Finding a place to have lunch or dinner in Chania is easy. Taverns and restaurants are everywhere: in the labyrinths of streets and in the old harbor. Some establishments are little studied by tourists, while others are mostly designed for guests of the city. But from this, Cretan cuisine will not become less tasty. Where to go in Chania for delicious food? Here are 10 verified addresses.
Dimos
Dimos restaurant is located in the Venetian harbor of Chania, just 140 meters from the historic Kucuk Hasan Mosque. It specializes in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, offering good value for money and a large selection of fresh fish dishes. It is worth trying assorted seafood, grilled squid, Saganaki shrimp, tuna steak. The best accompaniment is a bottle of Greek wine, raki or ouzo. And as a bonus from the Dimos restaurant - a magnificent view of the sea and the Venetian lighthouse.
Address: Akti Kountourioti 19
Opening hours: daily, from 10:30 to midnight
Apostolis
The Apostolis restaurant began its work in 1978 and during this time has become one of the most recognizable establishments in the city. It can be safely called the gastronomic heritage of Chania, and it's not just beacause of a long history. Apostolis offers a large selection of salads, fresh seafood, grilled meats, mezes and traditional Cretan pies. Apostolis overlooks the harbor of Chania.
Address: Akti Enoseos 10
Opening hours: from 11:00 to 01:00
Mesostrato
A special treat in Chania is to visit a restaurant located among historical buildings. In a place saturated with the spirit of antiquity, Mesostrato is located. The menu of the restaurant includes traditional moussaka, meze, assorted grilled meats, pie from Chania hanyotiko bureki, kadaifi and homemade Cretan yogurt. Almost every evening in Mesostrato you can enjoy live Greek music.
Address: Zambeliou 31
Opening hours: from 11:00 to 01:00
To Mikio Taverna
On one of the old streets of Chania is the restaurant To Mikio Taverna - very popular among tourists, with a traditional Greek atmosphere. Here you can try grilled lamb, moussaka, hanotiko boureki, rabbit stifado, assorted seafood, meat or cheese, a typical Cretan mountain green salad, stuffed zucchini flowers and apaki pork. For dessert, you should order calcuña pies with cheese, sprinkled with honey. And to them - freshly brewed Greek coffee.
Please note: it is worth coming to the restaurant in advance to get a table or book it for a certain time.
Address: Skoufon 24
Opening hours: daily (except Sunday), from 12:00 to 22:30
To Stachi
There are not many vegetarian-oriented restaurants in Crete. One of these establishments - To Stachi - is located in Chania, 40 meters from the beach of Kum Kapi. It offers all the variety of traditional vegetarian dishes of Cretan cuisine. The menu includes spinach pie, dolmades with aromatic herbs and rice, vegan moussaka with almond milk sauce, vegetable salads, and lentil soup. Depending on the time of year, the menu changes: this allows you to use only seasonal ingredients. To Stachi is a family restaurant. Baby chairs are provided for guests with children.
Address: Defkalionos 5
Opening hours: from 12:00 to 18:30
Tavern Strata
Not far from the Archaeological Museum of Chania, you can spend time in the hospitable Strata tavern. It is located on one of the streets of the Old Town and represents the national cuisine of Greece at its best. It is worth trying grilled lamb, chicken fillet with mushroom sauce, beef baked with cheese, lamb kleftiko, dorado with mountain herbs, octopus stewed in wine, as well as retsina and homemade wine.
Address: Portou 54
Opening hours: from 12:00 to 23:30
Evgonia
Evgonia restaurant, far from the tourist center of Chania, is a place where the locals themselves eat. Grilled fish, salad with vegetables, pine nuts and pomegranate, and lamb are excellent here. For dessert, you should choose homemade yogurt with jam, and Cretan wine is recommended as a drink.
Address: Milonogianni 120
Opening hours: from 13:00 to 23:45
Portes
On a busy street in the old center of Chania, Portes is a restaurant with a cozy homely atmosphere, quality service and delicious food. The attention of fans of Greek cuisine deserves tuna tartare, talagani cheese, grilled with vegetables, Saganaki shrimps, sea bream with sun-dried tomatoes, traditional lamb stew. Visitors are delighted with the interior of the restaurant. Its name translates as "doors", and the design uses antique doors of different colors. Portes also holds bouzouki evenings that immerse you in the flavor of Greece.
Address: Akti Papanikoli 1
Opening hours: from 12:00 to 00:30
Salis
One of the best restaurants in Chania is Salis. He works with Cretan farmers to ensure that all ingredients are of the highest quality. The Salis menu is seasonal and changes throughout the year. You can try salads (Cretan with vegetables, croutons and mizithra cheese, chicken salad with honey mustard sauce), fava beans with capers, duck breast with basil, salted caramel mousse and apple tart. Salis also offers delicacies from other regions of Greece, such as salami from Lefkada, nubulu jerky from Corfu and prosciutto from Evrytania.
Address: Akti Enosseos 3
Opening hours: from 11:00 to midnight
Tamam
The influence of the East (Arabs, Turks) is still felt in Chania. And it's not just architecture. Under the influence of oriental traditions with an admixture of Cretan flavor, the Tamam restaurant was opened here, where you should definitely order the Imam Bayaldi dish - eggplants stuffed with a mixture of tomatoes, peppers, herbs and garlic. In addition to it, salad with cheese sauce, lamb in cream sauce, rabbit according to a recipe from Smyrna, tash-kebab and Iranian rice with vegetables and dried fruits are noteworthy.
Address: Zampeliou 49
Opening hours: from 12:00 to 00:30
