Best Places to Eat in Samothraki: Restaurants & Local Food

Samothraki may be famous for waterfalls, mountains and ancient ruins, but food is another good reason to explore the island.

The local speciality you’re most likely to remember is goat.

Samothraki has a long tradition of raising goats, and traditional tavernas serve the meat roasted, grilled and slow-cooked in numerous ways. You’ll also find fresh fish and seafood around the coast, Greek home cooking in the villages and cafés and casual restaurants in Chora and Kamariotissa.

Unlike an island where most restaurants are concentrated around one harbour, Samothraki’s best places to eat are scattered around the island.

Here are some of the best places to eat in Samothraki.

1. Taverna Karydies — Ano Meria

4.5•Restaurant•ClosedWebsite

•Directions

•2551 098266

Best for: Samothraki goat

If you want to try the dish most strongly associated with Samothraki, Karydies is an excellent place to start.

Located in Ano Meria, this traditional taverna is particularly well known for goat. Recent diners mention versions cooked with lemon and potatoes, honey or plums, as well as grilled goat ribs.

This isn’t somewhere I’d visit looking for an elaborate modern interpretation of Greek cuisine.

Go because you want traditional island cooking and, above all, goat.

It’s also one of Samothraki’s best-established restaurants, with hundreds of current reviews.

Try: one of the goat dishes.

2. O Vrachos (The Rock) — Profitis Ilias

4.4•Restaurant•ClosedWebsite

•Directions

•697 492 0472

Best for: grilled meat

Profitis Ilias is another destination worth knowing if food is an important part of your trip.

O Vrachos specialises in Greek and Mediterranean cooking with a strong emphasis on meat. Goat is again one of the dishes repeatedly associated with the restaurant.

This makes Profitis Ilias particularly worthwhile for an evening meal after spending the day exploring elsewhere on the island.

The mountain-village setting also provides a completely different atmosphere from eating beside the harbour.

Try: grilled or roasted goat and local meat dishes.

3. Paradisos — Profitis Ilias

4.6•Greek restaurant•ClosedWebsite

•Directions

•2551 095267

Best for: goat with a view

You don’t have to leave Profitis Ilias after one meal.

Paradisos is another well-established traditional taverna here, and Samothraki’s local tourism guide highlights it specifically for local goat dishes and sunset views.

That combination makes it an appealing dinner choice.

Come towards the end of the day, order something traditional and enjoy the mountain setting as the light changes.

If you’re staying several nights, I’d actually try more than one taverna in Profitis Ilias rather than declaring a single restaurant the definitive winner.

4. Akrogiali Taverna — Lakkoma coast

4.7•Seafood restaurant•ClosedWebsite

•Directions

•697 339 6798

Best for: fish and seafood

After all that goat, you’ll probably want fish.

Akrogiali is one of the island’s better-known seafood restaurants and provides a useful contrast to the meat-heavy tavernas inland.

Current diners particularly mention fish, calamari, octopus and shrimp saganaki.

The coastal setting is part of the attraction.

This is the sort of restaurant I’d choose for a long lunch after swimming rather than driving into the mountains for a heavy meat meal.

Try: ask what fish is available rather than deciding from an online menu beforehand.

5. Delfinia Fish Taverna — Paleopoli

4.5•Restaurant•OpenDirections

•2551 041619

Best for: seafood near the archaeological site

Delfinia is particularly useful geographically.

It’s in Paleopoli, making it a natural meal stop when visiting the Sanctuary of the Great Gods and archaeological area.

It specialises in seafood and Mediterranean cooking.

That means you can spend the morning exploring ancient Samothraki and then stop for fish rather than driving halfway across the island looking for lunch.

For itinerary planning, that convenience matters.

6. To Stenaki — Chora

4.6•Greek restaurant•

•Directions

•2551 041101

Best for: casual dinner in Chora

Chora deserves at least one evening during your stay.

To Stenaki is a casual Greek restaurant in the historic capital and is currently one of the stronger-reviewed options in town.

It’s a good choice when you want something less formal after wandering through Chora’s narrow streets.

I’d combine dinner here with an evening exploring the village rather than driving into Chora solely to eat.

7. Tavern 1900 — Chora

4.3•Restaurant•

Best for: traditional taverna atmosphere

Another Chora option is Tavern 1900.

This is the sort of place that fits naturally into a night in the mountain capital: explore the lanes, stop for a drink and then settle into a traditional meal.

Chora is worth treating as a dining destination in its own right rather than simply somewhere to visit during the daytime.

If you’re staying elsewhere on Samothraki, I’d plan at least one dinner here.

8. Cafe tavern Xiropotamos — Xiropotamos

4.8•Restaurant•ClosedDirections

•2551 095231

Best for: combining food with exploring

Xiropotamos is another good example of why it’s worth having transport on Samothraki.

The local tourism guide describes the café-taverna as serving traditional meze and local cuisine near the Xiropotamos waterfalls.

That’s exactly how I’d use it.

Explore the area first, then stop for a relaxed meal rather than making the restaurant an isolated destination.

Samothraki works particularly well when you combine its food with its landscape.

9. Γριά Βάθρα — Therma

4.1•Restaurant•OpenDirections

•697 207 5480

Best for: eating after the vathres

Therma is another area where you’ll probably find yourself hungry after exploring.

It’s the gateway to Gria Vathra and several walking routes, so eating here makes sense after a morning around the waterfalls and natural pools.

The village has a relaxed traveller atmosphere quite different from Kamariotissa or Chora.

This is somewhere I’d choose according to what looks good on the day rather than planning every meal before arriving.

10. Phournélo — Kamariotissa

4.7•Pizza restaurant•ClosedWebsite

•Directions

•2551 041061

Best for: a break from Greek food

Eventually you may want something other than goat, fish and Greek taverna food.

Phournélo in Kamariotissa specialises in wood-fired pizza and Italian-style food and is highlighted by the local Samothraki tourism guide.

It’s also useful if you’re staying near the port or want an uncomplicated dinner after arriving by ferry.

I wouldn’t come to Samothraki specifically for pizza, obviously.

But on a week-long stay, variety becomes valuable.

11. Synantisi – GiannelosTavern

4.6•Restaurant•ClosedDirections

•697 374 7807

Best for: traditional Greek meal near Kamariotissa

Synantisi provides another useful option around the Kamariotissa side of the island.

It serves traditional Greek food and works well if you’re staying near the port and don’t want to drive to Chora, Profitis Ilias or the north coast for every dinner.

Kamariotissa has the island’s greatest concentration of practical services, so you’ll probably eat here at least once even if you stay elsewhere.

12. H Κρημνιώτισσα

4.8•Restaurant•OpenDirections

•697 160 2637

Best for: southern Samothraki

If you’re exploring the southern side of Samothraki, Krimniotissa gives you another opportunity to combine sightseeing and food rather than retracing your route to one of the larger settlements.

This is also the part of the island associated with Panagia Krimniotissa and the dramatic southern coastline.

Again, geography should influence where you eat on Samothraki.

It’s a surprisingly large and mountainous island.

What Food Should You Try in Samothraki?

Goat

If you eat only one distinctly Samothrakian speciality, make it goat.

You’ll encounter several preparations.

It may be roasted or grilled, cooked with potatoes or served in richer recipes incorporating ingredients such as plums.

Karydies and the tavernas around Profitis Ilias are particularly good places to start. Current restaurant listings continue to identify goat as one of their signature dishes.

Fresh fish

On the coast, switch from mountain food to seafood.

Rather than insisting on a particular species before you arrive, ask what’s fresh.

Fish tavernas such as Akrogiali and Delfinia are better choices for this than the inland restaurants specialising in goat.

Meze

Don’t overlook the simple option of ordering several small dishes.

Greek salads, aubergine dishes, beans, local cheeses and other meze are particularly enjoyable when you’re travelling with someone and can share.

Tsipouro

If you’re lingering over a meal in one of the villages, you may encounter tsipouro served alongside meze.

Just remember that it’s considerably stronger than it looks.

Where Is the Best Area to Eat in Samothraki?

There isn’t one.

That’s actually one of the things I like about Samothraki.

Profitis Ilias — goat and grilled meat.

Chora — evening atmosphere and traditional tavernas.

Kamariotissa — largest choice and convenient casual eating.

Therma — ideal after waterfalls and hiking.

Paleopoli — convenient after the archaeological site.

Coastal villages — fish and seafood.

Rather than repeatedly driving to the same town for dinner, I’d plan meals around whichever part of the island you’re exploring that day.

Is Samothraki Expensive for Eating Out?

Samothraki generally isn’t built around the luxury restaurant scene found on islands such as Mykonos and Santorini.

Traditional tavernas dominate.

That doesn’t mean every restaurant is cheap, particularly when ordering fresh fish by weight, but there are plenty of straightforward places serving Greek food without the premium attached to Greece’s most famous resort islands.

Always check the price of fish sold by weight before ordering.

Do You Need Restaurant Reservations?

For most of the year, I wouldn’t structure the whole holiday around restaurant reservations.

However, popular tavernas can become busy during peak summer.

Karydies is a good example: a recent June 2026 diner specifically recommended reserving during the busy season.

If there’s somewhere you particularly want to eat in July or August, booking ahead is sensible.

Otherwise, Samothraki lends itself well to deciding where to eat as you explore.

A Food Day in Samothraki

Start with coffee and breakfast in Kamariotissa.

Spend the morning exploring the Sanctuary of the Great Gods.

Have seafood around Paleopoli.

Return to your accommodation during the hottest part of the afternoon.

Then drive up to Profitis Ilias for sunset and a traditional goat dinner.

That’s a much more interesting introduction to Samothraki’s food than eating three meals beside the ferry port.

Final Thoughts

The best places to eat in Samothraki reflect the island itself.

The mountains give you traditional tavernas specialising in goat.

The coastline gives you fish and seafood.

Chora provides atmosphere.

Kamariotissa provides variety and convenience.

And villages such as Therma, Xiropotamos and Profitis Ilias reward travellers who explore beyond the port.

For your first visit, I’d make goat in the mountains, seafood beside the coast and dinner in Chora the three essential food experiences.