Kastella is a seafood restaurant in Venetian Harbour, Heraklion.
Editorially verified August 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Fresh fish, Seafood mezedes, Cretan salad
Must 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.
Address: Sofokli Venizelou 9, Iraklio 712 02, Heraklion
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.
Ligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa is the Heraklion harbour table for a long seafood lunch, with mezedes, lobster spaghetti and the Venetian fortress in view.
Signature: Lobster spaghetti, Seafood mezedes, Stuffed courgette flowers
Order: Seafood mezedes, then lobster spaghetti to share
Tip: The terrace looks over the harbour to the fortress, which is worth waiting for an outside table in summer.
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.
Apiri Greek Eatery is a good-value Heraklion dinner, grilling octopus and sea bass and charring its wild greens pie over open coals every night.
Signature: Char-grilled greens pie, Grilled octopus, Smoked sea bass
Order: The char-grilled wild greens pie
Tip: Small room, so book for dinner. Lunch is quieter and the same kitchen is running the grill from 13:00.
Chalali is the cheap Cretan taverna on Strofadon that keeps central Heraklion honest, with mezedes, grills and raki for well under a tenner.
Signature: Cretan mezedes, Grilled meats, Raki
Order: A mezes spread with a carafe of raki
Tip: Closed Mondays, and prices sit well under the old-town average, so the room stays local rather than filling with cruise traffic.
Ligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa is the Heraklion harbour table for a long seafood lunch, with mezedes, lobster spaghetti and the Venetian fortress in view.
Signature: Lobster spaghetti, Seafood mezedes, Stuffed courgette flowers
Order: Seafood mezedes, then lobster spaghetti to share
Tip: The terrace looks over the harbour to the fortress, which is worth waiting for an outside table in summer.
