Agios Nikolaos

• •On Plateia Venizelou, not the tourist waterfront
• •Reviewed overwhelmingly by Greeks, not visitors
• •Cretan home cooking, loved by locals

Taverna on the main square · Plateia Venizelou 7-8

A cheap, much-loved taverna on the main square rather than the tourist waterfront, named on the forums as one of the places locals go. Its customers are overwhelmingly Greek, which tells you who eats here.

Suggested: Cretan home cooking, raki

• •Family-run: Irene hosts, son Nikos cooks
• •Complimentary raki and dessert to finish
• •Local Lasithi-plateau legumes (manarolia)

Family mezedopoleio in an alley · Anapafseos 3

A family mezedopoleio down a small alley off the main drag, where Irene hosts and her son Nikos cooks. Expect complimentary raki and dessert, vintage Lasithi objects on the walls and legumes from the plateau.

Suggested: mezedes, manarolia, raki

• •A garden under fig and lemon trees
• •Known for the owner's home-made raki
• •A few streets off the lakefront

Back-street garden taverna · Prigkipos Georgiou 12

A back-street garden taverna set under fig and lemon trees, a few streets away from the lakefront. It is known for the owner's home-made raki and warm, personal hospitality.

Suggested: home-made raki, Cretan taverna dishes

• •Named on the forums as a locals' favourite
• •Booking advised even off-season
• •Fresh fish and ouzeri meze

Fish taverna and ouzeri · Akti Pagkalou & Evans

A fish taverna and ouzeri on the Kitroplatia waterfront that the forums repeatedly call a locals' favourite, busy enough that booking is wise even off-season. Fresh fish and ouzeri meze draw a mixed but locally driven crowd.

Suggested: fresh fish, ouzeri meze, ouzo

• •Recipes from the owner's mother and grandmother
• •In the Amoudi neighbourhood, off the waterfront
• •Consistently strong recent reviews

Family-recipe taverna, off the strip · Minoos 11, Amoudi

A taverna in the Amoudi neighbourhood, off the waterfront strip, cooking family recipes handed down from the owner's mother and grandmother. Recent reviews stay consistently strong.

Suggested: family-recipe dishes, Cretan mezedes

• •Cooked-to-order daily home food (magirefto)
• •No TripAdvisor listing at all, just local regulars
• •Run by one owner, Maria

Everyday magirefto home cooking · K. Karamanli 6

An everyday magirefto place run by one owner, Maria, cooking to order the way a home kitchen does. It has no TripAdvisor listing at all, and turns up only in Greek small-business directories.

Suggested: the daily magirefto dishes

• •A chef's pick for authentic local food
• •Reviews run overwhelmingly Greek
• •Home-style Cretan cooking, off the waterfront

Home-style taverna, mostly locals · Andrea Papandreou 54

A home-style taverna off the waterfront that a chef on the forums named as a top pick for authentic local food. Its reviews run overwhelmingly Greek, the clearest sign of who eats here.

Suggested: home-style Cretan dishes, the daily specials

• •Run by the two Varda brothers since 1970
• •Souvlaki about three euros
• •A local institution, barely on TripAdvisor

Souvlaki by two brothers since 1970 · Akti Nearchou

A souvlaki and gyros place run by the two Varda brothers since 1970, with souvlaki around three euros. It is a genuine local institution that barely registers on TripAdvisor.

Suggested: souvlaki, gyros

• •Run by Thomas and Marsela
• •Fresh food with a genuine local following
• •On the harbour front

Owner-run harbour-front restaurant · Akti Koundourou 12

An owner-run restaurant on the harbour front, kept by Thomas and Marsela, with a genuine local following. The waterfront setting brings a more mixed crowd, but the regulars are real.

Suggested: fresh fish, Mediterranean plates

• •The only taverna in a small off-route village
• •Homegrown ingredients
• •Usually full of local farmers

Village taverna full of local farmers · Exo Lakonia, about 5 km from town

The only taverna in Exo Lakonia, a small village a short drive west of Agios Nikolaos, usually full of local farmers. The cooking leans on homegrown ingredients.

Suggested: Cretan home cooking, grilled meat, raki

• •Under the plane tree in Kritsa village
• •Owner-hosted, guests treated like friends
• •A small gift to end the meal

Owner-hosted taverna under the plane tree · Kritsa, about 7 km inland

A village taverna and kafeneio under the plane tree in Kritsa, a short drive inland, hosted by its owner Aristides. Guests are treated like friends and sent off with a small gift at the end of the meal.

Suggested: Cretan village cooking, grilled meat, raki

• •In Kroustas, a village with no tourist shops
• •Xortopita, dolmades, lamb and goat
• •Own-garden Cretan cooking

Village taverna where locals meet · Kroustas, about 8 km inland

A real village taverna in Kroustas, just beyond Kritsa, where locals meet in a place with no tourist shops. The kitchen does xortopita, dolmades and lamb or goat, with vegetables from its own garden.

Suggested: xortopita, dolmades, lamb or goat

• •On the square in Kritsa since 1994
• •Complimentary raki and fruit to finish
• •Grilled meats and Cretan meze

Family taverna on the Kritsa square · Kritsa square, about 7 km inland

A family taverna on the square in Kritsa, cooking Cretan food since 1994, a short drive inland from town. Grilled meats and meze, with complimentary raki and fruit to finish.

Suggested: grilled meats, Cretan meze, raki

• •A 45-year family kafeneio on the old road
• •Vegetables from the family's own garden
• •Well off the harbour, a locals' social centre

Family kafeneio-rakadiko since 1979 · Palaia EO 7, Xirokampos

A family kafeneio-rakadiko of forty-five years on the old road, well off the harbour strip. Vegetables come from the family's own garden and it works like a village social centre for locals.

Suggested: raki, meze, Greek coffee

• •Ouzo, raki and taverna-style meze since 2010
• •Travellers' Choice, closed Mondays
• •An institution, popular with locals and visitors alike

Traditional ouzeri-rakadiko · Akti Themistokleous 9

A traditional Cretan ouzo and raki bar serving taverna-style meze since 2010, from saganaki and fava to dolmades and octopus. It is a local institution, popular with visitors and locals alike, and closed on Mondays.

Suggested: raki or ouzo, fava and saganaki, grilled octopus

• •Tiny bar run by Yannis and his family
• •Walls of vinyl and photographs
• •The owner is known for free raki

Owner-run rock music bar · Koundourou 3

A tiny rock-music bar run by Yannis with his wife and son, its walls covered in vinyl and old photographs. The owner is known for sending over free raki.

Suggested: draft beer, raki