Grand Blue

Grand Blue sits directly at Magganari beach on the southern tip of Ios, one of the island's longest and most sheltered stretches of sand. It operates as a full-day restaurant — open from 9 in the morning through to 11 at night — so you can drop in for breakfast after an early swim, come back for a grilled fish lunch, and return again for dinner as the stars come out over the Aegean.

The restaurant describes itself as a fish taverna first and foremost, built around locally sourced Greek fish and seafood prepared with seasonal ingredients. A stone-built bar stocked with wine, tsipouro, and other drinks is part of the space, which means it works equally well as a lingering lunch spot or a proper dinner destination. With 135 Google reviews and a 4.3 rating, it has a consistent track record with the visitors who make the trip down to Magganari.

Magganari is roughly 18 kilometres from Ios Town (Chora) by road, which makes Grand Blue a destination rather than a casual walk-in. That remoteness is part of the appeal: the beach is quieter than the beaches closer to the port, the water is clear and calm, and the crowd at Grand Blue tends to be people who have made a deliberate choice to spend the day here rather than tourists passing through.

What to Expect

The dining area is set up in a traditionally styled space right on the beach at Magganari, so the view across the bay is unobstructed. Tables are close enough to the water that you can hear it throughout the meal.

The kitchen is centred on fresh fish and seafood meze — the kind of spread that works well for groups sharing. Starters include shrimp salad, grilled halloumi, fried zucchini, and aubergine dip (melitzanosalata), alongside other cold and hot appetizers that change with availability and season. Main courses lean on the day's fresh catch, prepared simply in the Greek tradition: grilled, baked, or fried with good olive oil and lemon. Traditional Greek meat dishes and salads round out the menu for those not eating seafood.

The stone bar carries a selection of wines and tsipouro — the Greek pomace spirit that pairs naturally with fish meze — alongside beers and other drinks. There is no indication of a fixed wine list from the available information, but Greek island restaurants at this level typically offer local and mainland Greek labels by the glass and bottle.

The setting is low-key and unfussy. This is not a white-tablecloth restaurant; it is a well-run beach taverna with reliable food, good ingredients, and a location that earns its own reputation. The combination of honest cooking and an honest view is what the place delivers consistently.

How to Get There

Magganari is on the southern coast of Ios, accessed via the main road that runs south from Ios Town through the interior of the island. The drive from Chora takes roughly 25–30 minutes depending on road conditions and is predominantly on a paved but winding road. A car or scooter is the most practical way to reach it independently.

During the summer season, small boat excursions from Ios Town port sometimes include Magganari as a stop, which allows you to arrive by sea and have a meal before heading back. Check with operators at the port for current schedules.

Parking is available near the beach. The area gets busy on peak summer days, particularly in July and August, so arriving earlier in the morning or in the early afternoon avoids the tightest windows for both parking and table availability.

There is no regular public bus service that runs directly to Magganari. Taxis from Ios Town are available but given the distance, agree on a fare before departing.

Best Time to Visit

Grand Blue is open daily through the main tourist season. Based on the hours listed, it runs every day of the week from 9am to 11pm, which suggests it operates from late spring through early autumn — the standard operating window for beach restaurants on Ios.

For lunch, arriving between 12:30pm and 2pm puts you in the middle of the natural rhythm of the day at Magganari: beach in the morning, food at midday, more beach in the afternoon. Dinner from around 8pm onward allows you to eat as the light fades over the water and the beach empties out.

July and August bring the heaviest traffic to Ios, and Magganari is one of the island's better-known southern beaches. Weekdays are noticeably quieter than weekends. If you are visiting in June or September, you will find the beach and the restaurant significantly less crowded, with better service response times and easier parking.

Avoid arriving at peak midday in August without a reservation or an early arrival strategy — the combination of beach visitors and diners can put pressure on tables.

Tips for Visiting

• Call ahead in high season. The restaurant's phone number is +30 697 774 8256. A quick call on the morning of your visit to flag your preferred mealtime is sensible in July and August.
• Combine beach and meal. Magganari has good swimming water and a long sandy shore. Plan for at least a half-day so you can swim before or after eating without feeling rushed.
• Order the fresh fish by weight. In Greek tavernas, whole fish is typically priced per kilogram and presented raw for you to select before cooking. Ask what came in that morning and go from there.
• Start with the meze. Shrimp salad, fried zucchini, aubergine dip, and halloumi make a strong shared opening before the main fish course.
• Try the tsipouro. The stone bar carries tsipouro, the traditional Greek spirit distilled from grape pomace. It is the correct accompaniment to seafood meze and a genuine part of the eating experience here.
• The road to Magganari is winding. If you are renting a scooter, allow more time than the map suggests and take the corners carefully. The road is paved but narrow in sections.
• Bring cash as a backup. While many Greek island restaurants now accept cards, beach tavernas in remote locations sometimes have connectivity issues with card terminals. Having euros available avoids any awkwardness at the end of a long meal.
• Consider the boat option. If you are staying near Ios Town port, a day-trip boat excursion to Magganari removes the driving entirely and gives you a different perspective on the southern coastline.

What to Order

The restaurant's identity is built around fresh fish and seafood meze, so the strongest ordering strategy follows that focus.

For starters, the shrimp salad (garidosalata) is listed explicitly as a house offering, alongside melitzanosalata, halloumi grilled to order, and fried zucchini. These work well as a shared table spread while you wait for the main course.

For mains, the day's fresh fish is the core reason to eat here. Greek fish tavernas of this type typically offer whole fish — sea bream (tsipoura), sea bass (lavraki), red mullet (barbouni), and whatever else came off the boats that morning — grilled simply with olive oil, lemon, and herbs. Octopus grilled over charcoal is a near-universal fixture at Greek seaside tavernas and worth asking about if you don't see it on the menu.

To drink, local Greek wine by the carafe is the standard pairing, and tsipouro — served cold and neat — fits naturally with the seafood meze format. The stone bar also carries beer and a fuller range of spirits for those who want something different.

If the table is split between seafood eaters and non-seafood eaters, the kitchen also prepares traditional Greek meat dishes and salads, so it's a workable option for mixed groups.