A thin pan-fried pie, dough rolled around fresh myzithra and flattened out again, cooked dry on a hot surface and served with thyme honey. It should be soft, not crisp, and eaten within minutes of leaving the pan.

The pie takes its name from Sfakia, the mountain region of southwest Crete, but it travelled across the island and now appears on taverna menus everywhere, Heraklion included. The dough is made with raki or wine and no fat, wrapped around a ball of fresh myzithra, then rolled flat again so the cheese spreads to the edges. It cooks on a dry pan in a couple of minutes a side. The honey goes on at the table, never in the kitchen, and thyme honey from the Cretan mountains is the traditional choice. Erganos in Heraklion serves them small, several to a plate, as a starter rather than a dessert.

1 editor pick for Sfakianopita in Heraklion, ranked by editorial score. All Heraklion signature dishes · Sfakianopita across every city.

Erganos ★ 4.5

€€Greek tavernaOld Town

Erganos has fed a mostly local room beside Kazantzakis park in Heraklion since 1986, with goat, meatballs and a long list of Cretan vegetable plates.

OrderBite-sized sfakianopites with cheese and honey

TipThe taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.

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