Lunch at Heraklion’s A Little Wine, A Little Sea on my first day here on the Greek island of Crete. It’s a cute restaurant facing the city’s Venetian harbor and fortress, serving up seafood and some Greek staples. After a fried fish platter for one that could easily have fed three, piled high with fried anchovies, shrimp, squid, and more, and a half liter of local wine for a measly €6, I ask for the bill. I couldn’t eat another bite, full to the brim of terrific food and drink, ready to somehow walk/roll my way back to my Airbnb.
But they don’t bring me the bill. Instead, I’m brought a plate of watermelon, another of Cretan donuts with ice cream, and a carafe that easily holds 200 ml or more of raki, a speciality here on the island, somewhere between vodka and gasoline. “On the house,” they say. I stare at the food, at the drink, trying to summon the courage to continue. Well, I do, and I’m glad I do, since it is wonderful, although the strong drink turns my afternoon buzz into a full drunk in need of a nap.
This experience seems so far out of the ordinary for most of us. But here in Heraklion – and from what I’ve been told, all over this island – it is the norm. Hospitality here begins the moment one even considers entering a shop or restaurant, and continues through that final bite, sip, or step.
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, big enough to have a cuisine with some of its own unique regional specialties. And as Heraklion is Crete’s capital and largest city, it is a great place to experience some of those. But it’s more than just fish and raki, as tempting as it might be to just gorge on those for your entire stay.
Life here begins with coffee, as it does all over the world. But at Phyllosophies, a cafe on the city’s Lion Square (home of the Venetian-era Morosini Fountain), your morning pick-me-up will come with something unique. This place specializes in bougatsa, a pastry made of phyllo (hence the pun name of the cafe) and semolina, topped with cream, cinnamon and sugar, or any other variety. And, of course, a warm welcome, a few minutes to converse, and plenty of smiles.
The number of quality coffee shops here in Heraklion’s center is extraordinary, and my ten days pass without repeating one. Samaria Delizioso offers cinnamon rolls made with tahini, though they – as so many in Crete do – also bring me a small assortment of other mini pastries to go with my coffee. On the house. Of course.
Heraklion has two main restaurant clusters. First is the area around Lion Square and the surrounding system of pedestrian streets here in the historic (Venetian) center. The second is along the waterfront. The waterfront is better for fish, plus eating seafood within sight of the Aegean is a treat. Even better when it’s sunset at Ippokampos with their signature seafood moussaka. And yes, you’ll get fruit, desserts, and raki afterward.
For a true immersion into Cretan cuisine, make a reservation at Peskesi. The menu here is insane, with more things I want to eat than I’ve experienced anywhere in the city. The restaurant sources everything from within 100 kilometers, with most produce coming from their own farm just outside Heraklion. And the food, wow. From the greens Crete is known for (seriously, imagine collard greens but so so so much better) to olive oil progressive pairings, local wines and cocktails, to Minoan dishes with modern spins, this is the place to go.
The greens, local mushrooms, and some perfect shrimp over orzo join a sweet wine spritzer in my stomach before my main course comes, a Minoan-era dish of pork belly glazed with honey and thyme. Life is good, and I’m too full to order dessert, so I just ask for the bill.
Right, that triggers the hospitality of this place, and I’m served rose flavored raki and a dessert of lightly sweetened semolina. You’d think that after more than a week, I’d remember these things were coming, but it seems to always surprise me. And yes, it always makes me smile.
Heraklion is a really cool city, and you’ll enjoy wandering, learning the history, seeing the sights. But when you walk into a restaurant, or even just a shop, and you’re greeted as family – and fed accordingly – you’ll realize that this place is more than just a cool city. It is a hospitality mecca, a place where a welcome is not only words but deeds, and where Greek island life reaches its pinnacle.
Like it? Pin it!
