A guide to the best restaurants in Malia

Around the world steaks at The House

If you leave this restaurant hungry, you’ve done something terribly wrong. The portions at The House are anything but skimpy, with full plates of sirloin steak cooked to perfection and lined with chips. Plus there’s Italian, Mexican, English and traditional Greek fare.

Mediterranean flavours at The Brasserie Bar & Grill

The vast tastes of the Mediterranean make their way to one location at the Brasserie Bar & Grill, whose menu includes everything from bruschetta to seafood linguine, BBQ pizza to a delectable stifado. Their cocktails are also something to write home about, often topped with full wedges of fruit and sparklers.

Gluten-free Greek at Eva Taverna

With a great outdoor terrace that’s shaded by leafy branches hanging overhead, Eva Taverna presents home-cooked Greek food with a few international highlights. The majority of starters are Greek, including tzatziki and cheese pies, but the mains branch out with pizza and steaks, plus moussaka and Greek salads. Eva Taverna also has a great range of gluten-free options, including gluten-free calamari.

Full English breakfasts at Red Lion Gastropub and Restaurant

Greek island holidays aren’t all kleftiko and gyros – although you can get those here too. The Red Lion is more of a super-pub, serving dishes for every meal and cuisine from all four corners of the world. They serve English breakfasts all day, the usual Greek favourites, plus BBQ chicken melts, salmon steaks and a whole lot of grilled prawns. You can also just pop in for a drink and catch a game on the TVs overhead.

Home-grown ingredients at Milos

The outdoor terrace at Milos gives off the vibes of being someone’s incredibly-manicured back garden – intimate, beautiful and all-around atmospheric. Milos is located in Malia’s old town, so you can expect a quieter evening with tantalising Greek fare like fall-off-the-bone lamb and rabbit. The restaurant has an oven in its garden, as well as a lot of the freshly-grown ingredients, so you can watch the chef at work as he gathers bits for your meal.

Greek dancing at San Giorgio Restaurant

This house-like restaurant is postcard beautiful, with leafy gardens and candlelit tables in the heart of Malia’s old town. Greek food is the focus of San Giorgio’s menu, with lamb and moussaka, among many others. The authentic atmosphere here is also punctuated by live music during the week and occasional Greek dancing.

All-you-can-eat BBQ ribs at Gringos Mexican Restaurant & Bar

Gringos brings all the flavours of Mexico to the shores of Crete, with burritos, enchiladas and cheese-heavy plates of nachos, plus all-you-can-eat barbecue spare ribs. What’s more is they also serve homemade desserts, including a chocolate fudge ‘monster’ cake and fruit chimichangas wrapped in puff pastry.

Vegetarian treats at Odas Taverna

Nestled underneath a beautiful flourish of purple flowers in Malia’s old town, Odas Taverna offers traditional Cretan cuisine in an authentically Mediterranean setting. The menu here has a nice assortment of vegetarian options, plus garlic lamb and liver, and baklava to close out the night.

Grilled fish at Cretan Family

This family-run restaurant specialises in grilling just about whatever you ask them to. You can pick what fish you’d like the chefs to grill, or opt for Greek eats like lamb or chicken and bacon souvlaki. Occasionally they feature live music, and are located close enough to beach making the Cretan Family restaurant a top spot for lunch between stints on the sand.

Grape vine ceilings at Petrino Gardens

If you’re looking for romance in Malia, you won’t find an atmosphere quite like that of Petrino Gardens’ anywhere else. When dining on the terrace, you’ll be completely surrounded by grape vines with plump green grapes dangling overhead. Top starters here include the feta pastry drizzled with honey, while classic gyros and chicken souvlaki are great mains.