The Best Restaurants in Nidri

We’ve just got home from a fabulous 11 nights in Lefkas. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting and I don’t mean that in a bad way! I expected a sleepy island with small tavernas dotted about here and there. And I honestly did wonder what the food would be like. We stayed in Nidri and it couldn’t have been much further from my imagination! A big, well-developed resort but still so pretty and traditional. The Restaurants in Nidri are amazing!

Nidri is a lot bigger than I expected. But still, it didn’t feel crowded even at the height of the season. One thing noticed was how safe it felt. We were only once pestered by anyone trying to entice us into their restaurants. Most of the restaurants are along the seafront by the port, lots have a seating area next to the sea.

During our 11 nights, we did manage to sample many delightful (and one not-so-delightful) restaurants in Nidri. I have listed our favourites and mentioned our least favourite that we visited. Just so you don’t waste your time and money there as we did! Talking about money, prices this summer in Nidri were generally very reasonable. The main meals were somewhere around the €10 – €15 mark. Kids’ meals are around €6 with lots including a drink for that price. Appetisers around the €6 mark too. A large bottle of draught beer was around €4 and soft drinks were €2.50. So you see, staying self-catering (or bed and breakfast as we did) doesn’t have to break the bank.

Unlike many Greek resorts we’ve been to before, there weren’t many with the random Greek/tex-mex fusion! Kalamaki in Zante is a particular fan of this one! Traditional Greek and Italian restaurants are the order of the day here. Not surprisingly, as Nidri is a key port, there’s lots of fresh fish available too. Many restaurants advertise wood-burning pizza ovens along the front. The only time of day we felt there was not enough choice was breakfast time. There are many bakeries in the resort but good breakfast stops are hard to come by, but we did find them!

And if you want a dessert, I’d recommend skipping the restaurant options of cheap scoop ice cream and heading down the strip. There are many choices to end your evening. There are lots of post-dinner bars on the main strip too. Cocktail bars are dotted between the restaurants on the seafront. The good news is, the price is the same for drinks inside and outside the restaurants on the seafront (can you tell I’ve been stung by this before?!). So sit where you feel happiest, I’m always happiest by the sea!

Mamma Mia

Despite what Tripadvisor says, in my opinion, Mamma Mia is the best restaurant in Nidri. At the port end of the resort, right on the seafront. It’s stunning, with a beautiful area on the pebbles for seating with fairy lights wrapped around the trees next to it, and intimate tables for 2 right by the port. Plus plenty of seating inside the restaurant and on the decking too.

There’s a traditional Greek night here every Wednesday and Saturday in the height of the summer. A low-key, traditional Greek night though, one with traditional musicians instead of loud music and fire dancing. Beautiful and very low-key. These nights do get extremely busy though, so if you want to experience the traditional ambience I would recommend booking in advance.

The food is not overshadowed by the beauty of this place though, it is perfectly complimented by it. As is typical in Greece, there wasn’t a huge choice of vegetarian options for me, but what they did have was the nicest food I had all week! We visited twice and both times I had the Aubergine Imam, it was divine!

They don’t have a specific kid’s menu here either despite the sign outside saying they have a kid’s menu! However, they do endeavour to serve the kids smaller portions of everything at a reduced price. The big two loved the beef stifado on both occasions, both exclaiming it was the best one they’d ever had (Jay did taste it and verified it was very very good) He tried both the Mousakka and Mixed Grill, both meals he devoured and enjoyed every bit of it. Even the chips that the meal was served with were delicious.

For those not feeling very adventurous, or just fancying something you know will be good – the little one recommends the BBQ burger! main meals for the 5 of us here plus 2 beers, soft drinks, bread for the table and a bottle of water came to around €70 on both visits.

El Greco

Another restaurant in Nidri we visited twice. A little further along the strip of restaurants on the port, not far from the big ships like the Nidri star, usually in port with lights and music on. Another very pretty restaurant with two sides to it. Both sides are on the terrace or in the restaurant, with no seating on the seafront here. There are seats with beautiful bougainvillaea above, and as always in Greece, a few little cats playing around but not bothering you unless you call them over with some food! The views out to the port from either side are stunning.

The service here is very quick, unlike a few restaurants, they are fully staffed here and all working hard too. They do have a separate kids’ menu here which is great for those fussy eaters. The boys both had chicken nuggets here on the second visit, not frozen nuggets though, homemade breadcrumbed chicken with chips. Kids’ meals come with a drink of juice and ice cream too.

They have a good selection of pasta dishes as well as Greek meals here so plenty of choices, giving a bit more choice on the vegetarian menu too. I did try vegetarian Mousakka here, it was delicious (once it arrived correctly, the first one that came was a meat one!) and the stuffed tomatoes and peppers were delicious too. On our second visit, My daughter tried King prawns with orzo pasta and exclaimed it was the best meal she had ever eaten! high praise indeed, especially as she was shocked that the fresh prawns were still fully in their shells.

Beef stifado on the first visit for the husband and the mixed grill on the second. Both were devoured again, with clean plates all around! Similar pricing here as Mamma Mia with our bill coming in around €70 for each visit. This included beers and soft drinks plus bread for the table and a bottle of water.

Tom’s Seaside Restaurant

We headed to Tom’s as we had seen it recommended many times on Facebook groups and people spoke very highly of it. Right on the opposite end of the strip to Mamma Mia, directly on the beach next to Maraboo Beach and near the water sports. Get here via the main strip and follow the sign down a side street to get here. Tables are set up along the beach, right next to the gentle shore.

The service is quite slow here we found and the food was average. Italian as well as Greek dishes again. I had spaghetti in a pasta sauce that was nice, with light and fresh ingredients. A very chilled atmosphere, perhaps a little too chilled for us with 3 kids who want to go off and run about. Good food and the staff were lovely if a bit thin on the ground. One of the priciest meals we had during our stay at €80.

Brothers Grill

We also ate here twice, and both times it was when we had been to Meganisi Island during the day! We had to visit because the kids’ and husbands’ mouths were watering when we walked past one day and saw the burgers! As the name suggests this is a grill restaurant rather than a traditional Greek taverna.

Located on the main strip in the middle of all the shops and bars, it’s conveniently located for pretty much everything! Everyone loved the burgers, they lived up to their hopes for sure. Not many vegetarian options on this menu but I did have a Halloumi wrap each time… a bargain at only €3.50! The filo-wrapped feta with honey and sesame is worth getting too! Great value here with meals for 5 ranging from €38 and €50 including drinks.

Daltons

Daltons, it seems is a chain restaurant. We didn’t realise this until we spotted another identical restaurant in Lefkas Town on the way to the airport. In all honesty, we only headed here because one night we were late getting out and everywhere else was full. Location-wise it’s right on the seafront.

You can’t miss it, It’s a far cry from the traditional tavernas with its gaudy red exterior. Cutouts of characters that look like they are from Dennis the Menace and a broken foam cactus! Not overly inviting for sure. The vegetarian options on the menu are non-existent so I just had the Saganaki for my meal. the kids had Gyros and nuggets, the husband had gyros. the price inclusive of drinks was a whopping €48 which for the portion sizes was expensive. The service was quick however and everyone did enjoy their Gyros so not all bad.

Familia Restaurant

A search of Nidri restaurants on Trip Advisor led us here. Ranking as the top restaurant, coupled with the fact it was a stone’s throw from our hotel meant we were desperate to try it. It’s a small unassuming restaurant at the very far end of the strip, easy to miss, with no bells and whistles at all but most of the tables were reserved. As we headed out early one night we happened to stumble upon a larger table that was free so took our chance to try.

The menu is a real mixed bag with Greek, Mexican, Chinese and Indian dishes. I wasn’t sure what to expect at all! I ordered the stuffed tomatoes and peppers as I always feel this is a good vegetarian option and I wasn’t disappointed! It was Delicious, calamari, saganaki and 2 portions of chicken nuggets completed our order along with the obligatory 2 Mythos and soft drinks for the bargain price of €50 for the 5 of us.

Marantos

I know I headed this to the best restaurants in Nidri, and it feels wrong putting this one on the list but alas I feel I should let you know the one I didn’t rate at all. On our first evening in Nidri, we headed out for dinner at around 8.30 pm, we found everyone else in Nidri had probably sat down 30 minutes beforehand!

Marantos however was almost empty and the only restaurant where they had someone actively trying to bring in customers. I can see why now. Despite it being so quiet, the service was appallingly slow. Very understaffed, with one guy who looked like the waiter, the girl bringing customers in and one seemingly angry man who I assumed was the manager. We asked for ketchup… 10 minutes later my husband ended up getting up himself and grabbing it out of the fridge behind the unstaffed bar.

We requested the bill, but it took 15 more minutes. I’m all for relaxing on holiday but this was so slow. So, as much as I don’t like slating anyone, and this was down to being understaffed, I didn’t consider heading back. The meals that did arrive were by far the worst of the week but the price wasn’t too bad with a total of €53 for the 5 of us including drinks.

There are many bars to head to to finish your meal off, and dessert shops for everyone. Cakes, Ice creams, crepes, waffles, whatever you want! As well as street entertainers, a couple of arcades and loads of shopping options there’s something for everyone to do in Nidri.

Have you visited? Which were your favourite restaurants in Nidri?

Thanks for reading this far! You can also read about more of our European adventures, let me know where next. If you are stuck for some Greek Inspiration, you might like my post about Best Greek Resorts for Families.

Becky x