7 Of The Best Local Restaurants in Plakias

One of the BEST things about travel that I love the most is, you guessed it. The food. Honestly, after almost two years of eating in England, I was more than ready to sample some local, authentic dishes on my September trip to Crete.

We spent a week in Plakias, on the south coast of Crete, and although we ventured out to some other areas (such as Rethymno and Spili), most of our evening meals ended up being in one or another of Plakias’ many restaurants. There are an abundance of restaurants to choose from – and these were the ones we ate at.

Taverna Sifis

As someone who likes to try lots of different restaurants, if I re-visit a place on a trip, it’s a sign it’s REALLY good. Taverna Sifis was the place we ate at the most during our trip – the delicious food and great people here just kept us going back!

Portions are incredibly generous, so we usually shared a selection of starters between the table. And I gotta tell you, Crete do a MEAN starter game. There are also loads of vegetarian options too, which was great for me! Some must-try starter dishes in Crete (and particularly at Sifis) include: Saganaki (FRIED. CHEESE.), Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), Spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese pastry) and Fried Zucchini. And for meat-eaters, I’ve been informed Sifis does some of the best souvlaki in town!

Oh, and if the food doesn’t have you sold, meet Rex, who basically owns the place and will hover around your table expectantly between patrols of the seafront strip!

To Xechoristo

My diet is usually very vegetarian heavy, although I make the odd exception when I travel and want to try a local speciality dish. One of those times was at To Xechoristo, a casual dining and takeaway spot along Plakias seafront. The gyros here was absolutely delicious, a far cry from the UK’s late night kebab shops. Juicy and flavoursome, served up in a pitta bread with salad, chips and garlic sauce, it’s just as perfect for lunch as it would some late night munch to soak up the beers.

Also – if you have to eat anything here, make it the Stuffed Garlic Bread. A round garlic bread pitta, stuffed with feta and tomato, with LOADS of melted cheese on top. Seriously, it’s as good as it sounds.

Kastro

Kastro is a gorgeous, unique-looking little place nestled into the hill on the outskirts of Plakias. During the day, it offers views of the bay – at night, you can easily spot its lights from the beach. –

Unsurprisingly, we ordered a bunch of starters for the table, including some of my faves (yes, saganaki was very much involved).

For my main dish, I tried the Fava, a Greek dish made by pureeing yellow split peas. Honestly, it didn’t blow my mind as I couldn’t get over the fact it was just basically puree, but the flavours were nice and thankfully I’d filled up a fair bit on starters. The rest of the table seemed to really enjoy their meals, though, and it’s a decent little spot, elevated to something extra special by the ambience and the feel of high-end dining at an affordable price.

Kyma

Ideal for lunch and quick bites, Kyma is a small café along Plakias seafront where we had one of our earlier meals of the trip – and went back on the last night for a few drinks. The ambience is very relaxed and casual, with great views of the sea, offering both covered and outside seating. The staff are super friendly, and they do a range of dishes including sandwiches, salads and breakfast dishes. I had a chip-filled pitta with salad and garlic sauce which I enjoyed a lot. It may not be the most gourmet food in Plakias, but for an affordable and tasty bite to eat in a great atmosphere, Kyma is definitely worth a stop-off.

Taverna Apanemo

Aka the second spot I took exception to my usual veggie options, as I was keen to try the BBQed meat this Plakias eating spot is well-known for. The bacon-wrapped pork souvlaki was mind-blowingly good, and although I haven’t eaten meat regularly for over two years, it’s close to being some of the best meat I’ve had in my life. Insanely tender and gorgeously juicy.

In for a penny, in for a pound, we also ordered some chicken souvlaki which was wonderfully cooked, and I’ve gotten so bad at describing meat nowadays that I’ll just say if you’re any way carnivorously inclined, you should definitely check out Taverna Apanemo.

Taverna Manousos

On one of our holiday nights, we managed to luck out a bit with a last-minute dinner reservation for ten in the popular Taverna Manousos. Slightly more towards the upmarket end in terms of Plakias restaurants with still-reasonable prices, it mixes the traditional with modern for exciting takes on classic Cretan cuisine. I did struggle slightly finding a vegetarian dish that took my fancy, but the Linguini with tomato sauce and fresh basil was a rich, generously-portioned dish, costing just €6!

Plateia Taverna

Okay, this one’s not quite in Plakias – but it’s a very short drive out (or a half hour walk up a steep hill) and considerably worth it for the amazing views out over Plakias Bay. It’s not just the views that deliver – having eaten a LOT of saganaki over the past week, this was pretty much the best one I’d had. For my main course, I had a green bean dish for a last ditch touch of HEALTH, with the green beans, courgette and peppers served with potatoes in a rich sauce – basically, a veggie-heavy stew. The vegetables were super fresh and had a great crunch to them, and it was a perfect last meal before the drive back to the airport.

Read more: Plakias Travel Diary | One day in Rethymno