Kirkor

Kirkor is a cafe and pastry house on Lions Square, also known as Eleftheriou Venizelou Square, in the centre of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It is a long-standing stop for bougatsa, the Greek pastry made of thin layered phyllo filled with sweet cream or salty cheese. Bougatsa is the signature item here, served warm and traditionally dusted with sugar and cinnamon for the cream version. The venue offers it with cream and with cheese, so visitors can choose a sweet or savoury version, and the pastry is often eaten as a breakfast or a mid-morning snack. Greek coffee served with a sweet is another typical order, and the cafe also offers other Greek pastries. The cuisine is focused on pastry and coffee rather than full meals, so it works best as a quick, inexpensive stop, with prices of about EUR 3-8 (USD 3.50-9) per person. The atmosphere is informal and busy, with a steady flow of locals and visitors given the square's position next to the Morosini Fountain and the main pedestrian streets. There is no dress code, and the noise level follows the activity of the square. The listing does not give opening hours, a reservation number or a rating, and the cafe is the kind of place where reservations are not normally used, so visitors can simply walk in. Because bougatsa is best eaten fresh, mornings are the traditional time to visit, although the cafe is also a convenient place for an afternoon coffee and sweet. The location on Lions Square puts it beside the Venetian-era fountain, the Basilica of Agios Markos and the start of the main shopping streets, making it a natural first or last stop on a walking tour of central Heraklion.