Best Places to Eat in Kastos: Tavernas, Seafood & Harbour Dining
Kastos is a tiny Ionian island, so you shouldn’t arrive expecting dozens of restaurants. That’s part of its appeal.
Most places to eat are concentrated around Kastos village and its picturesque harbour, where a small collection of tavernas serves island residents, visiting sailors and summer travellers.
Rather than trying to create an artificial list of ten or twenty restaurants, there are three main tavernas worth knowing about. Between them, you’ll find fresh fish, seafood, traditional Greek cooking and some wonderful places to sit and enjoy the harbour.
1. Il Porto Taverna
Best for: fresh fish and seafood
Il Porto is one of the main tavernas in Kastos village and a good choice if you’re looking for fish and seafood.
Its position near the harbour makes it particularly appealing for a leisurely lunch after spending the morning swimming or exploring the island.
As with many small Greek island tavernas, it’s worth asking what fish is fresh that day rather than arriving with a particular dish in mind.
Order a few dishes, find a table overlooking the water and don’t be in too much of a hurry.
That’s exactly the sort of dining experience Kastos does best.
2. Taverna Belos
Best for: traditional Greek food
Belos is another established taverna around Kastos harbour.
The menu offers traditional Greek cooking alongside fish, seafood and meat dishes, making it a useful choice if not everyone in your group wants seafood.
Expect the sort of uncomplicated food that suits a small Greek island: salads, vegetables, grilled dishes and traditional cooked meals.
Its harbour location also means there’s little reason to plan your day around the restaurant.
Explore the village, go for a swim and return to the waterfront when you’re ready for lunch or dinner.
3. Windmill Taverna
Best for: views and atmosphere
Windmill Taverna combines traditional Greek food with one of the most distinctive settings on Kastos.
The island’s old windmill is one of its best-known landmarks, and eating in this part of the village provides a different perspective from dining immediately beside the harbour.
The menu includes Greek and Mediterranean dishes, with seafood and traditional cooked dishes among the choices.
I’d particularly consider coming here towards the end of the day.
Kastos isn’t an island where you need elaborate entertainment after dinner. A good meal, views across the Ionian Sea and an evening walk back through the village are more in keeping with the character of the island.
Where to Go for Coffee and Drinks
Despite its tiny size, Kastos has places where you can stop for coffee or an evening drink around the village and harbour.
This becomes particularly enjoyable if you’re staying overnight.
During the day, visiting yachts and day-trippers bring activity to the harbour. Later in the evening, the atmosphere becomes much quieter.
Find somewhere overlooking the water, order a coffee or drink and watch the boats come and go.
Sometimes the best thing to do on Kastos is very little.
What Should You Eat in Kastos?
Fresh Fish
Kastos’s location in the Ionian Sea makes fresh fish an obvious choice.
Ask what’s available that day rather than relying entirely on a printed menu.
If you’re ordering whole fish that’s priced by weight, ask about the price before ordering.
Seafood
Octopus, calamari and other seafood are natural choices around the harbour.
A simple seafood lunch with a Greek salad and something cold to drink is particularly appealing after spending the morning at one of Kastos’s beaches.
Traditional Greek Food
You don’t have to eat seafood at every meal.
The island’s tavernas also serve familiar Greek dishes including salads, vegetable dishes, grilled meats and traditional cooked meals.
Meze
For lunch, consider ordering several smaller dishes for the table.
A Greek salad, cheese, vegetables and a couple of seafood or meat dishes let you try more of the menu without having an enormous meal in the middle of a hot summer day.
Where Is the Best Place to Eat in Kastos?
Kastos is too small to have different restaurant districts.
Almost everything revolves around Kastos village and the harbour.
For seafood and fresh fish, start with Il Porto.
For a broader selection of traditional Greek cooking, try Belos.
For atmosphere and the windmill setting, consider Windmill Taverna.
If you’re staying on Kastos for several nights, there’s no real need to choose between them. Try all three and decide which one you prefer.
Where Should You Eat on a Kastos Day Trip?
Eating in the village is easy to incorporate into a day trip.
Arrive at the harbour and spend some time exploring Kastos village before walking towards the old windmill.
You can then head to one of the nearby beaches for a swim before returning to the village for lunch.
Afterwards, have a coffee or drink beside the harbour before catching your boat.
There’s no need to rush around Kastos trying to see a long list of attractions.
A leisurely lunch should be part of the experience rather than something squeezed between sightseeing stops.
Do You Need to Book a Restaurant in Kastos?
Usually, you can keep things fairly flexible.
However, Kastos has only a handful of restaurants and is popular with sailing boats during summer.
When several yachts arrive at once, the number of people looking for dinner can increase considerably.
If you’re visiting during July or August and particularly want to eat at one restaurant, asking about a table earlier in the day is sensible.
Outside the busiest periods, I’d be more inclined to see what’s available when you’re ready to eat.
Are Restaurants Open All Year?
Don’t assume they are.
Kastos has a very small permanent population, while the number of visitors increases considerably during summer.
Restaurants and other tourism businesses can therefore operate seasonally or change their opening days and hours during quieter periods.
If you’re travelling outside the main summer season, check locally before relying on a particular restaurant being open.
Is Kastos Expensive for Eating Out?
Kastos isn’t a luxury dining destination.
The emphasis is on small tavernas, cafés and bars rather than fine dining.
Fresh fish can be more expensive than basic taverna dishes, particularly when whole fish is priced according to weight.
For most visitors, though, the attraction isn’t finding the cheapest possible meal.
It’s sitting beside a tiny Ionian harbour, enjoying simple Greek food while the boats come and go.
A Perfect Food Day in Kastos
Start with coffee around Kastos village before walking through the settlement and towards the old windmill.
Spend the late morning swimming at one of the island’s beaches.
Return to the harbour for a leisurely lunch of seafood, Greek salad and a few shared dishes.
During the afternoon, explore another part of the island or simply return to the water.
If you’re staying overnight, have a drink around the harbour before choosing one of the tavernas for dinner.
With so few places on the island, you’ll soon begin recognising people you’ve seen earlier in the day.
That’s part of the charm of Kastos.
Final Thoughts
Eating in Kastos is refreshingly uncomplicated.
There aren’t dozens of restaurants competing for your attention. Instead, there are a few genuine tavernas serving the island community and its summer visitors.
Choose Il Porto for fresh fish and seafood.
Try Belos for traditional Greek cooking.
Visit Windmill Taverna for the setting and atmosphere.
And leave enough time for a coffee or evening drink overlooking the harbour.
On an island as small as Kastos, you don’t need an enormous choice.
You just need a few good places to sit down, eat and enjoy where you are.
