Rethymno Food Guide: Where to Eat in the Old Town and on the Coast

Rethymno rewards eating slowly. The old town is compact enough that you can walk between everything worth trying, and the coast is a few minutes away when you want a table with the sea in front of it. These five places are not a novelty list - they are the established ones, chosen for consistency rather than for being new.

The five, side by side

Restaurant	Cooking	Setting	Best for
Prima Plora	Modern Mediterranean, organic focus, strong wine list	On the seafront	A special dinner with a view
Avli	Cretan and Greek, traditional recipes with a gourmet hand	Venetian courtyard in the old town	Romantic dinners and a serious look at local gastronomy
Hasika	Classic Greek, cooked simply and well	Lively, informal, local	Honest food without formality
Alana	Contemporary Cretan, local products, modern technique	Stylish but comfortable	Creative cooking that still tastes of Crete
Taverna Galera	Traditional Cretan taverna cooking	Warm, unpretentious	A long, generous, no-frills meal

Prima Plora - elevated dining by the sea

Prima Plora is widely regarded as the best dining experience in Rethymno. It sits right on the seafront, and it pairs the view with modern Mediterranean cooking built on high-quality ingredients. The menu is creative without being pretentious, which is the harder thing to pull off, and the wine list is genuinely good. It is the meal people tend to remember at the end of a trip.

Why it is worth the booking: seafront location, creative Mediterranean cooking, high-end without being stiff.

Avli - Cretan cuisine in a Venetian courtyard

Tucked into the heart of the old town, Avli is set in a traditional courtyard and feels both intimate and refined. The kitchen works with Cretan and Greek recipes, treating tradition seriously and paying close attention to detail. It suits anyone who wants to understand the depth of local gastronomy rather than just sample it, and it is one of the few restaurants in the city that is a destination in its own right.

Why it is worth the booking: traditional recipes with a gourmet touch, a historic setting, and a reputation earned over years.

Hasika - the local favourite

Hasika has the reputation locals give a place they actually use. The menu is classic Greek, cooked simply and cooked well, in generous portions and with reliable quality. The room is lively, friendly and informal - close to what most travellers picture when they imagine a Greek restaurant. Come here for authentic flavours without any ceremony.

Why it is worth the booking: traditional Greek cooking, consistent quality, a warm local atmosphere.

Alana - modern Cretan with character

Alana takes a contemporary approach to Cretan cooking without drifting away from its roots. Local products meet modern technique, and the dishes come out fresh, considered and well balanced. The setting is stylish but comfortable, which makes it a good middle option between a taverna and a formal dinner.

Why it is worth the booking: creative modern Cretan dishes, high-quality local ingredients, a fresh reading of familiar flavours.

Taverna Galera - traditional hospitality

For the traditional end of the range, Taverna Galera does what a Cretan taverna is supposed to do. The food is hearty and rooted in recipes that have not needed changing, and meals are eaten slowly. If you want no-frills Cretan cooking and the hospitality that goes with it, this is the stop.

Why it is worth the booking: a genuine Cretan taverna, generous portions, warm service.

Practical notes

• Greeks eat late. Tavernas fill from around 21:00 in summer; 19:30 is early enough to walk in almost anywhere.
• Book Prima Plora and Avli ahead between June and September. The other three are usually fine on the day.
• Raki arrives at the end of the meal, unasked and unbilled. It is a gesture rather than a course.
• All five are in or beside the old town, so you can walk to them; parking inside the old town is difficult and largely restricted.

Rethymno's dining scene reflects the island as a whole: rich in flavour, tied to history, and generous by default. These five are the culinary landmarks - the places that show you the city's identity through what it puts on a plate.