Let the journey begin
Skiathos Blog. Volume 2.
Where to Dine!
The food on the island, as a whole, is just fantastic; you will struggle to find a bad meal. However, we definitely have a handful of favourites we return to every single visit.
Breakfast
A couple of out favoured hit spots for breakfast are in Skiathos town. There are many places further afield but with us generally staying in or close to town we sometime like a walk in a morning to work up our appetites for breaky.
Lobby bar, which is on Papadimanti ( main street in town). We feel is somewhat overlooked for breakfast. Never overly busy, but the quality of the cooking here is beautiful. We would stay it’s a mix of English breakfasts and Greek speciality but all that we have tried has been very tasty and would give this the number 1 ranking for breakfast.
Another nice place for breakfast or snacks, is a little bar on the front of the old port called SeaU. The owner at SeaU, a very friendly man called Theo, who isn’t pushy , very attentive and a lovely person. We visit here most days, as it has beautiful views, a nice breeze , comfy seats and the food is really tasty. The menu is pretty standard for Greece but all that we have had has been very nice.
Lunch (or for northerner’s... dinner)
A lot of the time during the day we will just get snacks on the beach or round the pool if we have gone out from breaky, but sometimes, if it’s a really hot day and just fancy a change we will either drive or get a taxi to one of our favourite restaurants for lunch. Megali Gialos. This little gem of a restaurant is located fairly high up looking out to the other side of the island. You have a fabulous view of the sea and Skopelos. Visit here at least once every trip and we always look forward to our visit. The owner john who owns and runs the restaurant his highly accommodating and the food his chef cooks is outstanding. He has three children and often our kids will play with his at the back of the restaurant or the grassy area if it isn’t too hot. One of the best things about this restaurant that if it is a scorcha of a day, you always get a beautiful breeze here. So if the kids are getting a little cranky in the heat, this place always chills them out. This would be Our number 1 recommendation for lunch.
Another nice spot for lunch we would recommend if you like fish is s Skithri. This is located right on the beach front at Tzaneria beach. ( bus stop 11). This is one of Olivers faves but we don’t visit here every time we visit as rachael isn’t a massive fish lover. However the setting is really romantic, and the atmosphere is chilled out holiday vibes. Food is really good and definitely worth a visit.
Dinner & Teae
This is where we could recommend restaurant after restaurant but we are going to try and limit our recommendations to a top 5.
Number 5 - Mesogia Taverna
This is the most traditional Greek restaurant we have found in the whole of Skiathos. It’s the oldest taverna in Skiathos and it’s nestled in the back streets of the town. When we visit here we are guaranteed great service, great food and a great price. Although we don’t visit every single time, that’s only because it can be a little difficult to get to with the pushchairs on the cobbles.
Number 4 - Paraxenos Restaurant
We have only visited here on one of our more recent visits, but we where amazed by the service and the quality of the food we were served. Its situated right in the heart if town and if you don’t know where you are going could almost miss it tucked away. The menu here we would say is more up market Greek food. So traditional Greek meals with a little twist. We would recommend here if you wanted to celebrate a special occasion as the price tag here is a little more than most but its not going to break the bank by any means.
Number 3 - Lyhnari
This is another amazing restaurant and probably Rachael’s favourite Greek restaurant. Its located near to the main street (Papadiamanti) about 1 minute walk. The setting is beautiful and the staff Dimitri and his family are outstanding. they really look after you here, free dips, free ouzo, free deserts. Dimitri often gives oliver dried oregano from the mountains of Skiathos so oliver can cook with it at home. The family run restaurant has a really homely feel and the food is phenomenal. Some recommendations from us would be the spicy baked feta for starter and the greek stamna for main (stamna is slow cooked beef and potatoes in the oven with orzo pasta and grilled feta on top). We visit here every single time we visit , usually for a special occasion and we tend to go at the end of the evening, as generally after all the delicious food , you done for the evening and need to go lie down.
Number 2 - Hellinikon
This is the restaurant to go to for a good time. 2-3 nights a week they have live musicians playing traditional Greek music and whilst this is on the atmosphere gives you goosebumps. We wouldn’t recommended it Soley for the music, the food and the service is some of the best on the island. The family who run it , are now great friends of ours as we visit almost everyday for drinks but 2/3 times for food also. Our favourite meal there is the red snapper served with salad and potatoes in the oven. Also, it may sound silly but the children chicken nuggets a beautiful for the kids, chunks of pure breaded chicken and they are so soft and juicy. We can always get our boys to eat them even if they are a little off. This place is a must visit, the heart of Skiathos town. This is Oliver’s favourite restaurant, and it can be difficult to get him away once he’s settled in there.
Number 1 - LA Cucina di Maria
Out of all the restaurants, after much debate , we agreed this is our favourite place to eat on the whole island. Again, situated right in the centre Skiathos town. This restaurant has a beautiful courtyard where the seating is. The owner maria is so super friendly and welcoming. Her restaurant offers beautiful homecooked Italian food, and sometimes when your all greeked out its nice to have a change is cuisine. We visit here usually a couple of times every trip. The garlic bread starter lures us back and is a must try. Every meal we have ever eaten here is to a really high standard and all have so much flavour.
Bonus restaurant- Grill House Koziakas
This place is our fave pit stop for some quick food (and we also get takeaway from here quite often to take back to the villa/hotel room at the end of the night).
All the seating located on little side streets, wine served in little tumblers, very rustic , very tasty, very authentic. Every different meat you can think of cooked on a massive grill and served with bread, salad and fries. Our go to meat is the chicken, so juicy, tasty and tender. Also, a great place for the kids as food comes very quick if they are getting hungry. Situated in Skiathos town, one street back from the old port.
Pre and post dinner drinks in town? No problem…
The best little bar in town, if you just want a little bit of home, the old port house. Opens at 7pm every night. Little English pub, serving a great pint of mythos for only 3 euros all night. The only place on the island that serves Guinness on draft. Dave and Libby play great music, and Libby makes the best cocktails, all at a very reasonable price. ( don’t think we have ever seen a more extensive cocktail list and they are all superb). We love to visit here as much as we can but we need to go early as it does get very busy so we struggle to get in with the push chairs. This place is a must visit.
Another great stop for chilled out drink is Bourtzi. This is the little island that is situated just near the old port. The restaurant has a very laid-back vibe. Quite pricey but it’s worth it for the location. Great mojitos and some lovely wine choices. The views are some of the best the island has to offer. In peak times , you would need to book here as there is always a lot of footfall here. We recently had some snacks here one afternoon and the chicken tacos are awesome. Another top tip is visit the restrooms here as the views must be one of the best in the world for a WC.
In conclusion, all food restaurants and outlets are generally very high quality but you definitely wont be disappointed if you decide on any of our recommendations! Happy eating!
