The Best Restaurants in Sifnos, Greece

This Cretan/Sifnian place by Kamares port is your ideal entrée into the island’s food scene. The cooks, waiters, and even fish suppliers all hail from the same family, who have owned it for more than a century. The crispy revithokeftedes (a local type of falafel) come highly recommended, but to try a Cycladic-Cretan crossover, go for the dakos (Cretan barley rusks covered in tomato sauce) with creamy manouri, the local soft-ish cheese. They’re best enjoyed with generous lashings of balsamic vinegar.

Pescetarians, all your dreams will come true at this seafront taverna, sitting pretty in the turquoise horseshoe bay of Cheronissos. Spot the cages hanging off the sea wall – you can choose your own lobster, which you can either share whole with your companions or served on a bed of spaghetti. We’d recommend the latter – Cheronissos’ seafood spaghetti is known island-wide for its incredible mix of in-the-mouth textures.

Three terraces, each serving a different purpose, comprise this cool Apollonia hangout. One is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant with trendy takes on Greek classics, cooked by celebrity chef Yiannis Loukakos. Capers, so abundant they sprout out of Sifnian buildings and dry stone walls, are an ingredient you’ll find plenty of at Rabagas: the chargrilled octopus comes with them sprinkled on like salt, adding eye-popping sour flavour to a tentacle already smothered in olive oil, Santorini fava puré and sweet cherry tomatoes.

Tselementes’ hometown, Exambela, has a real gem in Kelari. An old olive press forms the restaurant’s centrepiece, reminding you to pour a little more olive oil on your bread while you wait for the main event, Kelari’s mastelo (Sifnos braised lamb). Making mastelo is an art, with the meat marinated in red wine for at least a day. At Kelari, you’ll be able to mop up the deep, rich sauce with chips, freshly fried in some of that verdant olive oil.

Apokofto beach is one of the island’s quieter swimming spots and offers an uninterrupted view of the 17th-century Chrysopigi monastery. The best place to take it all in? Chrysopigi Taverna, a rustic and reasonably-priced restaurant. Chrysopigi serves revithada (ceramic pot chickpea stew, Sifnos’ Sunday staple) exactly as it should be: slow-cooked with an aromatic bay leaf or two and a juicy wedge of lemon on the side.

Tsikali, a restaurant and dairy on the sands of shell-shaped Vathi bay, is run by Mr Nikos – an electrician-turned-sailor-turned-cheesemaker obsessed with using the freshest produce. The family farm supplies seasonal herbs and vegetables, which perfectly complement the cheese and meat dishes on the menu. To get the best of both worlds, try the spanakopita, a traditional pie lovingly made by Nikos’ wife. Bite through the flaky pastry to reveal just-wilted spinach, farm-grown dill and little bits of sheep’s milk feta peppered throughout.

The petite resort of Platis Yialos has a surprisingly sizable food scene – and ultra-modern Maiolica is your opportunity to try Greece’s famed Mediterranean diet. Take your pick of health-conscious small plates, which are prepared using innovative techniques: the green salad with biodynamic lentils is spread atop of a Sifnean ring of bread with tweezers. Dessert is an equally precise affair, with a spherical scoop of honey-pie-flavoured ice cream served in a nest of vermicelli-like kataifi and a port wine glaze.

Rumour has it Tom Hanks has been spotted at this fancy fish restaurant, but even if he’s not there, Omega3 in Platis Yialos is somewhere you’ll want to be seen. Book ahead and gear up for this feast for the senses: the crab ceviche, whipped with local pear foam, looks and feels as good as it tastes. Sprigs of purslane and pink smoked beetroot add a splash of colour to this citrusy dish, each tender bite melting on your tongue.