How To Eat Well in Sifnos

Sifnos has been rising in popularity in recent years due to it’s vibrant food scene and is often referred to as the ‘foodie island’. It also has a good number of nice beaches with calm water and idyllic villages to explore. Adding to it’s beauty, there are also 235 blue domed churches dotted across the island. As a Greek island it’s definitely up there for me but doesn’t top Folegandros or Milos.

📝 The best way to explore the Greek islands is by ferry. In summer ferry tickets can sell out quick so I recommend buying them ahead of time. The best website to book your tickets is on ferryhopper.com. I also find it useful to check ferry routes here.

📝 Book your accommodation well ahead of time. There are a limited amount of good hotels on the island within a reasonable price range. In the past I have wanted to come here but there wasn’t one good place to stay on the island.

📝 Rent a car to get around as there does not appear to be many taxis on the island and the busses always looked crammed. Also book this far in advance.

📝 Agios Symeon is one of the best spots on the island for sunset.

🍺 Drinking: Kavos Sunrise, Δόλωμα – Doloma Bar, Botzi 93, Notos All Day, Lost Cocktail Bar.

1. Cantina

📍Seralia. Located in the small picturesque bay of Seralia just below the village of Kastro, this setting is pretty hard to beat. Cantina all about zero waste and sustainability here. The menu changes regularly but all the dishes were incredible. You’re looking at around €50-€60pp with a drink and service.

2. Tsikalis

📍Vathi Bay. Dine right on the beach for lunch or dinner at this beautified traditional taverna. We went with island favourites such as the chickpea stew, fried cheese balls and caper salad. Leave your belongings on your table go for a quick dip after your meal.

3. Kelari

📍Exambela. A beautiful dinner spot in the village of Exámbela, just down the hill from Apollonia . Kelari are known for cooking dishes in their wood fired oven, mainly mastelo (slow-cooked lamb) as well as their grilled lamb ribs. Exámbela is famous for being the home to Nikolaos Tselementes, a famous Greek chef. Prices are good. Open for dinner only. Book ahead.

4. Chrysopigi Tavern

📍Apokofto Beach. Located on Apokofto Beach and named after the seventeenth century Chrysopigi Monastery which is visible from the restaurant. Chrysopigi Tavern serves all the Sifnos classics. They’re as well known for their slow-cooked meat dishes as their seafood.

5. Drakakis

📍Apollonia. A nice spot for modern takes on all the classic mezedes in the hilltop village of Apollonia. This restaurant is in an ideal spot for people-watching. The dessert menu wasn’t doing it for me here so we strolled up the street for lukumades for dessert at Dipséli (Διψέλι) after.

6. The Vroulidia

📍Vroulidia Beach. Located on Vroulidia Beach, one of the most beautiful but difficult beaches to on the island. They do all the classic dishes well here. It’s €20 if you want to rent two padded beds for the day too. Only after getting all the way to the bottom of the beach did we find out that most rental car companies recommend parking near the top and walking down. An American couple who went down the same time as us (in an automatic) were unable to get back up. I maned to shoot back up ok in gear one a manual but probably wouldn’t recommend it. Another restaurant down here called Katerina is also recommend.

7. Meropi Taverna

📍Kamares. Located in port of Kamares, this is a great spot to stop at for a bite when you’re arriving or leaving the island. This taverna offers a mixture of Cretan/Sifnian cuisine. Try all the island classics here such as revithokeftedes (fried chickpeas), chickpea stew, Greek salad with creamy manouri cheese and mastelo (slow-cooked lamb).

8. Omega3

📍Platis Gialos. Apparently Tom Hanks has been spotted here before. The menu changes regularly so it’s hard to recommend anything here but they are known for their raw section. You’re looking at around €50pp with drinks and service. Book ahead as it it’s always busy for lunch and dinner.

9. NUS

📍Platis Gialos. Another modern Greek restaurant on the beach of Platis Gialos. The head chef here previously worked at Ottolenghi restaurants in London. Ingredients come from the family farm. Another contemporary Greek restaurant on the beach here that is highly rated that I didn’t manage to visit is Maiòlica.

10. To Limanaki

📍Faros. A family run taverna in the port of Faros. Fresh fish is available based on what was caught that day. They are famous for their lobster linguine and orzo. The lobster orzo can feed two with a side a salad and is priced at €35. The lobster linguine on the other hand is for some reason priced €150/kilo, which is a little extortionate. I was looking forward to trying the gigantes bean salad with octopus but they were out. If you come for lunch, Faros has three beaches to explore; Fassolou, Faros and Vlycho. If you come for dinner, don’t book a table any earlier than 20:00 after the sun has set behind the hill.