Chalali is a cretan meze restaurant in Old Town, Heraklion.
Editorially verified August 1, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Private tour · 6 hours
Discover the authentic flavors of Crete through a private culinary experience featuring local delicacies, wine, raki and genuine Cretan hospitality.
2 hours
Uncork the secrets of Crete's most extraordinary wine heritage: A sensory voyage through generations of Mediterranean viticulture
Guided tour · 8 hours
Taste 15 wines from Crete at a wine tasting for no more than 6 people from Heraklion. Go to a gourmet restaurant for an olive oil tasting and immerse yourself in the a...
Address: Strofadon 4, Iraklio 712 02, Heraklion
Kouzeineri is the steak address in Heraklion, working charcoal near Agiou Titou square with pork hock, chicken wings and a long Greek wine list.
OrderPork hock, or a steak off the charcoal
TipTables sit out on Agiou Titou square, and those are the ones worth a booking.
Peskesi cooks Cretan recipes from its own farm at Haraso inside a restored stone mansion in central Heraklion. Book ahead, the room fills nightly.
OrderSfakiano lamb, then the carob mousse to finish
TipAsk for the olive oil tasting. The kitchen is supplied by its own farm at Haraso, and the oils are poured alongside rusk.
Parasties runs an open wood fire opposite the Historical Museum in Heraklion, turning out smoked steak, big pork fillets and long-cooked Cretan plates.
OrderSmoked steak straight off the open wood fire
TipSit where you can see the open kitchen. Staff will walk you through a mostly Cretan wine list if you tell them what you ordered.
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.
7 Thalasses is the garden fish restaurant in Nea Alikarnassos, east of Heraklion, known for lobster spaghetti, paella and a bright courtyard room.
OrderLobster spaghetti, the reason people drive out here
TipIt sits by the municipal park in Nea Alikarnassos near the airport, so it works as a last dinner before an early flight.
Ligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa serves seafood mezedes and daily fish on the harbour side of Heraklion, with a terrace pointed at the Venetian fortress.
OrderSeafood mezedes, then lobster spaghetti to share
TipThe terrace looks over the harbour to the fortress, which is worth waiting for an outside table in summer.
Kouzeineri is the steak address in Heraklion, working charcoal near Agiou Titou square with pork hock, chicken wings and a long Greek wine list.
OrderPork hock, or a steak off the charcoal
TipTables sit out on Agiou Titou square, and those are the ones worth a booking.
Peskesi cooks Cretan recipes from its own farm at Haraso inside a restored stone mansion in central Heraklion. Book ahead, the room fills nightly.
OrderSfakiano lamb, then the carob mousse to finish
TipAsk for the olive oil tasting. The kitchen is supplied by its own farm at Haraso, and the oils are poured alongside rusk.
Parasties runs an open wood fire opposite the Historical Museum in Heraklion, turning out smoked steak, big pork fillets and long-cooked Cretan plates.
OrderSmoked steak straight off the open wood fire
TipSit where you can see the open kitchen. Staff will walk you through a mostly Cretan wine list if you tell them what you ordered.
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.
