Restaurants

The following prices reflect the average cost of a two-course meal (per person) and a half litre of wine. At all restaurants an automatic tax of 23 percent (VAT) is always included in the prices listed on the menu. It is customary to leave an additional five to 10 percent for the waiter, especially if they are an employee and not the owner.

€€€ over 28 euros  €€ 17–28 euros  € below 17 euros

Zákynthos

Zákynthos Town

Akrotiri Taverna €€ Akrotíri, 4km (2.5 miles) north of Zákynthos Town, tel: 26950 45712. A pleasant summer-only taverna with a large garden. Grilled meats are a speciality but staff also bring round large trays of tempting mezédes from which you pick and choose. Prices are reasonable, and the house wine is more than acceptable.

I Padella € Dessylá 15, tel:26950 23356. Just two blocks south of Platía Solomoú, this simple estiatório serves fine homestyle cooking such as pastítsio and briám in a welcoming environment.

Komis €€–€€€ Bastoúni tou Agíou, tel: 26950 26915. A lovely psarotavérna tucked into a rather unlikely spot behind the port authority building (opposite Agíou Dionysíou). The emphasis is on slightly pricey but fresh and inventive fish and seafood dishes, but there is a good list of mezédes, good wine and, better still, tempting desserts.

Malanos € Agíou Athanasíou 38, Kípi district (south of the river off Kalamáki road), tel: 26950 45936. A deservedly popular and inexpensive all-year shrine of magireftá, mince-rich youvarlákia and fasolákia yahní are typical offerings. There’s also unusually good bread as well as the expected barrel wine. Often has live kandádes at weekends.

Vasilikós and Laganás Bay

Agnandi Taverna €€ beyond Argási, 8km (5 miles) from Zákynthos Town, tel: 26950 35183. An attractive modern wooden building on a steep slope overlooking the sea. It is slightly touristy, but the home cooking is authentic and tasty. The menu covers the generic standards, but also has some interesting specials.

Apelati € 1km (0.5 miles) east of Kerí, tel: 26950 43324. This lovely rural tavern, tucked behind a field off the main road, offers a simple selection of wholesome country dishes from fresh meat and fish to delicious salads, much of it made from home produce.

Dennis €€ Lithákia, tel: 26950 51387. A bit of an institution, and open all year round, Dennis’s is a friendly, family-run long-standing taverna with a great atmosphere, serving a wide range of traditional food. Try the mezédes and meat from the charcoal grill – the pork chops are legendary; the house wine isn’t bad either. There is also free transport back to your villa or hotel should you need it.

Sarakina €€ 2km (1.2 miles) west of Laganás, tel: 26950 51606. Set in a rambling old house with outdoor terraces amidst the olive groves, this evening-only taverna offers a huge range of quality local food and wine, as well as traditional music, popular with Greeks and tourists alike. It is well-advertised in Laganás and a free minibus comes round regularly to shuttle diners back and forth.

Theodoritsis €€–€€€ just past Argási in Vasilikós municipal territory, tel: 26950 48500. Theodoritsis is where the beau monde of Zákynthos go for a weekend blowout; the stress is on magireftá, but grills and mezédes are also available. Moderately pricey. Summer terrace overlooking town and tasteful interior. Open all year.

To Fanari tou Keriou €€–€€€ 1.5 km (1 mile) beyond Kerí village, on southwest tip of island, tel: 26950 43384. Worth the trip out, especially on nights when you can watch the full moon rise over the sea-stacks known as the Myzíthres. The food’s on the expensive side, but portions are fair size and quality is high – try vegetable-stuffed pandséta, redolent of nutmeg, and daily-made galaktoboúreko. Reservations essential.

To Triodi €€ Gérakas, tel:26950 35215. Lovely garden taverna next door to the Turtle Information Centre, where you can enjoy a variety of filling meat and fish dishes or smaller salads and snacks before a dip at the fantastic beach.

Zakanthi €€ Kalamáki, tel: 26950 43586. This is probably the most attractive place to eat in Kalamáki, with dining in a large well-maintained garden. The food, which is quite good, is a mix of pasta, pizza and the usual Greek offerings (grills and salads). Once the sun has gone down and the subdued lighting comes on in the garden, it is lovely here.

The North

Alitzerini €€ entrance to Kiliómeno, tel: 26950 48552. Housed in one of the few surviving 17th-century Venetian village houses, this little inomagirío offers hearty, meat-based country cooking and (as ever) its own wine; kandádes some evenings. Evenings only: Fri–Sun Oct–May, daily June–Sept. Reservations essential. During the day, head for Korfiatos, a wooden balcony at the top of the hill with lovely views. Here you can have a drink or simple meal. Behind the benches are huge barrels of local wine, as well as excellent local oil and thyme honey for sale.

Kaki Rahi €–€€ Pigadákia, 26950 63670. In one of the nicer inland settings on the island. A decent range of magireftá, grills and mezédes are served on a leafy terrace beside a running stream from which the taverna gets its name. The local wine served here is excellent too.

Kalas €–€€ Kambí, in the village before the road climbs up to the headland, no tel. Kalas is by far the best taverna in Kambí – the others, located on the headland, serve substandard food to coachloads of tourists bussed in to see the sunset. Kalas is set in a pretty garden, shaded by large trees, and serves up all the usual favourites (fáva, loukánika, horiátiki and patátes), but all are tasty and freshly cooked. Good bulk wine as well.

Mikro Nisi €€ Kokkínos, 1km (0.6 miles) beyond Makrýs Gialós, tel: 26950 31566. Standard, but reasonable, taverna food – horiátiki, kalamarákia, souvláki and the like – but served in a delightful setting. The taverna is perched on the edge of a small headland overlooking a tiny harbour and you can watch the boats bobbing in the inlet as you eat.

Porto Limnionas €–€€ Pórto Limniónas, near Ágios Léon, 26950 48650. Location can count for a lot, and this restaurant has one of the best on the island. The food is reasonably-priced, standard taverna fare, plus some less common mezédes and pricier fish dishes, all served on a promontory overlooking an idyllic rocky bay. To cap things off, the restaurant faces west, so is a great place to watch the sun set.

Rouli’s €–€€ Kypséli Beach, near Drosiá, tel: 26950 61628. A friendly place overlooking the sea and a narrow beach – and popular with islanders – Rouli’s gets very fresh fish (one of its main attractions) but also has a good line in the usual Greek salads and vegetables. The house wine is drinkable, and the freshness of all the ingredients make a trip here well worth the detour off the main road.

Kefaloniá

Argostóli

There are a few places on or just off Platía Vallianoú that are good for breakfast, a snack or for simply sitting with a drink. Premiere, between Hotel Aenos and the Ionian Plaza, advertises itself as a crêperie-gelaterie but is not a bad place for breakfast (even if the service is very slow). Better is Siora Kate, just up the hill at K. Vergóti 9, a small but popular bakery serving tasty savoury pies and bougátsa (usually in the form of a creamy custard pastry served warm). Of the cafés surrounding the square, the Central Café (tel: 26710 26680), on the corner near the Foká-Kosmetátou Foundation, is one of the most pleasant.

Captain’s Table €€–€€€ Rizospáston, tel: 26710 23896. Captain Makis has been serving his own delicious versions of traditional Greek dishes for 19 years. An attractive and friendly taverna decorated in 1950s nautical style, with live kandádes on Saturday and every night in the season. There is a quieter second location on the seafront.

Kyani Akti €€ A. Trítsi 1, far north end of the quay, tel: 26710 26680. A superb psarotavérna built out over the sea. The speciality is, unsurprisingly, fresh fish and seafood, and they often have unusual things to try (including sea urchins and the delicious dáktylia – ‘fingers’ – which are akin to razor clams). All the fish and seafood is sold by weight (you go and pick it from the buckets at the back), but there is also a range of meat, mezédes and salads, plus tasty house wine.

Maïstrato €–€€ far north end of quay by fishing anchorage, tel: 26710 26563. Set yourself up at this genuine ouzerí with a seafood pikilía (medley), some of their abundant hot/cold mezédes and oúzo by the 200-ml carafe. Very reasonable, pleasant waterside seating beside a pine grove (take mosquito repellent, as these insects can be quite fierce here). Apr–Oct only.

Patsouras € Lavrága, tel: 26710 22779. Popular magireftá specialist in new premises in between the main square and the seafront. Good ribsticking food, with especially tasty bámies (okra), a few grills and big portions, and there is velvety red house wine. It’s open all year.

To Arhondiko €–€€ Rizospáston 5, tel: 26710 27213. This compact, friendly taverna has seating on a small outside patio, from which you can hear the kandádes sung at the adjacent Captain’s Table, whilst paying considerably less for tasty fare such as exohikó (baked lamb) or veal in tomato sauce. The mezédes and wine are excellent too.

To Kafenio tis Kabanas € Lithóstroto 52B, tel: 26710 24456. Housed in a reconstructed Venetian tower and with seating in the square opposite, this pleasant café serves light snacks. Run by the local ROTA cooperative, it helps place people with mental-health problems back in jobs and the community. As well as the usual run of coffees there are a few local specialities, such as soumáda (an orgeat drink) and amygdalópita (almond pie).

Lixoúri and the South

Akrogiali € Lixoúri quay (Andréa Laskarátou), towards south end, tel: 26710 92613. An enduring, budget-priced institution, with largely local clientele. Wholesome and tasty food with a stress on oven-casserole food (including giouvétsi, kreatópita and great hórta), but also fish and grills in the evening, plus excellent bulk wine.

Blue Sea (aka Spyros’) €€–€€€ Káto Katélios, tel: 26710 81353. The speciality here is pricey, but fresh and superbly grilled, fish from the little anchorage adjacent. Budget on about €30 each for a large portion with a share of mezédes and their bulk wine. Credit cards are accepted.

Paspalis €–€€ Skála, tel: 26710 83140. Lively by day and night, this beachside restaurant is one of the best in the resort for authentic homestyle cooking such as mousakás and g iouvétsi. Pricier fish is also available.

Romantza (aka Fotis Family) €–€€ Póros, southern end of the town beach, tel: 26740 72294. This estiatório is in a delightful position, built into the headland at the end of the town beach. You eat on a first-storey balcony, which has views over the sea to Itháki. The focus of the menu is on a large range of fresh fish (priced by weight), but there are also good mezédes and salads.

Ta Delfinia €–€€ Sámi waterfront, tel: 26740 22008. A basic but pleasant waterfront place with daily magireftá such as briám (similar to ratatouille), giouvétsi and good hórta. There is also some fresh fish, usually small tasty offerings including sardines, octopus and marídes. This is about the best in a line of rather touristy places, all with outdoor seating overlooking the harbour.

Xouras €–€€ Petaní, Lixoúri peninsula, tel: 26710 97128. Slap bang in the middle of one of the island’s best beaches and run by a welcoming Greek-American woman, this is a great spot for sunset dining. Grills and fish are the specialities, as well as salads and some magireftá.

The North

Agia Paraskevi €€ Agía Paraskeví, between Sámi and Agía Efimía, tel: 26740 23061. A lovely spot from which to watch the waves break on the rocks below the huge terrace. The standard range of salads, mezédes and grilled meat and fish is available but the real speciality is the superb seafood marinara, bulging with fresh mussels and shrimp. You can dance it off in the adjacent Del Mare nightclub.

Lagoudera €–€€ Fiskárdo, tel: 26740 41275. Authentic restaurant with one branch on the harbour of Fiskárdo, the other just around the corner by the small square. Specialities include tasty home-style baked food, as well as fish, grilled meat and all the usual mezédes. Open Apr–Oct.

Makis € Vasilikiádes, tel: 26740 51556. You can enjoy a wonderful, inexpensive and extremely authentic meal in the large courtyard of this inland village establishment. There are succulent grills like lamb chops, as well as fine mezédes such as kolokythokeftedes (cheesy courgette patties).

Nefeli-Anait €€ Ássos, tel: 26740 51251. One of four establishments overlooking the very attractive harbour, this all-purpose taverna offers the usual range of salads and a few grilled and oven dishes, as well as fresh fish by the kilo. There is good barrelled wine and a selection of other drinks. If this place is too crowded, try the Estiatorio Platanos on Platía Parísion behind the waterfront, set around a large tree; this second restaurant is popular with visiting Greeks and has a huge range of reasonable food.

Odisseas €–€€ Agía Ierousalím, tel: 26740 41133. A true hidden gem. You are assured a warm welcome and relaxed dining experience from the brother-and-sister duo who run this place. All their ingredients are organic or free range and you can sample delights such as olive bread, slow-cooked lamb and ultra-fresh salads, all washed down with the fine house wine. They also have homemade honey, jam and other produce for sale.

Paradisenia Akti (Stavros Dendrinos) €€ far east corner of Agía Efimía resort, above ‘Paradise Beach’, tel: 26740 61392. Fair-priced, savoury dishes such as hortópita and local sausage, though the seafood portions could be bigger; lovely terrace seating under pines and grape arbours, overlooking the sea.

To Foki € at the head of Fókis Bay, tel: 6944 757032. This is a very pleasant taverna, friendly and just opposite the beach. It serves simple but tasty food – fáva, souvláki and salads – and lovely milópita (apple pie). Much better, and far cheaper, than anything to be found in Fiskárdo just down the road. Take mosquito repellent for the evenings.

To Pefko €€ Andipáta Erísou, just by the turning for Dafnoúdi beach, tel: 26740 41360. A serious contender for the best place to eat on the island. The seating is outside under a huge pine tree, which becomes nicely atmospheric at dusk. The women in the kitchen are geniuses, cooking a mouthwatering selection of mezédes, oven-cooked dishes and some grilled meat and fish. Particularly good are the tomato, mint and féta ‘keftédes’, the gígandes (butter beans) and aubergine with garlic. For dessert don’t miss the (hot) fýllo covered ice cream with sour cherries. As a bonus, the beer glasses are kept in the freezer.

Vasso’s €€–€€€ southeast end of quay, Fiskárdo, tel: 06740 41276. Magireftá with a difference: olive tapenade for your bread, dill and other herbs flavour many of the dishes, and there is seafood pasta and creative desserts. Reasonable (for Fiskárdo anyway) at about €25 each if you stay away from lobster and other more expensive types of fish.