Operation “Dinner out” - Dining out in Skiathos
Kanapitsa
Above is the boat outside the magic Kanapitsa Taverna, with its incredible setting right on the beachfront. If you want to impress someone with a romantic evening out, then this is the place for you. It’s got a menu and high-quality cuisine to match!
You can’t get much closer to the sea than this. Fine cuisine at a table right next to the jetty for the boat taxis. Watch the sun go down as you enjoy a chilled levko wine. A plate of taramosalata makes for a gentle starter before the main special.
How about pork mignon? Yep, in a Greek taverna!
Well that seemed ok. [Tip: ignore online reviews of anywhere]
Anderssons Cocktail Bar, Skiathos Town
Why not take a break from the early evening shopping and have a pre-meal slurp in the delightfully positioned Anderssons? It’s just off the main street which runs up from the harbour through town. Daiqiris are awesome, I’m assured, and I can recommend that beast with a hint of chilli. [Tip: Watch out for the €15 cocktail bars!]
It may look look something from a sci-fi set and time will drift away in this place. Bougainvillea cascades down from the houses opposite the bar. Picture perfect settings.
Taverna Anastasia (Hotel Paradise)
Just up the road from our base at Skiathos Club is the quaint family-run hotel, the Paradeisos. It’s been going for decades and is a secret with its returning guests. Its open-air restaurant, named after the waiters’ mum, is called Anastasia. There is a surprisingly large menu and, if something is unavailable, Costas will recommend something similar which will be freshly-prepared that evening. It’s a fabulous hideaway up in the hills overlooking Vassilias and Achladies.
You’re guaranteed an ouzo on the house, so take it easy on the daytime alcohol. We ate there several times. I can recommend any of the following home-made specials: sousoukakia (meat balls or meat oblongs in spicy tomato sauce), their special moschari (like a beef stew), lovely chicken meals and yiouvetsi. Their desserts are also fresh and change almost daily. It’s incredibly reasonable too, though there are no card machines, as they take only cash. The facilities are spotless and the toilets immaculate. There’s a good selection of wines on offer as well. Another spectacular sunset (Photo 5) as the Skiathan skies do their hourly shift. No wonder the island is considered to be named after shadows.
Skiathos Club Bar
You’ll get a warm welcome from the staff at the Skiathos Club, where there’s plenty of variety of drinks. What’s not as well-known is their home-made cuisine. In the evening there’s a limited but tasty selection of hot meals available, which is ideal if you’ve had a long day out and don’t want to venture out into town. They have freshly-prepared oven dishes, like moussaka or soutsoukakia, supplied with bread. Their pizzas are awesome and very welcome if you have just stepped off the plane (which is only 10 minutes away!). And……the food is very reasonably priced.
Meet Nikos (Photo 3), barman, raconteur & Greek language coach. If you need or want something, ask. He makes a pretty good cocktail, too. You’ll learn some interesting vocabulary if the draft beer goes off!
Taverna Maniatis, Achladies Beach
Skiathos Club provides a free shuttle down to the two bays below the hotel, one to Vassilias, near the Cassandra Bay Hotel, and the other near the Esperides Hotel in Achladies. You will be dropped right outside Dimitri’s Supermarket next to the fabulous cake and pie shop. They will pick you up at any time too.
If you walk down the lane from the supermarket to the beach you will arrive at the rear entrance of the Taverna Maniatis, which is smack-bang on the beach. There are plenty of tables and sunbeds are available on the beach. It gets busy at lunchtime which is the focus of their business. It’s open in the evening but the menu is the same, though the atmosphere is very pleasant then. They do nice chickpea balls and salads. The seabass is good and their Skiathan pies are large portions (be warned!).
The taverna is very popular with the local birds who nest in the roof beams. It’s a relaxing place. Why not watch the sun go down as the boat taxis come and go?
Taverna Agnadio (overlooking the airport runway)
We returned from a trip one day to find the manager of our hotel in a slight state of agitation. He had reserved the very popular and extremely busy Agnadio for another couple staying at the club. They had hired a “piggy” (the dreadful sand-chariots which have become ubiquitous in Greece) and had cancelled their reservation. Would we step in to help him out? What do you think? The Agnadio is hardly on the doorstep for tourists staying at the club. So a quick change and off we went. You can see the spectacular view from the taverna, which, as has become the norm in Greece these days, is more like an up-market restaurant with exceptional cooking from top chefs. You are well looked after by your hosts, Costas & Giannis.
As the sun descended once more, we tucked into a plate of my favourite gigantes (giant beans in tomato sauce) washed down by a bottle of white Ktema Ergo. Wine not? [Ktema just means Estate, but it’s a kind of guarantee of quality] As you dine, you can watch the planes coming in to land and take off. It’s a stunning vista.
Then there’s the main course. We went for the specials, blue bream and a lamb dish. The two brothers in charge can’t do enough for you to make you feel comfortable, without going over the top. There are many guests popping in who are obviously returners, a good sign. Anestes has offered to collect us and, as I ask Costas to phone him to let us us know we are ready to leave, Anestes is simultaneously and synchronously on the phone to ask if we’re ok. A nice coincidence which is not lost on Costas! What a great place! Can highly-recommend.
That “blue” bream was sensational. Love a bit of Greek fish, especially when they don’t come from the fish farms.
Tzimi’s Beach Bar, Vassilias
Explored the beach at Vassilias one morning - wanted to chat to Stefanos about a boat trip - and found this tiny snack bar tucked away under some skrim at the top of the beach. There was a young lad serving there. So we sat in the shade and ordered some omelettes for lunch, while watching the world go by.
Taverna Lychnari
Tucked away behind a couple of side streets not far from the barrier is one of the best, if not the best, eateries in town. Run by Anna & Dimitris, it has incredible dishes, freshly-prepared, great specials and a seriously mad portion of lamb or pork roast platter to share. It’s on the menu for two people, but it would easily be enough for two couples! Service is friendly, not overbearing and the atmosphere is quite laid-back. Many guests are returners. Locals pop in, too, especially for takeaways late on. The fact that locals choose to celebrate there for a night out is a good sign. You’ll probably get a jar of oregano when you leave.
Lychnari means “Aladdin’s lamp” as seen in the photo above. Their potatoes are scrumptious, so I asked for their recipe. Dimitris gladly returned when he got a moment of peace and jotted it down. Apparently the secret is lots of water during the roasting process in the oven. The locals put oregano on their food towards the end of the cooking to avoid bitterness. You learn something every time you go out in Greece. We went back there. It was so good. Usually, we try somewhere different every evening, but this place was excellent. It had been recommended by the manager of our hotel and it lived up to its billing. Its location puts it well out of the reach of the passing trade down the other end of town. As my mate from Newcastle would have said, “It’s a belter!” Can recommend the lamb chops (pictured) and exo-pork. Any chicken dishes with creams are also awesome. Groups of 6-8 people go with mixed plates of starters and a large shared platter of something like shrimps and seafood with salads. Whatever you wish, they will accommodate. Wash it down with water, wine and ouzo. Delightful.
Taverna O Batis
The photos give the game away. It’s right on the waterfront commanding views over the old harbour. Splendid. You will need to book or, as a couple found out when we arrived, you could be removed from your table and forced to wait or be seated near the footpath outside, admittedly a tad brusque from the staff. You take a risk if you try to drop in by chance. The food is great. Service is typically haphazard Greek, with cockups and fun. It’s not the Ritz. The neighbouring tavernas don’t look so hot, though the grill on the corner is an established winner, if you want a hearty local souvla-charred feast.
We had arrived in town in the early evening and the sun was still blisteringly hot. By the time we were ensconced in our starters the storm clouds were gathering. Sure enough, when the mains arrived it was raining, followed by the inevitable clap of thunder. Perched at the front of the little taverna, overlooking the boats below, we now had our own light show. Fortunately, it didn’t last too long. [Tip: Ignore the reviews!]
