How To Eat Well in Ios

I came to Ios a few times when I was younger but this is my first time exploring it properly. Being a short boat ride away from Santorini, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos makes Ios an easy stop on your island hopping journey. It’s also much cheaper than other islands in terms of accommodation (you can get hotels near Myopotas Beach with a pool for under £100 a night) and getting around is fairly easy vs other islands too. Most places on this list are in Ios Chora, Ios Port or Myopotas Beach and are easily reachable by taxi, bus or thirty minute walk.

📝 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.

📝 If you are getting the boat from Santorini avoid the Express Skopelitis ferry. It’s a legendary boat with documentaries about it but the journey will be very bumpy and half the people on it will be puking up.

📝 Most hotels on Ios will pick you up and drop you at the port up on arrival and exit.

📝 Get taxi driver numbers from your hotel owner and make sure that you book them ahead of time. Sometimes you have to wait a while for a taxi, especially in the evenings. A taxi from Myopotas to Chora should be around €6.

📝 A bus runs every 10-15 minutes from Myopotas to the port. If there’s no taxi available this is the next best way to get around. A bus ticket is under €2.

1. Polydoros Taverna

In my opinion the best restaurant on the island. Great food and service. Every dish was amazing but I would recommend getting the pastitsio, giant white beans, zucchini flowers, almira (like samphire) and whatever fresh grilled fish they are serving that day. If you go in the evening make sure you catch the sunset at Koumbara Beach.

2. Ithaka

Stunning dishes in Ios Port. Great service too. Definitely one of the must visit restaurants on the island. Try the seafood orzo, risotto, ceviche and octopus & fava. A meal will cost you around €40 a head with a drink.

3. Drakos Taverna

A great seafood restaurant on the far end of Mylopotas Beach that’s been around since 1963. They’ve got octopus hanging out front and cook it three different ways; grilled, in vinegar and boiled with olive oil, lemon, garlic and parsley. They also serve fresh calamari, shrimp, fish and seafood linguine.

4. Katogi

A buzzing restaurant in the middle of Ios Chora. Everything on the menu sounds great here. Try the meatballs saganaki, Cretan pasta salad & chickpeas.

5. The Octopus Tree

A traditional no-nonsense fish taverna in Ios Port serving all the classics to a good standard. It’s called The Octopus Tree because they have octopus hanging from a tree which they serve grilled after 8 in the evening. If you go earlier you can get octopus in vinegar instead.

6. Sainis Taverna

Everybody seems to get the mussels here. They also serve a lot of other slow-cokemd meat dishes such as kleftiko. All the food is good but dishes are quite overpriced vs the rest of the island.

7. Koumpara Seafood Restaurant

A nice seafood restaurant right on the beautiful Koumbara Beach. Great fresh seafood dishes cooked on an open grill. It would be higher on the list but dishes are a little overpriced. €7 for horta (boiled greens) is criminal. Also service was a little slow.

8. The Mill

A traditional Greek taverna at the top of Chora next to the old mills. Go for the moussaka or slow-cooked meat dishes like kleftiko.

9. Lord Byron

Go for grilled pork chops & steaks in Ios Chora. The tomahawk pork chop for two was cooked perfectly but service was shitty which is why it’s further down my list. If you’re wondering why there’s a Greek restaurant with the name of an English pub, Byron joined the Greek War of Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire and died of disease leading a campaign for which Greeks see him as a folk hero.

10. Bakehouse Ios

The best bakery on the island. All the savoury & sweet classics .