Where to eat in Naxos
Naxos grows its own food. That is the whole difference between eating here and eating on an island that ships everything in.
Last reviewed July 2026
The short version
- Eat this
- Graviera and arseniko cheese, potatoes from the Tragea, the catch of the day, and kitron to finish.
- In Chora
- To Elliniko for the garden. Doukato for the Old Town courtyard. Meze for small plates.
- On a beach
- Paradiso and Macao feet-in-the-sand. Kontos and Mikri Vigla Taverna for a beach lunch.
- In the mountains
- Rotonda for the view, Matina and Stavros for the village. Drive up for a late lunch.
- Timing
- Dinner starts around 19:00 and fills by 21:00. Book ahead in July and August.
- Payment
- Carry cash. Smaller tavernas, especially inland, do not take cards.
Most Cycladic islands import their food. Naxos does not. It has the fertile interior, the water, the Tragea plateau, and around 20,000 people who have been farming it for as long as anyone has been writing things down. It is one of the largest producers of premium cheese in Greece.
This changes what a taverna is. On Naxos the potatoes on the plate came from a field you drove past on the way, the cheese came from a village you can see from the terrace, and the fish came in this morning. The cooking is often plain. The ingredients are the point.
What the island grows
Order these before you order anything else. They are the reason to eat here rather than in Mykonos or Santorini.
| What | What it is | Ask for it |
|---|---|---|
| Graviera Naxou | Hard cow's milk cheese, buttery and slightly sweet. Registered as a protected designation of origin product. | Saganaki, or a plate of it before the meal |
| Arseniko | Aged, sharper, harder. The one the islanders keep. | Shaved over a salad |
| Xinotyro and xinomizithra | Sour, soft, fresh. Xinomizithra turns up in salads and zucchini balls. | Xinomizithra cheese salad |
| Naxian potatoes | Grown on the Tragea plateau. Dense, earthy, and unlike a supermarket potato. | Fried, or under a roast |
| Kitron | Citron liqueur, distilled on Naxos since the Venetians. Green, yellow or clear, by strength. | After dinner. Often brought to the table for free. |
| The catch of the day | Whatever came in. Sold by the kilo, not by the plate. | Ask what is fresh, not what is on the menu |
Order a pikilia and it arrives as a shared platter, meat or seafood, with fried appetisers. It is how Greeks eat and it is how you should. Portions on Naxos are large.
Chora and the Old Town
The waterfront is where the tourists eat and the Old Town alleys are where the food is better. Walk two minutes uphill from the port and the prices drop while the cooking improves.
To Elliniko
Traditional Greek with a homemade hand. Fresh seafood, slow-cooked lamb, generous plates of Naxian cheese. The outdoor garden is the reason to book rather than walk in.
Must tryLamb kleftiko, grilled octopus, stuffed vine leaves
DirectionsMeze
Small plates, local ingredients, built for sharing. The right place for a first night when you do not yet know what you want and would rather try eight things than one.
Must tryWhatever the table next to you ordered
DirectionsTaverna Authentic Greek Cuisine
Right on the water, which means you are paying partly for the view. The service is the reason people go back.
Must tryFish of the day
DirectionsScirocco
In the middle of Chora and lively with it. Mediterranean and Greek, friendly, generous, and open when other kitchens have closed.
Must tryThe grilled meats
DirectionsMaro's Taverna
A local favourite rather than a discovery. Classic Greek home cooking, large portions, no ceremony. This is the control against which you judge everywhere else.
Must tryWhatever is cooked in the pot that day
DirectionsDoukato
A courtyard in the Old Town, which is most of the appeal. Traditional Naxian dishes handled with a lighter touch than a village taverna would give them.
Must tryStuffed squid, beef stifado, xinomizithra cheese salad
DirectionsOn the sand
A view costs money everywhere in the Cyclades. The two below are the ones where the food justifies it.
Paradiso
Feet-in-the-sand dining with the Aegean in front of you. The kind of long lunch that turns into an afternoon and then into an early dinner without anyone deciding it should.
Must tryThe catch of the day, by the water
DirectionsMikri Vigla Taverna
Right on one of the best beaches on the island. Straightforward, generous, and exactly what you want after a morning in the water. You will need a car to get here.
Must tryGrilled fish and a Greek salad, nothing complicated
DirectionsKontos Taverna
Casual, beachfront, unpretentious. The portions are large and the flavours are the ones you came for. Worth the drive south, and you will need a car to get there.
Must tryGrilled lamb chops, tzatziki, fried zucchini balls
DirectionsMacao
A beach bar that takes its food seriously. Cocktails, a younger crowd, and a menu that reaches beyond the usual taverna plates. Good for a long afternoon rather than a quick bite.
Must tryA cocktail, and whatever the kitchen is proud of
DirectionsFish is sold by the kilo. Ask the price per kilo and ask the weight of the fish before you nod. This is normal, nobody will be offended, and it is how you avoid a surprise.
In the villages
Chalki, Filoti, Apeiranthos, Melanes, Kinidaros. The cheese on your plate in Chora came from up here, and it is cheaper and better where it is made. Go in the late afternoon. You avoid the heat, you get the light, and you finish with dinner as the valley goes gold.
You cannot do this on the bus unless you have checked the return time twice. Most people drive.
Google Maps understates inland driving times. Allow an hour for what it says is thirty minutes, and do not plan to be anywhere afterwards.
Rotonda
Traditional Greek dishes made with fresh local ingredients, and a view over the Aegean to eat them by. The kind of place that justifies the drive up on its own.
Must tryWhatever is cooked that day, with the view
DirectionsMatina and Stavros
A village taverna in the truest sense: family-run, close to its own produce, and cooking the food of the place rather than the food visitors expect. This is what you drove up for.
Must tryThe meat, the cheese, and the house wine
DirectionsWhen you want a break from Greek food
It happens on about the sixth night and nobody admits it. These are the three places on the island that do something else properly.
Macao
Asian flavours and cocktails, a break from taverna cooking without leaving the island. The change of register is the point.
Must tryWhatever is furthest from a Greek salad
DirectionsPizzadelia
Small, casual, handmade pizza with good toppings. Take it away and eat it somewhere with a view, which is most places.
Must tryA margherita, to judge them by
DirectionsPicasso
Mexican, and a local institution for it. The antidote to a week of grilled fish. Margaritas and something with chilli in it.
Must tryThe fajitas, and a margarita
DirectionsAyaka
Sushi and Asian on an island in the middle of the Aegean, and better than it has any right to be. For the night nobody wants another taverna.
Must tryWhatever is raw and fresh that day
DirectionsHow eating out works here
- Dinner is late. Service starts around 19:00. Greeks eat between 21:00 and 22:00. If you arrive at 19:30 you will have the place to yourself, which is either a gift or a warning depending on your temperament.
- Book in July and August. The good places fill. A phone call in the morning is enough.
- Carry cash. Smaller tavernas, and most of the village ones, do not take cards.
- Tipping is not required. Service is not included, and small change is appreciated rather than expected. Nobody will chase you.
- The tap water is safe. It does not taste good. Most places bring bottled without asking.
- Drink the house wine. It is usually made by someone the owner knows, it costs almost nothing, and it is better than the bottle you were about to order.
- Dessert arrives anyway. Fruit, a sweet, sometimes kitron. It is not on the bill and refusing it is a small insult.
The vegetarian question answers itself. Fava, gemista, horta, zucchini balls, grilled halloumi, every salad. Greek cooking has never needed a special menu for it.
Asked often
What food is Naxos known for?
Graviera Naxou, a protected designation of origin cheese, along with arseniko, xinotyro and xinomizithra. Potatoes grown on the Tragea plateau. Kitron, a citron liqueur distilled on the island since Venetian rule. Naxos is one of the largest producers of premium cheese in Greece.
What time do restaurants open for dinner in Naxos?
Dinner service usually starts around 19:00. Greeks eat later, between 21:00 and 22:00, and the best places fill by then. In July and August, book ahead.
Do restaurants in Naxos take cards?
The larger ones in Chora do. Smaller tavernas, and most village tavernas, do not. Carry cash if you are eating inland.
Is Naxos expensive for eating out?
No. Naxos is among the better value islands in the Cyclades, largely because it grows most of what it serves rather than shipping it in.
Do you tip in Naxos?
Tipping is not required and service is not usually included. Small change is appreciated. Nobody expects a percentage.
Can you eat well in Naxos as a vegetarian?
Easily. Fava, gemista, horta, zucchini balls, grilled halloumi and every salad on the menu. No special ordering required.