Steakhouse€€€€35-55 per personOld TownBook 2 days at weekends ahead
Kouzeineri is where Heraklion goes for a serious steak, a charcoal kitchen near Agiou Titou square with a Greek wine cellar to match the meat.
Signature: Steaks, Pork hock, Chicken wings
Order: Pork hock, or a steak off the charcoal
Tip: Tables sit out on Agiou Titou square, and those are the ones worth a booking.
Mediterranean€€€30-45 per personVenetian HarbourMon-Tue 17:00-23:00; Wed closed; Thu-Fri 17:00-23:00; Sat-Sun 13:00-23:00Book 2 days ahead
Sir Papafigos is a small, ambitious kitchen by the Heraklion harbour, plating shared courses in a dining room that seats a few dozen people.
Signature: Small plates, Seafood, Cretan wines
Order: A run of small plates built for sharing
Tip: The kitchen is shut on Wednesdays and only opens for lunch at weekends, so a Saturday or Sunday table is the easier one to book.
Modern Greek€€€30-45 per personOld TownDaily 13:00-01:00Book 3 to 5 days in summer ahead
Peskesi is the Cretan kitchen Heraklion gets judged by, rebuilding near-lost island recipes with produce grown on the restaurant's own farm.
Signature: Sfakiano lamb, Dolmadakia, Carob mousse
Order: Sfakiano lamb, then the carob mousse to finish
Tip: Ask for the olive oil tasting. The kitchen is supplied by its own farm at Haraso, and the oils are poured alongside rusk.
Modern Greek€€€€45-60 per personOld TownBook 1 week at weekends ahead
The Walls is the most technical cooking in Heraklion, a garden dining room inside the Venetian ramparts, run as a modern Greek gastrobistro.
Signature: Crab samosas, Duck, Potato rosti
Order: Crab-stuffed samosas, then the duck
Tip: The dining room sits inside the Heraklion Tennis Club grounds by the Venetian walls, so allow time to find the gate.
Mediterranean€€€€45-65 per personOld TownDaily 13:00-00:30, April to end of OctoberBook 3 days, longer for a rail table ahead
Herb's Garden is the Heraklion rooftop for an occasion dinner, plating contemporary Greek food above the Venetian harbour from April to October.
Signature: Fresh fish, Cretan cheeses, Seasonal salads
Order: Fresh fish with a Cretan white, watching the fortress
Tip: Rooftop of the Lato Boutique Hotel, and seasonal: the team moves downstairs to Brillant from November to March.
Modern Greek€€€€40-60 per personOld TownSeasonal, November to end of MarchBook 2 to 3 days ahead
Brillant is the winter dining room of the Lato hotel in Heraklion, running Mediterranean and Cretan cooking from November until the roof reopens.
Signature: Cretan diet plates, Seasonal fish, Greek wines
Order: The winter Cretan plates the kitchen builds each season
Tip: Brillant is the winter half of the Lato hotel operation. From April the same team moves up to the Herb's Garden roof.