My restaurant guide & tips for food and drinks in Iraklia by Iris Vlavianos

In the supermarket there is a good choice for food and drinks. If you want to go out to eat, I can recommend many restaurants. To Steki has my preference, just as O Pefkos. To Steki - This restaurant is located above the bakery in Panayia. It has a menu, but it is a surprise every night what is prepared. They always have multiple choices, and the portions are huge, so you need never fear to leave hungry: P! It also has a very homely atmosphere and I always feel like I'm sitting at the table with an aunt or grandmother. For example if you order pastitio, you get such a large piece of pastitio it could last for 2 nights and it only costs around 5 euros. Aeolos - THE pizzaria of Iraklia. They have many types of pizza and other Italian specialties (with a Greek influence). The pizzas are huge, and do not worry if you cannot finish it, because you get a nice red box around what is left of your pizza and you can take it home. It was a bit hilarious that since Iraklia, being off course a relatively small island with very few residents, now suddenly whas a pizza delivery line. It sits on a location with a beautiful view over the sea and other islands, but you can also sit inside when the Meltemi is blowing a bit too much. As I remember it is close to the apartments Venetiko. The owners are very friendly and always in for a chat with the guests. O Pefkos - a cosy restaurant that looks really very Greek: simple and cosy. You can sit under a large tree, which covers half of the restaurant, the grill is outside and it smells delicious all day. This is a very cheap restaurant. You can get fresh fish and meat and all kinds of oven and other dishes like fasolakia, moussaka, pastitio, briam etc etc.

Maistrali - Located about 10 meters from O Pefkos is a very nice restaurant where you can go in all day. You can have breakfast, lunch and dinner here. You can also go here to play a game. You can also buy various magazines here and on the evening it is a nice place to take a drink. In the high season it is quite busy, and you sometimes have to wait for a table, but the owner Nikos sometimes will place an extra table somewhere as soon as possible. In May it will be certainly a lot quieter, and there will be enough place. We have eaten at Maistrali (and we stayed there too). We ordered fava, tzatziki, saganaki (fried cheese), lamb and meatballs. Everything was fine and there was nothing really to complain about. Our verdict: een 8 out of 10 To Gialiri - Nice restaurant in the port. The cook is a pleasant grandma that is strirring in the pots and pans. There is a menu, but not every day you can get everything that is listed on it. The cook will take you to the kitchen to explain to you what's on the menu.

The other 2 restaurants are Perigiali and Syrma. These are also nice restaurants. Perigiali is next to the supermarket in Agios Georgios and Syrma in the port next to To Gialiri. The prices are also cheap, you only need to check the bill in Perigiali, since prices often vary with the prices on the menu. In Perigiali we took a lunch. The bread was not fresh. The lamb from the oven and briam (a vegetable dish) were in order. The fries were crispy. The food is simple but good. We got no paper bill but thought it was expensive compared to the other restaurants where we have eaten. Our verdict: a 7 out of 10

Syrma, like Maistrali, is relaxed and there is a bit of a lounge-like atmosphere with music, the food is good and you have a nice view of the harbor. We had dinner at Syrma and loved it. The guy working there, Vagelis is super friendly. He came with tsikoudia (an alcoholic drink) and olives. We ordered zuchini balls, tzatziki (very tasty with plenty of garlic), chicken souvlaki and small fried fish. The food is simple but good, the service excellent. Our verdict: an 8 out of 10 and a 10 for Vagelis.

New since a few years is a kind of snack bar where you can buy ice cream, sandwiches, tiropita, crepes, hamburgers and drinks. This Greek "snackbar" is situated at about 50 meters from the port, past the supermarket. It's called To Perasma and we stopped over here for a coffee and a crepe. The coffee was excellent Lavazza cappuccino with whipped warm milk and a bottle of water with it. The crepes were also very tasty. Comfortable benches and chairs for relaxing, friendly service and cheap. Our verdict: an 8,5 out of 10

© Hans Huisman, Georgios Kovaios, Iris Vlavianos, https://www.angelfire.com/super2/greece/ 2014