Donoussa Restaurants: Where to Eat
Donoussa keeps its food in a handful of tavernas around the Stavros harbour; there is no restaurant strip, so you eat where you stay. Aposperitis and Iliovasilema cook home-made Greek meals over a sea view at the port, the bakery stands beside the harbour restaurant, and a small bar sits a couple of minutes from Kedros beach. The choice was once very small, with two restaurants and one supermarket, but more tavernas have opened since. Evenings are quiet, so dinner is a relaxed affair on a terrace over the sea rather than a night out.
- Harbour
- Stavros
- Tavernas
- Aposperitis & Iliovasilema
- Also
- Bakery & beach bar
- Evenings
- Quiet
The Stavros harbour tavernas
Almost all of Donoussa's eating happens at the harbour of Stavros, the island's only real village. The tavernas here cook home-made Greek food and look out over the port, the bakery stands beside the harbour restaurant, and the supermarket keeps the basics. Away from the village, a small bar two minutes from Kedros beach serves drinks on a hot day. When we first visited there were only two restaurants and one supermarket, but the islanders have opened more tavernas since, so there is a little more choice for dinner.
Aposperitis
Aposperitis sits right by the main beach at the Stavros harbour, where the blue of the Aegean begins. Its taverna is on the ground floor of the Aposperitis rooms, and it serves home-made Greek meals with a sea view; the rooms above are available all year round. It is a straightforward, friendly place to eat at the water's edge, and doubles as one of the island's places to stay, set out in the Donoussa hotels & villas guide.
Iliovasilema
Iliovasilema stands opposite the port of Stavros, five minutes on foot, with its taverna beside the rooms. It cooks traditional Greek cuisine of roasted dishes and seafood, and is known for clean, good food, a fine view over the sea and an unforgettable sunset. The name means “sunset”, and the terrace faces the water, so dinner here comes with the island's best light. It too doubles as a place to stay.
Where to eat by area
Where to eat on Donoussa comes down to the harbour: Stavros for the tavernas, the bakery and the supermarket, and a beach bar near Kedros for a cold drink between swims. Menus are short and home-made, prices are low, and the choice is small, so treat dinner as part of the slow rhythm of the island. The villages and how they connect are set out in the Donoussa island guide.