Mylos

Mylos is a popular and cheerful local restaurant on Itanou 5 in Sitia, the charming small port town at the eastern end of Crete that serves as the gateway to the Lasithi plateau and the remote eastern beaches. Sitia has managed to retain a more genuinely local character than the tourist-heavier towns of the north coast, and Mylos is one of the establishments most responsible for that reputation in the food sphere. Consistently rated by Sitia locals as the best value restaurant in town, it draws a broad cross-section of the community — fishermen, shopkeepers, office workers, and families — alongside the smaller number of visitors who make it to this less-visited part of Crete. The kitchen's focus is on Cretan mezedes and fresh seafood at very reasonable prices. Gavros (anchovies) marinated in lemon juice and olive oil or plain and grilled are the signature first course — the fish is locally caught and as fresh as available anywhere on the island. Cretan olives and bread with Sitia olive oil are brought to the table automatically; Sitia is part of one of Crete's protected olive oil denominations and the oil used here has a distinctive, peppery, grassy quality. Octopus meze — grilled or in vinegar — appears on most tables. The local Muscat wine from the Sitia appellation is one of Crete's most distinctive wines: a naturally sweet, amber-tinged dessert wine made from sun-dried Muscat grapes that has been produced in this corner of Crete for centuries, now holding a PDO designation. Ordering a glass with or after a meal is an education in eastern Cretan wine culture. Prices are genuinely low by any standard. Average spend is around €16 per person including wine.