Tourists’ interest in quality food made with clean ingredients, following local recipes, is an international trend to which this island of the Sporades seems to be responding successfully to, at least up to a point.
During our stay in Skiathos we visited two restaurants, a traditional mezze tavern, a workshop making traditional local sweets and a winery. We tasted their products, discussed with the owners, and are giving you our impressions below
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‘Marmita’
It’s hard to miss the restaurant ‘Marmita’ when you’re walking down the pedestrian street Evangelistria in the town of Skiathos. We crossed the red engraved iron gate around 19.30 and already most of the tables were occupied, while the many members of staff moved swiftly among them, serving the regulars and providing information on the menu. The owner, Panos Stamoulis, has extensive experience in the hospitality sector: “After studying finance in Athens, I found myself working at a restaurant, first in Madrid and then in Barcelona. The next step on my course was to open my own restaurant with Spanish cuisine in Thessaloniki, named ‘Punto Es’, and in 2013 I came to Skiathos, the home island of my business partner, Dimitris Koliatos, to open ‘Marmita’.”
Our conversation with him was long and interesting, and we discussed the secret of the restaurant’s success which, according to him is “the focus on quality, the constant exploration, and the trust in our collaborators, like for example chef Marsel Shyti who has been with us for 15 years”. Among the many and interesting dishes we tried, the calamari with the fresh vegetables, lemon, capers and seaweed, as well as the shrimp in spicy tomato sauce, black garlic puree and fried onions stood out.
30 Evangelistrias str, Skiathos, Tel. 2427021701
‘Exantas’
The pride of the hotel ‘Megali Ammos House’, which is on the beach Megali Ammos, a bit outside the town of Skiathos, is its restaurant ‘Exantas’. “It’s flattering for a hotel’s restaurant to be full every night, both with guests staying at the hotel and with outside customers”, Thanasis Zouhas, the co-owner with his brother Kostas, says: “My brother and I decided to get seriously involved with gastronomy, on the one hand because we love it, and on the other hand because we believe in it. It’s an especially challenging and charming journey that we aim to enrich. We update our menu every year, keeping some dishes as our base, and that is something our customers like.”
Seabass ceviche, with basil, coriander and orange sorbet, and squid with parsnip cream, pastrami chips and lemon foam set the tone on the menu this year, while the restaurant also puts emphasis on wines, with 104 labels from 59 Greek wineries on its list.
Megali Ammos, Tel. 2427024035
‘To Kalo Pigadi’
This is where the only well in the town of Skiathos that had good quality water was. Today, the tsipouradiko (traditional mezze tavern serving tsipouro, a traditional pomace raki) ‘Kalo pigadi’ (it means good well in Greek) pays homage to the well’s existence. Giannis Bourtsikas and his wife Zoi opened it in 1987, their son Nikos serves you, while the rattan chairs, the traditional wooden tables and the fisherman’s net on the wall with the pinna and other shells, create a small universe of their own in this quiet neighbourhood. Mrs Zoi is always smiling and disarmingly honest: “The mezzes we serve with the tsipouro are simple, made using pure local ingredients. For example, the octopus marinated in vinegar is always local and always fresh. The squid too, as is the marinated anchovies with the fava, and the angler fish.”
We really enjoyed another dish, the exceptional shrimp balls, so before we left we asked Mrs Zoi to tell us how she makes them: “It’s indeed our specialty. We peel fresh shrimp one by one, but, as you understand, I can’t say more about it!” It doesn’t matter, because their taste really rewarded us.
9 Karaiskaki str, the end of the Papadiamantis main street, Skiathos, Tel. 2427023112
Traditional Skiathos sweets at ‘Anthos tou Gialou’
The small sweet shop opened in 2020 on Miaouli street, a street off the Papadiamantis main street that crosses the town. It’s name is a tribute to the author Alexandros Papadiamantis and is taken from his short story of the same name. As we approach, the fragrances wake our senses, while the traditional costume, right across the shop’s entrance, as well as the embroidered tablecloth on the table that holds sweets in crystal bowls set the tone. Gianna Konstantellou, the owner, offered us a lovely homemade liquor and told us:
“We make traditional Skiathos sweets following our grandmothers’ recipes, using pure local ingredients from the island. The amigdalota (made with almond, rose water and powdered sugar) and our famous haimalia (fried stuffed dough bites) made with walnuts, honey and spices are our specialties. These sweets are always offered at weddings, christenings and every celebration in Skiathos”.
Miaouli str, Skiathos, Tel. 6976795208
Parissis Winery
Leaving Hora behind us, after a 15-minute drive up the hill of Profitis Elias, inside a thick forest, we reach the area Xanemos, whose panoramic view of Skiathos and the surrounding islets in the southwest seems like open arms and is on its own reason enough to visit the Parissis winery.
It’s the only winery on Skiathos and it opened in 2020, impressing visitors with its minimalist architecture, the large open spaces and the balconies that all make wine tasting even more enjoyable. The cheerful Maria Koutseri, Giannis Parissis’ wife and co-owner of the winery, who, together with her husband, worked hard and methodically to open the winery in the past few years, welcomed us: “It’s touching to see your dreams come true. This all began when Giannis started working with vines as an amateur, and we slowly ended up making a winery. At the moment we cultivate 30 acres, and our winery is modern and has the capacity of 30.000 bottles. Right now, we produce 13.000 bottles annually, but our aim is to reach 26.000 in the next five years.”
Our tour started at the vineyard, continued at the production unit and was completed in the wine tasting spaces, where we tried the five labels the winery produces based on the varieties roditis, malagousia and xinomavro. There are tours daily, between 11:00-16:00, but you have to make book first (6987728440, € 20 per person), but the winery is open until 21.30 and you can visit it to enjoy your wine at sunset, when the colours of the sky over the Aegean sea change.
Find more great recommendations for food in Skiathos by visiting Greek Gastronomy Guide
Read also:
Luxurious Resorts, Stylish Boutiques, and Family Villas on Skiathos
