The Top Restaurants On Kos Island Greece

Century-old Venetian-style buildings, courtyard gardens and traditional mountain villages provide scenic backdrops for hearty meals on this Dodecanese isle.

The cosmopolitan Greek island of Kos, the second-largest in the Dodecanese chain, is home to traditional tavernas, elegant garden courtyards and Italian-influenced restaurants set in grand, Venetian-style buildings. Whether you’re looking for pasta-plying places to eat or a family-run spot to feast on honey-baked feta, we’ve taste-tested the best restaurants in Kos to kickstart your holiday in style.

1. Petrino

Restaurant, Greek

Situated in an elegant garden courtyard in capital Kos Town (with cosy indoor seating for cooler months), Petrino is perfect if you’re looking for something upscale and romantic. You’ll love their pork loin, sea bass and local hard cheeses such as krasotiri – a goat’s cheese aged in red wine. For those who like to drink their calories, they also boast a comprehensive wine list with over 120 labels. Don’t miss the delicious pinot.

2. Pote tin Kyriaki

Restaurant, Greek

Translating as “Never on a Sunday”, you’ll love this traditional taverna in Kos Town for its quirks – the menu is even written in school exercise books. Being an ouzeri, it’s a great place to come for meze such as baked feta with honey, washed down with ouzo or rounded off with a traditional Greek coffee. For a real local experience, you can’t go wrong here.

4. Elia Restaurant

Pub, Restaurant, Greek

Another taverna hidden away in the narrow sidestreets of Kos Town, Elia serves a feast of dishes including cheese, shrimp or aubergine saganaki (a Greek appetizer), and pork with mustard and caper sauce. And you’ll love the ambience. In a tastefully renovated 19th-century building with exposed stonework and beams, it’s not just your tastebuds that will tingle.

5. Stadium

Restaurant, Greek

You’ll feel right at home in the family atmosphere of Stadium, complete with gorgeous views of the harbour. Serving dinner only, choose between delicious dishes such as goat in a honey-and-thyme sauce or a traditional chicken souvlaki, finished off with indulgent chocolate pudding in the courtyard of their converted Venetian-style villa.

6. Platanos

Restaurant, Greek

Like many of the buildings in Kos Town, Platanos has an interesting history. Open for over 40 years as a restaurant and coffee bar, it’s housed in an old Venetian-style building that was the officer’s headquarters during the Italian occupation of WWII. It’s open from breakfast through to dinner, so enjoy your coffee, home-made lemonade and unique meze – try the calamari with hummus and fried tomato croquettes – as you watch Kos life pass by.

7. Oromedon

Restaurant, Greek, Mediterranean, Vegetarian

Taverna Oromedon in hillside village of Zia, Kos (Cos), The Dodecanese, South Aegean Region, Greece

Heading up to the mountain village of Zia, you’ll want to make a beeline for Oromedon taverna, where delicious dishes such as fried cheese with jam and home-made moussaka all use fresh, locally sourced ingredients, with some cooked in their wood-fired oven. The terrace is a great place to sit and feast while watching the sunset over the island.

8. Avli

Restaurant, Mediterranean, Greek, Vegetarian, Seafood

Taverna Avli in hillside village of Zia, Kos (Cos), The Dodecanese, South Aegean Region, Greece

In the seaside village of Kardamena, you’ll find Avli in a family house dating back to 1902. The ambience is relaxed in their courtyard garden and the menu is extensive: you’ll love the bujurdi (three cheeses, tomatoes and peppers; all oven-baked) and chicken with pepper sauce. They have a set menu for two as well. Ask to see their wine cellar, where you can choose your tipple.

To explore more of Greece, check out the best luxury hotels in Corfu, and the best hotels in Paxos – they’re bookable with Culture Trip. During your stay, explore the best things to do in Oia, and relax on the best beaches near Athens. Make sure you also have a drink at one of the best bars in Corfu.

This is an updated rewrite of an article by Ethel Dilouambaka.

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