Merastri

Merastri is a Cretan taverna at Chrisostomou 17 in the Old Town of Heraklion, south of Eleftherias Square, open daily from 6:00PM to 11:45PM. It is a neighbourhood taverna rather than a tourist-oriented restaurant, and its reputation rests on one dish above all: arnaki ofto, milk-fed lamb roasted in a wood oven until the meat is tender and the skin lightly crisp. Other signature dishes include the Cretan salad served with barley rusk, and grilled local sausages, which round out a menu of traditional island cooking. The cuisine is straightforward Cretan home-style fare, without a named chef or award lineage, and the appeal lies in the simple treatment of local ingredients. The dining room is informal, with plain furnishings and an unhurried pace typical of a family-style taverna; there is no dress code, and the atmosphere is friendly and moderately loud when the tables fill. Prices are mid-range, around EUR 20-35 (USD 23-40) per person, which is reasonable for wood-oven lamb in the city centre. House wine and tsikoudia, the Cretan grape spirit, are the natural accompaniments, and there is no extensive wine programme. Because the taverna opens only in the evening and has a modest number of tables, reservations by phone on +30 697 271 4373 are the safest approach, particularly on weekends and in summer, when a call a day or two ahead is advisable. Its location south of Eleftherias Square places it a short walk from the Old Town sights and the Archaeological Museum, making it a convenient dinner choice at the end of a day of sightseeing in Heraklion, Crete.