What to eat in Crete
Cretan tavernas run à la carte, not off a set menu — dakos, kalitsounia and a shot of raki at the end are what repeats from Chania to Heraklion.
- Main course, restaurant
- €9–13
- Set lunch
- Largely absent
- Dakos
- Barley rusk, tomato, soft cheese
Cretan food sticks to a handful of fixed points, not a seasonal menu: dakos, barley rusk topped with tomato and soft cheese, kalitsounia, small cheese or herb pies, and a taverna main course running €9–13. A fixed set lunch of the kind found in central Europe is largely absent here — tavernas run à la carte, off a menu that doesn't change day to day.
Dakos — the cold start to a meal
A barley rusk soaked in water, topped with chopped tomato, crumbled soft cheese (mizithra or similar) and olive oil. It sits on nearly every menu as a starter, and varies less from restaurant to restaurant than the main courses do.
Kalitsounia — savoury or sweet pies
Small pies of thin pastry, filled with cheese or wild greens in the savoury version, or cheese and honey in the sweet one — a typical bite with coffee or as a starter, not a main meal.
A taverna main course
A main course at an ordinary taverna, no drinks, runs €9–13 — grilled meat, roasted vegetables or lamb, depending on the place. The price depends less on the town than on how far the restaurant sits from a street with a sea view.
Why there's no set lunch
Unlike parts of continental Europe, Cretan tavernas mostly don't offer a fixed set lunch at a pre-set price — the menu is the same at noon and in the evening, priced per dish, not per meal. Anyone looking for a quick, cheap workday lunch at a fixed price finds it harder to come by in Chania than in some other cities on this site.
Raki to finish
A grape-must spirit, also known as tsikoudia, often arrives at the end of a meal as a gift from the house rather than something ordered — common hospitality, not a fixed rule at every place.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What is dakos?
A barley rusk with tomato, soft cheese and olive oil — a common starter, not a main course.
Is there a fixed set lunch at restaurants?
Mostly not — Cretan tavernas mostly run à la carte, off the same menu at noon and in the evening.
Is raki charged separately?
Usually not — it often arrives free at the end of the meal, as a gesture from the house.
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