Hovoli is a greek restaurant in Old Town, Heraklion.
Editorially verified August 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Grilled meats, Cretan plates, Salads
Must order: Grilled meats off the charcoal with a Cretan salad
Tip: On Daskalogianni square, which is a useful place to eat when the Lions Square terraces are all full.
Address: Plateia Daskalogianni 3, Iraklio 712 01, Heraklion
The Whistler Espresso Bar sits on Agiou Titou in Heraklion, pulling specialty espresso through the day and mixing cocktails deep into the night.
Signature: Espresso, Cocktails, Small plates
Order: An espresso by day, a cocktail after dark
Tip: On Agiou Titou, so it doubles as a coffee stop between the church and the Venetian Loggia.
Erganos is the taverna Heraklion locals default to, a 1986 dining room beside Kazantzakis park with goat, keftedes and honeyed sfakianopites.
Signature: Sfakianopita, Goat, Keftedes
Order: Bite-sized sfakianopites with cheese and honey
Tip: The taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.
Athali is an easy all-day Cretan taverna in central Heraklion, cooking wood-oven meats and wild greens from lunch until one the following morning.
Signature: Wood-oven meats, Wild greens, Cretan cheeses
Order: Whatever the wood oven is holding that day
Tip: Kydonias meets Kapetan Charalampi here, two minutes from Peskesi, so it is a useful fallback when that room is full.
The Whistler Espresso Bar sits on Agiou Titou in Heraklion, pulling specialty espresso through the day and mixing cocktails deep into the night.
Signature: Espresso, Cocktails, Small plates
Order: An espresso by day, a cocktail after dark
Tip: On Agiou Titou, so it doubles as a coffee stop between the church and the Venetian Loggia.
Erganos is the taverna Heraklion locals default to, a 1986 dining room beside Kazantzakis park with goat, keftedes and honeyed sfakianopites.
Signature: Sfakianopita, Goat, Keftedes
Order: Bite-sized sfakianopites with cheese and honey
Tip: The taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.
Kastella puts the day's fish on the Heraklion seafront at taverna prices, sold by the kilo and cooked simply with a Cretan salad alongside it.
Signature: Fresh fish, Seafood mezedes, Cretan salad
Order: Fresh fish by the kilo with a Cretan salad
Tip: Ask for a table on the sea side; the road side gets the traffic off Sofokli Venizelou.
Ouzeri tou Terzaki is a 1978 port-alley ouzeri in Heraklion where the mezedes arrive in waves and the raki keeps arriving alongside them all night.
Signature: Mezedes, Moussaka, Grilled fish
Order: A spread of mezedes, then the grilled fish
Tip: The alley off Plateia Agiou Dimitriou is easy to miss. Aim for the port end of Lochagou Marineli and look for the chairs.
Ippokampos is the pavement ouzeri on the Heraklion waterfront, all grilled fish, octopus and shrimp eaten a metre from the passing seafront traffic.
Signature: Grilled fish, Octopus, Shrimp
Order: Whatever came in that morning, grilled whole
Tip: Tables spill across the promenade opposite the water, and the seafront ones go first on a summer evening.
Athali is an easy all-day Cretan taverna in central Heraklion, cooking wood-oven meats and wild greens from lunch until one the following morning.
Signature: Wood-oven meats, Wild greens, Cretan cheeses
Order: Whatever the wood oven is holding that day
Tip: Kydonias meets Kapetan Charalampi here, two minutes from Peskesi, so it is a useful fallback when that room is full.
