Best Places to Eat in Syros: Restaurants & Local Food
Syros offers several different dining experiences within a relatively small island. Ermoupoli has restaurants tucked into its neoclassical streets, Ano Syros combines traditional tavernas with hillside views, and the coastal villages provide opportunities to eat beside the sea.
The island also has a distinctive food identity. San Michali cheese, cured pork, fennel-flavoured sausages and traditional sweets give visitors something more specific to discover than a standard Greek holiday menu.
The best approach is to mix locations and styles: a contemporary dinner in Ermoupoli, a traditional meal in Ano Syros and a seafood lunch or evening meal on the coast. A trip into the northern countryside adds another perspective on the island.
Where to Eat in Syros at a Glance
| Restaurant | Area | Why consider it? |
|---|---|---|
| Mazi | Ermoupoli | Creative cooking in a garden setting |
| Allou Yialou | Kini | Seafood-focused dining beside the beach |
| Iliovasilema | Galissas | Contemporary Greek cooking near the sea |
| Lilis | Ano Syros | Traditional food and views over Ermoupoli |
| Plakostroto | San Michalis, Apano Meria | A countryside taverna with Aegean views |
These restaurants offer different experiences rather than forming a strict ranking. Menus, opening periods and availability can change, particularly outside the main summer season.
1. Mazi, Ermoupoli
Mazi is a choice for visitors looking for a more contemporary restaurant in the island’s capital. It occupies a garden on Leotsakou, close to Miaouli Square, with old stone arches and climbing plants creating a setting away from the waterfront.
Its cooking combines Greek influences with international techniques. This makes it an alternative to a traditional taverna rather than another place to order the same familiar dishes.
The restaurant also places emphasis on wine and cocktails. It is worth considering for a dinner where the setting and drinks are part of the occasion, whether that means an evening for two or a final meal before leaving the island.
Instead of planning around a particular dish seen online, check the current menu. Creative restaurants can change preparations and ingredients, and an older photograph may not reflect what is available during a visit.
Best for: A contemporary dinner in Ermoupoli, a garden setting and an evening centred on food and drinks.
2. Allou Yialou, Kini
Allou Yialou sits beside Kini beach on the western side of Syros. Its coastal setting makes it a natural option for combining a meal with time in the village or an afternoon swim.
Fish and seafood are central to the restaurant’s identity, although its cooking also includes vegetables, local cheeses, cold cuts and meat. This gives mixed groups more flexibility than a restaurant focused exclusively on fish.
Kini is a useful alternative to dining in Ermoupoli every evening. The beach and waterfront provide a different atmosphere from the capital’s streets, and an evening visit can be planned around sunset.
When ordering fish, establish how it is priced before confirming the order. A whole fish priced by weight can produce a very different bill from an individual seafood dish.
For a summer evening, reserve ahead and ask about the available seating. Being beside the beach does not guarantee that every table has the same outlook.
Best for: Seafood, a beachside meal and an evening in Kini.
3. Iliovasilema, Galissas
Iliovasilema, whose name means “sunset,” is located by the beach at Galissas. It offers another option for visitors who want to explore the island’s coastal dining without returning to Ermoupoli for every meal.
Its identity is rooted in Greek cooking, with a more contemporary approach than a straightforward grill taverna. Visitors interested in the island’s restaurant scene can include it alongside a simpler traditional meal elsewhere.
Galissas also works well as part of a relaxed day out. Time on the beach can be followed by lunch, or visitors can arrive later specifically for dinner.
Choose from the current menu rather than assuming that a dish mentioned in an older guide will still be served. Ask which preparations highlight local ingredients and what is particularly good that day.
Visitors travelling from another part of Syros should confirm opening hours before setting off. This is especially useful outside summer, when published business listings may not reflect the exact weekly schedule.
Best for: Contemporary Greek cooking and a meal combined with a visit to Galissas beach.
4. Lilis, Ano Syros
Lilis is a long-established taverna in Ano Syros, the hillside settlement above Ermoupoli. It offers a traditional counterpoint to the more contemporary restaurants in the capital.
The setting is part of its appeal. Ano Syros has narrow lanes, steps and viewpoints, and a meal here can follow a walk through the settlement rather than requiring a separate excursion.
The taverna has connections with the cultural atmosphere associated with Markos Vamvakaris and rebetiko. However, visitors should check any music arrangements directly rather than assuming that a live performance accompanies every meal.
Look to the current selection of traditional dishes and meze when ordering. A few shared plates can provide a broader introduction than choosing one main course each.
Access deserves some thought. The old settlement is best explored on foot, and the approach may involve steps or uneven paving. Anyone with limited mobility should establish the most suitable route before visiting.
Best for: Traditional taverna dining, an evening in Ano Syros and views towards Ermoupoli.
5. Plakostroto, San Michalis
Plakostroto is in San Michalis in Apano Meria, the northern countryside of Syros. It should not be confused with restaurants in Ano Syros: these are different locations.
The family taverna offers Greek cooking and views across the Aegean. Its location makes it worth considering during a drive through the island’s quieter northern landscape.
This is a different experience from eating beside the port or on a resort waterfront. The journey gives visitors a chance to see a less urban side of Syros, with the meal forming part of the outing.
Ask about the day’s cooked dishes and preparations using local ingredients. A flexible order based on what is available is more useful than arriving with expectations built around an old online menu.
Confirm opening hours before making a special trip, and arrange transport back in advance. Visitors planning to drink with their meal should avoid depending on driving themselves afterwards.
Best for: A countryside meal, traditional Greek cooking and exploring Apano Meria.
Local Food to Try in Syros
San Michali Cheese
San Michali is a hard cow’s milk cheese with Protected Designation of Origin status. Its savoury, nutty character makes it one of the island’s most distinctive products.
Try it as part of a cheese selection or ask whether it features in a dish. Not every cheese served on Syros is San Michali, so it is worth asking specifically.
Louza
Louza is seasoned, air-dried pork served in thin slices. It can appear among cold starters or on a platter with cheese.
It is a good option for visitors who want to try a local product without ordering a substantial meat dish.
Fennel-Flavoured Sausages and Marathopita
Fennel appears in several parts of the island’s cooking, including local sausages and marathopita, a fennel pie.
These are worth looking for on traditional menus, although availability varies. Ask what has been prepared that day rather than expecting every taverna to serve them.
Capers
Capers are another ingredient associated with Syros, particularly its northern landscape. They can appear in salads, appetisers and other preparations.
A caper-based dish offers a useful change from the familiar Greek salad, especially when sharing several starters.
Loukoumi
Syros is particularly well known for loukoumi: small sweets made with sugar and starch, often flavoured with ingredients such as rose, mastic or bergamot.
Confectionery shops are good places to buy a small selection to taste or a box to take home.
Halvadopita
Halvadopita is another characteristic island sweet, with a nougat-style filling between thin wafers. It is different from the sesame-based halva found elsewhere in Greece.
Both halvadopita and loukoumi make convenient gifts, although anyone with allergies should check ingredients carefully.
Which Area Is Best for Eating in Syros?
Ermoupoli is the most convenient starting point for visitors staying in the capital. It allows dinner to be combined with a walk around Miaouli Square and the surrounding streets without arranging transport.
Ano Syros suits visitors who want a traditional meal as part of exploring the hillside settlement. Allow time for the walk and check the route if steps are a concern.
Kini and Galissas are useful for combining food with a beach visit. They also provide a change of setting for visitors based in Ermoupoli.
Apano Meria is best treated as a planned excursion. Confirm the restaurant’s opening arrangements and organise transport before travelling north.
Practical Tips for Eating in Syros
Reserve ahead for restaurants that are an important part of the trip, particularly during busy summer evenings. If the view matters, discuss the seating when booking.
Check seafood prices carefully. Whole fish may be charged by weight, while other dishes are priced per portion.
For a vegetarian meal, ask about vegetable starters, pies, salads and cooked dishes. Confirm whether stocks, fillings or sauces contain meat rather than relying only on the dish’s name.
Outside the main holiday period, verify opening days directly. Ermoupoli’s role as a working town gives it a different rhythm from the beach villages, but individual businesses still set their own schedules.
For help deciding when to travel, see the guide to the best time to visit the Greek Islands.
A varied food itinerary does not require a restaurant booking for every meal. Combine a few planned dinners with bakery visits, local sweets and simpler lunches to experience more of Syros’ food culture.
