Best Places to Eat in Anafi: Tavernas, Seafood and Local Food

Anafi may be one of the smaller Cycladic islands, but its food scene is surprisingly varied.

Most places to eat are concentrated in Chora, where traditional tavernas, grills and cafés occupy terraces overlooking the Aegean. There are also worthwhile options around Kleisidi, Agios Nikolaos port and Roukounas Beach.

The island’s food is rooted in the Cyclades: fresh fish, goat, local cheese, vegetables, pulses, capers and honey. Anafi is small enough that locally produced ingredients still appear naturally on menus rather than simply being promoted as a tourist concept.

For visitors staying several nights, there is enough variety to eat somewhere different each evening without needing a huge restaurant scene.

Armenaki — Best for Food, Atmosphere and Live Music

Armenaki is one of Anafi’s best-established restaurants and has been operating in Chora since 1999.

It combines a restaurant with the social atmosphere of an island meeting place.

The kitchen works largely with Greek and Cycladic flavours, while ingredients are sourced locally and elsewhere around the Cyclades and Crete.

Armenaki operates as more than a dinner restaurant. It is a place for breakfast or coffee earlier in the day before becoming increasingly lively in the evening.

Live music is an important part of its identity.

This makes Armenaki particularly suitable for visitors wanting dinner to develop into an evening out rather than simply eating and returning to their accommodation.

Best for: atmosphere, Greek food and live music.

Anemos — Best for Fresh Fish

Anemos is a family-run fish restaurant around the entrance to Chora.

Seafood is the obvious reason to come.

Rather than ordering according to a predetermined list, ask what fish is available that day. This is often a better strategy on small Greek islands where the most interesting dishes depend on the catch rather than a permanent menu.

The restaurant also serves traditional Greek dishes, making it suitable for groups where not everyone wants seafood.

Its position provides views across the island landscape and sea.

Best for: fresh fish and a relaxed dinner in Chora.

To Liotrivi — Garden Produce and Fish

To Liotrivi has long been one of Anafi’s better-known places to eat.

Its appeal lies particularly in its ingredients.

Vegetables come from the restaurant’s garden, while fresh fish has traditionally been supplied through the family’s own fishing.

That relationship between garden, fishing boat and kitchen is exactly the sort of food experience that suits Anafi.

Expect Greek cooking centred on seasonal ingredients rather than an elaborate international menu.

When available, fish soup and fresh seafood are particularly appropriate choices.

Best for: local produce and traditional island cooking.

Check Current Opening Before Visiting Liotrivi

Liotrivi is an established Anafi restaurant and remains listed by the island’s tourism information, but seasonal operations on a small island can change.

Visitors should check locally that it is operating during their stay rather than assuming every restaurant opens throughout the entire season.

This applies particularly outside July and August.

Anafi’s permanent population is small enough that restaurants may adjust their season according to demand.

To Steki — Best Traditional Taverna Atmosphere

To Steki is in the centre of Chora and offers the kind of informal taverna experience that works particularly well on a small Cycladic island.

Traditional Greek dishes and seafood form much of the menu.

The atmosphere becomes part of the attraction, particularly when live music is taking place.

It is a good choice for visitors who prefer an uncomplicated dinner where the evening can continue over wine or rakomelo rather than a more formal restaurant experience.

Best for: traditional dishes, casual dinners and live music.

Astrachan — Traditional Anafi Cooking

Astrachan has been serving diners in Chora since the 1990s.

The restaurant specialises in traditional Anafi cuisine, with an emphasis on local ingredients.

Its position also provides views across the island.

Astrachan is particularly useful for travellers who want to move beyond generic Greek dishes and look for food associated specifically with Anafi.

Ask about the day’s local dishes rather than automatically choosing familiar standards.

On a small island, the most interesting option can often be whatever has been prepared that afternoon.

Best for: traditional Anafi flavours and local ingredients.

To Petrino — Best for Souvlaki and Grilled Food

Not every meal on Anafi needs to involve a long seafood dinner.

To Petrino is a family grill house in Chora and provides a simpler alternative built around grilled meat, souvlaki and familiar Greek favourites.

It is particularly useful after a long day walking or swimming when a substantial but uncomplicated meal is more appealing than an elaborate dinner.

The central Chora location also makes it easy to incorporate into an evening wandering around the village.

Best for: souvlaki, grilled meat and inexpensive casual meals.

Tholos — Best for Breakfast and a Relaxed Stop

Tholos occupies a scenic position in Chora and works well for a lighter meal, breakfast or coffee.

This makes it useful because many restaurant guides focus almost entirely on dinner.

A slow breakfast overlooking the Aegean can be every bit as characteristic of Anafi as an evening taverna meal.

Egg dishes, coffee, juices and lighter Mediterranean food make Tholos particularly suitable earlier in the day.

It can also become an evening stop as Chora comes alive.

Best for: breakfast, coffee and relaxed views.

Margarita’s — Best for Eating Near Kleisidi Beach

Visitors staying around Kleisidi don’t necessarily need to return to Chora for every meal.

Margarita’s provides a Greek restaurant option close to Kleisidi Beach.

The location makes it particularly convenient after spending the afternoon swimming.

Seafood and Greek dishes dominate the menu, while the coastal setting provides a different experience from eating in the lanes and terraces of Chora.

This is one of the more useful places to know about when planning a beach day rather than choosing dinner independently of the day’s activities.

Best for: lunch or dinner around Kleisidi.

Roukounas — Best for a Beach Day

Roukounas is Anafi’s best-known beach, and visitors can combine swimming with food rather than carrying everything from Chora.

The long-established beach operation at Roukounas provides food in the area behind the beach.

The setting is informal and particularly suited to travellers spending most of the day here.

Roukounas has long attracted independent travellers, and eating here feels quite different from sitting down to dinner in Chora.

This is somewhere to arrive hungry after swimming rather than dressing up for an evening restaurant.

Best for: lunch during a Roukounas beach day.

Agnanti — Best for Combining Dinner with the South Coast

Agnanti lies outside Chora towards the southern beaches, including the wider area around Katsouni and Roukounas.

The restaurant combines island cooking with views across the surrounding landscape.

Its location makes it useful for visitors who have spent the afternoon exploring the beaches and don’t necessarily want to return immediately to the centre of Chora.

It is another reminder that Anafi’s restaurant scene isn’t entirely confined to the village.

Best for: views and dinner after exploring the southern beaches.

Eating Around Agios Nikolaos Port

Agios Nikolaos is Anafi’s ferry port.

There are places for food, coffee and refreshments around the port, making it useful when waiting for a ferry or arriving at an awkward time.

The port isn’t where most visitors will want to eat every evening.

Chora has a broader selection and considerably more atmosphere after dark.

However, having somewhere near the ferry is particularly valuable on Anafi because ferry arrival and departure times can make normal meal planning difficult.

Treat the port primarily as a practical dining location rather than the centre of the island’s food scene.

What Food Should You Try in Anafi?

Anafi’s traditional food reflects both the dry Cycladic landscape and its relationship with the sea.

Look for fresh fish, goat, local cheeses, pulses, capers and seasonal vegetables.

Several ingredients are particularly worth seeking out.

Anafi Saffron Bread

One of the island’s distinctive traditional foods is saffron bread.

Saffron has historically grown wild on Anafi, and the spice became associated with local festive bread.

It is not necessarily something visitors will find sitting on every restaurant menu.

That makes it more interesting when encountered at a bakery, festival or traditional celebration.

Ask locally if saffron bread is available during the visit.

Local Cheese

Anafi’s livestock traditions produce local cheeses that can appear in salads, pies and simple meze.

As on many small Cycladic islands, cheese production developed partly because goats and sheep are well suited to the dry landscape.

Rather than looking for a particular branded product, ask whether the restaurant has local Anafi cheese.

A simple plate of cheese, bread, olives and wine can sometimes provide a clearer sense of the island than a complicated main course.

Capers

Wild capers thrive in the dry conditions of the Cyclades.

On Anafi they can appear in salads and other local dishes, adding a sharp salty flavour.

Visitors walking around Chora and the countryside may also notice caper plants growing from stone walls and rocky ground.

It is a good example of an ingredient connecting the restaurant table directly with the landscape outside.

Fava

Fava is one of the characteristic foods of the Cyclades.

Despite the English name sometimes causing confusion, Greek fava is a smooth purée made from yellow split peas rather than broad beans.

It is generally served with olive oil and onion and works particularly well as part of a selection of shared starters.

Order it alongside local cheese, salad and seafood rather than treating every meal as starter-main-dessert.

Local Honey

Anafi produces aromatic honey from the herbs and flowering plants growing across its dry landscape.

Honey appears in desserts and pastries but is also worth buying to take away.

Small-scale island honey can vary according to season and the plants available to the bees.

It is one of the simplest Anafi products to look for in local shops.

Goat

Goat has traditionally been important in Anafi’s cooking.

Slow-cooked or oven-roasted goat may appear as a daily dish at traditional tavernas.

It is worth ordering when offered as a house speciality.

On a small island, a dish that has been cooking for hours can be a better choice than something ordered simply because it appears permanently on a printed menu.

Ask what has been prepared that day.

Fresh Fish or Lobster Pasta?

Both can be excellent, but check the price before ordering fish or lobster by weight.

Fresh seafood is one of the pleasures of eating on a Greek island, but the cost can vary considerably according to species and catch.

Ask to see the fish and confirm the price before it is cooked.

For couples or groups, a whole fish accompanied by several shared dishes can make more sense than everyone ordering separate mains.

Best Area for Dinner

For most visitors, Chora is the best place to eat in Anafi.

It has the greatest concentration of restaurants and allows dinner to become part of an evening exploring the village.

Visitors staying near Kleisidi or the port can certainly eat locally, but it is worth spending several evenings in Chora.

Restaurants are close enough together that there is little need to decide where to eat before leaving accommodation.

Walk around, look at menus and choose according to atmosphere and the day’s dishes.

Best Area for Lunch

The beaches make more sense for lunch.

Combine Roukounas with its nearby food options or eat around Kleisidi after swimming.

This avoids travelling back to Chora during the hottest part of the day.

A useful Anafi rhythm is therefore:

beach and a simple lunch during the afternoon, followed by a return to Chora for a longer dinner after sunset.

Vegetarians in Anafi

Vegetarian travellers should find plenty to eat.

Traditional Greek cooking already includes numerous meat-free dishes: fava, salads, vegetable dishes, beans, courgettes, aubergines, local cheese and pies.

Ask what vegetable dishes have been cooked that day.

A selection of shared starters can provide a much more interesting meal than searching specifically for a vegetarian main course.

Vegans should explain their requirements because cheese, yoghurt or honey may appear in dishes that otherwise look plant-based.

Don’t Rely Too Heavily on Opening Hours Online

Anafi’s restaurant scene is highly seasonal.

Opening dates and hours can change according to the time of year, ferry traffic and visitor numbers.

A restaurant shown online isn’t necessarily operating every day outside peak summer.

The easiest approach is often simply to check after arriving.

Because most Chora restaurants are relatively close together, finding an alternative is rarely difficult during the main season.

How Many Restaurants Do You Need?

Anafi has enough variety for a stay of four or five nights.

A good mix would be a traditional dinner at Astrachan or To Steki, seafood at Anemos or Liotrivi, a lively evening at Armenaki, something grilled at To Petrino, and a beach meal around Roukounas or Kleisidi.

That provides substantially more variety than might be expected from an island of Anafi’s size.

More importantly, the food remains connected to the character of the island.

Anafi doesn’t need a huge restaurant industry.

Fresh fish, local produce, a few good tavernas and a table overlooking the Aegean are enough.

Explore More of Anafi

Continue planning a visit with:

Things to Do in Anafi — explore Chora, ancient Kastelli, the Sacred Way, Kalamos and Zoodochos Pigi.

Best Places to Stay in Anafi — choose between Chora, Kleisidi and accommodation closer to the port.

Best Beaches in Anafi — discover Roukounas, Kleisidi, Agioi Anargyroi and the quieter southern coves.

Best Places to Eat in Astypalaia — explore the food scene on another distinctive Aegean island.

Best Places to Eat in Amorgos — discover tavernas and local food elsewhere in the Cyclades.