To Maereio Restaurant

To Maereio has been feeding people properly on Kalogera Street in Mykonos Town for over 20 years. The restaurant draws its identity from a family tradition — the recipes and products that the founders' mother, Asimina, shaped into a cooking philosophy built on respect for Greek ingredients. With a 4.8-star average across more than 1,100 Google reviews, it consistently ranks among the most trusted dinner spots in the Chora.

Kalogera 16 sits in the heart of Mykonos Town's pedestrian maze, a few minutes' walk from the Little Venice waterfront and the main shopping lane. The street itself is one of the more animated in the old town after dark, which makes To Maereio easy to find once you know its address but genuinely hard to spot from the main drag — a quality that seems to work in its favor, since most tables here are occupied by people who came specifically rather than people who wandered in.

The restaurant opens every evening from 7:00 PM through 1:00 AM, Monday to Saturday, and is closed on Sundays. If you are planning around the weekend, keep that Sunday closure in mind.

What to Expect

To Maereio operates as a garden restaurant, which means dining takes place in an outdoor courtyard enclosed enough to feel sheltered but open to the evening air. In a town where most restaurants charge a premium for anything beyond a plastic chair and a sea view, this setup — a proper garden space with genuine cooking behind it — is worth noting.

The food follows a traditional Greek taverna framework: slow-cooked dishes, seasonal vegetables, and meat and fish preparations rooted in mainland and island Greek traditions. The web snippets reference "flavors and smells" with an emphasis on products from the land, suggesting a menu that leans toward the kind of dishes that take time to prepare — braised meats, stuffed vegetables, and baked casseroles — rather than quick-fire grill plates.

The family origins of the restaurant mean consistency is baked into the operation. This is not a place that reinvents itself seasonally to chase trends. You should expect generous portions, direct service, and the kind of food that tastes recognizably Greek rather than Greek-inflected for a tourist audience. Prices on Mykonos for this category of restaurant tend to be higher than the mainland equivalent, but To Maereio's reputation suggests the value-to-quality ratio holds up.

The garden atmosphere is most appreciated during summer evenings when temperatures are still warm at 9:00 PM but the harshest heat of the afternoon has passed. Given the seating capacity a garden allows, it is still worth booking ahead during July and August — walk-ins work more reliably in shoulder season.

How to Get There

To Maereio is located at Kalogera 16 in Mykonos Town (Chora), the island's main settlement. Kalogera Street is a pedestrian lane in the interior of the old town, running roughly parallel to the waterfront. From the port area or the main Taxi Square (Plateia Manto), it is a 5–10 minute walk on foot through the winding streets of the Chora.

The most straightforward approach: from Taxi Square, head toward Little Venice and then turn inland — Kalogera is one of the first named lanes you will cross. Google Maps navigation on foot works well in Mykonos Town even with the irregular street grid.

Mykonos Town is entirely pedestrianized in its center, so driving to the door is not possible. Vehicles can be left at the public parking areas on the periphery of the Chora — the main lots are near the new port approach road and around the bus station at the south end of town. From any of these, the walk is under 15 minutes.

The island bus network (KTEL) connects the main bus stations at South Station (near the old port) to most beach areas, but within the Chora itself you move on foot. Taxis are available from Taxi Square and can drop you at the closest vehicle-accessible point to Kalogera.

Best Time to Visit

To Maereio is a dinner-only restaurant, open from 7:00 PM, which aligns naturally with the Greek evening meal rhythm. The garden setting means the most pleasant experience comes when the evening has cooled — roughly after 8:00 PM in midsummer, when the heat has dropped and the town's atmosphere is at its liveliest.

Mykonos high season runs from late June through August. During this window the restaurant fills quickly, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Reservations are strongly advisable from July onward. September and early October offer the best combination of good weather, calmer streets, and easier table availability.

The restaurant is closed on Sundays, which is worth factoring in if your Mykonos itinerary is only a few days long. Plan your visit for Monday through Saturday.

Winter operations are not confirmed in the available information — Mykonos has a year-round population but many restaurants follow a seasonal calendar, so if you are visiting outside the April–October window, calling ahead on +30 2289 028825 before making plans is the sensible move.

Tips for Visiting

• Book ahead in high season. The garden has more capacity than an indoor dining room, but July and August fill tables fast. Call +30 2289 028825 to reserve, or check for any online booking option via their Facebook or Instagram.
• Arrive at opening or late. The 7:00 PM opening is less crowded; alternatively, arriving after 9:30 PM catches the second wave of tables turning.
• Sunday is a no-go. The restaurant is closed every Sunday. If Sunday is your only evening in Mykonos Town, plan an alternative in advance.
• Navigate with the street address. "Kalogera 16" is more useful to a maps app than just the restaurant name. Mykonos Town street numbering can be patchy, but Kalogera is a well-known lane.
• The garden is the draw. Whenever possible, ask for a garden table rather than any interior overflow seating — the outdoor space is the experience the restaurant is associated with.
• Go for slow-cooked dishes. A family kitchen with a 20-year track record doing traditional Greek food is at its best with the dishes that take the longest to make — opt for those over anything that could come off any grill in town.
• Check Instagram before you go. The @to_maereio account provides the most current view of what is on the menu and the current look of the garden. It is the best way to confirm seasonal opening at the edges of the season.
• Factor in Mykonos pricing. Eating well in Mykonos Town costs more than on quieter islands. To Maereio's rating suggests it earns its prices, but set your expectations for island premium costs before you sit down.

What to Order

To Maereio does not publish a detailed menu in the available sources, but the restaurant's identity gives reliable guidance. The kitchen's stated philosophy — cooking with love and respect for the products and recipes of "our land" — points toward a menu grounded in Greek home-cooking traditions.

In a traditional Greek taverna of this type, the strongest choices are typically the daily specials rather than the printed menu. Ask the server what was prepared that day. Slow-braised dishes — lamb, pork, or beef cooked in tomato or wine-based sauces — are the backbone of this cooking style and the category where a family kitchen with two decades of practice tends to outperform anything more elaborate.

Starters worth seeking in this format: fava (split pea puree), tzatziki, slow-cooked giant beans (gigantes), and any seasonal greens. For a main, look for the oven-baked or casserole options ahead of straightforward grilled proteins if you want to eat the way this restaurant was built to serve.

The garden setting and warm-evening atmosphere also make this a good choice for a longer, unhurried meal rather than a quick dinner stop — order broadly and take your time.