This is one of our evening walks in Skiathos and dinner on the harbour.
Dining out during the summer holidays is something I always look forward to. It is like a treat. For this reason, I pick nicely situated restaurants with a good ambiance. Sometimes I check Tripadvisor for suggestions based on ratings and reviews. In the Greek Islands though, not all restaurants have their own websites, although the popular and bigger tavernas do have their own website or at least a Facebook page.
But based on experience, we just tend to hit the town center and choose which one we like randomly. If I am craving something in particular, then I would scan the menu first to make sure the place offers what I want to eat that evening. That’s simple really.
So, on this particular evening, I was craving for mussels while the Dutchman would happily settle for sure for anything meaty, such as a mixed grill.
We have also been eating in different places on the island so we decided to go down Skiathos town center with the plan of dining by the water. We saw that the coastal road from the new port to the direction of the airport on Paraliakos road has many al fresco tavernas sitting on the waterfront’s side. These tavernas have a lovely ambiance and view of the old town. In the evening you can see from the short distance the shimmering lights of Skiathos while across the waters you can feel the tranquilness of the inner bay. Sounds very romantic right.
But before choosing which waterside restaurant to dine at, Dutchman and I did some strolling on the new port and Paraliakos area.
When you stroll before dinnertime, it makes you hungry and makes you look forward to the meal. So it was time to check out the many tavernas on Paraliakos road. Many of them have a terrace extension on the waterfront side. We want to eat outside on the waterside so I was hoping to find one that I will like.
As we walked, checked out each taverna and poured over on each menu, it became clear to me that it’s going to be a difficult task to choose which taverna to settle for the evening’s dinner. I mean almost all the tavernas we saw were very nice! I guess it will now all boil down to having the right table location, and that means the table must be on the waterside. Non-negotiable.
I do not care if I am shallow but the table location is honestly a deal breaker for me. I am paying so I will make sure I get my money’s worth. Dutchman knows this very well and has pretty much learned to be very patient with me when we go out. He knows this is a requirement and that I do not settle for anything less. We must have a good table location! Period.
So the restaurant search led us to Taverna Akrogiali on Paraliakos. This restaurant has a covered terrace on the water and we were very timely because when we passed by, we saw a newly vacated table on the waterside. We were quick to notice and grab the table. Got it.
The location is perfect, right on the placid bay with views of the little islets across and the Skiathos town center not too far away. I could see the lights from the harbour and the hill.
We have found our dinner place for the night.
From where we were sitting, we have the view of the peninsula across the bay and a little wooden jetty. I was a happy camper.
The Greek Islands have so many charming tavernas like this scattered all over the archipelago. My happiness is that they do not have to be reserved in advance. Most of them serve very good local fresh seafood and traditional Greek dishes. They are also very affordable. Writing about the Greek Islands now make me want to jump shift from winter to summer.
So we ordered our meals. I asked for the risotto mussels and Dutchman a mixed meat grill (what else). We had some grilled bread on garlic and butter to start, and nothing more. The trick with summer holidays is that we stick to eating mostly one main course for the evening so as not to gain a few inches on the waist after the holiday. Sometimes we share a starter, usually a Greek salad. This way we keep our eating game on point.
The food here at Taverna Akrogiali was good but I couldn’t finish the heavy risotto at all.
Beside our table was this large Italian family group that ordered so many dishes. It is unbelievable how many they ordered, the dishes just kept coming and they really devoured the contents of each plate that arrived on the table. I secretly wished I could eat like them.
That night was also a full moon. It was so bright that we managed to photograph it clearly with our humble Sony pocket camera. It was really amazing to see such a beautiful moon during the 2 weeks we were in Skiathos. I remember taking another picture of it after dinner in a chic restaurant in the mountains.
After the dinner affair, we decided to have coffee somewhere else.
We went to this cafe bakery shop with an outdoor terrace in the new port of town. I saw that they have some delicious smelling and looking pies in the vitrine, so I took note of those for a different day. I will come back, I bet you.
Dutchman and I sat there with our table facing the harbour and pedestrian slash motorcyle-only road. Just like the rest of the holidaymakers, we enjoyed our after dinner drink and we people watched with gusto. So many people passing by, some were yet to go out for dinner, while others were just strolling down the harbour on a balmy summer night. Life’s good.
Now that the coffee has gone, we were free to spend the rest of the hours in town. Dutchman and I continued to stroll around the center, checking out cute random alleys and small squares. Skiathos town center is very pretty and cosy, but we were tired and want to retire for the night. Before long we were saddled on our scooter driving back to our apartment.
This was yet another nice summer evening in the Greek Islands.
Travel Period: July 2017
Destination: Skiathos Old Town, Sporades Archipelago, Greece
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)