Margarita

Margarita — the name you may spot locally — is the same spot operating under the brand Cantina Del Mar, an all-day café and restaurant on the main road through Ios Chora. The place has been running since 2008, which in a village where bars and restaurants turn over with some regularity is a meaningful track record. In September 2022 the business relocated to a more central position on that same main road, keeping its menu, kitchen standards, and overall character intact.

With a 4.6-star average across 244 Google reviews, the consensus among visitors is consistent: the food is prepared with care, the setting is relaxed, and the hours — 8 AM through to 1 AM on weekdays, 2 AM on weekends — mean it works as a breakfast stop, a lunch break, or a pre-club meal before Ios's nightlife ramps up. The email address and website both carry the Cantina Del Mar identity, so if you're trying to track it down or book a table online, search under that name rather than Margarita.

The Cyclades aren't short of places claiming homemade quality, but Cantina Del Mar's longevity in a demanding, competitive market like Ios suggests the kitchen backs that claim up. The team describes their work as a family business, and the tone across their communications reflects that — personal, consistent, and focused on food rather than atmosphere-for-atmosphere's-sake.

What to Expect

The restaurant sits on the main pedestrian road running through Ios Chora — the spine that connects the port-side approach to the village with the upper part of the settlement and the cluster of bars that define the island's nightlife. That position makes it easy to find and naturally suited to the all-day model: foot traffic flows past from mid-morning through late night.

The menu's anchor is brunch, which the kitchen takes seriously — expect homemade preparations rather than packaged or mass-produced dishes. The website flags a new updated menu for 2025, so the specific dishes on offer may have evolved from prior seasons. The overall approach leans toward quality ingredients and freshness over volume, which fits the pace of the place.

The setting is described as relaxed and casual. This is not a white-tablecloth dinner venue; it's the kind of spot where you can sit with a coffee in the morning and return for a full meal in the evening without feeling out of place either time. Given the hours extend to 1–2 AM, it occupies a practical niche on Ios that many restaurants don't: it bridges the gap between daytime dining and late-night eating without fully becoming a bar.

Service is handled by a team that has been running the same operation for well over a decade, which tends to show in the efficiency and familiarity of how the place operates during peak season.

How to Get There

Cantina Del Mar is on the main road through Ios Chora — the address listed is Main Road Chora, Ios Cyclades, 84001. If you arrive by ferry at Ios Port (Ormos), the standard route to Chora is by the frequent bus that runs up the hill, a journey of roughly ten minutes. The bus drops you in the main square of Chora, from which the main road through the village is immediately accessible on foot.

If you're driving or on a scooter, parking in central Chora is limited; vehicles are generally left at the edges of the village, particularly near the main square or along the lower approach roads, and the rest is done on foot. The main road itself is pedestrianized through much of its length.

The coordinates place the restaurant at approximately 36.7156°N, 25.2918°E, which is within the central Chora settlement. On Google Maps, searching "Cantina Del Mar Ios" will bring it up directly.

Best Time to Visit

Ios runs as a high-season destination from late June through August, with the village at its busiest — and the restaurant most in demand — during July and August. Arriving for brunch on the earlier side (8–10 AM) gives you a quieter experience before the day heats up and the main road fills out.

For dinner, the Ios dynamic is worth noting: most visitors eat relatively late by northern European standards, with the dinner rush typically falling between 8 PM and 10 PM. If you prefer a quieter table and faster service, 6:30–7:30 PM works well. The kitchen staying open until 1 AM (2 AM on weekends) means there's also a genuine late-dining option for those who want to eat after an evening swim or before moving on to the bars.

Shoulder season — May, early June, September — brings cooler evenings, a noticeably quieter village, and a more relaxed pace at the tables. Some Ios businesses reduce hours or close entirely in October, so if you're visiting outside peak season, confirming current hours directly is worthwhile.

Tips for Visiting

• Book ahead in peak season. The website offers a table reservation option at cantinadelmar.com. In July and August, Chora restaurants fill quickly in the evening, and a booking removes the uncertainty.
• Arrive for brunch. The kitchen has positioned brunch as a signature offering. Coming in at 8–10 AM lets you try the food at its freshest and at the quietest point of the day.
• Use the Cantina Del Mar name. If you're searching Google Maps, asking locals, or looking for the website, "Cantina Del Mar" is the operative name — the local "Margarita" label may cause confusion with other spots.
• Check the 2025 menu update. The team flagged a new menu for the current season, so specific dishes from prior-year reviews may have changed. The quality focus and homemade approach appear to be constants.
• The hours are genuinely long. 8 AM to 1 AM daily means this works as a first stop of the day and a last proper meal before the clubs. That flexibility is rare in Chora.
• The location is walkable from everywhere in the village. Ios Chora is compact; once you're in the village, nothing is more than a few minutes on foot.
• Contact by phone or email if you have specific dietary questions. The phone number is +30 2286 093449 and the contact email is [email protected] — the team has described itself as responsive to customer questions.
• Outdoor seating fills first. On warm evenings the tables outside or facing the main road go quickly. If you prefer that, arrive a little before your preferred dining time.

History and Context

Cantina Del Mar opened in 2008, making it one of the longer-running food establishments in Ios Chora. The island's food and nightlife scene is in constant flux — new venues open each season, others quietly close after a year or two — so a business that has maintained consistent reviews over fifteen-plus years occupies a different category from seasonal newcomers.

The 2022 relocation from wherever the original "little corner" stood to the main road of Chora was described by the owners as a move toward greater visibility while keeping everything that defined the original spot: the same menu philosophy, the same team ethos, and the same commitment to homemade preparation. The phrasing on their website — "a part of our family" and "a desire for perfection" — reads as earned language given the timeline, not marketing boilerplate.

For context, Ios Chora developed its modern identity as a party island primarily from the 1970s onward, and the village's main road became the connective tissue between daytime village life and nighttime activity. A restaurant that sits on that road, opens at 8 AM, and closes at 1–2 AM is consciously positioning itself to serve the full range of that daily rhythm rather than staking out one part of it.