The best Mykonos restaurants range from acclaimed fine dining in Chora, such as Krama and M-Eating, to fresh seafood, glamorous beach clubs, traditional tavernas and excellent cheap gyros. This guide covers where to eat in Mykonos Town, fine dining, traditional Greek, seafood, beach restaurants, budget eats, the villages and tips for dining.
Eating out is one of the great pleasures of the Mykonos travel guide, with a scene to match the island’s glamour. The sections below cover where to eat in full.
Where are the best restaurants in Mykonos?
The best restaurants in Mykonos cluster in Mykonos Town (Chora), from celebrated fine-dining spots like M-Eating and Krama to traditional tavernas and gyros joints, with glamorous beach clubs such as Nammos and Scorpios on the coast. The island offers world-class Greek and international dining at every level, from cheap to luxurious.
Mykonos has one of the most varied and glamorous dining scenes in Greece, and most of the best restaurants are concentrated in the lanes of Chora, the island’s culinary heart. Here you find everything from acclaimed fine-dining restaurants and stylish modern Greek tables to traditional family tavernas, fresh seafood and the best cheap gyros, all within a short walk. Out on the coast, the famous beach clubs such as Nammos at Psarou and Scorpios at Paraga turn lunch into a glamorous event, while beach areas like Ornos and Platis Gialos have excellent seaside restaurants. Inland, the village of Ano Mera offers authentic tavernas around its square. Whatever your budget or mood, from a three-euro gyros to a Michelin-level tasting menu, Mykonos delivers, set within the wider Mykonos Town. Fine dining is a highlight.
Where do you eat fine dining in Mykonos Town?
For fine dining in Mykonos Town, head to acclaimed restaurants like M-Eating, Krama with its Michelin-awarded chef and tasting menu, and Interni, all serving creative modern Greek cuisine in beautiful settings. They blend island produce with refined technique, and reservations are essential, especially in peak season.
Mykonos Town has become a serious fine-dining destination, with restaurants that rival the best in Greece. M-Eating is widely rated among the finest, tucked into a restored townhouse with exposed beams and a serene courtyard, serving a menu rooted in island cuisine, from octopus with fava purée to slow-cooked meats. Krama, inside the Semeli Hotel, offers sophisticated Greek fine dining under a Michelin-awarded chef, with standout dishes like 12-hour lamb and a well-priced multi-course tasting menu. Interni blends modern technique with traditional Greek produce in an elegant open-air setting, and a number of other chic restaurants in the lanes focus on inventive seafood, sushi and Mediterranean fusion in romantic, candlelit surroundings. These are special-occasion places with prices to match, so booking ahead is essential, particularly in July and August, set out alongside the guide to a Mykonos honeymoon. Traditional Greek food is everywhere too.
Where do you eat traditional Greek food?
For traditional Greek food, seek out the family-run tavernas in the back lanes of Chora and in the inland village of Ano Mera, serving classics like moussaka, grilled meats, fresh salads and local Mykonian specialities such as kopanisti cheese and louza. These authentic spots offer hearty, well-priced cooking away from the glamour.
Beneath the glamour, Mykonos keeps a strong tradition of honest, home-style Greek cooking, and the best of it is found in the family-run tavernas tucked into the quieter back lanes of Chora and, above all, in the inland village of Ano Mera, where the tavernas around the square serve locals and visitors alike. Here you can enjoy Greek classics like moussaka, slow-cooked stews, grilled lamb and chicken, stuffed vegetables and fresh village salads, alongside the island’s own specialities: the pungent, spreadable kopanisti cheese, the cured pork louza, local sausages and the simple mostra rusk topped with tomato and cheese. These tavernas are more relaxed and far better value than the fashionable restaurants, and they offer a genuine taste of Mykonian and Cycladic cuisine, set out alongside the guide to Mykonos food. Seafood deserves its own meal.
Where do you eat seafood in Mykonos?
For seafood, choose the fish tavernas and seaside restaurants in the harbour areas, at Ornos, Platis Gialos and the old port, where you can eat the day’s catch by the water. Grilled fish, octopus, calamari, lobster pasta and sea urchin are highlights, fresh but priced according to weight and the glamorous setting.
As a Cycladic island with a proud seafaring past, Mykonos serves superb fresh seafood, best enjoyed by the water. The seaside tavernas and restaurants at Ornos beach, Platis Gialos and along the old port and Gialos waterfront in Chora specialise in the day’s catch, from whole grilled fish and charcoaled octopus to fried calamari, prawns, sea urchin and the island’s beloved lobster spaghetti, often paired with a chilled local white wine and a sunset view. Fresh fish is usually priced by the kilo, so it can be expensive, especially at the smarter spots, and it is worth confirming the price before ordering. For a more affordable seafood fix, the simpler harbour tavernas and ouzeris serve excellent mezes of small fish, octopus and seafood at gentler prices, set out alongside the guides to Ornos beach and the beaches. The beach clubs are a dining scene of their own.
Where do you eat at the beach clubs?
The beach clubs are a glamorous dining scene in their own right, led by Nammos at Psarou, Scorpios at Paraga and the restaurants of Ornos and Platis Gialos. They serve Mediterranean cuisine, fresh seafood and sushi on the sand, with DJ sets and a party atmosphere, at premium prices and with reservations essential.
In Mykonos, lunch at a beach club is as much an event as dinner in town. The most famous is Nammos at Psarou, a world-renowned beach club whose restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine and fresh Aegean seafood, from lobster and oysters to sushi and premium meats, to a glamorous, celebrity crowd, with the meal building into an afternoon party. Scorpios at Paraga offers a more bohemian-chic take, blending Mediterranean food, sunset rituals and music, while the beachfront restaurants at Ornos and Platis Gialos range from luxury dining to relaxed Greek tavernas right on the sand. These venues combine excellent food with a beautiful setting and a party atmosphere, but they are expensive and hugely popular, so booking a table well ahead in peak season is essential, set out alongside the guides to Psarou Beach and nightlife. You can eat well on a budget too.
Where do you eat on a budget?
You eat cheaply in Mykonos at the gyros and souvlaki joints in Chora, where a generous gyros costs around 3 to 5 euros, and at simple tavernas, bakeries and ouzeris away from the glamorous spots. Self-catering from supermarkets also helps, making it possible to eat well even on the famously pricey island.
Mykonos is expensive, but you do not have to spend a fortune to eat well. The best budget option is the island’s excellent gyros and souvlaki, with counter joints in the lanes of Chora serving a generous, delicious wrap for around three to five euros, a filling, tasty meal for a fraction of a restaurant bill. Simple family tavernas, bakeries selling fresh pastries and pies, and traditional ouzeris serving small mezze plates offer good-value, authentic eating away from the fashionable restaurants, especially in the back lanes and in Ano Mera. Those staying in apartments or villas can also self-cater, buying fresh produce, cheese and local products from the supermarkets and bakeries to keep costs down. Mixing one or two splurge meals with cheaper local eating is the smart way to enjoy the food scene without breaking the bank, set out alongside the guide to Mykonos on a budget. The villages offer authentic dining.
Where do you eat in Ano Mera and the villages?
Ano Mera, the island’s inland village, has traditional tavernas around its central square serving authentic, well-priced Greek and Mykonian food away from the crowds, near the Panagia Tourliani monastery. It is the best place to eat like a local, with grilled meats, local cheeses and home cooking in a relaxed village setting.
For a more authentic, relaxed and affordable meal, head inland to Ano Mera, Mykonos’s only significant village and a world away from the glamour of Chora. The village square, framed by the historic Panagia Tourliani monastery, is lined with traditional tavernas where locals and in-the-know visitors gather for honest Greek cooking, grilled meats and souvlaki, slow-cooked dishes, fresh salads and the island’s own cheeses and cured meats, served in a calm, shaded setting at much gentler prices than the resort areas. Eating here, especially in the evening when the square comes alive, gives a genuine taste of Mykonian village life and a welcome break from the crowds and the bills of the coast and the town. It pairs perfectly with a visit to the monastery, set out alongside the guide to Ano Mera. A few tips help.
What tips help for dining in Mykonos?
The tips are to book the popular and fine-dining restaurants and beach clubs well ahead in peak season, to eat the same views at lunch for less, to mix splurge meals with cheap gyros and tavernas to manage costs, and to confirm fish prices, which are charged by weight. Dinner is eaten late, from 9pm.
A little planning makes the most of the Mykonos food scene. Because the best restaurants and beach clubs are hugely popular, reserve a table well in advance for July and August, ideally before you arrive, as the top spots and prime sunset slots sell out. To enjoy the glamorous beach clubs and view restaurants for less, go for lunch rather than dinner, when prices and demand are lower. Manage your budget by balancing one or two special meals with cheaper, authentic eating at gyros joints, tavernas and in Ano Mera. When ordering fresh fish, remember it is usually priced by the kilo, so check the cost first to avoid a surprise. Greeks eat late, with dinner from around 9pm, so book accordingly and embrace the long, lively Mykonos evening, set out alongside the guides to when to visit and a Mykonos itinerary. One more point is worth knowing.
What is the gyros and street food scene like?
The gyros and street food scene in Mykonos is excellent and affordable, with souvlaki and gyros joints in the lanes of Chora serving generous wraps of grilled meat, salad, tzatziki and chips for around 3 to 5 euros. It is the best-value, most delicious quick meal on the island, popular with locals and visitors alike.
Amid the glamorous fine dining and pricey beach clubs, Mykonos has a thriving, down-to-earth street food scene that is a saviour for hungry visitors and budget travellers. The island’s gyros and souvlaki counters, tucked into the lanes of Chora, serve some of the best-value food anywhere on Mykonos: a generous gyros wrap of grilled pork or chicken, tomato, onion, tzatziki and chips, wrapped in warm pita, costs only around three to five euros and makes a delicious, filling meal in itself. These spots are quick, casual and loved by locals and tourists alike, perfect for a lunch on the go between the beach and the sights or a late-night bite after the bars. Bakeries selling fresh cheese pies, spinach pies and pastries add to the cheap, tasty options, and they make a refreshing, authentic contrast to the high-end dining the island is famous for, set out alongside the guide to Mykonos on a budget. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the best restaurants in Mykonos?
The best restaurants cluster in Mykonos Town (Chora), from celebrated fine dining like M-Eating and Krama to traditional tavernas and cheap gyros, with glamorous beach clubs such as Nammos and Scorpios on the coast. The island offers world-class Greek and international dining at every level.
What food is Mykonos known for?
Mykonos is known for its local specialities, including the pungent, spreadable kopanisti cheese, the cured pork louza, local sausages and the mostra rusk, alongside fresh seafood, Greek classics like moussaka and grilled meats, and excellent cheap gyros. Fine dining and beach-club cuisine are also highlights.
Is eating out in Mykonos expensive?
Eating out in Mykonos can be expensive, especially at the fine-dining restaurants and beach clubs, where prices are high and fresh fish is charged by weight. But you can eat well on a budget at the gyros joints, simple tavernas and in Ano Mera, so mixing splurges with cheaper meals keeps costs manageable.