Rhodes and the Dodecanese Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Rhodes and the Dodecanese - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Rhodes and the Dodecanese - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
A cozy, family-run restaurant with an ambitious menu that does some very creative things with classic Greek cooking. A "krassotiri" crème brélee makes the most of the island's famous soft cheese, while mains offer an even tenderer touch, with pork cheeks nestled atop a chickpea ragout stealing the show. Excellent value for such skilled, imaginative food.
Set on the shady square where Hippocrates reputedly once taught, this island institution maintains high standards for its cooking and top-notch service. Occupying an early-20th-century Italian club, the surroundings of tiled rooms and candlelit balconies are elaborate. Try the spiced, grilled lamb chops or famous pork and crackling (ellasonitiko). Live music accompanies meals most evenings.
A seaside perch at the end of Yialos Harbor is the picturesque setting for an excellent meal, which often begins with such traditional appetizers as stuffed zucchini or boiled greens (the taramosalata here might just be among the best in Greece) and includes fresh grilled fish and other daily home-cooked offerings. You may want to arrive early enough to enjoy sunset views of the harbor, and reserve far ahead—during peak summer season it can be booked out days in advance.
Choose between a table on the main square (perfect for people-watching) or the raised terrace out back with stunning views of the sea. Fresh grilled fish and lemon-and-oregano-flavored goat are specialties of the traditional kitchen, and other simple dishes such as mint-flavored dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber dip) are the way to go.
Meals at this simple taverna, as popular with locals as it is with tourists, are served in a high-ceilinged, whitewashed dining room or on a terrace that is partially shaded by a grape arbor and affords wonderful views over the sea and surrounding hills. Fish is a specialty, and simply prepared mezedes (small dishes), such as roasted peppers topped with feta cheese and fried zucchini, are a great start to a meal here.
A ten-minute walk east of the evening bustle on the main waterfront leads to this waterside gem. The accomplished Haritomeni has a lofted terrace with spectacular views over the bay. Like most places on the island, either eat early or book ahead as it fills up fast later on. The menu is decent value, with typical Greek mezedes dishes—calamari, fried saganaki cheese, papoutsakia (stuffed eggplant)—all crafted with no little skill and propping up meatier grilled fare.
One of the most enchanting places to dine is the garden of this small guesthouse, where you'll want to linger amid the foliage and flowers for an entire evening. The menu features a rich lamb souvlaki and a delectable sea bass fillet with trahanoto (Greek-style risotto). Desserts lean toward Italy—in honor of the largely Italian crowd here—including a masterful semifreddo.
With a large terrace overlooking the sea and Lindos Square, Mavrikos offers elegant simplicity through its flavorful Greek dishes, such as the chickpeas in orange zest, swordfish in caper sauce, black butter beans in carob syrup, and squid risotto. Third-generation chef Dimitris Mavrikos owns this institution along with his brother Michalis and has steadfastly maintained its stellar reputation.
The setting is the star here. Three brothers have created a calm oasis a few streets in from the hustle and bustle of Kos Harbor. A 150-year-old stone house provides cozy dining in cool months, and in summer, tables pepper a garden full of private nooks, fountains, and gentle music. The enormous menu lists Greek staples, such as zucchini pancakes and liver with oregano, side-by-side with more cultured cuts of chateaubriand and stuffed pork tenderloin.
When Rhodians want a traditional meal, they head to this simple little taverna on a residential street south of the walled city. Dining is in a plain room and on a sparkling-white terrace in warmer months, where you can compose a meal of such delicious mezedes as bakaliaros (salted cod) in garlic sauce, pumpkin fritters, and zucchini flowers filled with feta cheese. It's a bit of a walk, but worth it for the quality of food and to escape the hordes of the Old Town.
The excellent island cooking here is spiced up by the sea views, which you can savor from a seaside balcony table or right on the beach below. The mezedes menu includes such traditional favorites as leek pie, fried eggplant, and smoked pork. Grilled lamb chops and other main courses are served as well. Live music (Tzivaeri, which roughly translates as "my beloved," is also the name of a popular Greek folk song) is performed many nights, usually not earlier than around midnight.
The steep climb up to Zoe's all but guarantees a spectacular view, though it's worth booking ahead to secure a table with front-row seats. The food is equally breathtaking, with a strong adherence to traditional Symiot cuisine: think jugged hare, dolomades (stuffed vine leaves) the way granny used to make them, and five-hour slow-cooked lamb and potatoes. Many of the ingredients used come from the owner's own farm.
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName}} Restaurants in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions: