What I hoped for, but didn’t expect to this extent at all: Mykonos is almost a culinary Eldorado, full of Mediterranean dishes, fresh fish and with many great places to enjoy all this. Depending on your budget, however, a car, a scooter or, of course, a well-motorized motor yacht is recommended to reach all these great places…
Greek cuisine, especially of course that of the islands and along the coast, is characterized by fish and seafood in all variations. At the same time, however, Greece also has a mountainous area of almost 80%. As a result, opportunities for large-scale livestock production, especially cattle breeding, are severely limited. Therefore, sheep and goat meat has a great importance in the Greek diet. Mykonos in particular offers little space for agriculture due to the barren landscape, so unfortunately many of the products have to be imported by sea from the mainland.
Fokós tavern
The small Fokós Beach with its coarse sand and impressive rock formation is relatively remote in the north, but thanks to the compactness of the island in the worst of all cases, this still never means more than 40 minutes driving time. By the way, Fokós means seals, because a bit far outside the bay numerous of these animals have become native. Directly above the small beach is one of my absolute culinary favorites: the tavern Fokós, run by the Taboulchana family (who immigrated back from Canada). Just sitting here on the veranda, drinking a glass of white wine and looking out over the sea is worth the journey. Not only to Fokós Beach, but to Mykonos in general.
But of course it doesn’t stop there. The catch of the day is presented. Red mullet, fished, of course. While we are still talking about the different options of preparation, I am suddenly already at the grill myself and watch as my fish is prepared and seasoned with a little sea salt on the charcoal.
Not only is the fish excellent, the best I’ve had during this vacation, but all the appetizers, small and large, are fabulous. Whether the typical tzatziki, an excellent tabouleh or the outstanding quinoa salad.
Kiki’s Tavern
Another culinary gem is equally anything but an insider tip, yet somewhat difficult to find. There are no signs pointing the way, but shortly before reaching the beach of Agios Sostis, the smell of delicious barbecue wafts through the air. Since there are only a few seats on the terrace overlooking the bay, a very pleasant custom has been established here: You wait in front of the door and in the meantime you can enjoy not only the view, but also the iced rosé that is available for those waiting. The opening time is short, from 18:00 service is slowly discontinued.
Nikolas tavern
On the beach of Agia Anna you will find the third highlight. Significantly larger and busier than the two places previously mentioned, but still a family operation. At Nikolas you can sit directly on the beach, feet in the warm sand – and also enjoy delicious fish and various products from the grill. Of course, we also intensively devoted ourselves to the typical dishes of the island cuisine, for example, the Kopanisti. An intense cheese, very typical of the Cyclades in particular, fermented for quite a long time. Nikolas initially wanted to discourage us from ordering this dish. Many guests find the cheese too strict and intense, he warned us. It was only afterwards, in conversation with him, that we learned that his grandmother makes the copanisti for the tavern herself and that it just breaks his heart to have to throw away whole portions of it. Of course, that didn’t happen with us. But this sign of appreciation for their own products only makes us like Nikolas and his tavern more.
Nammos Restaurant
Also on the beach but quite different from the three previously described tavernas is Nammos Restaurant. Here it is best to arrive with the big yacht and enjoy the view of the many other small (and mostly bigger) ships in the bay. According to the target group, the menu, but especially the wine list, also affords somewhat more exclusive items. So you can refresh yourself on hot summer days with a champagne in the Methusalem bottle for 120,000 €. The seafood is exceptionally good and the fish draped in the restaurant is not only huge but also really fresh. The Nammos is not a place you want to visit every day, but it is still fun, although the many hidden costs can be a bit on the mind (Valet Parking 10€, Couvert á 8€, water á 10€, sunbeds on the beach 20€).
