Greece is an ideal destination for food lovers! Vacation in the Greek islands means Mediterranean food, delicious local recipes and fresh organic produce. Discover the best Greek islands for foodies and get ready for an amazing gastronomic experience!

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Top 6 Greek islands for food lovers

Here are the best Greek islands renowned for their food, local cuisine and top-quality ingredients:

Crete
Naxos
Corfu
Santorini
Sifnos
Skopelos

Fresh seafood, a staple of Greek island gastronomy

The traditional food of Crete

Cretan cuisine is renowned for its delicious recipes and local ingredients. Some of the most famous Cretan dishes are: dakos, kaltsounia, kochlioi (snails), staka, tsigariasto (goat stew), and pilafi. You can find them in most of the island’s tavernes and restaurants.

Raki, or tsikoudia as it is also called by locals, is a typical welcome drink and accompanies most meals in Crete. So, be prepared to do a fair amount of shots during your trip!

The comfort food of Naxos

Food in Naxos is one of the top reasons to visit the island. Naxos produces a variety of local products of exquisite taste! Some of the most famous dishes in Naxos are giachnada (eggplant stew with potatoes), provatses (pork fricassee with onion and dill), sefoukloti (local spinach pie), as well as rooster cooked with wine.

You should also taste the delicious graviera cheese of Naxos as well as the kitro liqueur made from citron leaves.

The fusion gastronomy of Corfu

The local cuisine of Corfu combines Mediterranean flavors with Italian, French and English influences. The island specialties are the meat dishes of sofrito (fried beef, cooked with garlic and onion), pastitsada (pasta with marinated beef or chicken) and porpetas (meatballs, usually in red sauce).

You should also try the famous sweets of Corfu, such as mandoles (caramelized almonds with meringue), as well as the kumquat jams and desserts.

The local delicacies of Santorini

Apart from an impressive sunset, in Santorini, you can also enjoy delicious food! The volcanic island is famous for the picturesque villages and wonderful beaches, as well as for its cuisine. Food in Santorini is based on traditional Greek flavors and it also follows the latest food trends.

In the majority of restaurants and tavernes in Santorini, you will find the renowned local fava (mashed split peas) or revithada (chickpea stew), the delicious Santorini cherry tomatoes or tomato fritters, as well as local wines. You can also go on a day trip from Santorini to Crete for more exceptional culinary treats!

The sweet flavors of Sifnos

Sifnos is the birthplace of Nikos Tselementes, one of the most influential chefs in Greece. The island has a long food tradition and the local cuisine is out-of-this-world! We recommend tasting mastelo (lamb cooked in the oven), the local revithada (chickpea stew), ampelofasoula (string beans), as well as the local cheeses manoura and xinomizithra.

Sifnos is also famous for its almond sweets (amygdalota) that you can find in traditional bakeries at the villages of Artemonas and Apollonia.

The balanced cuisine of Skopelos

Food in Skopelos consists of a variety of influences, local products and recipes. Some of the best dishes that you can try in Skopelos are fish stew, stuffed squid, goat, and of course the traditional cheese pie. As for dessert, you should definitely have some avgato (plum spoon sweet).

Before you go, make sure that you have a glass of Peparithios wine, a dry red wine that is said to be popular since antiquity!