Katerina's Litte Venice

Katerina's sits directly on the waterfront at Agion Anargyron 8, in the Little Venice district of Mykonos Town — the row of Cycladic buildings whose ground floors hang over the Aegean. The restaurant occupies the lower level of a traditional two-storey Mykonian building, with tables close enough to the water that you can hear the waves beneath you. From that position, the line of Mykonos' famous windmills is visible to the west.

The place has two distinct identities stacked on top of each other. Downstairs, the restaurant has been operating in its current form since 2007, serving Greek and Mediterranean food at lunch and dinner. Upstairs, the cocktail bar has been running since 1991 — predating the restaurant by more than a decade — and stays open until 3 AM every night of the week. Both floors share the same water-level view and the same address, but they function independently enough that you can come for a meal and stay for drinks, or skip dinner entirely and head straight to the bar.

The business was started by Katerina Xidaki, who converted her family home into a restaurant and bar. Her son Konstantinos Varnalis now runs the operation and is responsible for the cocktail bar on the upper floor, including the wooden sculptures displayed in the bar's interior.

What to Expect

The ground-floor restaurant is straightforward: a compact dining room in a traditional whitewashed building, with the sea immediately outside. The cuisine is Greek-Mediterranean — think fresh fish, grilled meats, and the kind of salads and mezedes that anchor any honest taverna menu in the Cyclades. The setting does a lot of the work, but the kitchen is serious enough that the place has earned a certification from a major travel review platform and holds a 4.4 rating from over 1,000 Google reviews.

The upper-floor cocktail bar is a different atmosphere. It's a narrower, more intimate space decorated with Konstantinos' wooden sculptures, and the view from up here — across the water toward the windmills — is what draws people back repeatedly. Cocktails are the focus, with a full menu of mixed drinks alongside spirits. The bar describes its pricing as logical for what you get, which by Little Venice standards means competitive rather than extravagant.

Both floors get busy, particularly around sunset when the Little Venice strip fills up quickly. The restaurant is best experienced at lunch or early dinner when the light is still on the water and the crowds haven't peaked. The bar comes into its own later in the evening and stays open late enough that it functions as a genuine late-night venue.

Service is attentive and English-speaking, as you'd expect in this part of Mykonos Town.

How to Get There

Katerina's is on Agion Anargyron, the pedestrian lane that runs along the Little Venice waterfront. From Mykonos Town's main harbor, walk south through the narrow lanes of the Chora toward the windmills — Little Venice sits between the harbor and Kato Mili (the windmill row). Most visitors reach it on foot in under ten minutes from the central square near the old port.

There is no car access to Agion Anargyron itself. The closest you can get by vehicle is the public parking area near the bus station at Fabrika, roughly a ten-minute walk away. Taxis from the harbor drop-off point or the taxi stand at Manto Square can get you close to the neighborhood entrance. If you're arriving by ferry to the New Port, take the shuttle bus or a taxi into town first.

Accessibility is limited by the narrow, uneven stone lanes typical of the Chora. There are no steps to enter the ground-floor restaurant from the street, but the upper bar level requires a staircase.

Best Time to Visit

Mykonos' main season runs from late May through September, and Katerina's operates throughout. July and August are the busiest months on the island; the Little Venice strip in particular draws large crowds from late afternoon onward, especially during sunset. If you want a table at the restaurant with a clear view and space to breathe, aim for lunch or early dinner — arriving by 7 PM rather than 9 PM makes a noticeable difference.

For the cocktail bar, the peak window is the hour before and after sunset, when every establishment on this waterfront is full. Come at 6 PM if you want a seat with a windmill view; come at 10 PM if you just want a drink in a quieter setting.

Shoulder season — late May to mid-June or the first half of September — offers the same views with considerably fewer people and slightly cooler temperatures. The meltemi wind that picks up on Mykonos in July and August blows strongest in the afternoon and can make outdoor waterfront seating choppy. By evening it typically eases.

Tips for Visiting

• Book the restaurant in advance for dinner. Little Venice fills fast in high season, and Katerina's lower floor is not large. A reservation means you won't be turned away after making the walk over.
• For the bar, no reservation is needed, but arrive early if you want a specific window seat with the windmill view — these go quickly around sunset.
• Lunch is the quieter meal. The restaurant opens at 9 AM and the lunchtime crowd is lighter than the dinner rush, giving you more space and often faster service.
• The upper bar and lower restaurant have separate entrances. If you're going to the cocktail bar, confirm with staff which level you want when you arrive, as it's easy to end up in the wrong space.
• The wooden sculptures in the bar interior are worth noticing. They're Konstantinos Varnalis' own work and give the space a more personal character than the typical Mykonos venue.
• Bring a light layer for late evenings at the bar. The waterfront position means the sea breeze picks up after dark, especially in early and late season.
• Walking to the windmills from here takes about two minutes. Kato Mili is the natural next stop after drinks or dinner — the light on the mill sails at dusk is worth the short detour.
• Contact the restaurant directly at +30 2289 023084 or [email protected] for reservations or specific questions about the menu.

What to Order

The restaurant's menu follows the Greek-Mediterranean model: fresh seafood is central, alongside grilled meats, seasonal vegetables, and the standard architecture of a Greek meal — dips, salads, and small plates before the main course. On an island like Mykonos, where the fishing boats work out of the old harbor a short walk away, the fish and octopus dishes are worth prioritizing.

For the bar upstairs, cocktails are the main event. The menu is a full list of mixed drinks, and given that the bar has been operating since 1991, the staff know what they're doing. Classic cocktails and local spirits both appear. For a Cycladic context, look for drinks built around mastiha (the resin liqueur from nearby Chios), ouzo, or Aegean-sourced ingredients if they're on the current menu — though specific offerings change seasonally, so check with staff on the night.

If you're moving between floors in the same visit, the practical approach is to eat downstairs first and finish the evening at the bar — the kitchen closes before the bar does, and the bar's late closing means you can extend the night without rushing.