I’ve been to Naxos twice now and I can safely say that it’s one of my favorite places on earth (at least, for the parts of the earth that I’ve been to), and it’s definitely my favorite place in Greece so far as well.
If you’ve been to Greece at all, especially the islands, you’ll probably agree that it’s hard to dislike it. The food is amazing, the beaches are gorgeous, and the people are (usually) friendly. AND most people speak excellent English. It makes me annoyed as a half-Greek person that my Yia Yia never taught me how to speak it, but as an only-English speaking traveler from the US, I am grateful.
These Greece posts are coming in late because my life was basically upside down when I went to Greece last summer with my mom, and when I got back I started my podcast, You Both Suck, and everything just sort of got away from me. BUT thankfully, most people aren’t going to Greece in the winter, so I knew I had time.
If you want to read my Naxos blog post from 2021, I went to some of the same places you’ll see below as well as some other fast casual spots, and there’s a lotttt more bars and beaches on that list because I was with friends, not my mom. Mom is not so much into partying into the wee hours of the morning (frankly, nor am I anymore).
First off, I will plug the hotel that I love, the Iria Beach Art Hotel. I stayed there last time in 2021 as well and I just love it. It’s well-kept, the location is amazing – right on the beach and a bus just steps away from it takes you into the town/port area – and the FOOD, oh my god. They include breakfast with your stay and everything is homemade. It’s seriously so, so good. The staff are the MOST friendly and sweet, they even gave us a free bottle of wine when we checked in. We also booked a suite (thanks, Mom!) so maybe that was why? But if I’m being honest I feel like they remembered me, which is wild! The suite had a hammock too – it was so nice to have private outdoor space all to ourselves.
The only caveat I’ll make about this hotel is that it’s a small one and there are no elevators or anything. The suite we stayed in was up a few flights of stairs, but again, thankfully the staff is amazing and took our bags up and down for us when we checked in/out. I have a bad leg/knee from a car accident many years ago and my mom was with me and she’s in her 70’s. We were fine doing the daily up and down a few times, but if you’re dealing with anyone with serious mobility issues, just keep that in mind.
Ok back to the places to eat and drink in Naxos! I’m going to include a few places that others recommended that I didn’t personally check out with an asterisk next to it.*
Naxos Restaurants:
Doukato – second time I’ve been here and I decided to order a little differently (aka fish-heavy) with Octopus orzo and tarama crostini. It was still very good, but I liked the meat dishes I’ve had here in the past better (meatballs and souvlaki – the latter being what they’re known for). So do with that what you will. I suggest making a reservation, because this place is popular. We went early (as we did with most places), so we got a table. They also gave us this delightful lemony-sugary dessert at the end of the meal for free, which was nice. It was delicious, kind of like a Greek zabaglione-custard.
Flamingo – I’ve only had drinks and desserts here, but I come for the views and the music. It’s a GORGEOUS rooftop with sunset views overlooking the port, and the live music is always great. People get up and dance too, and yes, you can count on some good old fashioned plate-smashing! Not the ones you’re using to eat, thankfully, but they do it.
Dal Professore – if you follow me on TikTok/IG and see any of these food vids from Greece, just be advised that we went to a lot of places during off hours, so it was EMPTY. But trust me, it’s a popular spot and got much busier later. Anyway. We were in Greece for a long time and sometimes you just need a break from feta cheese. This was named one of the best place for pasta in Naxos, so we had to try. CAN CONFIRM IT CHECKS THAT BOX. I had the carbonara, which was excellent and rich. My mom had a bolognese pasta that was also amazing. The views were wonderful too. Highly recommend.
Honey and Cinnamon – similarly to Dal Professore, we came here during off hours so it was basically empty, but I hear it’s very popular for drinks. We had a couple cocktails before dinner, and believe me, the hike to get there will surely work up your appetite for dinner. It was a lot of stairs, so personally it was a little tough for me, but it was a nice spot with good outdoor vibes.
Akrogiali Taverna – I’ve been here 2-3 times now and loved it every time. You should get the Dakos salad with tomatoes, capers, feta, and a wheat rusk bread underneath. It soaks up all the tomato/olive oil goodness and it’s just a great start to the meal. The absolute MUST HAVE if you’re a meat eater though, is the Kleftiko. It’s a rustic lamb dish baked in parchment paper, wrapped up in a little bow like a present. And truly, it is a gift; a gift of meat, cheese, peas, and potatoes. Just trust me, it’s SO good. I dream about it.
Palatia – this is the restaurant right downstairs from the Iria Beach Art Hotel. They have good food for good prices, and they also have beach chairs that you can rent – I forget but I THINK it was 10 or 20 euro per chair, which isn’t bad at all. Food and drink not included but you can order things to your chair and have a drink/snack on the beach.
