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

Donousa has a remarkably good food scene for an island of its size.

Most visitors initially encounter the tavernas and cafés of Stavros, the port and main village. But some of the most interesting meals are found away from the harbour, particularly in Mersini and Kalotaritissa.

The food remains strongly connected to traditional Greek island cooking: fresh fish, grilled meat, goat, vegetable dishes, pulses and food cooked slowly in the pot or oven.

A four- or five-night stay provides enough time to eat around different parts of the island rather than returning to the same waterfront every evening.

To Kyma — A Donousa Institution

To Kyma is one of the island’s oldest places to eat and has occupied its position beside the harbour in Stavros since 1948.

It is part taverna, part traditional kafeneio and part island meeting place.

This is somewhere to look for straightforward home cooking rather than elaborate presentation. Pastitsio, meatballs and other dishes cooked in the kitchen are more characteristic choices than trying to construct a sophisticated restaurant meal.

Its waterfront position also makes To Kyma particularly useful when arriving by ferry.

But the history is just as important as the convenience.

Businesses rarely survive for generations on an island as small as Donousa unless they become woven into everyday island life.

Best for: traditional home cooking and old Donousa atmosphere.

Iliovasilema — Best for Local Goat and Sunset

At the far end of Stavros Beach, Iliovasilema combines traditional Greek cooking with one of the best dining positions in the village.

Its name means “sunset”, which gives a fairly strong clue to the attraction of its terrace.

One dish particularly worth looking for is slow-cooked local goat. Depending on the preparation, it may be cooked with lemon or tomato.

Fresh fish and other traditional dishes complete the menu.

Iliovasilema works especially well for a longer evening meal: arrive before sunset rather than after dark and allow the changing light over the Aegean to become part of dinner.

Best for: local goat, traditional cooking and sunset.

Avli — Best for a More Contemporary Dinner

Avli sits higher in Stavros in an old family courtyard overlooking the harbour.

Its cooking takes a somewhat more contemporary approach than the island’s traditional tavernas while remaining firmly connected to Greek ingredients and seafood.

Fish and seafood play a substantial role, while an all-Greek wine selection provides an opportunity to explore wines from beyond the familiar labels found in ordinary tavernas.

This is a good choice when visitors want one dinner during their stay that feels a little more considered without becoming disconnected from Donousa.

The elevated setting is another attraction.

Best for: seafood, Greek wine and a more contemporary meal.

Captain George — Best for Grilled Meat

Captain George provides a straightforward alternative to seafood-heavy island dining.

Grilled meat is the speciality, making it particularly useful after a long day walking between Donousa’s villages and beaches.

Expect the kind of uncomplicated food that works well in a traditional Greek grill house rather than fine dining.

This is also a good option for groups where some people want meat while others have spent several days ordering fish.

Best for: grilled meat and a substantial casual dinner.

Simadoura — Best for Home Cooking with a View

Simadoura occupies an elevated terrace around Stavros and combines Greek island cooking with influences from Crete.

The kitchen has a strong home-cooked character.

Dishes can include fava, cheese pies, lentil salad, imam bayildi, meatballs and slow-cooked goat, alongside changing daily preparations.

The setting makes it particularly appealing in the evening, when the terrace looks across the island and surrounding Aegean.

Occasional music adds to the atmosphere without turning the restaurant into a conventional entertainment venue.

Best for: home cooking, vegetable dishes and views.

Gialo Gialo — Best for Seafood

Gialo Gialo is a useful choice for travellers specifically looking for fish and seafood.

On an island like Donousa, it is worth asking what is genuinely fresh that day rather than automatically ordering a familiar species from a permanent menu.

Small-scale fishing and changing weather mean availability naturally varies.

A simple grilled fish with salad, vegetables and lemon can be one of the best meals on the island when the ingredients are good.

Best for: fish and seafood.

Ampelaki — Relaxed Dining Around Stavros

Ampelaki offers another option around Stavros, with Greek and Mediterranean dishes in a relaxed setting.

Having several restaurants within the main settlement is particularly useful for travellers staying without a vehicle.

There is no need to decide on one “best restaurant” and eat there repeatedly.

Donousa’s size makes it easy to vary the experience between waterfront home cooking, grilled food and more contemporary kitchens.

Best for: a relaxed evening meal in Stavros.

Mersini — Worth Travelling for Dinner

Visitors shouldn’t spend every evening eating in Stavros.

The small hillside settlement of Mersini is one of the best places to go specifically for a meal.

It sits above the southeastern coast with views across the Aegean and has traditionally supported several worthwhile places to eat despite the tiny size of the village.

Combine dinner with an afternoon at Livadi Beach, a walk through Mersini and a visit to the village spring.

This turns the meal into part of exploring the island rather than a separate restaurant expedition.

I Kori tou Michali — Destination Dining in Mersini

I Kori tou Michali — The Daughter of Michalis — has long been one of Donousa’s best-known restaurants.

The kitchen takes traditional Greek ingredients and dishes in a somewhat more creative direction than a conventional taverna.

The elevated Mersini setting is also a major part of the experience, with broad views across the sea.

This is somewhere worth travelling from Stavros specifically for dinner rather than choosing simply because it happens to be nearby.

For visitors staying several nights, it provides a useful contrast with the traditional port tavernas.

Best for: destination dining and a more creative interpretation of Greek food.

Karavaiki — Small Plates in Mersini

Karavaiki adds another dining option in Mersini.

Its small-plate approach works particularly well for travellers who prefer ordering several dishes for the table rather than committing to individual mains.

That style also suits Greek island dining.

A meal built from salads, cheese, vegetables, seafood and meat dishes allows visitors to try considerably more of the kitchen.

Combine it with an evening exploring Mersini rather than rushing back to Stavros.

Best for: sharing plates and dinner in Mersini.

Kalotaritissa — Eat at the End of the Island

At the northeastern end of Donousa, the road reaches the tiny settlement of Kalotaritissa.

This is where you’ll find one of the island’s classic destination tavernas.

The journey is part of the attraction.

Rather than looking across Stavros harbour, diners are surrounded by the stark landscape of Donousa’s remote eastern end.

Kalotaritissa works particularly well as part of a full-day excursion incorporating walking and swimming at the nearby coves.

Taverna Mitsos — Best for Traditional Food in Kalotaritissa

Taverna Mitsos is one of those places where location and food belong together.

The family-run taverna serves traditional Greek cooking in Kalotaritissa, with meat dishes particularly associated with its reputation.

Produce from the family’s own livestock and garden has historically been part of the food served here.

That makes Mitsos especially appropriate after walking to the settlement.

Sit down, order something substantial and allow lunch to become part of the day’s exploration.

There is little reason to travel all the way to Kalotaritissa merely to eat quickly and leave.

Best for: traditional meat dishes and a memorable lunch away from Stavros.

Kedros Beach — Best for Lunch by the Sea

A day at Kedros Beach doesn’t necessarily require carrying lunch from Stavros.

The beach has a seasonal bar serving food and drinks in the wider beach area.

This is the place for an informal meal between swims rather than a traditional taverna experience.

Its usefulness becomes obvious after walking from Stavros, swimming and snorkelling around the submerged wartime wreck.

Stay for several hours rather than treating Kedros as somewhere to photograph before moving on.

Best for: beach lunch, coffee and drinks.

Where to Eat Breakfast in Donousa

Stavros has the greatest choice for breakfast and coffee.

Cafés and all-day venues provide coffee, pastries, eggs and lighter food before visitors head towards the beaches or walking trails.

Yucca is one option for breakfast and brunch-style food, while several establishments around the harbour serve morning coffee.

A substantial breakfast can be particularly worthwhile before undertaking one of Donousa’s longer walks.

The island may be small, but the combination of hills and summer heat makes walking considerably more demanding than the distances suggest.

What Food Should You Try in Donousa?

The most characteristic food isn’t necessarily a dish found nowhere else in Greece.

What matters more is the connection between traditional island ingredients and the people preparing them.

Look for:

• local goat
• fresh fish
• octopus and calamari
• fava
• vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil
• stuffed tomatoes and peppers
• local cheeses
• seasonal salads and vegetables
• meat and vegetable dishes cooked slowly in the pot

Ask about daily dishes rather than ordering entirely from the standard menu.

Try the Local Goat

Goat is one of the foods most strongly connected with Donousa’s rural landscape.

Iliovasilema is particularly known for slow-cooked goat, while traditional meat dishes can also be encountered elsewhere around the island.

This is food that makes sense geographically.

Goats are well suited to the dry, rocky terrain of the Cyclades and have supported island communities for centuries.

When a taverna has prepared local goat as a daily speciality, it is generally a more interesting choice than ordering something available throughout Greece.

Fresh Fish

Donousa remains closely connected with the sea, and fish is an obvious part of eating here.

Look for the day’s catch rather than assuming every fish listed is locally caught.

Depending on availability, this might include smaller fish as well as larger specimens intended for sharing.

Octopus and calamari are also common.

When ordering fish by weight, ask for the price before it is cooked.

That is good practice throughout the Greek islands and avoids surprises when the bill arrives.

Order Mageirefta

One of the easiest mistakes in Greece is concentrating entirely on grilled meat and seafood while ignoring the dishes already prepared in the kitchen.

Look for mageirefta — cooked dishes that might include stews, baked vegetables, stuffed tomatoes and peppers, beans or meat slowly cooked in sauce.

These often provide a much better insight into Greek home cooking than the grill.

At an old-fashioned establishment such as To Kyma, looking at what has been cooked that day can be more rewarding than reading the menu from beginning to end.

Vegetarians Should Eat Well

Traditional Greek cooking provides plenty for vegetarians.

Fava, aubergine dishes, beans, salads, stuffed vegetables, courgettes, cheese pies and vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil can create an excellent meal without needing a special vegetarian menu.

The best strategy is often to order several dishes for the table.

Vegans should explain their requirements because apparently vegetable-based dishes may contain cheese or other animal products.

Best Area for Dinner

Stavros offers the greatest choice and is the obvious place to eat on most evenings.

But spending every dinner there would miss part of Donousa’s appeal.

During a four-night stay, a good pattern would be to eat in Stavros twice, travel to Mersini for one evening and incorporate Kalotaritissa into a daytime excursion.

That provides three very different dining settings on an island only a few kilometres across.

Best Area for Lunch

Match lunch to the day’s activities.

Eat around Kedros when spending the day at the beach.

Have a long lunch at Mitsos in Kalotaritissa when exploring the northeastern end of the island.

Use Mersini when combining the village with a walk to Livadi.

This is generally more enjoyable than returning to Stavros for every meal.

Don’t Depend on Online Opening Hours

Donousa is highly seasonal.

Restaurants can change opening periods and daily schedules according to the time of year and visitor numbers.

This is especially important outside the peak summer season.

Check locally rather than travelling across the island solely because an old listing says a restaurant should be open.

The same principle applies to beach bars, which are particularly seasonal.

How Expensive Is Eating in Donousa?

Donousa isn’t primarily a luxury dining destination.

Traditional tavernas and grills can still provide relatively straightforward meals, although prices vary considerably according to what is ordered.

Fresh fish sold by weight can increase the bill quickly.

A meal based on shared vegetable dishes, salad and a cooked main will generally cost considerably less than large fresh fish, multiple seafood dishes and bottled wine.

The strongest value often comes from daily home-cooked dishes rather than the most expensive item on the menu.

How Many Restaurants Does Donousa Have?

Enough to make a multi-night stay interesting.

That is more important than the precise number, which changes as seasonal businesses open and close.

Donousa supports traditional kafeneia, fish restaurants, grills, more contemporary kitchens, beach food and destination tavernas in its tiny outlying villages.

For such a small island, that is an unusually good range.

And the best way to experience it is not to rank every restaurant from first to tenth.

Eat in different parts of Donousa and allow the location to become part of the meal.

Explore More of Donousa

Continue planning a visit with:

Things to Do in Donousa — walk the old trails, snorkel above the Kedros wreck and explore Mersini, Kalotaritissa and the sea caves.

Best Places to Stay in Donousa — choose between Stavros and quieter accommodation around the island.

Best Beaches in Donousa — discover Kedros, Livadi, Stavros and the secluded beaches around Kalotaritissa.

Best Places to Eat in Schoinoussa — explore another Small Cyclades food scene.

Best Places to Eat in Amorgos — discover tavernas and local food on Donousa’s larger neighbour.