Tortuga Beach Bar & Restaurant

Tortuga Beach Bar & Restaurant has been operating on Plaka Beach since 2001 — long enough to have outlasted several waves of beachfront trends while the same stretch of sand keeps drawing visitors back. The address puts it on the ΠΛΑΚΑ coast, roughly 8 km south of Naxos Town, at the edge of the long, sandy shoreline that runs south from Agia Anna. The Aegean is directly in front; there is nothing between your table and the water.

The venue describes itself as a beach bar, lounge, and restaurant in one. That means you can arrive at 8am for coffee, claim a sunbed, eat lunch, and stay for dinner without moving more than a few metres. The aesthetic runs toward natural materials — stone, weathered wood — set against the open blue of the sea, which keeps the look cohesive through the long hours of a summer day.

What to Expect

Tortuga positions its food offering as a "cultural table" — a phrase from their own branding that gestures toward Naxian ingredients used with some creative latitude. The island provides well: Naxos is known for its potatoes, graviera cheese, and fresh seafood, so you can reasonably expect those to appear in various forms on a menu that blends local produce with contemporary preparation. The bar side covers coffees and juices through the morning, cocktails and cold drinks through the afternoon, and wine and spirits into the evening.

The space is large enough to accommodate both casual beachgoers and groups looking for a sit-down dinner. With nearly 1,000 Google ratings averaging 4 out of 5, the overall picture is reliably good without being perfect — a fair summary of what a busy beach venue tends to deliver.

Opening hours run 8:00 AM to 11:30 PM Monday through Friday and Sunday, and until 11:00 PM on Saturday, giving you a full day's range of options in one place.

How to Get There

From Naxos Town, the most direct route is the coastal road south through Agios Georgios, Agios Prokopios, and Agia Anna — about 8 km by car or scooter. The drive takes roughly 15 minutes outside peak season and longer in July and August when the road through Agios Prokopios sees heavy summer traffic.

Public buses run from Naxos Town's main bus terminal near the port to Plaka Beach during the summer season, though schedules thin out in the evenings. Check the KTEL Naxos timetable before planning a late return trip. Parking near Plaka Beach is available along the roadside, though spots fill quickly in August. Arriving before 10am or after 5pm makes parking considerably easier.

There is no ferry or boat service directly to Plaka Beach, but the beach is walkable from Agia Anna to the north — roughly 20 minutes on foot along the shore.

Best Time to Visit

Plaka Beach itself faces west, which means afternoon and early evening light lands directly on the water. Sunset from a table or sunbed here is genuinely worth timing a visit around. For a meal, arriving at 7:00 PM gives you full daylight over the sea and the first cool air of the evening before the restaurant fills to capacity.

July and August are the busiest months. If you want a quieter experience with the same open sea and functioning kitchen, late June and September offer noticeably fewer crowds and similar weather. The venue opens seasonally; confirming they are open outside the June–September window is worth a quick check before visiting in shoulder months.

Tips for Visiting

• Book ahead for dinner in summer. Tables with direct sea views go quickly, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Use the website or email [email protected] to reserve.
• Arrive early for sunbed access. The beach bar section fills up by mid-morning in peak season. An 8am arrival secures the best positioning.
• Combine beach time with a meal. The all-day format means you are not required to eat to use the space, but the kitchen being open from morning to near midnight makes it easy to stay the whole day.
• Bring cash as backup. Card payment is standard at most Naxos beach venues, but connectivity at beachside locations can be intermittent.
• Check the weather before an evening visit. Plaka is exposed and the meltemi wind, which blows from the north in summer, can make open-air dining uncomfortable on certain afternoons. Evenings are generally calmer.
• Parking fills fast in August. Arriving before 10am or after the lunch rush is the most practical way to find a spot without circling.

A Note on the Location: Plaka Beach

Plaka is one of the longer uninterrupted beaches on Naxos, running for roughly 4 km with fine white sand and clear, relatively shallow water. It is not as developed as Agios Georgios closer to Naxos Town, which means more open stretches of beach alongside the organised sections. Tortuga sits at the northern end of the Plaka stretch, making it a natural base from which to walk the beach in either direction. The area behind the beach is flat agricultural land, which keeps the horizon open and the noise level low compared to resort beaches further north.