Where to sit, sip and slow down in Heraklion.
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Heraklion lingers in over a cortado.
Kirkor has long sold bougatsa on Lions Square in Heraklion, sweet myzithra or plain custard inside hot phyllo, dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar.
Signature drink: Greek coffee
Order: Bougatsa with sweet myzithra, honey and cinnamon
Tip: Order at the counter, take a table on the square, and expect the bougatsa to arrive scalding hot.
Phyllosophies has worked Smyrna phyllo on Lions Square in Heraklion since 1922, filling its bougatsa with fresh cream or sweet myzithra to order.
Signature drink: Greek coffee
Order: Bougatsa with myzithra, honey and walnuts
Tip: The recipe traces to a bougatsa master from Smyrna, and the phyllo is still opened by hand every morning.
Think Tank is the espresso and wine bar of central Heraklion, a neoclassical room on Idaiou Androu with specialty coffee and Cretan bottles.
Signature drink: Specialty espresso
Order: The house espresso, then a glass of Cretan white
Tip: Book the terrace in advance. The room hosts wine tastings, and the same team runs both counters.
Granary pours Taf Roastery coffee in the heart of Heraklion, an espresso bar and eatery serving Mediterranean plates and Greek wine by the glass.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: Filter coffee and a plate off the day menu
Tip: One of the few Heraklion rooms that genuinely works as a cafe, an eatery and a wine stop in turn.
Hacienda works a third-wave coffee programme in Heraklion, with homemade sweets and avocado toasts served beside Agia Ekaterini square in the centre.
Signature drink: Third-wave espresso
Order: An avocado toast and a long black
Tip: There are several Hacienda branches across the city. The Agias Ekaterinis room is the one in the old town.
Central Park is the all-day cafe on Arkoleontos in central Heraklion, running from an eight in the morning espresso through to a half eleven last order.
Signature drink: Espresso Guatemala
Order: Central Breakfast for two, with bread and village sausage
Tip: The two-person breakfast comes with homemade bread, croissants, village sausage and eggs, and stretches to three at a push.
Frankly My Dear is the specialty coffee and brunch room on Karterou in Heraklion, doing freddo espresso, salmon toast with avocado and fresh juices.
Signature drink: Freddo espresso
Order: Salmon toast with avocado, and a freddo espresso alongside
Tip: It sits on Karterou beside Agia Aikaterini square, five minutes uphill from the Agora.
Melba holds a corner of Lions Square in Heraklion, running waffles, crepes, freddo coffee and ice cream for families until well past midnight each night.
Signature drink: Freddo espresso
Order: Waffles or crepes, eaten out on Lions Square
Tip: Right on Plateia Venizelou, so it fills with families in the early evening and stays open past midnight.
ML Espresso Bar is a third-wave coffee counter on Eleftherias Square in Heraklion, rotating single-origin beans through espresso and filter.
Signature drink: Ethiopian filter
Order: A filter coffee, whichever origin is on that week
Tip: A takeaway-first counter on Eleftherias Square, open from seven in the morning until eleven at night.
Crumb Healthy Living Lab bakes gluten-free and sugar-free for a health-minded Heraklion crowd, with specialty coffee and a plant-heavy brunch.
Signature drink: Specialty coffee
Order: A gluten-free bake with a flat white
Tip: The kitchen labels sugar-free and gluten-free bakes clearly, which is still rare in Heraklion.
The Whistler Espresso Bar is the Agiou Titou coffee stop in Heraklion that turns cocktail bar after dark, where free snacks arrive with every drink.
Signature drink: Espresso
Order: An espresso and a plate of nibbles
Tip: Small pavement terrace on Agiou Titou, busiest in the hour before dinner when it switches to drinks.
Mare Coffee Bar & Food is the seafront coffee stop in Heraklion, doing freddos, juices and sandwiches with the Cretan sea a few metres away.
Signature drink: Freddo cappuccino
Order: A freddo cappuccino with the sea in front of you
Tip: Seafront position on Sofokli Venizelou. Come for coffee rather than a full dinner and it never disappoints.
626 All Day is the city-garden cafe off Idomeneos in Heraklion, open from nine for coffee, brunch plates and a glass of wine after work ends.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: Brunch in the garden, with a filter coffee
Tip: The garden is the reason to come. Ask for a table outside rather than in the indoor lounge.
Pagopoieion serves coffee under old ice-factory beams on Agios Titos square in Heraklion, with art shows and poetry readings through the week.
Signature drink: Greek coffee
Signature: Mushroom risotto, Beef tartare, Cretan wines
Order: Mushroom risotto, with a glass off the Cretan list
Tip: The old ice factory on Agios Titos square works as breakfast room, lunch stop and wine bar, so time your visit to the mood you want.
Queen Boulangerie bakes through the day on Agiou Titou in Heraklion, a patisserie counter that runs late into the evening for pastries and cake.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: A pastry from the counter with a filter coffee
Tip: On the corner of Agiou Titou and Evropis, open late enough to work as an after-dinner stop.