Merastri is a greek taverna restaurant in Old Town, Heraklion.
Editorially verified August 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Arnaki ofto, Apaki, Sarikopites
Must order: Arnaki ofto, milk-fed lamb held in the wood oven
Tip: Dinner only from 18:00, and the courtyard tables go first at weekends. The Cretan list is worth an extra glass.
Address: Chrisostomou 17, Iraklio 712 02, Heraklion
The Walls plates crab samosas, duck and sea bream in a garden inside the Venetian walls of Heraklion, the city's most composed modern Greek cooking.
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.
Athali cooks traditional Cretan food on the corner of Kydonias and Kapetan Charalampi in Heraklion, running from lunch through to one in the morning.
Signature: Wood-oven meats, Wild greens, Cretan cheeses
Order: Whatever the wood oven is holding that day
Tip: Kydonias meets Kapetan Charalampi here, two minutes from Peskesi, so it is a useful fallback when that room is full.
Apiri Greek Eatery reworks Greek standards on Agion Deka in Heraklion, grilling octopus and sea bass and charring a wild greens pie over coals.
Signature: Char-grilled greens pie, Grilled octopus, Smoked sea bass
Order: The char-grilled wild greens pie
Tip: Small room, so book for dinner. Lunch is quieter and the same kitchen is running the grill from 13:00.
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.
Signature: Sfakianopita, Goat, Keftedes
Order: Bite-sized sfakianopites with cheese and honey
Tip: The taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.
The Walls plates crab samosas, duck and sea bream in a garden inside the Venetian walls of Heraklion, the city's most composed modern Greek cooking.
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.
Athali cooks traditional Cretan food on the corner of Kydonias and Kapetan Charalampi in Heraklion, running from lunch through to one in the morning.
Signature: Wood-oven meats, Wild greens, Cretan cheeses
Order: Whatever the wood oven is holding that day
Tip: Kydonias meets Kapetan Charalampi here, two minutes from Peskesi, so it is a useful fallback when that room is full.
Thigaterra cooks to a declared Slow Food brief on the Ammoudara strip west of Heraklion, working Greek producers and Cretan seas rather than a fixed menu.
Signature: Slow food plates, Cretan wines, Seasonal vegetables
Order: The seasonal vegetable plates the menu is built around
Tip: Reserve at least three days ahead. The kitchen asks for confirmation before it holds a table, which weeds out no-shows.
Apiri Greek Eatery reworks Greek standards on Agion Deka in Heraklion, grilling octopus and sea bass and charring a wild greens pie over coals.
Signature: Char-grilled greens pie, Grilled octopus, Smoked sea bass
Order: The char-grilled wild greens pie
Tip: Small room, so book for dinner. Lunch is quieter and the same kitchen is running the grill from 13:00.
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.
Signature: Sfakianopita, Goat, Keftedes
Order: Bite-sized sfakianopites with cheese and honey
Tip: The taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.
Ippokampos is the seafront ouzeri Heraklion sends visitors to, grilling the day's catch and pouring raki at pavement tables across from the water.
Signature: Grilled fish, Octopus, Shrimp
Order: Whatever came in that morning, grilled whole
Tip: Tables spill across the promenade opposite the water, and the seafront ones go first on a summer evening.
