A homey, honest family-run taverna and a personal favourite from Kythira: Filio! This is the island’s best kitchen and has a lot going for them. Keep on reading!

Nestled under the mulberry trees in a remote outpost in the village of Kalamos, Filio tavern is a feast to the eyes, the stomach and so much more. With a history dating back to 1988, the family undertook to create a food place in the middle of nowhere despite many critiques. Nikos and Katerina, apart from being a lovely couple, joined forces to create this homey place and offer the best of what Kythira and Sparta has to offer.

We found ourselves there first on the way back from Halkos beach, exactly as they were opening for service just after 4pm. Few patrons were there, a lot of empty tables under the balmy shade of the mulberry trees and lots of aromas in the air. We noticed the numerous “reserved” notes kindly placed on top of some tables with the names of the prospective customers and the time of visit. In some tables, more than one note! We wandered… we better get going and start ordering!

Rooster in red wine sauce and hylopittes

If you have to try just a couple of their dishes then you surely must not miss out on their vrehtoladea salad (their version of the Greek salad with homemade rusks) and their tiganopsomo (oil bread). Cooked dishes were strongly recommended as all of the grilled options come available only after 6pm. And rightly so!

We got the first bite of their cheese saganaki, fried to perfection in light batter, a delight to our palate! Their infamous tsiragotika sausages? Even better! Wow! How can you add so much flavour to such simple offerings?

We eventually got to our main courses and despite being almost full we pleasantly feasted over their rooster in wine sauce with a side of hylopittes (Greek traditional pasta) and the goat in lemon sauce. We didn’t try their famous tiramisu although we hear it’s pretty neat, and as we drove away we went past their vineyards a few kilometers down the road and their vegetable crops… full circle we thought, it now all makes sense.

Later on we found out that during the winter, Nikos and Katerina tend to their winemaking and to the local aperitif fatourada, planting corn and beans, collecting snails and vine leaves, as well as breeding their roosters. A blessed life out in the wild!

Tiganopsomo (oil bread) with tomato sauce, oregano and grated local cheese