Phyllosophies is a bakery in Lions Square, Heraklion.
Editorially verified August 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Bougatsa with myzithra, honey and walnuts
Tip: Also bakes chortopites, tyropites, baklava and loukoumades, all from the same hand-opened phyllo.
Address: Plateia Eleftheriou Venizelou 33, Iraklio 712 02, Heraklion
Kirkor has baked bougatsa on Lions Square in Heraklion for generations, and is still the first place locals name when you ask them about breakfast.
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.
Worth the queue: Bougatsa with custard and cinnamon
Kirkor has baked bougatsa on Lions Square in Heraklion for generations, and is still the first place locals name when you ask them about breakfast.
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.
Worth the queue: Bougatsa with custard and cinnamon
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
