Cretan Food- Restaurants.
The Cretan kitchen is one of the healthiest kitchens in the world
The principle of a good restaurant is in our opinion: a good location, a pleasant atmosphere, a friendly service, a reasonable price and last but not least good food.
The Cretan kitchen is one of the healthiest kitchens in the world, so also where food is concerned; Crete has a lot to offer.
However, many tourists complained to us about their bad experiences with food that was prepared with olive oil.
Dear reader, the olive oil that you can buy and consume here on Crete, is without doubt of the best quality in the world!
Should you have had any problems with the food than these were not caused by the olive oil, but by the bad hygiene in the kitchen. Other complaints were about products not being fresh or too expensive.
Because going out for dinner is one of the most important parts of a holiday, we would like to avoid any further disappointments.
Some good advice when you go out for dinner:
Try to avoid those restaurants that try to persuade you to come inside. These are the real touristy places in which often making money is more important that taking care of the guests.
During or just after a period of storm it is impossible to have fresh fish.
When you don’t see any cats around a fish restaurant, be careful. Cats know exactly where to find fresh fish!
Do try the “mezedes”, when you get a chance. These are small snacks, served together with your drink. They are mostly served at the “cafenions” (coffee or raki houses), but sometimes you have to ask for them.
Always ask for a visit to the kitchen and have a look at the daily (fresh) dishes. If you like the look and/or the smell of them, don’t hesitate to order them.
Which Cretan dishes are nice?
“Mousaka”: a pie of potatoes, eggplant, minced meat and covered with a béchamel sauce.
“Vasoulakia”: French beans in tomato sauce with garlic.
“Papoutsakia” (little shoes) a half eggplant filled with minced meat and cheese.
“Konelli stifado” a rabbit stew in a wine or tomato sauce.
“Choriatiki” a salad with feta cheese and olives on top
“Arni sto fourno”: lamb and potatoes from the oven.
Of course the above-mentioned dishes are only a small part of the Cretan food.
“Kali oreksi” (enjoy your meal)