To Steki

To Steki is one of the most consistently rated eating spots on Anafi, a small Cycladic island southeast of Santorini that sees a fraction of the tourist traffic its neighbours do. With 239 Google reviews averaging 4.5 stars, it has earned a loyal following among the island's repeat visitors — no small feat on an island where the entire permanent population numbers in the hundreds. The name itself, steki, is an everyday Greek word for a regular haunt or meeting place, and the taverna lives up to that casual, come-as-you-are identity.

The kitchen focuses on traditional Greek island cooking — the kind built around seasonal produce, olive oil, and whatever comes off local boats or out of family gardens. There are no elaborate tasting menus here, and that is precisely the point. Anafi has long attracted travellers who value simplicity, and To Steki feeds them accordingly.

The address places it in the main settlement on the island, the hilltop Chora at 840 09 Anafi, a whitewashed village of narrow lanes and blue-domed churches perched above the port. If you are staying on the island for more than a day, you will almost certainly find yourself walking past it more than once.

What to Expect

To Steki operates as an informal taverna in the traditional Cycladic mould. Expect checked tablecloths or bare wooden tables in a compact indoor space, likely spilling onto a terrace or into the lane outside when the weather allows — which on Anafi, a very sunny and dry island, is most of the summer season.

The menu follows the rhythm of home-style Greek cooking: slow-cooked dishes like stifado or giouvetsi, grilled meats, fresh salads built around ripe tomatoes and good feta, and whatever the day's catch dictates. The Facebook description names it explicitly as a place serving Elliniki paradosiaki nisiiotiki kouzina — traditional Greek island cuisine — which in practice means dishes made from scratch with local and seasonal ingredients rather than imported convenience products.

Portions tend to be generous at this style of taverna. Bread arrives with the meal, the house wine is usually a carafe of local or regional table wine, and the pace of service matches the pace of the island: unhurried. If you are arriving hungry from a beach walk or a hike toward the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi on the island's eastern end, the kitchen's hours — opening at 10am every day and running until midnight or later — mean you are rarely without an option.

The price range, noted in the snippet data as in the higher bracket ($$), should be read in the context of a small remote island where supply logistics add to costs, rather than as a sign of fine-dining pretension. Most traditional tavernas on lesser-visited Cycladic islands price accordingly.

How to Get There

Anafi's Chora sits on a hill roughly two kilometres from the ferry port at Agios Nikolaos. On arriving by ferry — Anafi is served by connections from Santorini, Piraeus, and other Cycladic ports — you can reach the Chora either on foot up the stepped path (around 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace) or by the island's local bus, which typically meets ferry arrivals.

Once in the Chora, the village is compact enough to navigate on foot within a few minutes. To Steki sits at coordinates 36.3513°N, 25.7684°E — in the central part of the settlement. Ask any local and you will be pointed in the right direction quickly; the Chora has few streets.

There is no dedicated parking infrastructure in the Chora itself, but if you are travelling by scooter or ATV — the standard way to explore Anafi's few roads — you can leave vehicles at the edge of the village before the pedestrianised lanes begin.

Accessibility: the narrow, stepped lanes of an old Cycladic Chora are generally not wheelchair-friendly. If mobility is a concern, it is worth calling ahead to ask about the specific entrance and seating layout.

Best Time to Visit

Anafi's tourist season runs from late June through early September, with July and August bringing the highest footfall — though even at peak season, the island feels quiet compared to Santorini or Paros. To Steki is open year-round based on the listed hours, but services on Anafi contract significantly outside the main summer months, and it is always sensible to call ahead if visiting in spring or autumn.

For the meal itself, evenings from around 8pm to 10pm are when most island tavernas are at their liveliest and when the kitchen is typically firing on all cylinders. Lunchtime service, starting from 10am, is more relaxed and suited to a slower midday meal between beach trips.

The Meltemi wind that sweeps the Cyclades from mid-July through August can make alfresco dining on exposed terraces breezy, so if you prefer a calmer setting, aim for a table under cover or visit in June or September when the wind is less insistent.

Tips for Visiting

• Call ahead during shoulder season. Outside July and August, hours can shift and kitchens sometimes close for the evening earlier than listed. The number is +30 2286 061380.
• Arrive with patience. Service on a small, low-staffed island taverna moves at its own pace. This is not a flaw; it is part of how Anafi works. Order drinks, eat bread, watch the lane.
• Ask what came in fresh that day. Whatever the cook recommends as the daily special on a small island taverna is usually the best thing on the menu — it reflects what was available at the market or off a boat that morning.
• Bring cash. Card payment infrastructure on remote Cycladic islands can be unreliable or absent. Check before you sit down, but do not count on paying by card.
• Try the local wine. Anafi has a tradition of small-scale viticulture, and some tavernas on the island serve wine from nearby islands or local producers. Ask what's available by the carafe.
• Note the late closing on weekends. Thursday and Saturday close at 12:30am, Sunday at 1:00am — unusually late for a small-island taverna, which suggests a lively local crowd on those evenings.
• Combine with a Chora evening walk. The Chora is at its best after 7pm when the heat drops and locals emerge. Eating at To Steki fits naturally into a long, slow evening stroll through the village.
• Reserve a table for groups. The taverna's capacity is unlikely to be large. If you are arriving with a group of more than four, a phone call in advance is a sensible precaution during high season.

What to Order

The menu at To Steki follows the principles of traditional Cycladic cooking, which means simplicity and quality ingredients over complexity. Without a current menu available, the following represents the category of dishes you should expect and ask about.

Starters and salads will typically include horiatiki (village salad), tzatziki, taramasalata, and possibly local cheese — Anafi and the surrounding islands have a tradition of producing hard cheeses from sheep and goat milk. A pikilia (mixed mezze plate) is worth asking about if you want to try several things.

Main courses at a traditional island taverna lean toward grilled fish and meat, slow-cooked lamb, and oven-baked dishes. On an island with access to fresh fish, whatever is listed as the daily catch — often sea bream (tsipoura), sea bass (lavraki), or smaller fish like red mullet (barbounia) — is the obvious choice. Grilled octopus, if available, is a Cycladic staple.

Meat dishes might include lamb chops (paidakia), chicken, or the slow-braised options common in Greek village cooking. Vegetarians will find sustenance in the starter and salad range, plus any seasonal vegetable dishes (lathera) the kitchen prepares.

Dessert at this style of taverna is often simple — fresh fruit, yoghurt with honey, or a small sweet offered complimentarily at the end of the meal, as is customary at many family-run Greek establishments.