8 restaurants on Andros island - with wonderful Greek flavours

Writer: Helena Bergström

The Greek island of Andros is full of cosy restaurants, many of which offer unexpectedly innovative and exciting dining experiences. Let yourself be inspired by tempting Greek flavours!

Restaurants on the island of Andros

During our stay on Andros, we stayed in the small town of Batsi, where the restaurants are right next to each other on the waterfront, and therefore we tried the most restaurants there. But we can also recommend some great dining experiences in other parts of the island.

Local food in Andros - dishes to try

When you visit Andros, you can of course try traditional Greek dishesBut you can also find local specialities on the island. For example, you might want to try foyrtalia, which is a kind of omelette with potatoes and sausages. There is also local cheese, such as volaki. In addition, there are many nice restaurants to discover!

1. Belitsa (Batsi)

Restaurant Belitsa is on the waterfront in Batsi and if you arrive in time for dinner, you can snag a table so close to the water that, if you're not careful, you might accidentally drop a fork into the plough. Sitting here in the evening, as the sun slowly sets over the island, is truly a magical experience.

We ordered relatively ordinary Greek dishes here and the food may not have stood out, but everything tasted great. We started with tzatziki and fava beans, along with some bread, which brought back a lot of wonderful Greek memories.

We then continued with chicken souvlaki and goat meat souvlaki with lemon sauce, which is a local speciality. The long-cooked tender goat meat turned out to be really tasty.

When the darkness fell over us, and we could enjoy the play of light from all the surrounding restaurants, we finished with an ouzo each. Lovely Greece!

2. Oti Kalo (Batsi)

One of the evenings in Batsi we ate at a restaurant Oti Kalo, which roughly means "all good things" or "all the best", and sure enough we had a great evening here! We visited Andros during a press trip and this evening we had dinner with our local host, Nicholas and his wife Chrisanthi. We had such a great time together so now we are talking about Nicholas and Chrisanthi visiting us in Stockholm one day. We hope it will happen!

Our local hosts have Oti Kalo as one of their favourite restaurants, and it's not hard to see why. Everything we ate here tasted amazing. Initially, Nicholas and Chrisanthi ordered a number of delicious starters which we shared. Everything was very good and we especially loved the gratinated mushroom caps.

For the main course, Peter chose tuna, which was excellently cooked, and I (Helena) chose a pasta with tomato sauce, chicken and large prawns. Finally, we ordered a delicious dessert that we shared between all four of us, which was more than enough. What an evening! A visit to Oti Kalo is highly recommended!

3rd Branda (Batsi)

Restaurant Brand name is next door to Oti Kalo in Batsi, and both atmosphere and view are a bit similar. At this restaurant we chose to go all in on starters, that is, we ordered four starters, but no main course. In Greece, the portions are often hefty, so you get full anyway, and the starters are often very delicious.

We ordered fried zucchini and fried squid rings - two favourites that tasted very good.

In addition, we ordered hot prawns in a pan and a kind of cheese pie which was presented as one of the specialities of the day. Everything was very good and the service was impeccable.

There was nothing wrong with the final dessert either!

4. Mastello (Batsi)

Near the water in Basti is also a fish restaurant called Mastello. The focus here is on seafood delicacies, although there are also some other items on the menu.

We chose to order three starters and a main course to share, and the waiters in turn chose to serve these dishes one at a time, making it a four-course experience, or rather a five-course experience as we then finished with a dessert. Everything was absolutely delicious, and this meal was undoubtedly one of the very best restaurant experiences on the island of Andros.

We each started with an avocado half topped with crab paste. When we thought it couldn't get any better, a local volaki cheese accompanied by sweet grapes arrived.

The third starter was crispy cod with black garlic mayonnaise and a red pepper sauce. This was followed by a main course to share, in the form of prawns. The whole meal was fantastic.

The experience ended with the restaurant's own version of pavlova. Very tasty!

5. 105′ E (Batsi)

The restaurant and bar 105′ E has a wonderful and almost romantic waterfront location in Batsi. We came here one morning for breakfast, but it is certainly just as nice to sit here in the evening, although the focus then is mainly on drinks and snacks.

There are several exciting breakfast menus to choose from. Peter chose eggs benedict with salmon and I (Helena) focused on a more local dish in the form of strapatsada, which is a kind of scrambled eggs with tomato. In addition, a delicious Greek yoghurt with honey was included in the menu.

What a breakfast! And what a view!

6. Taverna Ag Marina (Stivari)

If you want to eat something a little simpler, during the day, on Andros, it may be worth aiming for one of the many pleasant beach restaurants. Then it's not just the food that's in focus, but also the delicious setting, overlooking the sea.

The very first day on Andros we ate at Taverna Ag Marina in Stivari, walking distance from our hotel in Batsi. Peter ordered goat in lemon sauce and I (Helena) ordered moussaka. The goat meat was very tender and the moussaka creamy and delicious. We were very satisfied!

7. sea satin nino (Korthiou)

One of the absolute best restaurant experiences we had on the island of Andros was undoubtedly the visit to Sea Satin Nino in Korthio. This restaurant, run by chef Dimitris Giginis, sets the bar high. Here you will find well-prepared dishes made from fine local ingredients. Greek cooking traditions are at its core, while experimenting with innovative ideas and exciting flavour combinations.

We started with a tomato salad of small hot tomatoes served with a local cheese. Absolutely delicious! The beer, which is made locally at the restaurant, went perfectly with it.

We also tried small deep-fried cheese balls served with chilli and ginger sauces. We can still dream about these!

For the main course we ordered two dishes to share - the fish of the day, which happened to be parrot fish and pasta in lemon sauce. We have to say that this is the tastiest pasta we have had in a very, very long time!

Finally, we shared a modernised version of the Greek dessert rizógalo, which is slightly reminiscent of ris a lá malta and is usually served with cinnamon. Very tasty! Don't miss this restaurant if you are in the neighbourhood and appreciate really good food experiences!

8. Pame Vageli (Gavrio)

In the harbour on the island of Andros, where the ferry docks, there are a number of small restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlours. We ate twice at the restaurant Pame Vageli, which is a relatively small and traditional, and very popular place. Every time we came here it was busy with many guests, and yet we always received fast and good service.

The first time we had the Greek pasta dish pastitsio, which is a bit like lasagne, and the second time we had chicken with rice and vegetables. Both times we were very satisfied.

Delicious dining experiences on Andros

We really had a lot of great dining experiences on Andros, and it pleasantly surprised us that the menus were so varied and interesting, although some Greek favourites are of course commonly recurring. Good to keep in mind in Greece is that the portions are often large and in many cases starter + main course + dessert can be too much food.

If you want to eat well but keep your wallet in check, or perhaps simply avoid throwing food away, one tip is to order a few dishes at a time. Sometimes, for example, a few starters to share and maybe a dessert to finish, can be enough, and it can be very tasty!

More to see and do in Andros

There is, of course, much more to see and do on Andros Island. For example, you can visit the beautiful town of Andros Town, sunbathing and swimming at The beautiful beaches of Andros, go on boat trips or hike on one of the island's many certified hiking trails. Or why not discover the beautiful Gerolimni waterfall?