Taverna Sarris

Taverna Sarris sits in Naxos Town (Chora) and has built one of the strongest reputations of any restaurant on the island — a 4.8 rating from more than 2,300 Google reviews is not the kind of score you accumulate by accident. It operates as a straightforward Greek taverna: casual seating, local produce, and cooking that leans on the island's well-stocked larder rather than on culinary theatre.

Naxos has long had an advantage over most Cycladic islands when it comes to food. The interior produces excellent potatoes, courgettes, and cheese — most famously graviera and arseniko — while the surrounding Aegean keeps the seafood fresh. Taverna Sarris puts both to use in the kind of cooking you come to a Greek island hoping to find.

What to Expect

The menu follows the rhythm of a traditional taverna: grilled fish and seafood alongside meat dishes, mezedes, and the kind of sides — horiatiki salad, tzatziki, fried courgette — that fill the table quickly. Reviewers frequently single out the calamari, which the kitchen grills rather than deep-fries, a detail worth noting if you're choosing between dishes. The setting is casual and unfussy, in keeping with the taverna format, and the atmosphere reflects the relaxed pace of dining in Chora rather than anything polished or hotel-adjacent.

The restaurant is open every day from noon until midnight, giving you flexibility whether you want an unhurried lunch or a late dinner after an evening walk through the old town.

How to Get There

Taverna Sarris is located in Naxos Town at the address registered as Sarris Tavern 8, in the 843 00 postcode. Chora is compact and walkable from the port — if you've arrived by ferry, the town centre is a short walk along the waterfront. The old town (Kastro area) and the main commercial streets are the natural landmarks to orient yourself around.

If you're coming from one of the beach resorts — Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, or Plaka — local buses run regularly into Naxos Town from the main road stops. The KTEL bus station is near the port. By car, parking in central Chora can be tight in high season; the areas near the port or the edge of town are the practical options.

Best Time to Visit

Lunch service starts at noon and is generally quieter than the evening rush, making it a good window if you want a table without a wait. In July and August, Naxos Town fills up considerably and popular tavernas fill fast after 8 PM — arriving by 7 PM or booking ahead (the phone number is +30 2285 024919) is the sensible approach. The shoulder months of May, June, and September offer the same menu in a less pressured atmosphere, with reliable weather and shorter queues.

Tips for Visiting

• Call ahead in peak season. The number is +30 2285 024919. The kitchen runs until midnight, but prime evening slots go quickly in summer.
• Order the grilled calamari. It appears consistently in visitor reviews and represents the kitchen's approach to seafood well.
• Try the local cheese. If the menu includes graviera — Naxos's protected-designation hard cheese — it's worth ordering as a starter or alongside a main.
• Come hungry. Taverna-style service in Greece tends to arrive as a spread rather than a sequence; ordering a few mezedes alongside a main works better than trying to pace it like a European tasting menu.
• Check the day's fish. Fresh catches vary; ask the staff what came in that day before defaulting to the printed menu.

The Naxos Food Context

Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades and the only one with an agricultural interior substantial enough to supply most of its own food. Local potatoes are exported across Greece; the dairy tradition produces graviera, soft white cheeses, and kitron liqueur distilled from citron fruit found almost nowhere else. A taverna like Sarris sits within that supply chain in a way that a tourist-facing restaurant in a smaller, more import-dependent island cannot. The food tends to taste like it belongs to the place — which, at its best, is exactly what a traditional Greek taverna is supposed to deliver.