Nafplion Restaurants and Nightlife

Nafplio is loaded with good restaurants with extensive menus, in English. All the tables are on the pedestrian streets or in the squares and it is just a matter of finding the one with the right scenary and the menu that appeals to you. Staikopolou street which is two blocks above Constitution Squatre (Platia Syntagma), has many of them and the rest are scattered around the city. There are also seafood restaurants on Boubalinas street along the waterfront. Try The Palio Arhontiko (Old Mansion) at 7 Siokou street recommended by the gastronimical experts at Lonely Planet. We ate at the Golden Barrel on Stiakopolou street which was fine. Why we picked it over any of the others on the street I couldn't tell you so there may be better. Then again it might have been Vassilis Taverna. Either one you can't go wrong. I made the mistake of insisting upon Mytilini Ouzo which may have been a mistake since Ouzo Karoni has been bottled in Nafplio since 1869, by the same family, using the same recipe and it tastes pretty good to me and the locals are quite proud of it. To insist on any other is practically an insult.

The favorite taverna of George the Famous Taxi Driver is O Sabouras, right on the palm-tree lined waterfront. We came here with George one afternoon and had an incredible meal. Try the media saganaki, mussels cooked with cheese in tomato sauce. Also their tirokafteri, which is a spicy cheese spread. The fried shrimp and fried koutsomouris (small red mullett) were cooked to perfection. I imagine at this restaurant if you go with the fish you can't go wrong. It's at #79 Boumboulinas street.  Even in the winter you can sit outside under the awning, kept warm by their gas heaters. Many restaurants will display their fish in a glass case outside. But ask to see the fish in the psigeo (psee-gee-oh) which is the refridgerator inside. Most fish is sold by the kilo. Barbounia (red mullett) are the best and most expensive along with lobster. But koutsomoures (photo) are a variety of red mullet which are less red, a lot cheaper and almost as good. Some will say they are better.

My recommendation is the Ouzerie Epi Skinis at 19 Amalias Street. Not much room at the three tables outside on the sidewalk so get there early or sit indoors. Great winter place and when it is too hot to sit outside in the summer. Excellent selection of mezedes and the owner, Zaxos Kouros has a fantastic collection of Rembetika and Laika CD's. Great atmosphere, great music and great food. In the winter the music changes and you will hear anything from Euro-pop to broadway show tunes and jazz. According to Zaxos this is because during the season when Athenians come to Nafplion this is the music they want to hear. I don't know if I buy that explanation. But the food was good even if the music wasn't. If you go be sure to smile and ask them to play some paleo rembetika (pal-yo rem-beh-tee-ka) so you can feel like you are really in Greece. Even if you can't get them to change the music the food is pretty good.  This place was discovered by my friend Elias from Swift Rent a Car who used to eat here regularly but he says he can't afford to eat here anymore. But for a meal or two you can afford it and maybe if you tell Zaxos Elias from Swift sent you he will give him a break next time he comes.

O Pseiras may be the best Locals Only Taverna and is reviewed by ex-pat Sindri Anderson here. Just below the walls of Acronafplion where the road to the beach begins is a cafe-restaurant called Agnanti which my friend Elias likes a lot. It looks fancy and it is right on the sea but prices are reasonable, service is friendly and they have a large and diverse menu.

If you have a car at your disposal there are a couple places outside of Nafplion that I highly recommend. In the small fishing village of Vivari which is sort of Southeast of Nafplion, beyond Tolon there is the  Taverna Gorgona run by the Diamantopoulos family. They specialize in fresh fish and other Greek dishes. The restaurant is right on the sea to the right of the small pier. Vivari was one of the first fish farms in Greece and there is a large lagoon which is the original site. Now small boats bring the fish in from the farms which are located away from the village. There are a nukmber of other fish tavernas on the waterfront so if Gorgona is full don't fret. They all looked pretty good to me. On the same side of Nafplion past the road that leads up to the Palamidi fortress is Karathona beach where most opf the locals go to swim. There is a very nice fish taverna of the same name there. Its only open in the summer though.

On the other side of Nafplion in Paralia Timeniou in the area called Nea Kios is a river delta where many of the area fishing boats are based and there is a large seafood market where restaurants and locals go to buy their fish. Just over the small bridge is one of the best seafood restaurants you will ever eat in. It is called Tsakiris and any taxi will know where it is. Owned by Antonis and Kostas Tsakiris you can't go wrong here. Sundays and holidays the place is jumping all day and into the night. To get there just follow the coastal road towards Argos from Nafplion. You will see a big parking lot just before the turnoff to the town of Nea Kios. We had the fried glossa (flounder) and some large fresh fried shrimp (garides tiganita). We also ate fresh grilled bakaliaro (cod) and grilled octopus. We were the only foreigners in the restaurant. Everyone else was Greek, celebrating the last couple days of the easter holiday.

There are tons of bars and clubs. Nafplio nightlife can rival any city in the free world, and the choices range from sidewalk cafes where you can talk, (like the Noufara which has been in Platia Syntagma for 23 years), to discos like the Idol or the Shiva Club on the coast road where you can barely hear yourself think. In between there are bars that play old rembetika, jazz, blues, rock or no music at all. It's just a matter of wandering around until you hear something you like, stopping in for a drink and then deciding if this is the place for you. The Trianon at 3 Polizoidou street serves coffee, booze and billiards, electronic games and big screen TV in an airconditionedenvironment. The Lathos Bar (photo) is easy to miss but hard to forget once you have ventured inside.  The Ellanion in the harbor square is a piano bar that serves food. Stathmos at the old train station features drinks, ice-cream and snacks in a very pleasant environment. As most places in Greece these coffee bars are fun for the whole family. Mom and Dad can have a quiet drink or two (or many) while the kids have ice-cream or local sweets and then run around playing with the other kids whose parents are doing the same. Because much of Old Nafplio is automobile free, there is little danger of children being run over. 

The shops stay open late so you don't have to just hang out and drink. You can hang out and shop for jewelry, clothes at the many boutiques, (like Asia which specializes in clothes and gifts from India), Greek Art, ceramics, sandals, leather goods, musical instruments, carpets, hookahs (yes there is a hookah shop) and just about anything else you might 'need'. After dinner (or even before) The Antica Gelateria di Roma is a traditional Italian Ice-cream shop owned by a traditional Italian, Marcello Raffo. His ice-cream is all produced on premises using the original Sicillian recipe and all natural indredients. (Ice-cream was invented in Sicily.) The variety of flavors, sundaes and special shakes and coffees is so diverse and enticing that I was literally run over by my daughter as she rushed to the counter to place her order. They also serve excellent espresso and capuccino and have a variety of Italian products for sale. Its also a bar where you can get a nice grappa or lemoncello to finish off your evening while the kids eat the ice-cream that will have them bouncing on the beds all night long.

For more on Greek Food visit Matt Barrett's Guide to Greek Food