40 mid-range places in Heraklion, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Heraklion, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Heraklion food.
Peskesi ★ 4.8
Old Town · Kapetan Charalampi 6-8, Iraklio 712 02
Peskesi cooks Cretan recipes from its own farm at Haraso inside a restored stone mansion in central Heraklion. Book ahead, the room fills nightly.
Tip: Ask for the olive oil tasting. The kitchen is supplied by its own farm at Haraso, and the oils are poured alongside rusk.
Peskesi ★ 4.8
Old Town · Kapetan Charalampi 6-8, Iraklio 712 02
Peskesi is the Cretan kitchen Heraklion gets judged by, rebuilding near-lost island recipes with produce grown on the restaurant's own farm.
Tip: Ask for the olive oil tasting. The kitchen is supplied by its own farm at Haraso, and the oils are poured alongside rusk.
Merastri ★ 4.7
Old Town · Chrisostomou 17, Iraklio 712 02
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.
Tip: Dinner only from 18:00, and the courtyard tables go first at weekends. The Cretan list is worth an extra glass.
Merastri ★ 4.7
Old Town · Chrisostomou 17, Iraklio 712 02
Merastri is the wood-oven address in Heraklion for an unhurried Cretan dinner, from lamb closed in the fire to a long list of island bottles.
Tip: Dinner only from 18:00, and the courtyard tables go first at weekends. The Cretan list is worth an extra glass.
Merastri ★ 4.7
Old Town · Chrisostomou 17, Iraklio 712 02
Merastri keeps a serious Cretan wine list behind its wood oven in Heraklion, and the reds it pours are built to stand up to three-hour roast lamb.
Tip: The Cretan list is the reason to linger. Ask what is open by the glass before committing to a bottle.
Erganos ★ 4.5
Old Town · Georgiadou 5, Iraklio 712 01
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.
Tip: The taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.
Erganos ★ 4.5
Old Town · Georgiadou 5, Iraklio 712 01
Erganos is the taverna Heraklion locals default to, a 1986 dining room beside Kazantzakis park with goat, keftedes and honeyed sfakianopites.
Tip: The taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.
Think Tank ★ 4.5
Old Town · Idaiou Androu 7, Iraklio 712 02
Think Tank is the espresso and wine bar of central Heraklion, a neoclassical room on Idaiou Androu with specialty coffee and Cretan bottles.
Tip: Book the terrace in advance. The room hosts wine tastings, and the same team runs both counters.
Think Tank ★ 4.5
Old Town · Idaiou Androu 7, Iraklio 712 02
Think Tank is the specialty coffee benchmark in Heraklion, a neoclassical espresso and wine bar on Idaiou Androu with its own resident barista.
Tip: A sommelier works the wine side of the same room, so a coffee visit can easily turn into a Cretan tasting.
The Bitters Bar ★ 4.5
Old Town · Idis 25, Iraklio 712 02
The Bitters Bar works a 1920s speakeasy brief on Idis in Heraklion, mixing from a deep bitters shelf and its own jars of homemade marmalade.
Tip: Behind Lions Square on Idis, with jazz and blues on the speakers and homemade marmalades beside every glass.
Think Tank ★ 4.5
Old Town · Idaiou Androu 7, Iraklio 712 02
Think Tank is the quietest drinking option in central Heraklion, a neoclassical espresso and wine bar that turns into a rooftop cocktail spot after dark.
Tip: Reserve the terrace in advance. It is the calmest drinking terrace in the old town and it fills fast.
Think Tank ★ 4.5
Old Town · Idaiou Androu 7, Iraklio 712 02
Think Tank is the wine bar Heraklion drinkers name first, a neoclassical room on Idaiou Androu pouring Cretan and Greek bottles by the glass.
Tip: A sommelier picks the list and the room hosts tastings, so ask what has just been opened.
Erganos ★ 4.5
Old Town · Georgiadou 5, Iraklio 712 01
Erganos sits uphill from the Heraklion museums beside Kazantzakis park, a 1986 taverna that most visitors walk past on their way somewhere else.
Tip: Ask what the kitchen cooked that morning rather than reading the whole menu top to bottom.
Think Tank ★ 4.5
Old Town · Idaiou Androu 7, Iraklio 712 02
Think Tank serves brunch under the specialty coffee programme in central Heraklion, on a neoclassical terrace that fills up fast in high summer.
Tip: Book the terrace ahead. Brunch runs alongside the wine list, so a late one can drift into an afternoon glass.
Apiri Greek Eatery ★ 4.4
Old Town · Agion Deka 5, Iraklio 712 01
Apiri Greek Eatery reworks Greek standards on Agion Deka in Heraklion, grilling octopus and sea bass and charring a wild greens pie over coals.
Tip: Small room, so book for dinner. Lunch is quieter and the same kitchen is running the grill from 13:00.
Ippokampos ★ 4.4
Venetian Harbour · Sofokli Venizelou 3, Iraklio 712 02
Ippokampos is the seafront ouzeri Heraklion sends visitors to, grilling the day's catch and pouring raki at pavement tables across from the water.
Tip: Tables spill across the promenade opposite the water, and the seafront ones go first on a summer evening.
Ouzeri tou Terzaki ★ 4.4
Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli 17, Iraklio 712 02
Ouzeri tou Terzaki has poured raki in a quiet port alley in Heraklion since 1978, sending out mezedes, moussaka and whatever the boats landed.
Tip: The alley off Plateia Agiou Dimitriou is easy to miss. Aim for the port end of Lochagou Marineli and look for the chairs.
Ouzeri tou Terzaki ★ 4.4
Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli 17, Iraklio 712 02
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.
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 ★ 4.4
Venetian Harbour · Sofokli Venizelou 3, Iraklio 712 02
Ippokampos is the pavement ouzeri on the Heraklion waterfront, all grilled fish, octopus and shrimp eaten a metre from the passing seafront traffic.
Tip: Tables spill across the promenade opposite the water, and the seafront ones go first on a summer evening.
Apiri Greek Eatery ★ 4.4
Old Town · Agion Deka 5, Iraklio 712 01
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.
Tip: Small room, so book for dinner. Lunch is quieter and the same kitchen is running the grill from 13:00.
Xalavro ★ 4.4
Old Town · Milatou 10, Iraklio 712 02
Xalavro built a bar out of a ruined 1900s house on Milatou in Heraklion, and its courtyard is the most atmospheric drink in the whole old town.
Tip: A seasonal, open-air room running roughly April to October, with an annual summer cocktail festival that brings in bartenders from abroad.
Stone Project ★ 4.4
Korai and Chandakos · Korai 14, Iraklio 712 02
Stone Project is the Korai cocktail room in Heraklion, industrial-looking, DJ-driven, and pouring a Mastiha Sour that justifies the walk across town.
Tip: The room opens at seven and runs to two in the morning through the week, so it stays going after most of Korai has shut.
Xalavro ★ 4.4
Old Town · Milatou 10, Iraklio 712 02
Xalavro pours Greek wine spritzers in a roofless old house on Milatou in Heraklion, with an open kitchen working beside the bar until very late.
Tip: The bar sits in the shell of a 1900s house on Milatou, and the open kitchen runs alongside the drinks list.
Solo Cretan Craft Brewery ★ 4.4
Nea Alikarnassos · Kountourioti 35, Iraklio 716 01
Solo Cretan Craft Brewery brews unfiltered, unpasteurised beer on the edge of Heraklion, and walks visitors through the brewhouse and a tasting by booking.
Tip: Visits run daily between 11:00 and 16:00 and have to be booked ahead. Saturdays and Sundays are by appointment only.
Xalavro ★ 4.4
Old Town · Milatou 10, Iraklio 712 02
Xalavro keeps its open kitchen going with the bar on Milatou in Heraklion, Crete, so a late drink in the courtyard can still come with real food.
Tip: In season the kitchen runs alongside the bar, which is rare in the old town once the tavernas have stopped serving.
Ouzeri tou Terzaki ★ 4.4
Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli 17, Iraklio 712 02
Ouzeri tou Terzaki has worked a quiet port alley in Heraklion since 1978, and it stays hidden from the seafront crowds a hundred metres away.
Tip: Aim for the port end of Lochagou Marineli. The alley is narrow and the sign is easy to walk straight past.
Athali ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kydonias 15, Iraklio 712 01
Athali cooks traditional Cretan food on the corner of Kydonias and Kapetan Charalampi in Heraklion, running from lunch through to one in the morning.
Tip: Kydonias meets Kapetan Charalampi here, two minutes from Peskesi, so it is a useful fallback when that room is full.
Lola ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kydonias 21, Iraklio 712 01
Lola works Mediterranean small plates with a fusion streak on Kydonias in Heraklion, running from lunch to one in the morning six days a week.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The room is small and popular with locals, so book if you want a table after 21:00.
Ligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa ★ 4.3
Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli & Mitsotaki, Plateia 18 Agglon, Iraklio 712 02
Ligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa serves seafood mezedes and daily fish on the harbour side of Heraklion, with a terrace pointed at the Venetian fortress.
Tip: The terrace looks over the harbour to the fortress, which is worth waiting for an outside table in summer.
Lola ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kydonias 21, Iraklio 712 01
Lola is the sharpest small-plates cooking in central Heraklion, a compact room on Kydonias where Mediterranean technique meets Cretan produce.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The room is small and popular with locals, so book if you want a table after 21:00.
Athali ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kydonias 15, Iraklio 712 01
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.
Tip: Kydonias meets Kapetan Charalampi here, two minutes from Peskesi, so it is a useful fallback when that room is full.
Ligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa ★ 4.3
Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli & Mitsotaki, Plateia 18 Agglon, Iraklio 712 02
Ligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa is the Heraklion harbour table for a long seafood lunch, with mezedes, lobster spaghetti and the Venetian fortress in view.
Tip: The terrace looks over the harbour to the fortress, which is worth waiting for an outside table in summer.
Granary ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kantanoleontos 9, Iraklio 712 02
Granary is the all-day eatery and espresso bar in central Heraklion, pouring Taf Roastery coffee alongside Mediterranean plates and Greek wine.
Tip: Named for the Venetian grain store that once stood opposite the Ducal Palace, and it keeps a wide Greek wine list.
Granary ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kantanoleontos 9, Iraklio 712 02
Granary pours Taf Roastery coffee in the heart of Heraklion, an espresso bar and eatery serving Mediterranean plates and Greek wine by the glass.
Tip: One of the few Heraklion rooms that genuinely works as a cafe, an eatery and a wine stop in turn.
Frankly My Dear ★ 4.3
Old Town · Karterou 60, Iraklio 712 01
Frankly My Dear is the specialty coffee and brunch room on Karterou in Heraklion, doing freddo espresso, salmon toast with avocado and fresh juices.
Tip: It sits on Karterou beside Agia Aikaterini square, five minutes uphill from the Agora.
Granary ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kantanoleontos 9, Iraklio 712 02
Granary is where Heraklion drinks Taf Roastery coffee, an espresso bar and eatery in the old town pairing it with Mediterranean plates and wine.
Tip: Granary buys its beans from Taf Roastery rather than roasting in-house, and serves them alongside breakfast, brunch and lunch.
Frankly My Dear ★ 4.3
Old Town · Karterou 60, Iraklio 712 01
Frankly My Dear is the Karterou specialty coffee bar in Heraklion, working freddo espresso and filter alongside a full brunch and cocktail list.
Tip: The Karterou room is a five-minute walk uphill from the Agora and much quieter than the square cafes.
Swing Thing ★ 4.3
Old Town · Arkoleontos 13, Iraklio 712 02
Swing Thing sits near the Venetian Loggia in Heraklion, pulling espresso by day and building retro-leaning cocktails once the sun has dropped.
Tip: It works as an espresso bar in daylight and switches to cocktails after dark, with a takeaway drinks list too.
Granary ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kantanoleontos 9, Iraklio 712 02
Granary turns from espresso bar into wine room as the evening arrives, pouring Greek bottles with Mediterranean plates in the heart of Heraklion.
Tip: Wine service runs from late afternoon, once the coffee crowd thins out and the kitchen switches to the evening menu.
Granary ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kantanoleontos 9, Iraklio 712 02
Granary pours Taf Roastery coffee alongside a Mediterranean brunch menu in central Heraklion, from early breakfast through to a very late lunch.
Tip: An espresso bar and eatery in one, so a slow brunch works here as easily as a coffee stop.