Crete Food Tour | Restaurants & Cafés in Chania & Heraklion

[Music] what's going on everyone welcome to my first travel video on this channel but before i get into the food portion of this video i'd like to share a few bits of information in case you're planning a trip here or simply want to get inspired crete is the largest island in greece located in the south with about six hundred thousand inhabitants about the size of my current home of dusseldorf germany its capital and largest city is heracleon but we flew into chania from dusseldorf airport for only 20 euros around trip fittingly we spent most of our long weekend in hanya and only visited heraklion for a day what's great about the island is that you can enjoy the beauty of the beaches and mountains given that you're in the car which is highly recommended unfortunately we weren't able to seize that opportunity cretan cuisine benefits from its ideal climate namely the fruits and vegetables grown on the island they rely heavily on seasonal produce which in any case is far better than any produce i get here in germany the majority of the meat consumed comes from the sea as land animals are more scarce than the endless sea that surrounds the island and if you're a cheese lover crete and greece is the place for you whether it's a sweet and salty bugatta or a fresh korean salad cheese is never in short supply and just for some context i filmed shortly after crete opened up their restaurants before what they called the official start of the tourist season so many of the restaurants we saved on google maps were unfortunately closed they just ended their six month lockdown so i can imagine that many restaurant owners didn't even make it during this drought we only stayed for about three full days so we only got to scratch service of what crete really has to offer i will often compare prices to germany just because from experience german food and drink prices are about in the middle in comparison to the rest of europe since we spent only a day in herakian and it's often where visitors fly into i'll start there [Music] after casually roaming the quaint streets we stumble upon plastelina just in time for brunch located in the heart of the old town they offer contemporary international dishes such as burgers pancakes toast pasta and omelets prices are comparable to an affordable german lunch ranging from 5 to 7 euros my only knock on this place is that it doesn't feel greek enough with its limited greek offerings however the amazing location exceptional service quality of food and cozy atmosphere far outweighed this we ordered pretty much the only greek items on the menu which was the omelet which had fry shaped potatoes inside and the cretan salad which in comparison to a typical greek salad consisted of a softer cream cheese rather than feta cheese the smoothies are also a great refresher after basking in the sun the meal was surprisingly filling so we spent the rest of the day exploring cafes and grabbing snacks along the way the first we visited was crop also located in the heart of the old town just east of placelina crop offers specialty coffee and craft beer with contemporary favorites like burgers pancakes and salad for about three euros of coffee about five euros for a beer and about five to seven euros for brunch these are rather standard german prices but the quality from what we saw and experienced was quite fair because of its location it can seem touristy at first glance and not as cozy but the location is still convenient the staff is super friendly and knowledgeable and it seems like it would offer a nice evening atmosphere the baristas explained their processes very well where they sourced their beans and prepared the first aeropress i've personally witnessed which is pretty cool i highly recommend this place at any time of the day harakian's old town is beautiful to get lost in oftentimes we would lose our orientation but always be within reach of a refreshing snack or drink i personally love the charm of the queen streets lined with trees all over the place you truly get the island vibe as you stroll and are often protected from the sun from the shade provided by the trees after a little bit of souvenir shopping we refreshed our pallets at frankly also located in the old town but beside the church of aggios minas the cafe presents itself in a modern way and is the perfect place for a chat or a quick takeaway drink again prices here were comparable to germany for drinks but the pastries were mostly under 2 euros despite its cozy atmosphere there was nothing in particular that stood out however the juice and caramel muffin we ordered were the perfect midday refreshments to fuel the rest of our day and due to the limited time we had we unfortunately couldn't visit everything we started on google maps but if you're interested i've linked my saved restaurants and cafe spots in both hanya and heraklion in the description below although it seems like you walked through all of hania there were still so many beautiful places we missed and we left with the urge of coming back one day the main port of hanya is a stunning place to walk around and to simply marvel at its historic monuments like the fearka fortress the lighthouse or the kyuchuk hassan mosque i definitely butchered that last one i would personally avoid eating here if you are on a budget oftentimes i find that touristy places don't have the best quality for its price and the staff can't provide the same friendly service having to tend to so many people at once like karaklyon hanya has a similar charm of picturesque streets lined with the beautiful trees and flowers if you plan on taking an early bus at some point and you want a quick bite to go i recommend montep no which opens earlier than most coffee shops i believe it's a chain but they offer a decent variety of french-inspired items like croissants and sandwiches prices are cheap as is about one euro for croissant under three euros for a sandwich and about two euros for afraid of cheeto which is essentially an iced coffee with cream on top but one of my personal favorites during our trip was bugatta yodanes located in the city center about a two-minute walk east of montepono they offer traditional bugatti which is a flaky pastry filled with cheese often topped with sugar it costs about three euros per portion which doesn't exactly fill me up but is to die for trust me especially if they make it fresh for you which i had the opportunity to experience this place also opens up quite early and is excellent if you pair it up with the coffee which is what we did at our airbnb speaking about our airbnb i highly recommend staying at the one that we stayed at for under 40 euros a night it's located right behind the action of the harbor but is private and quiet it's perfect for a single person or a couple constantina the host was an absolute angel she went out of her way to help book our kova test on a weekend and her taxi on the way to the airport she along with airman b are definitely worth giving a five-star rating now back to the food when getting inspiration online you're bound to end up in some tourist traps while i was happy with my experience the one that was the closest to that was ginger concept located a few minutes east behind the tri martiri church the restaurant has a charm to it and is coupled with a shop right beside it despite the nice images online and the lovely decor the service and food quality were not up to greek standards unfortunately we were rarely checked on while the waiters and waitresses just stood there however my girlfriend and i both enjoyed the fresh juice but for six euros for that juice and five euros for a sandwich we can make it home we simply did not meet our expectations however it does seem to be family friendly as we saw many families there and i think the quiet location on a pretty street is what attracts most visitors another potential tourist trap was 13 sweeties and salties located in the city center they offer a generous assortment of pastries desserts and cakes at a pretty affordable price for about one year over pastries after reading some reviews after our visit many people were not happy with the service and apparently they charged a lot more if you stay in luckily we got our cheap pastries and a nice package and took them to go they tasted pretty good in my opinion now just across the street is funkies although they offer familiar street foods like pizza they fuse some greek fast food offerings at a very low price a huge slice of pizza and most offerings there cost under 2 euros so you can definitely get some bang for your buck here you do pay the price of the lack of freshness but the portions and savory flavors are definitely acceptable [Music] after some online research it seems like the cafe culture in crete is rather new but quite impressive one of our personal faves of the whole trip was cross coffee roasters they have about three locations in chania and some coffee shops like frankly in heracleon use their beans the one we visited and definitely recommend is near the park of peace and friendship inspired by the boho bali look you get a feeling of luxury without having to break the bank coffees are comparable to german prices but the beautiful plant and rather upscale neighborhood sort of gave me some hawaiian vibes if you get the chance walk through the park of peace and friendship as the pictures online seem to fit its name later that day my girlfriend surprised me with a private greek coffee workshop at monogram the baristas even offered to do so for free but since my girlfriend is a barista she gifted them some coffee beans and of course we offered a generous tip unlike regular filter and espresso coffee greek coffee similar to turkish coffee is ground up in a sand-like texture i learned that this is one of the oldest ways to make coffee before filters were used all you really need is what's called a bricky which is a small cup like device with a long handle some sort of burner or stove great coffee of course a whisk or a spoon and sugar if needed the coffee alone is very bitter so it's recommended to add a little bit of sugar depending on your liking the sugar should be mixed in before you add the coffee so that it blends more smoothly once you see the bubbles start to form you mix in about a tablespoon of coffee until the clumps have all broken up pro tip keep a very close eye on your coffee because once it reaches its full boiling point the bubbles rise very quickly and you don't want it overflowing it's that simple following this the barista showed us some alternative ways to make coffee and did some quick latte art for us what i find interesting about specialty coffee places in greece is that they are often cheaper but higher quality than most coffees you get at restaurants especially the touristy ones with its simple menu great outdoor seating and baristas who know what they're talking about this is a must visit if you're a coffee lover like ourselves finally it's dinner time i find that when i travel dinner is either what makes or breaks your experience it's also usually when your wallet tells you to take it easy but luckily all the places we visited were perfect to end the day they all satisfied our bellies we're easy on the wallet and tasted authentic the first recommendation was a rather spontaneous one located around the corner from our airbnb para dosiaco is a family owned restaurant that offers a good assortment of seafood and other traditional cretan foods how do i know that well the owner was talking to us pretty much the whole night about his covet struggles and his family to us that was the only con to this place despite that the owner was actually kind-hearted very multilingual and offered an amazing seafood platter for only 20 euros here we really experienced how desperate some owners are after not having any business for six months in return we gave a generous tip and our open ears the second recommendation was where we ended our trip located on the northeast of the main harbor behind where the boats are docked is perpetus it's a hidden gem that offers traditional greek and cretan food with a home cooking feel to it although they were understaffed we were able to see the effort they put in to offer premium service here the dishes were very affordable as no dish was over 10 euros and the portions were hefty here we enjoyed a salad tzatziki a plate of beans a plate of snails bread and complementary dessert for about 25 euros with a tip one of the cooks came out to apologize for the delay which wasn't even that long and he saved my embarrassment by showing me how to eat a snail with a fork a restaurant like this is a great example of quality over showmanship so i highly recommend this one my final recommendation and a special one is tomikio taverna this was inspired by mark wiens one of the most famous food lockers out there we also joined a couple who were actually former colleagues of mine who happened to take the same flight as us if you're looking for an authentic place to eat simply look up tavana on google maps they are essentially restaurants with authentic greek cuisine and also offer a home cooking feel to it here i ordered seafood risotto for only 10 euros and they served us one of two remaining sea basses that night for 18 euros which are some decent restaurant prices i have to say this place had the perfect combination of quality food fair prices a quiet location and friendly service this is definitely a must if you're spending any time in hanya friends that about wraps it up and i have to say greek people are among the most soft-hearted genuine and warm people out there despite having experienced the consequences of a nationwide lockdown there's smiles never cease and no matter how long you stay you feel like your trip has been worth a while and if you enjoyed this video i encourage you to subscribe for more content like it for the good old youtube algorithm and consider following me on instagram seeking sushi with two eyes for more foodie inspirations thanks for watching and i'll see you next time

Channel: pourtherecord

Views: 54,179

Keywords: crete, greece, food tour

Id: Liw_5HrvhIg

Length: 14min 14sec (854 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 07 2021