Just off the well-worn path of Chania’s harbor, this lively taverna serves authentic Cretan food, mainly from the Sfakia region. (Dialiskari, the amazing sister taverna at Marmara beach is well worth the trip – accessible only by boat or on foot from Sfakia). Lamb, goat, and suckling pig from the owner’s farm are roasted in a wood-fired oven, which also turns out deliciously smoky bread. The ‘village omelet’ with local graviera cheese and stamnagathi (wild chicory) is another must-try.

This award-winning restaurant makes an upmarket pit stop after visiting the Minoan Palace of Knossos, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away. Chef Argyro Varda focuses on seasonal Greek fare: hand-made pasta twirls with local goat’s cheese, snail and bulgar pilaf, and lamb’s liver risotto, a dish traditionally served at Cretan weddings. The vibe is a little pretentious but the food is consistently good, especially if you’re tired of typical taverna fare.

This ice-cream parlor uses freshly churned milk to create delicious flavors like crunchy praline with almonds, melon, and fig.

On a quiet pebble beach in Western Crete, this unassuming joint look like it’s stuck in the ‘70s. But the food is a revelation. The seaside taverna is run by two young brothers—one catches the fish, the other serves it, and their mother Eleni cooks it. Her fish soup is second to none. If you’re lucky, they might have caught some sea snails, a rare delicacy. Iliovasilema is Greek for sunset, and the waterfront tables are perfectly placed to watch the sun sink into the sea.

Designed like an old-fashioned grocery store, this cozy restaurant has a loyal local following. The guys who run it love their work, and you can taste it in the ever-changing Modern Greek menu. Just outside Heraklion city center, it’s a genuine slice of Cretan hospitality—especially on live music nights.

In the sleepy mountain village of Pefki, this idyllic taverna is named after the 100-year-old pink pepper tree that shades the main square. Fanis Eikosipentakis dishes up fabulous Cretan specialties such as rabbit stifado and miniature pies filled with freshly foraged greens. He sells his own olive oil, honey, wine, and raki (fiery local grappa – the house special is flavored with pomegranate and lemon). The views across the valley down to the sea are pretty magnificent, too.

Quietly cool, this laid-back bar behind Chania harbor is always full of bronzed Greeks flirting over frozen daiquiris. Housed in a crumbling old synagogue open to the starlit sky, it’s only open during the summer.

If you’re tired of Greek salad, seek out this local institution tucked away in the Ottoman quarter of Chania’s old town. Jenny Pagiavla, the bohemian chef-patron, grew up in Morocco and it shows in her colorful cooking. The historic house, painted in vibrant colors and decorated with unusual antiques, is an atmospheric backdrop for Jenny’s fusion of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors.