Food, tavernas & eating out in Greece

Eating-out in your various ports of call adds a local flavour to your sailing holiday.

Most harbours have small family-run tavernas dotted around them serving local fresh food allowing you to eat by the waterside. What more perfect way to end a great day’s sailing!

Food, tavernas & eating out in Greece

Eating on a sailing holiday is an important part of the experience. Aboard the sailing yacht ‘cooking’ is usually restricted to breakfast and lunch with dinners often eaten in one of the many waterside tavernas that are likely to surround whichever harbour you are staying in.

Eating aboard your charter yacht

What you choose to eat on-board is of course up to personal preference, but you really shouldn’t miss Greek yoghurt with honey and the wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables. Every destination should have a good baker with fresh bread and cheese or spinach pies. But if you really long for home, most cafes serve continental or full breakfasts if you want.

Lunch aboard is usually a simple matter as you are either sailing or at anchor in a bay; therefore salads, especially the ‘horiatiki’ Greek salad, cold cuts of meat, cheeses and fruit are the best option.

Evening meals

Prepared salads await the evening’s customer orders

The evening meal is one of the day’s highlights in Greece and should be taken slowly. Avoid dishes cooked in the oven as they have probably been ‘resting’ during the siesta and instead stick to the various starters like fava (split pea puree), tzatziki (yoghurt and garlic dip), fried kalamari and salads to mention but a few. Then follow up with freshly grilled meat.

In authentic tavernas, coffee and desserts are not usually served, so go to a seafront café or patisserie and enjoy a Greek coffee, baklava and maybe a Metaxa brandy. In general, drink on the front then eat up the hill for less tourism and more ethnicity. It’s all wonderful!

Shopping

When shopping in Greece, note that it is better to buy fresh produce as convenience food in supermarkets is restricted and more costly. Local wine in 1½ litre bottles is good and cheap and Greek lager-type beers are very palatable. Meat at the butchers is invariably of good quality, but fresh wild fish is scarce and consequently expensive.

Tavernas often surround the harbours and you can eat out overlooking your and other sailing yachts as here in Leonidhion Plaka on the Peloponnese east coast

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