Where a Food Writer Eats on Crete

The Short List for the Largest Greek Island

I was a vegetarian for 17 years. I lasted six months in France. If I had immigrated to Crete, I would probably still be one.

Whether it’s gigandes beans, stuffed zucchini blossoms, wild greens with local olive oil and lemon, or dakos (grated tomato and soft sheep’s milk cheese on top of barley rusks), high-quality vegetarian and vegan options abound. You’ll also find plenty of lamb, chicken, pork, and seafood options, plus the local delicacy of snails. Across the board, we managed to eat excellent, highly local and fresh cuisine for just about every single meal .

Cretan hospitality is warm and generous— portions are enormous, and dessert was almost universally offered on the house. It’s often the perfect bite-size portion after an enormous meal, and I left feeling so delighted and full of good will. Or maybe full of raki? Either way, extremely chuffed. If you are sweet treat motivated, this is the vacation destination for you.

I’ve listed my highlights, organized by town, below along with a map so you can see where each is located. May your Cretan vacations be as sweet as mine.

Some other tips:

• Freddo espresso. Medium sweet. Get into it.

• Starters, for me, were often large enough to be a main. And I almost never ordered dessert since I almost always received fruit or a small treat.

• Sometime it’s just nice to have a gyro and eat it on the beach. Particularly after so many absolutely enormous meals.

• Bougatsa for breakfast is the very best way to start the day.