-like windows, and the eponymous well, it is a memorable place to eat a mixture of Greek and Turkish dishes with the odd trip to Northern Africa and the Middle East. Flatbreads, such as Fatayer bi Sabanikh, with spinach, mizithra, walnuts and raisins, and Lahmajun, with minced lamb and parsley, are particularly strong. Best to take a number of small plates and share in the traditional way.