Greece Travel Guide/Greek Islands/Milos/

Restaurants and Food in Milos

Like Sifnos, Milos has more good restaurants for an island its size than most of the popular islands. Finding a good restaurant is not a difficult task with or without recommendations. We were told about several and we also stumbled on a few that we loved. Some were exceptional and I encourage you to check these out. Keep in mind that some of these restaurants are seasonal which means they may not be open before June or after September.

(You can click on all the photos to see them full-size):

Milos Restaurants

Worth the drive is the seaside taverna at Emborion directly across the bay from Adamas. You sit on a terrace so close to the sea that if a highspeed passes on the other side of the bay, 20 minutes later the waves are breaking at your feet. But if you don't mind driving over dirt roads for so long that you may wonder if you have taken a wrong turn you will be rewarded with the best island food in Milos, including fava (yellow-split pea), fresh fish, tomato keftedes (deep-fried balls made with the small island tomatoes), little cheese-pies and really good wine, made by the owners of the restaurant. In the farm behind the restaurant where you will see the animals that will be served in the days and weeks to come you will also see some peacocks. The restaurant is also known for their delicious home-grown fried potatoes.

Araxaboli in the beach town of Pollonia specializes in local dishes including a yummy watermelon pie, fish, and a variety of macaroni including penguin. Well, actually it's a joke but it is on the menu. Captain Nikola fish taverna was recommended to us but the lure of the penguin macaroni was too much. Another restaurant in Pollonia called Gialos has inventive food aling with traditonnal dishes. Really surprising, from the mezedes to the desserts. Astonishing grilled red mullet, and a roasted chicken fillet mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, angel hair and feta sauce. Incredibly yummy and for an extremly reasonable prices.The fish taverna Navagio was recommended by everyone we spoke to but everytime we began to walk towards it we were unable to get past Da Beppe(now closed). Well, actually the first night we were on the way there and Andrea did not want to eat there because she saw too many tourists so we continued along the shore and ate in Thanasis instead. (or was it Tassos?) Anyway the menu had photos of all the food which is usually a bad sign but was actually helpful and the food was good. The Flisvos looks like it has sold out to the tourists combining a fish taverna with a psisitaria (grill house). But it is convenient and pretty good as is the stylish looking  Kynigos which is a traditional taverna in disguise.

On the south part of the island is a fish-taverna called Kypos in as remote a spot as you could find above a rocky beach. But it happens to be the spot where the excursion boat Delfini leaves from and after a three hour visit to the rock formations of  Kleftiko this is a good place for lunch since they have their own fishing boat. In Plaka the Plakiaki Gonia is known for good food, grilled octopus and the home of the petition to have the Venus de Milo returned to the island. Even if you don't eat here you should stop in and sign the petition. The Ergina in the town of Tripiti is known for delicious mezedes and the best place to watch the sunset. There are tavernas on just about every beach and they all looked good to me, but you can't eat everywhere.

For cafes you can take your pick. You want a spectacular view? Go to the Utopia Cafe in Plaka. You want to people watch? Try any of those on the waterfront of Adamas. There are  cafes at most of the popular beaches playing the kind of thumping  music that puts your brain to sleep, but you can awaken it with a frappe or iced capuccino freddo. Deep Blue on the beach at Paliohora has a spectacular view and plays music through the night. The Giakos Cafe beneath the Hotel Portiani has yummy looking pizza and lots of Greek and non-Greek food and some couches that look more comfortable than they are, to watch people from. But they sell a glass of ouzo for a euro and a half and for twenty cents extra you get a meze. They make good espresso too.

Reader's Restaurant Review

Last night we went back to a little taverna we discovered two days ago at lunch. Eating in Milos had become a bit predictable – wonderful Mediterranean cuisine, but you can pretty much expect the same menu at each spot. Souvlaki, mousaka, Greek salads, fish, etc. This taverna set itself apart in many ways. They have really succeeded in creating something special. The restaurant is called “O! Hamos” and it is just outside of the port town of Adamas, on the road to the airport (seaside of Papikinou Adamos). It has a beautiful view of the sea, and the Psatha family have incorporated a number of quaint touches that have turned their establishment into something unique. You know that care has been taken to create a soothing, relaxing environment from the deft touches that abound. Geraniums spill over from stock pots placed at the side of each step in the multi-tiered eating areas. Fountains are created from shard of Greek urns cascading down miniature landscapes. What tips you off that you are at someplace very special are the menus – not what's on the menu, though we will come to that soon, but the actual menus themselves. Each one is handmade. Stiff cardboard is wrapped in bright wallpaper and laminated to create a colourful cover, each one different and individual. Inside is a sheaf of yellow notepaper, bound with twine to create a small booklet. Every page is painstakingly handwritten in Greek, English, Italian, German, and French. The cover is decorated with cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, sea salt patterns, and much more, again, each one different.You can just imagine the children trying to outdo each other with creating the most original menu of the bunch!

There are Greek inscriptions, poetry and sayings beautifully calligraphed on the walls and benches. The chairs themselves bear inscriptions from guests who are encouraged to leave their own message using a paint pen. Ours was:
We came for lunch,
We returned for dinner,
In any language,
O! Hamos is a winner!

The bread is homemade, as is the cheese, the wine, the sauces. The goats, beef, pork and chicken all come from the family farm. Every recipe is a family tradition. They do not serve fish, because they would have to outsource the fish itself, and they pride themselves that everything they serve they have made or grown themselves. The bread is served in a string bag which is slung over the back of a chair. Your wine is served in a ceramic jug, hand made with the family pattern, as are the little cups to drink from, and the plates.

Our meals?
Bougiourdi – Tomatoes and peppers baked spicy in a pot.
Psito Sti Hovoli – Wild goat cooked inside the ember for hours with lemon-mustard and marjoram.
Katsiki Lemonato – Goat cooked with fresh lemon juice.
Arnaki Surtukiko – Lamb wrapped and baked in a paper with fresh onions, dill and melted cheese.
Gourounopoulo – Piglet baked in the paper with molasses.

If you are ever in Milos, go to see the Psatha family: Irene, Nikolas, Athina, George, and Vaggells at the O! Hamos . Don't forget to look for our message on a chair and paint one of your own!

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