The canonical version and where to order it.
Ribbons of thin dough wrapped around sour myzithra and coiled like a turban, fried in olive oil and finished with honey and walnuts. The name comes from the sariki, the fringed headscarf Cretan men wear.
Sarikopites belong to the same family as kalitsounia but are shaped differently: the filled dough is rolled into a long rope, then coiled flat so the finished pie looks like a wound headscarf. That headscarf, the sariki, is still worn in Cretan villages and gave the pie its name. Sour myzithra is the traditional filling, sharper than the fresh cheese used in sweet kalitsounia, which is why the honey at the end is not optional. They are fried rather than baked, which makes them a treat rather than an everyday pie, and they turn up on Heraklion dessert menus more often than at breakfast.
1 editor pick for Sarikopites in Heraklion, ranked by editorial score. All Heraklion signature dishes · Sarikopites across every city.
Merastri has cooked over a wood oven in Heraklion since 1998, closing lamb in the fire for hours and finishing pork fillet with staka and oven potatoes.
OrderArnaki ofto, milk-fed lamb held in the wood oven
TipDinner only from 18:00, and the courtyard tables go first at weekends. The Cretan list is worth an extra glass.
Sarikopites makes more sense with someone from Heraklion explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
3 hours
Watch the sun come up over the Lasithi Plateau from a hot air balloon, then celebrate back on the ground with sparkling wine and a real Greek breakfast. One of the bes...
Private tour · 8 hours
Explore Crete's rich history and flavors on a tour of Agarathos Monastery, an olive farm, and a boutique winery. Enjoy tastings, a local meal, and panoramic views.
Private tour · 8 hours
Enjoy a high quality olive oil, food and wine cultural tour under the guidance of a certified Sommelier. Have authentic Cretan lunch paired with 6 Premium local wines ...