1600 Raki Ba Raki Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Rakadiko Meze Locals 1600 Raki Ba Raki Rethymno Old Town $$ A modern rakadiko where locals actually eat
Apiri Greek Eatery Restaurant Restaurant Confronta All Day Levantine Accents Bistro Apiri Greek Eatery City Centre $$ All-day Greek bistro blending Hellenic and Levantine flavours
Arismari Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Clay Pot Coals Plane Tree Square Own Butcher Arismari Gavalochori (Apokoronas) $$ Clay-pot-over-coals taverna under the plane tree in Gavalochori
Athali Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Family Run Open Flame Year Round Athali Old Town $$ Mansion-style Cretan cuisine a block from Peskesi
Bakaliko Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Village square Meze Local wine Bakaliko Archanes $$ Grocer-meze-room on the restored square of Archanes
Dounias (Ntounias) Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Open Fire Only Own Farm Clay Pot Dounias (Ntounias) Drakona (Keramia) $$ Wood-fire farm taverna cooking only over fire from its own land
Erganos Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Fireplace Locals' clientele Rustic Erganos Old Town $$ Fireplace-warm Cretan taverna for a local clientele
Glossitses Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Market Driven Intimate Chef Owned Glossitses Kastelli / Old Harbour edge $$ Tiny market-driven kitchen, the chef's daily haul is the menu
Ippokampos Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Seafood Ouzeri Local institution Ippokampos Venetian Harbour & Walls (Heraklion) $$ The locals' seafood ouzeri by the Venetian port
Kouzina E.P.E. Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Modern Cretan Intimate Wine Led Kouzina E.P.E. Splantzia $$ Forgotten Cretan recipes reworked for the modern table
Merastri Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Locals' favourite Homely Award Winning Merastri Old Town $$ Gourmet-awarded Cretan home cooking in a century-old house
Parasia Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Antikristo Open Fire Stone Farmhouse Parasia Tsikoliana / Vamos (Apokoronas) $$ Antikristo over open fire in a 200-year-old stone building near Vamos
Parasties Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Historic building Hot Brick cooking Old School Parasties Old Town $$ Cretan cooking on hot bricks in a 1900 old-town house
Sterna of Bloumosifis Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Stone Oven Village Institution Olive Oil Cooking Sterna of Bloumosifis Vamos (Apokoronas) $$ Stone-oven Cretan institution in the centre of Vamos
Tamam Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Historic hammam Candlelit Vaulted stone Tamam Splantzia $$ Cretan-Ottoman cooking in a 600-year-old hammam off Splantzia
Thalassografia Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Clifftop Sea View Sunset Thalassografia Rethymno Old Town $$ Cliffside Cretan plates beneath the Fortezza
The Well of the Turk Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Hidden alley Courtyard Spice Led The Well of the Turk Splantzia $$ Greek-Levantine cooking down a Splantzia alley with a steam-bath well
Tholos Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Ruins Open Air Atmospheric Tholos Topanas / Kastelli $$ Cretan cooking inside Venetian-Ottoman ruins, open to the sky
To Maridaki Restaurant Restaurant Confronta Locals' favourite Fresh catch Lively To Maridaki Splantzia $$ The Splantzia seafood mezedopoleio locals queue for