11 restaurants in Heraklion, editor-picked for restaurants open monday. Open on monday, the day most kitchens go dark. All restaurants in Heraklion.
Peskesi ★ 4.8
Old Town · Kapetan Charalampi 6-8, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Daily 13:00-01:00
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.
Merastri ★ 4.7
Old Town · Chrisostomou 17, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Daily 18:00-23:30
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.
Parasties ★ 4.6
Old Town · Chandakos 81, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Daily 13:00-23:30
Parasties runs an open wood fire opposite the Historical Museum in Heraklion, turning out smoked steak, big pork fillets and long-cooked Cretan plates.
Tip: Sit where you can see the open kitchen. Staff will walk you through a mostly Cretan wine list if you tell them what you ordered.
Herb's Garden ★ 4.5
Old Town · Epimenidou 15, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Daily 13:00-00:30, April to end of October
Herb's Garden runs the Lato hotel roof in Heraklion from April to October, looking straight at Koules over fish, Cretan cheeses and seasonal salads.
Tip: Rooftop of the Lato Boutique Hotel, and seasonal: the team moves downstairs to Brillant from November to March.
Thigaterra ★ 4.4
Ammoudara · Andrea Papandreou 109, Ammoudara, Iraklio 714 14
Hours: Mon 17:00-23:00; Tue-Sat 13:00-23:30; Sun 13:00-22:30
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.
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 ★ 4.4
Old Town · Agion Deka 5, Iraklio 712 01
Hours: Daily 13:00-23:30
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.
Ouzeri tou Terzaki ★ 4.4
Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli 17, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Daily 11:00-00:00
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.
Athali ★ 4.3
Old Town · Kydonias 15, Iraklio 712 01
Hours: Daily 13:00-01:00
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.
Kastella ★ 4.2
Venetian Harbour · Sofokli Venizelou 9, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Daily 12:00-23:00
Kastella is the seafront fish taverna in Heraklion where the day's catch is cooked simply, sold by the kilo and eaten facing Sofokli Venizelou.
Tip: Ask for a table on the sea side; the road side gets the traffic off Sofokli Venizelou.
Pagopoieion ★ 4.2
Old Town · Papagiamali 1, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Daily from 09:00
Pagopoieion took over a former ice factory on Agios Titos square in Heraklion, serving breakfast, ethnic-tinged plates and a deep Greek wine list.
Tip: The old ice factory on Agios Titos square works as breakfast room, lunch stop and wine bar, so time your visit to the mood you want.
Sir Papafigos ★ 4.1
Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli 1, Iraklio 712 02
Hours: Mon-Tue 17:00-23:00; Wed closed; Thu-Fri 17:00-23:00; Sat-Sun 13:00-23:00
Sir Papafigos works a small-plates menu near the old harbour in Heraklion, opening in the evening on weekdays and running long lunches at the weekend.
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.