Kirkor is a bakery in Lions Square, Heraklion.
Editorially verified August 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Bougatsa with custard, cinnamon and icing sugar
Tip: A bougatsa counter rather than a cafe, so expect to eat standing or take it away.
Address: Plateia Eleftheriou Venizelou 31, Iraklio 712 02, Heraklion
Savoidakis bakes right across Heraklion, and its kalitsounia are the ones food tours stop for, alongside a long counter of sweets and gelato.
Order: Kalitsounia, the Cretan cheese pie
Tip: A Heraklion chain with several city branches. The Dikaiosinis counter is the handiest one from the Agora.
Worth the queue: Kalitsounia
Artopoiio Christoforos Veneris bakes bread, pies and tsoureki on Evans in central Heraklion, with the oven working directly beneath the shop.
Order: Tsoureki, plain or with chocolate
Tip: The bakery works below the shop, so the pastries come up warm. At Christmas it bakes a chocolate panettone.
Worth the queue: Tsoureki
Veneris Bakery & Coffee is the neighbourhood bakery on Meandrou in Heraklion, where the owner still makes the breads and the pastries himself.
Order: A savoury pastry straight off the tray
Tip: Family-run and far enough from the tourist streets that the queue is almost entirely local rather than visiting.
Worth the queue: Savoury pastries
Kritikos Fournos runs bakeries across Heraklion, and the Ikarou branch is the easy stop for ekmek kataifi and a box of cakes to carry back home.
Order: Ekmek kataifi, the syrup and cream classic
Tip: A Heraklion chain with several branches, useful because the Ikarou shop opens early on the airport road.
Worth the queue: Ekmek kataifi
Queen Boulangerie is the late-opening patisserie on Agiou Titou in Heraklion, baking through the day and still selling pastries at eleven at night.
Order: A pastry from the late-night counter
Tip: The counter runs late into the evening, so it covers the gap after the tavernas stop serving.
Worth the queue: Pastries
Costis Patisserie bakes on the Knossos road out of Heraklion, selling cakes, sweets and coffee to take away from morning through to late evening.
Order: A slice from the cabinet with a Greek coffee
Tip: On the Knossos road, so it works as a stop coming back from the palace rather than a city-centre errand.
Worth the queue: Cakes and sweets
