Yachendo

Yachendo sits directly on the beach in Aegiali, the northern bay of Amorgos, and operates as an all-day restaurant and café from 10:00 until well into the evening. It draws on produce from local Amorgos farms, fish landed by the island's fishermen, and fresh local meat — the kitchen closes at 22:30, which gives it a longer service window than most tavernas in the area.

The menu spans the full range of Greek and Mediterranean cooking without drifting into tourist-trap territory. You'll find whole grilled fish, slow-roasted pork, shrimp pasta with ouzo and olive oil, and Amorgian fava alongside vegetarian plates and daily specials built around whatever is seasonal. The rating of 4.4 across 261 Google reviews is notably strong for a small island restaurant, and reflects a consistent kitchen rather than a one-time visit bump.

Aegiali is the quieter of Amorgos's two main harbors, separated from the capital Amorgos Town (Chora) by a steep mountain road. Yachendo's beachside position in the Lagada area of Ormos means you eat with the water in front of you and the hillside villages — Tholaria, Lagada, and Potamos — visible above.

What to Expect

The restaurant describes itself as suited to all tastes, and the menu bears that out. Starters lean local: Amorgian fava served with onion, olive oil, and lemon is a signature dish worth ordering even if you've had fava elsewhere on the Cyclades — the legume is grown on the island and has a distinctly earthy, slightly sweet character. Biological beef meatballs come with baby potatoes, fresh onion, garlic, and marinated tomatoes, the kind of dish that reads as simple but depends entirely on the quality of the meat.

For the main event, grilled fish options include bream (tsipoura), served with sautéed seasonal vegetables or greens. The shrimp pasta — shrimps, cherry tomato, garlic, onion, parsley, marjoram, ouzo, and olive oil — is listed for two persons, making it a reasonable centrepiece for a shared table. Roasted pork chops with baby potatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and onion are available in a portion size of 1,200–1,700 grams, so order accordingly.

The drinks list covers beer, wine, ouzo, raki, psimeni, and rakoumelo (a spiced honey raki specific to the Cyclades), plus spirits, fresh juice, smoothies, herbal teas, and coffee. That breadth, combined with a 10:00 opening, is what makes this a functioning all-day café as well as an evening restaurant — you can start with a Greek coffee after the morning ferry and come back for grilled fish at sunset.

The atmosphere is relaxed and beachside rather than formal. Tables are positioned to face the water, and the pace of service reflects an island that doesn't rush.

How to Get There

Yachendo's address places it in the Ormos/Lagada area of Aegiali, on the northern coast of Amorgos. If you're arriving by ferry, Aegiali has its own small port — boats from Naxos, Ios, and Piraeus dock here as well as at Katapola in the south. From the Aegiali ferry landing, the restaurant is a short walk along the waterfront.

If you're staying in Chora or Katapola, the drive north takes roughly 25–30 minutes on the main island road. The road climbs steeply out of Katapola before descending to Aegiali, so driving is the practical option — there is no coastal road connecting the two bays. Public buses run between Chora and Aegiali on a schedule that contracts in the shoulder season, so check current timetables if you're relying on them.

Parking is available along the Aegiali waterfront road. The restaurant is accessible on foot from any accommodation in the Aegiali bay area.

Best Time to Visit

Yachendo operates every day, which is useful on an island where many smaller places close one or two days a week. Peak season on Amorgos runs from late June through August, when ferries are frequent and Aegiali fills with Greek families and international visitors who've come specifically for the quieter alternative to Mykonos or Santorini. During this period, arriving early for dinner — before 20:00 — secures a table with less of a wait.

The shoulder months of May, early June, and September offer the same menu with cooler evenings and fewer people. September in particular is very good: the sea is at its warmest, the crowds thin after mid-August, and the kitchen is still running at full pace.

Lunch from 12:00 to 15:00 is the busiest daytime window, especially on days when ferries arrive in the morning and passengers walk directly to the waterfront. If you prefer a quieter meal, the late-morning café slot (10:00–12:00) or late afternoon (after 16:00 and before the dinner rush) tends to be more relaxed.

Amorgos sits in the southeastern Cyclades and catches the meltemi wind from mid-July through August. Beachside tables can be breezy on strong-wind days, which is actually pleasant in peak heat but worth knowing if you're eating with papers or have young children.

Tips for Visiting

• Order the Amorgian fava. It's grown on the island and tastes different from the commercially produced version you'll find elsewhere. Even if you think you know fava, try it here.
• The shrimp pasta is listed as a dish for two — factor that into how you order if you're eating alone or with a large group splitting multiple mains.
• Book ahead in July and August if you're set on a specific evening. Call the restaurant directly at +30 2285 073618 or check their website at yachendorestaurant.com.
• The kitchen closes at 22:30, which is earlier than some visitors expect. If you're arriving late off a ferry, confirm this hasn't changed for the current season.
• Austrian raki derivatives like rakoumelo are rarely on menus outside the Cyclades — if you want to try a local digestif, this is a good opportunity.
• The restaurant is open from 10:00, so it works as a breakfast or brunch option if you want something more substantial than a hotel continental spread.
• Bring cash as a backup. Card acceptance is standard in Aegiali, but connectivity on small islands can be unreliable during busy periods.
• The hillside villages above Aegiali — Tholaria, Lagada, and Potamos — are worth a morning walk before lunch at Yachendo. Each village is about 45 minutes on foot from the bay.

What to Order

The clearest way to eat well at Yachendo is to build a meal around whatever fish was landed that day. Ask the staff which fish came in that morning — the menu lists bream as a standard option, but availability shifts with the catch. Pair it with sautéed seasonal greens and the Amorgian fava as a starter.

For meat eaters, the roasted pork chops with baby potatoes and grilled vegetables are a reliable main. The biological beef meatballs are a good choice for a lighter appetite or as a shared mezze-style plate at the start of a meal.

On the drinks side, the wine list draws on Greek producers, and psimeni — a cinnamon-and-clove-spiced wine that is traditional in the Cyclades — is worth trying if you haven't encountered it before. For coffee drinkers, the 10:00 opening makes the café side of the operation genuinely useful: Greek coffee (ellinikos), freddo espresso, and herbal teas are all on the menu.

Vegetarian visitors can eat well here: the fava, seasonal vegetable sides, and salads give enough options that a full meal without meat or fish is straightforward to put together.