Corfu Foods: What to Expect

Welcome to the Taverna! This basic, family-run establishment dominates the Greek Isles. Usually located steps from the beach and open all day, the Taverna is an affordable place to enjoy lunch and dinner against the backdrop of the beautiful Ionian Sea. Order some chilled red wine served in stainless pitchers; start with a traditional tzatziki appetizer made with yoghurt, cucumber, and garlic served with homemade pita as you wait for your simple yet tasty kelftiko, a dish of tender oven-baked lamb and roasted potatoes. You’ll want to finish with the national Greek desert: baklava. Baklava, the walnut and honey pastry made from numerous paper-thin layers of filo dough, comes in many different styles in Corfu. You can find any of these dishes at some of Corfu's best restaurants.

For a lighter meal, try a Greek salad, called khoriatiki, which can contain any number of fresh veggies along with the requisite Greek olives and feta (or another variety of tasty local cheese). There are also plenty of food options for vegetarians in Corfu­: make a meal out of various appetizers like tiropitta (flaky feta pie), saganaki (fried greek cheese) and gigantes (butter beans in tomato sauce).

If drinking ouzo is more your thing, you’ll want to hit a local ouzeri for a carafe of the licorice-flavored aperitif chased with cold cured octopus and other fresh Corfu seafood–not for the feint of heart, but certainly an experience not to be missed.