Athali

Iraklio


This colourful, crowd-pleasing restaurant is a true family affair: Dad oversees a massive central open fire, roasting spits of succulent lamb and pork for hours, while Mum handles traditional hearty stews such as rustic chicken, rooster and youvetsi (baked lamb with tomatoes and kritharaki pasta served with anthotiro cheese) in the kitchen and their three personable daughters serve.

They hit you with raki before and after your meal, and the whole place, with multihued rag rugs over crunchy gravel flooring and stacks of olive-wood logs, is about as cabin cosy as you could ask for. It feels as though you've been invited to a barbecue in someone's home. A great choice.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Iraklio attractions

1. Turkish Sebil

0.05 MILES

Iraklio's only remaining Turkish-era pump house once supplied drinking water to the local population.

2. Bembo Fountain

0.06 MILES

Iraklio's first fountain was cobbled together in the 1550s from antique materials, including Venetian coats of arms and a statue of a Roman official found…

3. Agios Minas Cathedral

0.12 MILES

One of Greece’s largest cathedrals, with space for 8000 worshippers, Agios Minas was constructed (with interruptions) between 1862 and 1895 and dedicated…

4. Museum of Christian Art

0.12 MILES

Housed in a 13th-century monastery that was later a mosque, this tiny but fascinating museum features well-displayed historic religious artworks from…

5. Morosini Fountain

0.16 MILES

Four water-spouting lions make up this charming fountain, the town's most beloved Venetian vestige. Built in 1628 by Francesco Morosini, it once supplied…

6. Municipal Art Gallery

0.16 MILES

The three-aisled 13th-century Agios Markos Basilica was reconstructed many times and turned into a mosque by the Turks. Today it's an exhibit space…

7. Agios Markos Basilica

0.16 MILES

Located opposite Morosini Fountain and dedicated to St Mark, the patron saint of Venice, Agios Markos Basilica was built at the beginning of Venetian rule…

8. Venetian Loggia

0.2 MILES

The attractively reconstructed 17th-century loggia by Francesco Morosini was the Venetian version of a gentlemen’s club, where the male aristocracy…