Food Hopping in Greece
During a dinner at a Greek Restaurant in Zürich right after lock down we decided that we would book our flights to Greece that same evening. Remembering the good times we had during our previous trip to Greece we decided to go Island hopping in the Cyclades again. Island hopping in Greece is exactly what it sounds like - a dream - you embark your ferry on one island and get off a bit later somewhere completely different. Each island is so unique and you are suddenly filled with an urge to drive around and explore everything - every beach, every restaurant, every church and cute town. This year we decided to focus on the smaller islands as we really didn’t like how touristy Santorini and Mykonos were when we visited them and wanted something more traditional and real. Our journey this year took us to Antiparos, Milos, Folegandros, Serifos and Sifnos and we are very excited for you to read our tips and for you to find the island that fits you best! We also made a list of foods you must try on each island to make your culinary experience even better.
Generally on the Greek Islands we don’t eat much meat as the fish and other specialties are very good and because many times the meat is either Goat or Lamb which we don’t enjoy too much. This being said you will always find some good meat dish in tavernas (meatballs are also quite famous along with Moussaka and Pastitsio). Always ask the waiter what the day’s specials are and what the local specialty is as many things are not always written on the menu. In the Cyclades you can either eat very healthy or very fatty foods as many dishes include french fries, fatty meats and sometimes it seems like all vegetables are getting squished together and fried into a pancake. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the local product and try as many typical dishes as possible.
Food/ Drinks you must try: Greek Salad, Olives, Capers, Retsina, Ouzo, Grape Rakia, Metaxa, Mastika
Antiparos: Octopus, Squid, Fresh Grilled Fish, Gouna (Roasted Mackarel), Revithia sto fourno (Baked Chickpeas), Mizithra (white cheese from goat milk), Petimezinia (locally baked pumpkin pie)
Milos: Pèltes (Dried Tomato Cream), Pitarakia Milou (Cheese Pies), Koufeto (Traditional Sweet), Octopus, Squid, Grilled Fish, Milos Tomato Paste, Milos Honey
Folegandros: Souroto (Cheese), Matsata (Pasta from Folegandros), Karpouzenia (Sweet Pie with Watermelon), Pastelli (made with sesame and honey), Fresh Fish, Octopus, Squid
Serifos: Marathotiganites (Fennel Pancakes), Glyko tou koutalou (Honey Based Dessert), Fava (Yellow Bean Puree), Revithada (chickpea stew with rosemary), Xinomizithra and Mizithra (Cheese), Loutza (Sun Baked Ham)
Sifnos: Revifada (Chickpea and Onion dish), Mastelo (Lamb in Oven with wine and dill), Mizithra, Anthotyro, and Manura (Cheese), Kaparosalata (Caper Salad), Revithokeftedes (Chickpea Croquettes)
Fava, Greek Salad, Capers, revithada, Taramasalata, Olives, Dolmades, , Grilled Fish, Octopus, Honey, pastaki, local cheese like xynomyzithra,
Antiparos
Antiparos being only 35.09 km² big is the second smallest island you will find on our list. We loved it as it is very close to Paros (only a 7 min ferry ride) but it feels like it is worlds away from touristy Paros. The beaches are beautiful (especially Soros beach) and you will hardly find a soul especially in May, beginning of June and September. Antiparos is quite a refined island as many rich Greeks have their summer villas here so you will find high end shops in town and besides the usual tavernas you will also find exceptional restaurants like Kalokeri - a true fine dining experience. We recommend to stay in Antiparos for around 2/3 days as it is quite small and you will run out of things to see/do. A great daytrip is a boat trip to Despotiko, an uninhabited island right next to Antiparos. You won’t find huge resorts and extremely luxurious hotels on the island but we have listed our favorite accommodations below. Very important: rent a scooter, quad or car as there are really not many taxis on the island.
Perfect For: Relaxing, reading, hanging out at the beach, eating delicious food
When to go: May - June or September for perfect weather and avoiding the crowds
Where to eat: Kalokeri (our favorite), Taverna Peramataki, Captain Pipinos Seafood Taverna
Where to stay: Salti Villas, Kouros Village, On the Rocks (our favorite)
What to do: stroll around town and eat some delicious food, visit the beaches of Soros, Kako Rema and Pangaia, rent a scooter and drive around the island, stargaze
Milos
Milos being the largest island on our list is also the most busy island. We liked the contract between busier Milos and the smaller and less busy islands but if you are looking for a secluded island Milos will not be for you. That being said, Milos is touristy for a reason: it’s beautiful and filled with history, artifacts The Venus de Milo and the Asclepius of Milos were both found on the island . Milos is a volcanic island and you can find so many colorful rock formations and beautiful beaches especially around Kleftiko beach which used to be used as a pirate base during the Turkish occupation, they used to wait in the bay for other ships to pass by so that they could rob them - when you go you understand why they chose this spot - it’s magnificent. A fun fact about Milos is that the western half of the island is a protected nature reserve so you can’t drive there, we recommend doing a hike or visiting this part by sea as it is the most beautiful part in our opinion. Another noteworthy part of Milos are the fishing villages with Klima and Mandrakia being the most famous ones.
Perfect For: History buffs, boat trips, active vacation with lots of things to see/do, beaches
When to go: May - June or September for perfect weather and avoiding the crowds
Where to eat: Astakas Cafe Restaurant, Medusa Milos, Armyra
Where to stay: Captain Zeppos (yes the pictures on Booking are a bit strange but the hotel is great), Milos Breeze Boutique Hotel, Tania Milos (best breakfast), Salt Hotel
What to do: Fyriplaka beach, Sarakiniko Beach, Paliochori Beach, Triades Beach, Plaka Castle, visit the fishing villages of Klima and Mandrakia, visit Plaka and Pollonia
Folegandros
Folegandros is our all time favorite island. It’s smaller than Antiparos with only 32.38 km² and it is a bit secluded. Travelers coming to Folegandros are usally those searching for peace and quite along with beautiful beaches and nice hikes. Folegandros is magical, the beaches are amazing, the town of Chora is perfect and the walk up to Panagia Church is a must at sunset. Folegandros is also well known for scuba diving - Sea U offers not only snorkeling and scuba diving trips but also boat days and tranfers.
Perfect For: Relaxing, Hiking, Beaches, Cute Town
When to go: May - June or September for perfect weather and avoiding the crowds
Where to eat: Pounta Restaurant, Papalagi Seafood (you will love it!), Dal Capo del Porto
Where to stay: Onar Suites, Anemi, Blue Sand Hotel
What to do: Katergo Beach, Livadaki Beach, Church of Panagia, Aspropournta Lighthouse
Serifos
Serifos is the number 1 beach island. All the beaches are perfect and amazingly beautiful. Some are secluded and you will have to walk a bit to reach them while others are easily accessible but the great thing is they will never be super full of tourists (at least not in May, June and September). Serifos is a mainly Greek island which we loved as it gives it a whole different feel to Milos, Santorini, Mykonos and the overly busy islands. In Serifos you get the feeling that this is where Greeks come to relax and have a break. There isn’t much to do besides exploring, going to the beach and having dinner in the port area in the evening but there are 116 churches and sanctuaries to discover and the history behind the Megalo Livadi mines. We also recommend a visit to the Chrysoloras Vineyards to taste some typical Serifan wine.
Perfect For: Beach, Relaxation, Churches & Monasteries
When to go: May - June or September for perfect weather and avoiding the crowds
Where to eat: Kalis Seafood Restaurant, Chill & Co Serifos
Where to stay: Pende Serifos (we higly recommend the Pende Natura Residences)
What to do: Livadakia Beach, Ganema Beach, Kalo Ampeli (our favorite), Vagia Beach, Megalo Livadi mines
Sifnos
If Serifos is beach heaven then Sifnos is food heaven - yes people from Serifos travel to Sifnos just to eat sometimes as the ferry ride only takes around 30 min! Sifnos is also the perfect island for hikers as it is absolutely full of trails that lead you to places only accessible on foot. One of our favorite places is the Church of the Seven Martyrs and the town of Kastro - you can walk down the numerous steps straight to the sea where you can jump in and dry off on the rocks. When you are done hiking and exploring monasteries take a walk around Apollonia and Artemonas where you will find cute bars, bakeries and shops and then head to dinner and enjoy one of the many amazing food options in Sifnos.
Perfect For: Food, Churches & Monasteries, Cute Towns, Beach, Hiking
When to go: May - June or September for perfect weather and avoiding the crowds
Where to eat: Maiolica, Kelari, Omega3, Ogenus, Perivoli, Cafe Mosaic
Where to stay: Verina Astra (Verina Terra is ok but we didn’t love it), Sifnos House
What to do: Church of the Seven Martyrs, Panagia Poulati, Chrisopigi Monastery, Apokofto beach, Vathi Beach and Ceramics, Paralia Fikiada
