Apart from legendary beach clubs playing house music offering fast paced entertainment, and scenic peaceful taverns, this cosmopolitan Cycladic island is also home to some high-end restaurants serving creative Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.
Their elegant and at the same time laid-back spaces, and their stunning views of the deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea create the pleasant and carefree atmosphere for which the Greek islands are known around the world. Talented chefs following sophisticated techniques and using top-quality ingredients create masterpieces in the kitchen, offering dishes of unparalleled flavour, with their own versions of familiar, well-loved recipes
We visited the island of the winds and recommend five restaurants offering the best hospitality, with unique atmosphere and exceptional cuisine that are well-worth visiting during your stay in Mykonos.
Comus Restaurant
On the legendary beach Paradise, the celebrated Tropicana hotel opened its doors this year fully renewed with earthy colours and stone elements that make it become one with the natural landscape, with a huge infinity pool, a nice open bar and carefully selected plants. Inside this elegant hotel, you’ll find a new amazing entrance to the island’s restaurant scene, Comus restaurant that serves Greek cuisine. Built on a high point on the hill, it offers amazing views of the bright blue waters, the beautiful sky, and the surrounding area with the bright white houses. Tropicana plans to move Comus fine dining to an exclusive space at the restaurant’s second floor, giving guests the opportunity to live the culinary experience prepared in talented chef’s Giorgos Stilianoudakis’ (Kalopsia) kitchen in a more private environment. “We use French and Spanish cooking techniques, but we want our flavours to have a strong Cycladic and Cretan scent,” Giorgos tell us.
The two degustation menus, the 7-course Aegean Moonlight and the 5-course Signature menu both use top quality ingredients and are a majestic journey of Greek flavours. The menus include amazing amuse bouche and mignardise and consist of incredibly tasty dishes that interpret, in an extremely creative way, traditional recipes like the delicious staka (traditional dairy product from Crete that is somewhere between cheese and yogurt) cream with egg confit, beluga caviar and green olive oil that is served with a thin potato crust, the slightly charred calamari tartare, with a foam of cheese scented with herbs, and the fricassee tartare that is made with usual fricassee ingredients but is served cold with a lemon, bitter orange and sea urchin hollandaise replacing the traditional egg-and-lemon sauce and giving it a unique twist. The Agia Galini kakavia (fisherman’s soup) with white grouper, caviar, celeriac, potato, onion, olive oil, parsley oil and sauce made with the fish bones is extremely tasty. And the A5 Wagyu beef with aubergine textures – aubergine confit, charred aubergine skin balls, and aubergine and meat broth sauce– is wonderful. Comus is a fine dining experience of the highest standard offering the highest pleasure on the island of the winds.
Address: Tropicana Hotel, Paradise beach, Mykonos
Phone number: +30 22890 78746
Website: tropicanahotelmykonos.com
Instagram: comus_restaurant_mykonos
Mikrasia Restaurant
Built on a hill slope, on the lowest level of the cosmopolitan hotel Katikies Mykonos, in Agios Ioannis, Mikrasia has a stunning view of the bay of Ornos and of the Aegean Sea. The sophisticated space with the large pool, the palm trees and the elegant plants and chic décor and the sand on which the tables are set, create a laidback cosmopolitan atmosphere. The dominant colours are white and natural wood, blending Mikrasia with the natural landscape. Mikrasia’s cuisine adds to the pleasant mood, with Michelin-star-winning Ettore Botrini taking over this year. Together with his long-time partner Nikos Billis and head chef Mihalis Britsios, they use high cooking techniques and take you on a culinary tour of the Cyclades and the Mediterranean. “This year’s concept is very summery and very close to Greece with favourite local ingredients,” Mihalis tells us. The menu includes a la carte options, as well as a 9 and 11-course degustation menu.
The 9-course degustation menu offers guest the option between some dishes, while with the “travelling” 11-course menu they get the complete culinary experience created by the chefs. Imaginative amuse bouche like the mini mostra (traditional Mykonian dish with cheese, rusk and tomato) and the Mykonian onion pie. The beetroots, marinated in aged vinegar, with Andros “Volaki” soft cheese, beetroot pickles and bergamot extract are fragrant and colourful. The onion cappelletti with Mykonos “tirovolia” soft cheese and aromatic herbs pesto is fresh, imaginative and delicious, while the slow cooked lamb with smoked aubergine puree and herb saka is exquisite. The amazing wine list that includes both Greek and foreign wines, is curated by the celebrated Master of Wine Giannis Karakasis. The desserts are prepared by Anastasis Likos –created by the talented pastry chefs Evgenios Vardakastanis and Giannis Kikiras– end the meal perfectly. The Vibrato 70% with bitter chocolate cream with fig honey, cooked blueberries and sesame ice cream in particular is quite special.
Address: Katikies Mykonos, Agios Ioannis, Mykonos
Phone number: +30 22890 27890
Website: mikrasiamykonos.com
Instagram: mikrasiamykonos
Lafs Restaurant/Photo: Anna Tasioula
Lafs Restaurant
Based within the elegant Mykonos Riviera Hotel & Spa, Lafs is an attraction for bistronomy lovers who love the combination of the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere of an elegant bistro with the deep flavour and high-level culinary techniques of a fine dining restaurant. The comfortable sofas with cushions, the elegant décor, with white and stone details dominating the space, and the views of the vast Aegean Sea and of Mykonos’ Hora compose a highly attractive setting with intense summer vibes. The music, selected by well-known DJs, with occasional live concerts, covers a wide range of favourite songs in their original version or in artful covers. The pleasant experience of the venue and of the music is complemented by the amazing culinary experience of the kitchen of the well-known chef Dimitris Katsanos. Using excellent ingredients –“If I don’t find exactly what I want, I leave it off my menu”, he emphasizes– he takes guests on an amazing culinary trip with many Greek and Mediterranean stops.
The menu’s deeply delicious dishes include the airy metsovone cheese chiffon fava, served with the lightly spicy egg yolk confit and crispy pancetta, the fresh yet spicy tomato gazpacho with lightly smoked Valley prawns and mango, the rich spaghetti with sea urchin cream, cuttlefish ink tuile and salmon eggs, the juicy lobster with fregola sarda (Sardinian pasta), peas and basil, the mouth-watering lamb with aubergine, garlic miso, peanuts and lamb jus and the exquisite red porgy with beurre blanc and asparagus. Haris Panagoulias, sommelier and F&B manager, has created a remarkable wine list from Greek and international vineyards that perfectly accompanies the meal. The desserts are also creative and particularly tasty, with the velvety crème brûlée with matcha tea and lemon sorbet standing out. “At Lafs, we want our food to be delicious. We want it to be simple but prepared with proper techniques and a creative twist. And, of course, we want our guests to have a good time,” says Dimitris, and it’s something the chef and his team achieve masterfully.
Address: Mykonos Riviera Hotel & Spa, Tourlos, Mykonos
Phone number: +30 22894 40100
Website: lafsmykonos.gr
Instagram: lafs.restaurant
ReeZA Restaurant
One of the strongest options for quality comfort food on the island, is offered by the attractive Rocabella Mykonos hotel with ReeZA. Its minimalist design captivates customers with its simplicity, while the earthy colours of natural wood and straw, together with the stone walls, blend in perfectly with its surroundings. The hotel’s white and the blue water of the swimming pool, that stretches in front of the restaurant, create a purely Mykonian setting with a carefree mood and a pleasant atmosphere. The open space offers a unique, amphitheatrical view of the Aegean Sea and the beautiful Hora. Right next to the pool, underneath elegant wooden pergolas, a few tables offer guests the pleasure of an almost private meal. The name of the restaurant (ReeZA – “root”) reflects its philosophy that “the culinary journey should have pure Greek roots and flavours,” as the talented executive chef Mihalis Merzenis, who oversees the menu this year, emphasizes. With impeccable technique and quality ingredients, he has created an imaginative menu with Greek flavours and Mediterranean touches, expertly executed by head chef Nikos Beikai and his team.
Among the delicious dishes are the fresh salad with lentils, onion, tomato, cucumber, herbs and toasted bread, the aromatic grilled octopus with fava spread, onion stew and caper leaves and the open pie with goat cream cheese, wild greens and onion marmalade. The tuna fillet served with potatoes and mushrooms, the well-roasted chicken with mustard vinaigrette, cabbage and leek and the juicy côte de bœuf with grilled broccolini, herbs and gruyère flakes are must trys. The desserts are also delicious, with the baklava millefeuille, with the spice infused cream, honey syrup and caramelized walnuts, standing out. The open, elegant bar, which is located next to the restaurant and becomes one with it, offering refreshing cocktails and wines that pleasantly accompany the meal. ReeZA is a remarkable choice for delicious comfort food with Greek and Mediterranean flavours on the island of Mykonos.
Address: Rocabella Hotel, Agios Stefanos, Mykonos
Telephone number: +30 22890 28930
Website: rocabella-hotel-mykonos.com
Instagram: reeza_restaurant
Nice n’ Easy/Photo: Nice n’ Easy
Salmon Tartare/ Photo: Anna Tasioula
Nice n’ Easy
In Alefkandra square, in the Hora of Mykonos, one of the most popular and emblematic areas of the island, you’ll find Nice n’ Easy, a remarkable restaurant with creative Mediterranean comfort cuisine. Its all-white tables, set on the cobbled alley right next to the water, offer a unique view of the enchanting windmills and of the colourful balconies of the houses of the famous “Little Venice” that hang over the Aegean Sea. This setting, which impresses with its beauty and quaintness, is one of the most photographed in Europe, it has featured in global advertising campaigns and has appeared in international box office hits. The sound of the sea and of the island become one and, combined with the breath-taking views, especially at sunset when the sky explodes with colour, create a carefree setting, synonymous with summer. The particularly pleasant mood is greatly enhanced by the very delicious food at Nice n’ Easy. “In our kitchen we use only fresh, organic and top-quality products”, chef and co-owner with Dimitris Christoforidis, Christos Athanasiadis tells us.
The menu comprises of fresh salads, raw, as well as classic dishes, creative mezze, rich pasta dishes, charcoal-grilled fish, traditional Greek casserole dishes, and excellent Black Angus cuts, including a plethora of delicious dishes, like the buttery salmon tartare with lime, ginger, avocado mousse and chili served with cucumber sorbet, the grilled octopus with beetroot hummus, caper leaves and aromatic olive oil, the fresh yahni cooked mussels with mustard and feta cheese, and the golden spinach pie rolls. The braised lamb shoulder with velvety chickpea cream is excellent, the moussaka, which is also available for vegans with aubergine, potato, tomato and coconut milk béchamel, is delectable, the soutzoukakia meatballs with basmati rice are very aromatic and the juicy pork gyro served on a large platter with all the classic accompaniments is delicious. Refreshing cocktails and wines, mainly from the Greek vineyard, as well as several dessert choices, such as the traditional orange pie and the light chocolate ganache mousse, complete the meal beautifully.
Address: Alefkandra Square, Hora, Mykonos
Phone number: +30 22890 25421
Website: niceneasy.gr/en/mykonos
Instagram: niceneasymykonos
