The Best Restaurants in Chania

Chania › The Best Restaurants in Chania

I spent 5 days in Chania, Crete’s second biggest city. While I spent the first two days on the glorious beaches around Chania, the following 3 days were dedicated to exploring the city and trying out all the best restaurants in Chania.

I am a huge fan of Greek food even though I only came across it quite late in my travel life. But once I did I was immediately hooked and I think it was Crete that was ‘responsible’.

In Chania and the district of Chania you can find excellent restaurants and many traditional tavernas. They are located in the Chania town (in the Venetian Old Town, the Koum Kapi and the Nea Chora), the waterfront and the traditional villages. Below are some restaurants that I found particularly excellent.

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Some tips when eating in Chania: don’t eat alone or adjust your order accordingly. Portion sizes ind Greece are filling and Cretan food is, just like Greek food, meant to be shared. If you are a solo traveler/ solo eater like myself it is pretty hard not to over-order.

Where to eat in Chania? You basically will find it hard to go wrong. I really loved Chania for its varied and diverse food landscape. From Souvlaki to Sushi, fast to fancy, traditional food to modern Greek – there is something for every tastebud. While I don’t consider myself an expert on Chania restaurants I want to share my favorites with you here. We shall call them the best restaurants in Chania, Crete according to Dirk.

SOME TIPS FOR YOUR CHANIA TRIP

My favorite small hotels in Chania

• La Maison Ottomane – The nicest boutique hotel in the center of the Old Town.
• Ionas Boutique Hotel – A stylish option in Splatzia Quarter in an old building but with modern amenities.
• Leonidas House – Perfect little studio in Koum Kapi right by the beach. 

Recommended Activities in Chania

• Crete Wine and Olive Tour
• Samaria Gorge Hiking Tour from Chania

The best restaurants in Chania, Crete –  My Recommendations

Kouzina EPE

I came across Kouzina EPE wandering throught Splanzia Quarter looking for an easy lunch place. The little place has an inexpensive lunch vitrine with a good range of daily specials – perfect if you are on a budget looking for a quick bite to eat. I found my favorite daily meal spot here in Chania and went for repeats. 

I went for the Stifado Beef Stew with roast potatoes – a real good filler and super delicious. I like the atmosphere there and the easy going friendly staff. Plus you can watch life go by at the square while waiting for you food.

After your meal, you get a serving of yummy Panna Cotta with caramel sirup, a real nice change from the overly sweet pastries that are usually served elsewhere. 

By the way, if you want to come to Kouzina EPE for dinner get in line – I passed by a few nights and there were always many people waiting. Their reasonable prices are another highlight. 

The Well of the Turk

The Well of the Turk is located a bit hidden and you need to follow the signs at the beginning of the alley to find it. The spot is super quiet and quite a change from the busy streets and squares where most restaurants in the old town are to be found.

It seemed like one of those must-visit Chania Old Town restaurants that I read about and have seen a bit of a hype over the last years. The cuisine here is a mix of Moroccan, Turkish, and Greek food. The place was just around the corner from Ionas Boutique Hotel where I was staying so it was obvious to pop in.

Check out Ionas Boutique Hotel to stay right next door!

I ate Middle Eastern vegatarian moussaka and an antipasti salad with Dhakos bread and it was good. Another speciality here is the Slow cooked local lamb with preserved lemons and couscous and the Shish Kebab & Avocado and Orange Salad.

The overall quality of the food was not as high as I was expecting. Some of the dishes were lacking the explosion of flavors that I was hoping for to find here. But tatest are different so maybe you will see that from another perspective.

Christosomos

If you want a eat at a lovely local restaurant in the Chania Old Harbor that is not a tourist trap go to Chrisostomos. The restaurant is more focused on meat and you can find Cretan rabbit here if you wish to try that, which is what I did. The place feels local even though it is just around the corner from the well frequented harbour. Service was incredibly fast, friendly and just what you wish for. The food is simple and delicious.

Stay at Porto Venezziano Hotel for Chania Harbour Views around the corner – Book at Booking.com

Prices for this location are more than decent and while the food is not innovative or very fancy it is just really well done. And sometimes that is all you want. Check out these Chania Food tours if you want to learn more about the Cretan food & discover the traditional cuisine of the area:

Michalis (Seafood)

Taverna Michalis quickly became my favorite restaurant in Chania by the sea. It is one of the Chania harbour restaurants and can be touristy but I just love the atmosphere there and the great food.

The first time I went there was on a rainy day and the fried Kalamaris were just the best thing to have on such a day.

Porta Μεζεδοτεχνείο (Meze)

Porta came recommended by the staff of To Maridaki and is one of the best restaurants in Chania Old Town for me.

I discovered the joys of their Dolmadiakas (stuffed wine leaves) and the Skioufitha (a Cretan pasta dish) and both were exceptionally good. After making my way through many places in Chania Porta restaurant was a real hidden gem. The entrance is unpretencious, the food is amazing.

Inside Porta is kind of spacious, very quiet and with a lovely view up to one of the minerates of the neighboring mosque. Service was friendly and attentive. To my surprise the food was being prepared by some moms rather than a young gang. I was sad to leave without having made my way further up and down their menu but that was on my list for the following days to come.

Phyllo breakfast & brunch

I discovered Phyllo by surprise looking for a quick bite to eat before lunch. The location in one of the cute narrow alleyways proofed to be compfy and you can watch all sorts of people passing by. Phyllo serves breakfast and brunch with a very varied selection of egg dishes, bread combinations, salads and bowls, pastries and some delicious smoothies with a twist.

I ordered the Brioche Maison with “Saganaki” Cheese which turned out to be a tasty version of a burger with fried cheese. While sitting there I saw all kinds of interesting combinations on the neighbroing tables and decided I had to come back here for brunch..

Pulse Vegan

I read more about Pulse than any other restaurant in Chania and even non-vegans kept on raving about their plant-based food. I went there on a sunny day for lunch when I was craving fresh, good food that didn’t feel so heavy.

Stay at Domus Renier Boutique Hotel around the corner – check rates at Booking.

Bakeries & Cafes in Chania

There are plenty of cafes in Chania where you can get a good cup of coffee or something sweet.  For bougatsa or flakey phyllo dough filled with custard or cheese head to Bougatsa Iordanis. They are said to have the best bougatsa in Chania. The place has existed for over 100 years!

They have two versions, one original with cheese and one with custard. Both are best eaten when warm and I found them just delicious.

The hip bakery in town is Red Jane Bakery. They sell pastries, tasty sandwiches and coffee. You find a cafe around the corner to sit and watch the world go by as well as other stores in town. My pastrami goat cheese sandwich was tasty but also nothing completely out of this world.

The design and vibe of the bakery are innovative while the food does not go out of its way in my opinion.

FAQ

What is Chania known for in terms of cuisine?

Treat your taste buds to traditional Cretan specialties: Eggs with Stàka, Cretan Kalitsoùnia (sweet cheese pastries), lamb with prickly chicory, Dácos (the traditional hard Cretan bread with tomatoes, Mizithra cheese, and plenty of extra virgin Cretan olive oil), Boubouristì (fried snails).

What should you definitely try in Crete?

In Crete, dakos (barley rusks with tomatoes and mizithra cheese), gamopilafo (festive wedding rice), and kalitsounia (stuffed cheese pastries) are absolute must-tries. Fresh fish, rabbit, antikristo (slow-cooked lamb), snails (chochlioi boubouristi), and the smoky ham apaki also define the local cuisine. The meal is rounded off with raki.