Heraklion is the least polished of the big Greek food cities, and that is the point. What the capital of Crete cooks is not generic Greek: it is dakos on barley rusk, kalitsounia folded by hand, apaki smoked over sage and cypress, staka stirred into rice, and snails fried face down in the pan as chochlioi boubouristi. The Agora on 1866 Street is the anchor, a narrow run of butchers, cheese counters, herb sellers and rusk sacks between the Meidani and Kornarou Square. Around it the city splits into moods. Korai and Chandakos hold the late tables and the cocktail rooms. The Venetian harbour keeps the fish ouzeria. Lions Square is where bougatsa gets eaten standing up at eight in the morning. Vineyards start ten minutes past the ring road, which is why Vidiano and Liatiko turn up by the glass in places that look like nothing from the street. Eat late, drink tsikoudia, and let someone older order for you.

Peak seasonMay to June and September to October
Dining hoursLunch 13:00 to 16:00, dinner from 20:30, with kitchens in the old town serving until...
TippingService is included

Food festivals coming up in Heraklion

All Heraklion food festivals
Wine Festival of Dafnes Cretan wine Houdetsi Festival Cretan music and village food Feast of Saint Titus Traditional Cretan food and sweets

Book food experiences in Heraklion

See all 625 bookable experiences in Heraklion

Signature dishes in Heraklion

The plates that define eating in Heraklion.

Dakos

A barley rusk soaked just enough by grated tomato, then buried under crumbled myzithra, oregano, capers and a heavy pour of Cretan olive oil. It is the plate that tells you whether a kitchen respects its ingredients.

Where Merastri, Parasties

Where to eat Dakos in Heraklion →

Kalitsounia

Small Cretan pies, folded open or closed, filled with fresh myzithra or with wild greens fried in olive oil. The sweet cheese ones get honey and cinnamon, the savoury ones get nothing but their own oil.

Where Savoidakis

Where to eat Kalitsounia in Heraklion →

Bougatsa

Hand-opened phyllo baked around either semolina custard or sweet myzithra, cut into squares with a scraper, then dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. In Heraklion it is breakfast, and it is eaten standing up.

Where Kirkor, Phyllosophies

Where to eat Bougatsa in Heraklion →

All Heraklion signature dishes →

Restaurants to know in Heraklion

A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Heraklion.

Peskesi

€€Modern GreekOld Town

Peskesi cooks Cretan recipes from its own farm at Haraso inside a restored stone mansion in central Heraklion. Book ahead, the room fills nightly.

OrderSfakiano lamb, then the carob mousse to finish

More about Peskesi →

Parasties

€€€Greek tavernaOld Town

Parasties runs an open wood fire opposite the Historical Museum in Heraklion, turning out smoked steak, big pork fillets and long-cooked Cretan plates.

OrderSmoked steak straight off the open wood fire

More about Parasties →

Merastri

€€Greek tavernaOld Town

Merastri has cooked over a wood oven in Heraklion since 1998, closing lamb in the fire for hours and finishing pork fillet with staka and oven potatoes.

OrderArnaki ofto, milk-fed lamb held in the wood oven

More about Merastri →

The Walls

€€€Modern GreekOld Town

The Walls plates crab samosas, duck and sea bream in a garden inside the Venetian walls of Heraklion, the city's most composed modern Greek cooking.

OrderCrab-stuffed samosas, then the duck

More about The Walls →

Athali

€€Greek tavernaOld Town

Athali cooks traditional Cretan food on the corner of Kydonias and Kapetan Charalampi in Heraklion, running from lunch through to one in the morning.

OrderWhatever the wood oven is holding that day

More about Athali →

Thigaterra

€€€Modern GreekAmmoudara

Thigaterra cooks to a declared Slow Food brief on the Ammoudara strip west of Heraklion, working Greek producers and Cretan seas rather than a fixed menu.

OrderThe seasonal vegetable plates the menu is built around

More about Thigaterra →

See every restaurant in Heraklion →

Where to eat by neighborhood

Old Town

The walled centre between the Venetian Loggia and Agios Titos. Tavernas, ouzeria and pie shops sit inside a grid Venice laid out.

Best for: Cretan tavernas, Bougatsa, Meze

The Agora

1866 Street runs from the Meidani to Kornarou Square, lined with butchers, cheese counters, herb sellers and rusk sacks.

Best for: Market snacks, Cheese, Herbs

Korai and Chandakos

Two pedestrian runs that hold most of the city's drinking. Cocktail rooms, wine bars and late kitchens, busy from 22:00 onwards.

Best for: Cocktails, Wine, Late night

Venetian Harbour

The old port under the Koules fortress, where the fish ouzeria put tables on the seafront and the arsenali still stand.

Best for: Seafood, Ouzeri, Sunset drinks

Lions Square

Morosini fountain at the centre, bougatsa counters around the edge. The city's default meeting point and its breakfast table.

Best for: Bougatsa, Coffee, Breakfast

Nea Alikarnassos

The refugee-founded suburb east of the centre, near the airport. Neighbourhood grills, bakeries and a garden fish restaurant.

Best for: Seafood, Grills, Bakeries

Eat your way through Heraklion

Hotels

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Cheap Eats Mid-Range Upscale

Where to eat in Heraklion: editor-picked starting points

5 institutional venues to anchor a Heraklion food trip

Signature Heraklion dishes

  • Dakos A barley rusk soaked just enough by grated tomato, then buried under crumbled myzithra, oregano, capers and a heavy pour of Cretan olive oil
  • Kalitsounia Small Cretan pies, folded open or closed, filled with fresh myzithra or with wild greens fried in olive oil
  • Bougatsa Hand-opened phyllo baked around either semolina custard or sweet myzithra, cut into squares with a scraper, then dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon
  • Tsikoudia (raki) Clear spirit distilled from grape pomace left after the wine press, usually around forty percent, drunk cold and neat

Best Heraklion neighborhoods for food

  • Venetian Harbour The old port under the Koules fortress, where the fish ouzeria put tables on the seafront and the arsenali still stand
  • Lions Square Morosini fountain at the centre, bougatsa counters around the edge

Where to stay in Heraklion

A sample of Heraklion hotels from our booking partner, who list 156 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.

Alex's Studio When you stay at this vacation home in Heraklion, you'll be within a 10-minute drive of Karteros Beach and ... Check dates Spacious Apartment Heraklion With a stay at this apartment in Heraklion, you'll be within a 5-minute walk of Museum of the Battle for Cr... Check dates Comfort Apartments 2 With a stay at this apartment in Heraklion, you'll be within a 10-minute walk of Geoponikos Kipos and Publi... Check dates Pasiphae Hotel A stay at Pasiphae Hotel places you in the heart of Heraklion, within a 5-minute drive of Heraklion Archaeo... Check dates Raise The Heraklion Project With a stay at Raise The Heraklion Project in Heraklion, you'll be just steps from St. Minas Cathedral and ... Check dates City Center Studios A stay at City Center Studios places you in the heart of Heraklion, steps from St. Titus Church (Agios Tito... Check dates Luxury Apts Heraklion Center A stay at Luxury Apts Heraklion Center places you in the heart of Heraklion, within a 5-minute walk of Hera... Check dates Candia Studios & Rooms With a stay at Candia Studios & Rooms in Heraklion, you'll be within a 5-minute drive of Geoponikos Kipos a... Check dates Park Hotel When you stay at Park Hotel in Heraklion, you'll be in a shopping district, within a 5-minute drive of Pank... Check dates Athinaikon With a stay at Athinaikon in Heraklion, you'll be within a 15-minute walk of Eleftherias Square and Manos H... Check dates Chalkidonos Located in Heraklion, Chalkidonos is within a 15-minute walk of Venetian Walls and Agia Ekaterini Church. G... Check dates City Comfort Apartments With a stay at this apartment in Heraklion, you'll be within a 10-minute walk of Geoponikos Kipos and Publi... Check dates

Also compare: Zen Hotels in Heraklion from USD 56/night · Holidu in Heraklion from USD 44/night · LateRooms in Heraklion

Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

Map of Heraklion

Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Heraklion, pinned. Click a pin for the page.

Trip planner

Plan your Heraklion trip

Pick your dates: we line up the festivals on, what is in season, where to eat on the days you are in town, and experiences you can book for those dates.

When to come hungry in Heraklion

Peak food season: May to June and September to October. Snails and wild greens peak in spring, grapes and raki distilling in October and November.

Local dining hours: Lunch 13:00 to 16:00, dinner from 20:30, with kitchens in the old town serving until 23:30 or later.

Tipping: Service is included. Rounding up, or leaving five to ten percent on a good meal, is normal and never expected.

Heraklion food, FAQ

What food is Heraklion known for?

Heraklion's signature dishes include Dakos, Kalitsounia, Bougatsa, Gamopilafo, Apaki. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.

What are the best food neighborhoods in Heraklion?

TableJourney editors map Heraklion by district. Old Town, The Agora, Korai and Chandakos, Venetian Harbour are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.

Where should I eat fine dining in Heraklion?

Editor picks in Heraklion include Peskesi, The Walls, Herb's Garden, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.

Are there food tours in Heraklion?

TableJourney covers 6 editor-picked food tours in Heraklion, with what each shows you and how much to budget.

Does Heraklion have good vegetarian or vegan food?

TableJourney's Heraklion dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.