CRETE TRAVEL GUIDE

Crete Travel Guide
Eating and Drinking Tips
Traditional Cafés
The old-fashioned
kafeneion is a hub of village
and town life, where local
men gather to play
backgammon and talk
politics. They usually serve
only Greek coffee, frappé
(iced coffee), ouzo and raki , Greek brandy, bottled beer
and a limited range of soft drinks.
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Ouzeris and Mezedopoleion
These are the Greek equivalent of the Spanish tapas
bar, serving ouzo , wine, beer and a range of snacks
(meze) to accompany your drink. In a mezedopoleion you
can order a complete meal of a dozen tiny dishes.
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Pastry Shops
The zacharoplasteion (patisserie) is evidence of the
Greek love of all things sweet. You will find honeysoaked
baclava and an array of pastries stuffed with raisins and
nuts and powdered with sugar and cinnamon,
cream-filled pies and chocolate gateaux. The
zacharoplasteion also serves coffee and sometimes a
range of liqueurs and spirits.
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Fish Restaurants
The psarotaverna (fish tavern) serves every
imaginable kind of seafood, from tiny whitebait to whole
sea bass, shrimp, octopus, squid, langouste and less
familiar delicacies, including sea urchins. Fish is officially
classed category “A” (the most expensive) through “E”
and is priced by weight.
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Grill Restaurants
The psitesteatoreon or grill restaurant is a
carnivore’s delight and a vegetarian’s nightmare. The
typical menu comprises chicken, lamb and pork,
spit-grilled and served with chips and salad. Less familiar
dishes include kokoretsi (liver and other offal wrapped
in intestines and grilled) and sheep’s head.
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Giros (Kebab) Stands
The ubiquitous giros (pronounced “hero”) is
Greece’s own greasy and delicious fast food – slivers of
veal, pressed into a vertical cylinder and cooked on a
revolving grill, shaved off and served in flat pitta bread
with onions, tomatoes, yoghurt and a dash of cayenne
pepper. Giros stands are strategically located in most
towns and larger villages.
7 Café-Bars
Neon-lit, gleaming new
café-bars cater to holiday
crowds in main resorts and
to younger Greeks in towns
such as Irakleio, Chania and
Rethymno. They serve
expensive imported lagers,
iced coffee, soft drinks and disturbingly powerful
cocktails, usually based on locally made vodka, tequila,
rum or gin.
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Raki and Wine
Tsikoudia , or raki , is
Crete’s fiery traditional tipple,
and is served neat in tiny
glasses, sometimes first
thing in the morning with
coffee. Cretans rarely drink
more than one at a sitting;
nor should you. Wines
include pine resinflavoured
retsina (sold straight from
the barrel or in 500 ml
bottles) and drinkable red
and white wines from Crete
and elsewhere in Greece
(see Top 10 Cretan Wines).
9 Beer
Lager beers including Amstel and Heineken are
brewed under licence in Greece and sold in 500 ml
bottles. Local brands including Mythos and Fix (the first
beer brewed in Greece, introduced by a Bavarian brewer
in the 1840s), also in 500 ml bottles. Café1-bars also
serve imported brands including Budweiser and Beck’s.
Bottled Newcastle Brown Ale, Guinness and British keg
lagers on draft are served in some holiday resorts.
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Water and Soft Drinks
Greek tap water is perfectly safe to drink, but many
visitors and Greeks themselves prefer the taste of bottled
mineral water. Virtually every resort shop has a fridge
stuffed with mineral water, cola, lemonade and other
soft drinks.
Cafés and Ouzeries
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Pagopoleion, Irakleio
A remarkable café-bar set in the city’s old icehouse,
serving Italian, Greek and iced coffee all day long. The
decoration includes mementos of the building’s past,
including the old ice lift.
➤ Platia Ayios Titos • Map K3
after-dinner drinks.
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➤ Akti Tombazi 4 • Map D2/B5
Aroma, Chania
With tables on the east
side of the harbour, Aroma
is a popular rendezvous for
young locals. Fine views of
the harbour and a pleasant
place for breakfast, morning
coffee, an aperitif or
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➤ Palaio Limani • Map D2/B4
Fortetza, Chania
Delightful café-bar
midway along the mole that
encloses the Venetian
harbour. The best place in
town for a sunset drink, with
views across the water to
the old town.
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Places to Eat and Drink