Restaurants

Most restaurants outside of Kérkyra Town close between late October and late April inclusive; we’ve indicated exceptions, as well as cases where reservations are recommended. All restaurant interiors are non-smoking by law (though some provide ashtrays to indicate non-compliance); if you wish to smoke overtly, this must usually be done outside. The following price ranges reflect the average cost of a two-course meal (per person) and a beer or share of bottled wine, ouzo or tsípouro. These costs include VAT (sales tax), currently 13 percent on food, 24 percent on alcohol, and notional service charge. Unless indicated otherwise, all establishments accept card payment.

€€€€ over 45 euros

€€€ 35–45 euros

€€ 22–35 euros

€ under 22 euros

Kérkyra Town

Bakalogatos € Alypíou 23, corner Prosaléndou, Spiliá district, tel: 26613 01721. Mon–Sat from midday until 1.30am. ‘The grocery cat’ emphasises local products – including only Greek wine and microbrewery beer– plus keen prices to draw crowds to its indoor/outdoor tables. The menu is mostly vegetarian including starters such as green peppers stuffed with cheese as well as pork-based recipes such as tiganiá.

Khryssomallis (Babis) € Nikifórou Theotókou 6, tel: 26610 30342. Daily noon–10.30pm. The sign says zythopsitopolío (‘beer-hall-grill’), but it’s actually the last traditional oven-food place in the Old Town: stews, hórta, moussakás, stuffed cabbage leaves, lentil soup and so forth, accompanied by smooth but potent red or rosé wine. From the outside street tables you can just see the Listón. The Durrells ate here during their 1930s stay; the restaurant has been around even longer. Cash only.

La Famiglia €€ Maniarízi & Arlióti 16 (Kandoúni Bízi), alley between Filellínon and Nikifórou Theotóki, tel: 26610 30270. Mon–Sat 7.30pm–12.15am, Sun in August, closed Sun/Mon winter. Efficiently run Greek/Italian bistro specialising in salads, pasta dishes like linguine all cozze, a few token Greek platters such as leek pie, and Italian desserts. Excellent bulk wine from Neméa or Santoríni. Limited seating, so reservations always essential.

Mouragia €€ Arseníou 15, Mourágia quay, tel: 26610 33815. Apr–Nov noon–12.30am. A good mix of seafood such as flash-fried atherína (sand smelt) or sardines and Corfiot specialities such as sofríto and pastitsáda, plus competent starters at this seaside ouzerí – though views to the sea, and Vídos islet, are over the road.

Psarakia tis Garitsas €€ Alkiviádou Darí 7, Anemómylos strip, tel: 26610 30306. Popular, quick-serving seafood place with parkside outdoor tables facing Corfu Town’s southerly bay through intervening eucalypts. Excellent squid and great bread for scooping dips. Open inside during winter.

Rouvas € Stamatíou Desýlla 13, tel: 26610 31182. Mon–Sat 11am–5pm all year. A classic lunchtime hangout that attracts visiting celebrity chefs like Rick Stein to see just how traditional island cooking should be. Recipes include pastítsio, artichokes with peas, meat stews, fish soup and grilled mixed vegetables. Unlike many such places, it has a cheery, appealing interior often still crowded at 4pm. Cash only.

Salto Wine Bar Bistro €€ Dónzelot 23, Spiliá, tel: 26613 02325, http://saltowinebar.gr. Open nightly all year until midnight (plus Sun lunch). Inspirational cuisine is on offer from chefs Pavlos and Natasha. Fishy dishes, particularly daily specials, include tuna fillets in ginger sauce and seafood kritharotó. Carnivores may enjoy beef fillet or rack of lamb. Save room for dessert of the day. As you’d expect there is a premium Greek wine list.

Tsipouradiko € Prosaléndou 8–10, behind the Efetío (Appeals Court), Spiliá, tel: 26610 82240. Mon–Sat 1pm–2am (kitchen shuts 12.30am). Tsípouro is a distilled grape-pomace spirit, preferably without anise, accompanied here by such platters as grilled mushrooms, courgette pie, tiganiá (pork stir-fry), little fishes and aubergine specialities. There is also decent bulk wine. The place is always packed with students and the bohemian set thanks to the warm atmosphere and friendly prices. Smoking allowed in the upstairs loft, or outside in the summer courtyard. Large groups must reserve, or endure a long wait.

Venetian Well €€€€ Platía Kremastí, northeast of Orthodox Cathedral, Campiello district, tel: 26615 50955, www.venetianwell.gr. Apr–Oct Mon–Sat 7–11.30pm. Served to summertime tables set around the eponymous well is some of the town’s most creative cuisine. Lighter mid-summer menus might feature glykádia (sweetbreads) in sauce, scallops, burrata, mushroom-and-goat-cheese mousse; slow-cooked veal cheeks glazed with ginger, lemon grass and honey, with kumquat ice cream to finish. The elegant, interior gets used in cooler months. Excellent, (mostly Greek) wine list from €30 per bottle.

The south

Alonaki Bay €€ Paralía Alonáki, near Korissíon Lagoon and Gardíki Castle, tel: 26610 75872. Open daily Apr–Oct lunch and dinner. Good country recipes, strong on vegetables and seafood, served at shady tables on a sea view terrace. Their version of biánko, with kéfalos (grey mullet) hygienically raised in the lake and garnished with marsh samphire (Salicornia europaea), is unique. If you can’t tear yourself away from this lovely spot, they have inexpensive rooms to rent upstairs as well.

Bacchus/Vakhos €€€ Main beach, Mesongí, tel: 26610 7530. This idyllically set beachfront taverna, going for over four decades, prides itself on sourcing local, fresh seafood like góno (baby) kalamári, large prawns from the Amvrakikós Gulf, perfectly fried koutsomoúra and naturally coloured taramosaláta; farmed northern Greek mussels are an exception. Fresh springtime artichokes are fricasseed in white sauce with parsley and celery.

Boukari Beach €€ Boúkari, 4km (2.5 miles) beyond Mesongí, 600m before the jetty, tel: 26620 51791, www.boukaribeach.gr. Open lunch and dinner, Easter–Oct. The best of the seafood tavernas at this seashore hamlet, in an idyllic setting with spectacular views of Corfu’s east coast. Typical offerings include steamed mussels as a starter, colourful salads, succulent octopus and a range of fresh fish at fair per-kilo prices. The Vlahopoulos family are accomplished hosts, and also have accommodation.

Klimataria tou Bellou €€€ main village square, Benítses, tel: 26610 71201, www.klimataria-restaurant.gr. Mon–Sat dinner only, Sunday lunch; winter weekends only, but closed 1 Dec–31 Jan. Cult seafood taverna known for purveying only fresh items, and for assiduous service from father-and-son team Nikos and Kostas. Platters include innovative recipes like sardine bourdéto or John Dory biánko; starters such as leek salad and steamed mussels are commendable too. Good Neméa bulk white wine. Blink and you’ll miss the mere seven tables outside (four more inside), so reservations are highly advisable. Save room for Mamma Lily’s homemade desserts such as berry-topped cheesecake.

Tripas €€€ Kynopiástes, 7km (4.5 miles) southwest of Kérkyra, tel: 26610 56333, https://tripas.gr. Daily May–Oct supper only; otherwise Fri/Sat night only until 11pm. Classic, if rather touristy, taverna where the set-price table d’hôte menu allows a fair sampling of Corfiot dishes (pastitsáda, sausage, stifádo, sofríto) along with some inappropriate dishes like shrimp cocktail, accompanied by very good house red and white wine. The small winter dining room, originally opened as a grocery shop in 1936, is dominated by old bottles, gourds and photos of past celebrity clients. During summer, there’s folk dancing out by the courtyard seating.

North of Kérkyra Town

Etrusco €€€€ Káto Korakiána village, on the road down to Dassiá, tel: 26610 93342, www.etrusco.gr. Apr–Oct, daily 8pm–midnight. Top-calibre nouvelle Italian cooking by father, son and spouses, served in a carefully restored country manor. Specialities like pappardelle with duck and truffles, octopus carpaccio, lamb baked with garlic and kumquat sauce and a 200-label wine list don’t come cheap, but this has been ranked as one of the best five Greek tavernas outside of Athens. Advance reservations required.

Roula’s €€ Kondókali, well signposted on the Nisí Gerékou peninsula, tel: 26610 91832. Summer daily lunch and dinner, winter dinner Mon–Sat, Sun lunch. A favourite venue for a seafood meal, especially out on the terrace overlooking the marina. Scaly fish like sykiós (corb) or mylokópi (ombrine) is well priced and grilled to perfection; ask for it petáli style (butterflied). Starter portions are decent, though opt for beer, bottled wine or ouzo rather than their average bulk wine.

The northeast

Cavo Barbaro (Tou Foti) €€€ Avláki mid-beach, east of Kassiópi, tel: 26630 81905. Daily all day May–Oct. A competent beach taverna, with welcoming service. Starters might encompass beet salad with yogurt and walnuts, aubergine soufflé, and plevrótous; mains may include sofríto, baked lamb and seafood like octopus carpaccio or scaly fish. For dessert, try the chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream. There’s seating on the lawn, or on flagstones under a pergola, and plenty of parking. The only thing ‘barbarous’ here can be the wind, as there’s no shelter; check direction and strength before heading downhill.

Filaraki € Main road, Aharávi, south (inland) side, about halfway along the ‘strip’, tel: 26630 64750. Daily most of the year noon–1.30am. Carnivore heaven, and about the only place in Aharávi where locals dine. After midnight, other taverna-keepers who’ve closed for the evening come here – a telling endorsement. Principal main dishes are succulent kondosoúvli (spit-roasted pork chunks) and arní soúvlas (spit-roasted lamb chunks), while starters include excellent tyrokafterí (spicy cheese dip), salads and spicy grilled plevrótous (oyster mushrooms). Corfu draught beer or homemade bulk wine to drink. A pleasant interior for cooler months; otherwise dine on the terrace.

Glyfa €€€ between Glýfa beach and main road, between Barbáti and Nissáki, tel: 26630 91090, https://tavernaglyfa.com. Apr–Oct, lunch and dinner (until midnight), reservations suggested. The ‘It’ seafood taverna along this stretch of shoreline; parking is difficult so many diners arrive by boat (the restaurant can organise this). Expect assiduous service, proper table linen, a well-priced premium-Greek wine list, king scallops as an appetiser, great seafood mains, and a few meat dishes for the fish-averse. Desserts might include pavlova, chocolate soufflé or panna cotta.

Kouloura €€€ Kouloúra cove, tel: 26630 91253, www.tavernakouloura.com. Easter–early Oct daily 11am–9pm, early evening closure means this isn’t a good bet for dinner. For ‘Kensington-on-Sea’, moderately priced seafood, a large selection of mezédes, plus unusually elaborate píttes (baked pies) and pulse dishes at this impeccably set taverna overlooking one of Corfu’s most photogenic anchorages. Reservations needed in peak season.

Nikolas €€ Agní cove south end, tel: 26630 91243, www.agnibay.com. Daily May–Oct lunch and dinner. This taverna is the oldest one here, built as a family home and café in 1892. Today, Perikles and his family serve Corfiot specialities like aubergine-and-cheese bourékia and lamb kapamá, plus grilled sardines, along with their own wines (the bulk red is excellent). Tear yourself away from the picturesque view to browse the old photos and maps lining the walls inside. Dinner reservations needed during peak season, especially for Thursday ‘Greek nights’.

Tavernaki €€ Kassiópi port, far end east shore, tel: 26630 81529. Daily Apr–Oct lunch and dinner, winter weekends only. Portions are medium-sized to large, so appear hungry – salads suffice for two. Corfu beer on draught (500ml) is featured at a keen price; there’s also good bulk rosé wine. Summer wood-deck seating has impeccable views to the port and lit-up castle; in cooler weather a glass windbreak goes up to create a ‘greenhouse’, while winter tables are inside. Good service; do book in peak season.

The Old School € Kassiópi main port roundabout, tel: 26630 81211. May–Oct lunch (until 4pm) & dinner (until late). A favourite venue for seafood and generous meat casseroles including pork or lamb kótsi (shank). If possible, sit beneath their giant plane tree. Local microbrewery products are featured (normally priced), plus Belgian beers (expensive) and hýma wine (the local rosé is fine and dry).

Toula €€€ Agní cove, tel: 26630 91350, www.toulasagni.com. May–Oct daily lunch and dinner, 1–11pm. Worth special mention for its professional demeanour, nice line in hot mezédes and their famous garídes Toula – grilled prawns with spicy mixed-rice pilaf. Any seafood main dish, washed down by excellent bulk white wine, is a likely winner.

The north and northwest

Akrogiali €€ Far south end of the bay, Ágios Geórgios Págon, tel: 6946 027742. 15 May–6 Oct daily. A bumpy, wash-out-prone track leads 1,500m (1,640yds) south from the beach to this little eyrie (marked by a windmill). Per-kilo fish prices are fair for Corfu, and mezédes include appealing oddities like carrot salad and fish croquettes. The lowest terrace is lapped by the sea.

Foros € Paleá Períthia, tel: 6980 265348. May–Oct daily, otherwise weekends only. One of the first tavernas in this once-deserted Venetian village, working out of a former café on the original square, and still one of the best – Rick Stein has called in approvingly. The emphasis here is on grills, but you can have a very enjoyable mezédes-only meal – sausages, kremydópita (onion turnover), and stuffed peppers – while downing tsípouro or bulk wine. Finish off with their famous karydópita (walnut cake) and ice cream.

Kohili €€€ Ágios Stéfanos Gýrou, tel: 26630 51629, www.delfinoblu.gr. May–Oct dinner only. For a romantic evening, book a table amid wicker chairs and gauzy curtains at the gourmet diner of recommended Delfino Blu Hotel. From the veranda tables you’ll have a stupendous view across the ocean into the sunset. The fare is generic Mediterranean, encompassing risotto, pasta, salads and some Greek platters, complemented by fine wines from proprietor Kostas’ mainland home region of Kalambáka. Very polished service.

Panorama €€ Afiónas village centre, above Afiónas beach, tel: 26630 51846. From Afiónas beach (the far northwest end of Ágios Geórgios Págon bay), this taverna is just a hop and a jump up by car. This place lives up to its name with eyefuls of Graviá, Mathráki and Othoní islets. Order anything from snack plates to courgette fritters, smoked mackarel and draught beers.

The west

Antonis € Pélekas, tel: 26610 94289. Open daily noon until late much of the year. The best value of several tavernas here for grills, mezédes and salads. They also have the calmest outdoor terrace in what can be a rather traffic-plagued village.

Elizabeth’s € Doukádes village centre, tel: 26630 41728. Open daily for lunch and dinner most of the year. Elizabeth’s has been going since the 1940s, and is now in the hands of the founder’s granddaughter. Reliable dishes include cockerel pastitsáda with extra-fat noodles, and peas with potatoes. The purplish bulk wine is rough and ready, as is the objet trouvé decor (ancient bottles and a jukebox that has sadly expired). For once, a place that’s definitely more fun to eat at inside than out. Cash only.

Eríkousa

Acantha €€€ north end main beach, tel: 6945 227196, https://acanthahotel.com. Restaurant of the eponymous boutique hotel, run by Franca and Sandro who retired here after a life spent travelling the globe. The food, especially fish and desserts, is the best on this islet – well worth the outlay, accompanied by top-drawer Tuscan wine.

Paxí

Paxoimadi € Lákka, just in from quay, tel: 26620 33098. An excellent choice for lunch. Try tasty platters of lentil salad and grape-leaf dolmádes or traditional mains of moussakás, kalamári, or marídes.