Summer is made for happy “beaching” and isle-hoppers who crave for discovering and slurping up local delicacies like Marco Polo of taste. We’ve formed a brief selection of restaurants in Crete, including from refined spots to rustic classic or modern conceptual ones.
When you embark to
Crete, Greece’s largest island and a seductive culinary mixture of interesting restaurant venues,
Matzénta kuzina del sol in
Chania is intriguing option. What makes it special? Chef-owner
Dimitris Malandrenis, created a gastro-tavern where he builds a culinary bridge connecting traditional Mexican and Cretan cuisine. In brief translation, this means that the experience basically resembles a tropical gastronomic trip to Mexico through Crete combining the culinary tradition of
Mino’s island with Mexican
barbacoa. The ingredients come from producers on the island and the particularity of the cuisine lies in the way
Dimitris incorporates them into traditional and modern Mexican recipes. «In Matzenta, we consider every dish as a journey from the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean to Cretan and Libyan Sea, from the Oaxaca Mountains to Sfakia and Psiloritis», he notes.
Speaking of tradition, when the compass points out to Rethymno
, after having a true sense of the island’s roots by strolling around the medieval town’s alleyways,
Avli, a timeless venture housed for about 37 years in a 1600's Venetian mansion, is ideal for an elegant meal. Chef
Vassilis Leonidou translates Cretan flavours in a modern way focusing on seasonal ingredients - they work with local foreagers - and pairing each dish with a selected Greek extra virgin olive oil and Greek wines. The tasting menus include classic dishes such as
Goat with feta cheese and green beans and also a handful of vegan dishes such as
Giouvarlakia with xinohondro, made with mushrooms. When getting here, the wine aficionados will have some sips of the 300 Greek wine selection at
Enoteca,
Avli’s wine and cocktail bar, and drop by their
pantopolio for some traditional Cretan goodies to take home. The
1600 Raki BaRaki, right across the same street, is the family’s personal version of the classic Cretan cafe (
kafenion) and local meze bar (
rakadiko). The dishes, simple and traditional, are cooked with pure seasonal produce, and lovely paired with
tsikoudia or
ouzo. Say
geia mas ("cheers") and enjoy by the sounds of
lyra.
In Crete, the simplest dishes are a delight, so you’ll enjoy the same vibes at
Hasika, (Agias Varvaras 15, Rethymno, +30 2831 021014) also located at the old town of Rethymno, where chef-owner
Michalis Hasikos serves cuisine with Cretan and Asia Minor touches in a variety of dishes, grilled meats and home-made cured meat and fish. Their bar
H17, just by the restaurant, is a stop for premium Greek spirits and some serious signature drinks acompanied bar food made at
Hasika.
A visit at historic and fully renovated
Kapsaliana Village Hotel, member of the
Historic Hotels of Europe due to its contemporary living history, is worth for the exquisite experience and also its dining ventures,
Kapsaliana, a Cretan taverna, and
Elaia, a contemporary Cretan bistro, where, surrounded by the legendary mountains Psiloreitis and Lefka Ori and overlooking the Cretan Sea, chef
Nikos Thomas serves indulgent modern recipes based on the produce of small, regional farms and their very own vegetable and botanical gardens.
Peskesi in
Iraklio is embematic for the vision of its owner,
Panagiotis Manganas who set a small organic farm in the area of Haraso Hersonissos, full of rare plants and herbs, wild greens, beehives and an olive grove that has as its trademark a 1,000-year-old olive tree. He follows the rules of organic and biodynamic farming with a deep respect for nature and the Cretan cuisine. At a restored historical mansion they serve recipes that have come up from extended research in a revival of traditional cooking techniques using forgotten ingredients and promote the principles of sustainable gastronomy. «Gastronomy for us is a cultural expression based on the tradition and the natural wealth of our land», notes
Panagiotis.
The restaurant
Yacht Club Elounda at
Elounda Mare in Elounda, the only hotel in Crete part of
Relais & Châteuax association, is divided into two levels, overlooking the picturesque Mirabello Bay. It maintains its modern Greek accent, with chef
Stavros Kokkinakis reinventing classic Cretan recipes with fresh seasonal ingredients as a guide. Taste the fine
Marinated sea bass with sea urchin and aromatic salad from Dafnes, the
Xinohondtro with crayfish, which warmly embraces the palate, the
Grilled grouper with Cretan fakoryzo and the tender
Lamb fillets with giant beans in the casserole, crunchy potatoes and tzatziki. At the same hotel, the timeless
Old Mill, which is built, as its name suggests, on an old mill, completes this year its third decade of operation. At its tables, spread out in elegant surroundings in the hotel's gardens, with the dominant shades of blue in the summer frame, you will get a taste of hearty modern Greek cuisine.
Dolmades with vine leaves, rice and aromatic herbs,
Cuttlefish and goat yogurt and the classic
Lamb duet, sautéed and grilled, traditionally cooked, are some of the menu’s dishes, created by
Kokkinakis.
