Ouzeri Mitsi

Ouzeri Mitsi — also operating under the name Tsachpinis — has built a loyal following in Naousa, Paros, with more than 1,000 Google reviews and a 4.4-star average. That kind of sustained rating in a competitive fishing-village restaurant scene says something real: this is a place that keeps delivering across many seasons, not just one good summer.

The format is a classic Greek ouzeri: small plates, cold ouzo or tsipouro, and the kind of unhurried table time that works best when you're sharing with two or three others. The kitchen leans heavily on seafood and cold spreads, with enough variety that both committed fish eaters and more cautious diners find something worth ordering. Paros wines — both white and red — appear on the drinks list alongside the expected spirits.

The address puts the restaurant on an unnamed road in Naousa, the northern harbour village that draws most of Paros's dining and nightlife crowd during summer. Naousa is a different proposition from Parikia: smaller, slower at the edges, with a working fishing harbour that supplies kitchens like this one directly.

What to Expect

The menu at Ouzeri Mitsi covers the full range of what a serious Greek ouzeri should: cold starters, fried seafood, grilled and cooked dishes, and a proper cheese board featuring Paros-made mizithra. Cold appetisers run from the straightforward — tzatziki, taramasalata, melitzanosalata, fava — to more ambitious plates like sea urchin salad, fresh oysters and sea squirts, and ceviche of sea bass with coriander, chilli, and lemon. Tuna tartare comes with avocado mousse and sake; prawn tartare arrives with wakame and wasabi sauce. These aren't dishes that apologise for being in a Greek ouzeri — they simply sit alongside the smoked herring salad and the salt-cured bonito and let you build the meal you want.

The fried section includes the dependable maridaki (small fried fish), calamari in both frozen and fresh versions, fresh cuttlefish, courgette fritters, and a breaded crayfish tail served with wild radish sauce. Local Paros mizithra appears twice — plain and grated with tomato — which signals genuine regional sourcing rather than generic feta-and-Greek-salad thinking.

The drinks list gives clear prominence to wines from Paros in all three colours, including rosé and 1.5-litre magnum formats, alongside sparkling wines and standard soft drinks and beers. This is an ouzo-and-wine establishment first; cocktails are not the draw.

The setting is casual — this is not a white-tablecloth restaurant — and the pacing follows the Greek rhythm of extended shared dining rather than quick covers.

How to Get There

Naousa sits on the northern coast of Paros, roughly 11 kilometres from the main port of Parikia. By car or scooter, follow the main road north from Parikia toward Naousa; the drive takes around 20 minutes depending on traffic in high season. Parking in central Naousa can be difficult in July and August — aim to arrive early in the evening and look for spaces on the approach roads before the village centre.

Regular bus service runs between Parikia and Naousa throughout the day and into the evening; the KTEL Paros schedule is worth checking before you plan a late dinner, as the last return bus runs earlier than many restaurants close. Taxis are available from the Parikia rank and can be called in advance. The restaurant's coordinates (37.1245595, 25.2394812) place it within the Naousa settlement, close to the harbour area.

Accessibility details are not confirmed in available information — if mobility is a concern, it's worth calling ahead on +30 2284 051662.

Best Time to Visit

Ouzeri Mitsi opens for evening service from Tuesday through Sunday, with Monday also including a midday session (noon to 1:00 PM). Evening hours run until 1:30 AM most nights, with slightly earlier closing on Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday at midnight. The later closing times mean it functions well as a long dinner rather than a quick meal.

Naousa is busiest from late June through late August, when tables at popular restaurants fill quickly after 9:00 PM. A reservation or an early arrival — before 7:30 PM — is the practical approach in peak season. Shoulder season visits in May, June, September, and October offer the same menu with shorter waits and more relaxed service, and autumn evenings on Paros are warm enough to sit outside comfortably well into October.

Midday visits on Monday take advantage of the lunchtime opening at a quieter point in the week, which can be a good option if you prefer a slower pace.

Tips for Visiting

• Book ahead in July and August. With over 1,000 reviews and a consistently high rating, this restaurant draws a crowd. A phone call to +30 2284 051662 or an email to [email protected] is worthwhile for weekend evenings in high season.
• Order the local cheeses. Paros mizithra is genuinely distinct from mainland Greek cheeses — soft, milky, and slightly tangy. Ordering it grated with tomato (the traditional Cycladic preparation) is the better introduction.
• Build the meal around cold starters and one or two fried dishes. The ouzeri format rewards sharing four to six small plates between two people rather than ordering individual mains.
• Try Paros wine. The island has its own wine tradition using the Monemvasia grape variety. The menu explicitly lists Paros whites, reds, and rosés, which is an invitation worth accepting.
• The sea urchin salad (achinosalata) is a marker dish. If it's available and you eat seafood, ordering it tells you immediately whether the kitchen is working with genuinely fresh product.
• Monday lunch is the quiet opening. If you're based on the island mid-week and want a relaxed ouzeri lunch, the Monday noon-to-1PM slot is the exception to the otherwise evening-only schedule.
• Go unhurried. Ouzeri dining in Greece is designed to last two hours. Arriving with time to spare — and ordering in rounds rather than all at once — is how the format works best.
• Check the Monday hours carefully. Monday shows both a midday session (12:00 AM–1:00 PM, which likely reflects a data formatting issue — treat this as noon to 1:00 PM) and an evening session (6:00 PM–1:30 AM). Verify current times by phone if planning a Monday visit.

What to Order

The menu rewards exploration across categories rather than settling on one type of dish. A well-constructed table typically begins with three or four cold starters: fava, taramasalata, and either the sea urchin salad or the fresh oysters and sea squirts if you want to lean into the seafood identity of the place. The ceviche of sea bass is more modern in construction — coriander, chilli, citrus — and works as a single-serving starter rather than a shared spread.

For fried dishes, fresh calamari and cuttlefish are the reliable choices; maridaki (tiny fried fish eaten whole) is the more traditional Greek ouzeri option. The breaded crayfish tail with wild radish sauce reads as the kitchen's more ambitious fried dish and is worth ordering if you're building a longer meal.

Local Paros mizithra — plain or with grated tomato — should appear at the table at some point. It's a regional product with enough character to hold its own alongside the seafood plates.

For drinks, the Paros wines are the obvious choice given the local sourcing. The white wines made on the island tend to be crisp and low in alcohol, which suits extended meze dining better than heavier reds.