Ano Mera Traditional Restaurant

Ano Mera Traditional Restaurant occupies a position on Ano Mera's central square, the one gathering point in Mykonos's only real inland village. While the island's coastal strip is given over to beach clubs, designer bars, and restaurants priced for the summer jet-set, Ano Mera — about 8 km east of Mykonos Town — operates at a different pace. A square-side taverna here means plastic or wooden chairs facing a monastery, church bells, and locals who actually live on the island year-round.

The draw is straightforward: food cooked in the style that predates Mykonos's international fame — roasted meats, vegetable dishes made with whatever the season offers, grilled fish, and the kind of mezedes that come out without ceremony. For travelers who have spent days navigating inflated menus in Little Venice or Super Paradise Beach, a meal in Ano Mera's square reads almost as a correction.

The research data for this specific establishment is limited, so some practical details — exact hours, current ownership, and menu pricing — should be confirmed locally or by calling ahead once you arrive on the island. What is known is the address: Ano Mera Square, Mykonos 846 00.

What to Expect

Ano Mera's square is anchored by the 16th-century Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, whose red-tiled bell tower is visible from most directions as you approach the village. The restaurant sits within the square's cluster of tavernas and kafeneions — small, traditional Greek coffeehouses — that line the perimeter. The setting is genuinely village-scale: low buildings, a handful of tables outside, and the kind of foot traffic that consists more of Greek families and long-stay visitors than day-tripping tour groups.

Food at a traditional Mykonos taverna in this location typically centers on grilled lamb and pork, moussaka, slow-cooked stews, fresh salads dressed simply with olive oil, and local cheese. Kopanisti — Mykonos's sharp, pungent fermented cheese — appears as a spread or topping on many tables here and across the island. Louza, the island's cured pork fillet, is another local product worth trying if it appears on the menu.

Service in this type of establishment is unhurried. Courses arrive when they're ready. Coffee comes after, not with, the bill. The pace is part of the experience, not a shortcoming. Expect a straightforward wine list led by bulk wine from a barrel or carafe, alongside standard Greek bottled options.

The atmosphere shifts noticeably from midday to evening. Lunchtime draws both tour groups stopping at Ano Mera on a circuit of the island and local workers. Evening service — if available — is quieter and more relaxed, with the square settling into the kind of atmosphere that Greek village squares have maintained for generations.

How to Get There

Ano Mera sits 8 km east of Mykonos Town along the central road that crosses the island. By car or scooter, it's a straightforward drive of 15 to 20 minutes from the port or airport area. Parking is available on the edges of the village without the congestion that defines Mykonos Town in high season.

KTEL buses connect Mykonos Town's main bus station (Fabrika Square, also called South Station) with Ano Mera several times daily throughout the summer season. The journey takes roughly 20 to 25 minutes and the fare is low — in line with standard Greek island bus pricing. Check the current timetable at the bus station or from the KTEL Mykonos website before relying on a specific departure.

Taxis from Mykonos Town to Ano Mera are widely available but expensive relative to the distance, particularly in peak season when demand exceeds supply. Booking a taxi through the official Mykonos taxi association or via a hotel concierge is more reliable than hailing one informally.

The restaurant itself is on or immediately adjacent to the main square, so once you reach Ano Mera, orientation is simple.

Best Time to Visit

Ano Mera is at its most atmospheric in shoulder season — late May through June and September through early October — when the village is active but not overwhelmed. In July and August, tour buses from Mykonos Town make a scheduled stop at Ano Mera, which means the square can fill between roughly 11:00 and 14:00 on weekdays. Arriving for lunch before 12:30 or after 13:30 gives you a better chance of a quieter table.

For dinner, Ano Mera is consistently calmer than the coast. The village doesn't have Mykonos Town's nightlife infrastructure, which means evening meals here tend to be genuinely peaceful.

In winter, Ano Mera is one of the few parts of Mykonos that remains inhabited and functioning, though many seasonal establishments close from November through March. If you're visiting outside summer, call ahead to confirm the restaurant is open.

The Aegean heat peaks between mid-July and mid-August. An outdoor table in the square has some shade from the surrounding buildings and the occasional breeze from the island's prevailing northern meltemi wind, which hits the coast harder than the inland village.

Tips for Visiting

• Confirm hours before making the trip. Specific opening times for this establishment are not available in the current research data. Ask at your accommodation in Mykonos Town, or pass through Ano Mera in the morning to check posted hours.
• Walk around the monastery before or after eating. Panagia Tourliani is open to visitors and contains a richly decorated interior with an 18th-century marble iconostasis. It takes about 20 minutes to see properly and adds meaningful context to the village.
• Order local products where possible. Ask specifically for kopanisti cheese and louza if you don't see them on a printed menu — in village tavernas, some items exist as daily specials or are simply brought out for those who ask.
• Bring cash. Card acceptance in traditional tavernas in smaller Greek villages is increasingly common but not guaranteed. Having euros on hand avoids any awkward moments at the end of a meal.
• Skip the tourist-trap stops on the way. The road from Mykonos Town to Ano Mera passes several roadside shops selling overpriced jewelry and beach goods. None of them are relevant to a meal in the village.
• The bus back runs less frequently in the evening. If you're relying on public transport, check the last departure from Ano Mera before you sit down to eat, or arrange a taxi return in advance.
• Dress practically. This is a working village, not a beach destination. Lightweight clothing appropriate for walking and sitting outdoors is fine; beachwear looks out of place here.
• Consider combining with other Ano Mera stops. The village has a handful of kafeneions and small shops. A short walk after lunch gives a more complete sense of inland Mykonos than the 45 minutes a tour group typically allocates.

History and Context

Ano Mera is the only true village in Mykonos's interior and one of the oldest continuously settled communities on the island. While Mykonos Town (Chora) grew as a port and commercial hub facing the sea, Ano Mera developed inland — partly as a result of the same piracy threats that shaped so many Aegean settlements during the medieval period. Positioning a community away from the coastline reduced its visibility and vulnerability to raids.

The Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, founded in 1542 by two monks from the village of Tourliani, became the community's religious and social center. It was rebuilt substantially in 1767 and remains active today. The monastery's presence gave Ano Mera a stability and identity that the port town, more subject to the fluctuations of trade and migration, didn't always share.

For most of the 20th century, Ano Mera was the more populated of the two main settlements on the island. Mykonos Town grew dramatically from the 1950s onward as tourism transformed the island's economy, drawing population toward the coast and gradually repositioning Ano Mera as the quieter, more traditional counterpart. The tavernas and kafeneions around the square are a direct continuation of that older social infrastructure — places where people gathered to eat, drink coffee, and talk before Mykonos became synonymous with anything else.

A traditional restaurant in this square inherits that context, whether or not it marks the fact explicitly on its menu.