THE CRETAN CULINARY QUARTET: These Are the Top Places Where You Need to Eat in Crete
Best Crete eats? Almost anywhere, frankly, but your culinary compass starts here
It is one of the axiomatic things about islands: the ones at crossroads locations always have the richer, more interesting cuisines. Manhattan still has the best restaurants in North America, or maybe the world. Crete, for its part, has the best cuisine in Greece — or maybe the world.
Now, I realize I may take some heat for that last statement, and I know that between them Paris and London have a fine table or two but having made the gourmet rounds in Athens, nibbled away in Corfu, noshed in Naxos, and followed the Mykonos-Santorini chic foodie trail, I can say that while you will find good food in all of those places, there is a variety and consistency of quality found in Cretan cuisine that is both remarkable and possibly impossible to duplicate.
Culturally speaking, Crete is an apex island — the Minoan was Europe’s earliest advanced civilization, and to walk among the palace ruins and to gawk at the ethereal art of the ancients is like doing the Louvre with the top down. In this sense Sicily and Corsica are backwater (I know, don’t mess with the Sicilians or the Corsicans, but facts are facts, and by the way, did you know Napoleon spent the night in Ierapetra, in South Crete?).
Crete’s cuisine can be considered the apex cuisine of the Mediterranean diet — much more so than any of the Spanish or Italian islands, and with Cyprus (also a crossroads location) coming in a close second. There is plenty of nutritional science behind that but, in this morning’s dispatch, I’m going to tell you about a trio of Cretan restaurants that need to be included in your next itinerary — if you don’t try at least one of them, you’re missing out.
The first is one of my personal favorites, SCALA Premium Sea Food Bar in Matala. In a ravishing open air setting in this unique locale with its 1970s hippie heritage, Manos Tsavolakis runs a restaurant that is the epitome of what comes to mind when you think “Greek seaside restaurant.”
I first discovered Scala years ago in a previous iteration of the place and reported on it for Forbes (in another previous iteration, but that’s another story), in what in 2025 can really be called a different era of travel.
Scala is unusual in that it is refined, gourmet dining — not your everyday taverna fare — in a setting that is both stylish and as the French might say, décontracté — relaxed — without the pretension or and high prices that might pertain to a similar place in more famous/notorious islands like Mykonos.
First of all, there is Matala itself: though it’s not particularly beautiful, the setting is unique: on one side of a small embayment there is a large cliff that plunges sideways to the sea. It is riddled with “sea cave” entrances that were once provisional summer hippie hangouts. Beneath them, an organized beach which again, is not as beautiful as the nearby Komos beach but has much better shelter from the winds. The village spills out on the opposite side of the small bay, kind of a like a real-life Sweethaven from the 1980 movie Popeye, with Scala at the very tip of it — the point the exclamation mark, if you will. You walk up some stairs and then find the three sections of the restaurant, each perched almost directly above the shimmering blue-green sea and with deliciously breezy views that make you feel like you’re on a yacht.
Manos knows that pretty much the only seafood I eat is grilled fish, and whatever fish is on the menu is going to be not only the freshest you can find, but also the tastiest. For my impromptu al fresco lunch, I simply requested a grilled fish and what came was better than anything I remember having at Le Bernardin. The Cretan tomato salad, delish. A light lemon-y dessert? Yum.
I also love the relaxed but attentive service here; they seem to enjoy what they’re doing here and in a location like this who wouldn’t? Scala is far, far away from any typical dining experience, and it’s a whole galaxy of flavors.
On a completely different note, and on the opposite coast, there’s a gourmet groove that defies easy categorization but is well worth your time: Nektaria’s Kitchen. It’s not exactly a restaurant, and not exactly a cooking demonstration either, but it is a place to discover and enjoy Cretan tastes as prepared and presented by a renowned Greek culinary star and ambassador of Cretan cuisine, Nektaria Kokkinaki.
The first thing you need to know about Nektaria’s Kitchen is that it’s located on the edge of one of Lasithi’s prettiest villages, Kavousi. The Lasithi region produces more than 40,000 tons of olive oil a year, by the way.
The second thing is that you need to plan for this experience in advance, because what Nektaria does is provide an immersive cooking experience that is both quintessentially Cretan and customizable. She organizes workshops and private cooking classes, generally for groups of four to eight people, in which the panpoly of Cretan flavors is presented. She can whip up a traditional meat or fish menu, or vegetarian menu, and as well as present olive oil and wine tastings. Cretan olive oil is some of the world’s best, and the range of fresh vegetables and herbs grown in Crete is actually astonishing.
My workshop skewed vegetarian, as per my preference, but did include some choice chicken cutlets in sort of tangy earthy Cretan okra stew:
Speaking of stews, this one had me considering eggplant in a whole new light:
Desserts? Simple but just enough to hit that Crete sweet spot…think candied lemon peel and other candied fruits on a dollop of cool fresh Greek yogurt:
Let’s talk about two more incredible place to eat in Crete (was that SEO-friendly? Oh wow!) Seriously — let’s talk about PELAGOS, east of Ierapetra.
This Mykonos-esque spot is located facing the beach in Koutsounari, behind the family-run Coriva Beach Hotel and Bungalows. It’s a whole vibe here.
Their twist on ravioli, featuring feta cheese and locally sourced Cretan mountain herbs, was pretty close to culinary nirvana: so cliche to say it was like an explosion of flavor, but frankly, it was. At nearly $20 not cheap either, but by Mykonian standards sort of reasonable, and after all if you made it all the way down to the south coast of Crete you’re probably on vacay so, spend.
The evening I went was somewhat marred by a windstorm, making it a challenge even to order, so after a nice passionfruit mocktail and aforementioned ravioli I had to cut it short. But truly this is a place to linger. According to its website, “Pelagos’ culinary journey began in 1981, when it first opened its doors as a traditional restaurant for visitors seeking authentic Cretan flavors by the sea. Beloved by locals and visitors alike for its traditional dishes and pleasant atmosphere, it soon became a culinary destination on Koutsounari Beach. In 2015, the quaint tavern evolved into a sophisticated restaurant that remained true to its authentic character, while incorporating a fresher and more inventive approach to both local and Mediterranean cuisine, and received numerous awards…”
In summertime make a reservation. Check out a sample menu here.
Last but not least in our Cretan culinary quartet there is the Kalè gastrobar, in Ierapetra. It’s named for the Venetian fortress of Kales, which guards the harbor and is a stone’s throw from the most exciting new restaurant in this part of Crete. Check out the unusual appetizers:
Here’s what those croquettes look like:
…and the “stuffed otherwise”…
As you can probably tell, these dishes are inspired by Greek classics, with a contemporary twist. Tuck into the deliciousness from a Greek-fleek terrace:
More from the menu:
Okay, okay…we have a thing about not being able to eat Thumper, but a friend really dug that rabbit pasta:
Have a Cretan dining favorite? Let us know!