by Denny Kallivoka
Tinos isn’t my homeland. It became my homeland. It’s the place I fell for at first sight—and now consider my own. In Tinos, I find myself, my little paradise. Except in August, when the island fills with everyone who comes because it’s trendy.
What you’ll read below isn’t the trendiest list. It’s a list of favourites. Some later became fashionable. They weren’t at the start. Others are places I discovered before they were widely written about. My suggestions have Tinian roots: love for this land—this magical earth where everything it yields is delicious.
Bars
If you’re the sort who loves to sit at the counter and watch the ritual—the bartender stirring, shaking, coaxing the garnishes—you’re my people. And in that case you’ll like Koursaros and Three Donkeys in Chora (the main town). The first is a classic, handsome bar in a lovely Venetian building on the harbour. The second is the bar created by Nikos, Vaggelis, and Spyros—the three “donkeys,” as we call them! Outstanding bartenders from Athens, they too fell for the island, grabbed shakers and boards, and moved here for good. It’s a world-class bar: great music and killer cocktails.
San Tommaso Cocktail Bar, a more recent arrival with a pedigree you can trust, blends Italian finesse with Aegean ease. It stands out for its considered signatures—like the San Tommaso Spritz with fresh lemon and house-made bitters, or the Tinos Negroni with local botanicals. You can also nibble on burrata, caponata, and cheeses.
Among my favourites is Kounaria in Aetofolia: a courtyard and a veranda. In the kitchen, Mrs Zozefina cooks homestyle; at the grill, her husband; on the floor, their children. If you come in June you might find okra picked that very afternoon from the garden. Lovely tomato-based stews, kid goat, and Tinian meze.
Another beloved spot: Kamara tou Agapiou in the village of Agapi—just three tables on the veranda, and excellent food. Classics include Drosia and Agnanti in Ktikados for traditional cooking, and Levkes, a butcher’s taverna in Falatados, for lamb chops and cool shade. Katoi in Smardakito, beside the springs, serves perfect soutzoukakia.
Once upon a time one of my dearest places was Dimitra in Kardiani—a traditional kafeneio tucked into the lanes of a breathtaking medieval Cycladic village. The smell of Dimitra’s meatballs would lead you from the flagstones to your table. Last year it wasn’t the same.
If you know Anestis (Zamanopoulos), you have one more reason to go to the cool courtyard of Matzourana in Agapi. Anestis’s restaurant serves dishes with roots in Northern Greece and Asia Minor—beef cheeks, lamb baked in parchment, herb-laden dolmadakia—all from local produce, with music from around the world.
In Exo Meria, in our neck of the woods, you’ll find fine Italian in Pyrgos at Dough & Shaker. The dough is worked with skill, and pasta is made by hand by Antonis Papazoglou.
Well-made cocktails and a selection of beers from microbreweries, too. Directly opposite, Sima is a particularly tasteful spot serving wonderful breakfasts from morning on; in the evening there’s a curated wine list, cheeses, charcuterie, and a handful of well-crafted plates to go with your glass.
For fish
Among the island’s best-known fish tavernas is Tarsanas of Antonis Gkion, at the far end of Chora’s harbour. A little further along, on Agios Fokas beach, Vasilis and San to Alati serve top-quality seafood and fish from local boats. Then there’s Dinos in Ormos Giannaki, built amphitheatrically with a view. Chef-owner Antonis Vamvakaris’s kakavia (fisherman’s soup) is magical and the seafood meze first-rate.
Gastronomy
High gastronomy doesn’t necessarily mean complicated flavours. On the island, gastronomy is superb raw materials, handled the way Epicurus might have called “New Greek Cuisine”: rooted in tradition yet using techniques that yield lighter, more refined results—and service that truly pampers.
At Mikro Karavi, in a wonderful “invisible” inner courtyard in Chora, Stamatoula welcomes you and leads a well-drilled front-of-house team. In the kitchen, Antonis Psaltis showcases his homeland on the plate—the tarts with local produce and cheeses, the kid goat, and so much more.
Thalassaki is the place you’d wish for if you closed your eyes and made a wish for where you’d like to be: right on the sea, beside the water, with the waves sometimes reaching you. Antonia is a chef-cook-poet, and with that sensitivity and tenderness she treats vegetables—many grown in her own garden—local cheeses, and seafood. Aris welcomes and orchestrates the team.
Marathia by Marinos Souranis is another must. Marinos is a perfectionist, he adores his island, and he knows his ingredients like few others. With Evripidis Apostolidis—known to us from Spondi—at the restaurant’s helm, the service has reached another level. Try the dry-aged swordfish and the Tinian chickpeas. The beach service is top-notch, too.
For breakfast—and more
There was a time when I was staying in Triandaros for work and I was obsessed with breakfast at Triantaraki: great omelettes and carefully made sandwiches. Good coffee and terrific sweets. In Panormos, Katerina at Agia Thalassa makes excellent omelettes and crêpes for breakfast; her desserts are fabulous.
In Chora, our favourite for breakfast is Xebarko, in that wonderful building at the edge of the harbour: froutalia (Tinian omelette), homemade sweets, and good coffee. The anise rusks that come with the coffee are unbeatable. You’ll also like Mayou in Ysternia, on a pretty little square with views to Syros—from morning coffee and breakfast to late-night drinks and desserts.
If you’d like to combine breakfast or coffee with a stroll, go to one of the little cafés on the square in beautiful Pyrgos, visit the Chalepas House (under renovation until Christmas 2025), and wander this uniquely historic village. On the square, pick one of the places for a sweet—usually galaktoboureko—or a tsipouro with meze. Or, on the other side of the island, head to the equally lovely square in Dyo Choria.
The beach bar on “our” beach
On Rohari beach, Alohari has, for twelve summers now, established itself as a beach bar with character and tasty cocktails. Ilias Stergiopoulos curates a menu that balances tropical tiki with the fresh brightness we all want from seaside drinks.