Review of food prices in Crete in 2021. Is food expensive in Greece and how much food is in stores? What to try from Greek cuisine and fast food, and how to save on food.
What to try in Crete
The island is part of Greece, so Greek cuisine is in use. Locals actively use olive oil, wild herbal spices and prepare delicious and nutritious dishes from meat, fish, seafood and vegetables. Cretan cuisine is considered the oldest and healthiest in Greece, so any holiday in Crete turns into gastronomic tourism.
Popular in restaurants and cafes meze - fresh snacks served on separate plates before the main course. The menu must include salads, crispy buns cut in half, slices of fresh tomatoes and other vegetables, sausages, sauces and green herbs. Tourists love platters of feta cheese topped with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano. Many order dzaziki - a paste of yogurt, grated cucumbers and garlic with herbs, and melizanosalata- a baked eggplant appetizer.
During your holidays in Crete, we recommend trying:
- snails with rosemary;
- Spanakopita spinach pie;
- braised octopus in red wine chtapodi;
- rice dish with gamopilapho goat meat;
- fish soup kakavya;
- casserole of vegetables, potatoes and minced meat moussaka;
- rabbit meat in stifado wine;
- small pies kalitsunya;
Prices for food in cafes and restaurants in Crete - 2021
Food in Crete is inexpensive. It is cheaper than in Athens or Rhodes. Breakfast with a cup of coffee, pita and omelet costs 4-6 €. The average bill in a cafe and restaurant, excluding alcohol, is 10-20 € per person. For this money, you will be served meze, a hearty chicken soup, a main course, and a soft drink. The portions are traditionally large, so 1-2 dishes are enough to fill you up.
Some cafes offer budget business lunches. Main course, pita and drink cost 6-8 €. There are also specialties - special offers. These are set meals at discounted prices. For example, salad, grilled meat and a decanter of wine for two for 25 €.
Prices for food in cafes and restaurants in Crete in 2021:
- Greek salad - 4-8 €;
- dzaziki - 4 €;
- dakos - 4.5-5 €;
- Spanakopita - 5 €;
- fried feta cheese - 5.5 €;
- meat dishes - 8-15 €;
- Cretan sausages - 13 €;
- small fried gavros fish - 9 €;
- moussaka - 4-8 €;
- seafood dishes - 10-25 €.
Drink prices
Crete has a large selection of soft drinks, delicious wines and spirits. A cup of coffee costs 2-2.5 €, tea - 2 €, and freshly squeezed fruit juice - from 1.5 € to 3.3 €.
Popular alcoholic drinks crayfish and tsikoudia, which have a strength of 35-40%. They are almost the same thing. Tsikudya, like Georgian chacha, is driven from grapes, and grapes, apples, plums and other fruits are used for crayfish.
Tourists like rakomelo - grape vodka with honey of 30-35% strength. The inhabitants of the island use it as a balm and a remedy for colds.
How much do alcoholic drinks cost in Crete? In restaurants or bars, a glass of beer - 2.5-3 €, 0.5 l of homemade wine - 5 €, a portion of ouzo - 7-8 €, tsikoudia - 4 €, rakomelo - 6 €.
Prices for alcohol in shops in Crete in 2021:
- wine, 0.7 l - 4-8 €;
- local beer, 0.5 l - 0.8-1.5 €.
- crayfish, bottle 100 ml - € 2.5-3.5;
- ouzo, bottle 0.35 l - 5-7 €;
- ouzo, bottle, 0.7 l - 8-20 €.
Food prices in Crete
Tourists who come to Crete for a long time, vacation with children or stay on the island for the winter, prefer to rent an apartment with a kitchen and cook themselves. It is useful to know how much food products cost. Here are the prices for grocery stores in Crete in 2021:
- white bread - from 0.7 €;
- whole milk, 1 l - 1.2 €;
- thick yogurt, 1 l - 2-4 €;
- chicken eggs, 6 pcs. - 1.5 €;
- durum wheat pasta, 0.5 kg - 0.5 €;
- cheese feta, 1 kg - 7.5 €;
- local cheeses: gravure, mizithra and anfotiro, 1 kg - 6-12 €;
- sausage slicing, 200 g - 3-5 €;
- chicken, 1 kg - from 2.9 €;
- beef, 1 kg - from 7 €;
- pork, 1 kg - from 5 €;
- potatoes, 1 kg - 0.5 €;
- tomatoes, 1 kg - from 0.75 €;
- cucumbers, 1 kg - from 1 €;
- apples, 1 kg - from 0.6 €;
- oranges, 1 kg - from 0.8 €;
- strawberries, 1 kg - from 2.5 €;
- bananas, 1 kg - 2 €;
- sardines, 1 kg - 5 €;
- dorado fish from the fishery, 1 kg - 10-12 €;
- sea dorado fish, 1 kg - 17-20 €;
- shrimp, 1 kg - 10 €;
- water, pack of 6 bottles of 1.5 l - 1.5 €.
Look for groceries in small shops, markets and supermarkets. Fish is not everywhere. Freshly caught fish is sold in special fish shops, and fresh seafood is sold at the fishermen's dock.
Fast food
There are McDonald's restaurants in Crete, but they are not very popular. Locals and tourists alike prefer Greek fast food. What is special about Crete for those who like to have a snack on the go?
Dish number 1 - pita gyros... This is chopped fried meat - pork, lamb or chicken, which is placed in a flatbread envelope along with onions, tomatoes, herbs, sweet mustard and potatoes. It is very similar to the shawarma we are used to. Plain gyros is served on a plate with pita bread cut into pieces. Delicious fast food prepared in gyrodico.
Vacationers like souvlaki - delicious Greek kebab. Pork or chicken is fried on a vertical skewer and served with half a lemon, slices of charcoal bread, french fries, tomatoes and yogurt. Suvlaki are made in special institutions - suvladzidiko.
Small kebabs kalamaki cook on wooden skewers. A hearty snack is sold in public places, at parties, and even in movie theaters. Greeks are happy to buy kalamaki and eat them instead of popcorn. Interestingly, the meat for Greek fast food is marinated not in wine or vinegar, like ours, but in olive oil and lemon juice.
Prices for Greek fast food in Crete in 2021:
- gyros - 2 €;
- souvlaki - € 1.5-4;
- tuna sandwich - 2 €;
- boiled corn - 2 €;
- yoghurt ice cream - 1.2 €.
What you need to know
Greek restaurant - estatorio... If this word is written on the sign, then you can count on classic service. The waiters take orders, the menu is translated into a foreign language, and the tables are served according to all the rules. Estiatorio prices are quite high.
Locals prefer to eat in taverns. The sign of such establishments reads taverna or restaurant. Inside there is a simple furnishings - unpretentious furniture, paper tablecloths and peasant household items in the interior.
Taverns are family businesses and recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. Hasapotaverns specialize in cooking meat, and psarotaverns - fish and seafood. Prices depend on proximity to attractions. The owners of the taverns are friendly to tourists. They love to talk, ask the guest about life and life and treat him to a glass of alcoholic beverage.
Service in Crete is unhurried. Here, no one is in a hurry, so it is in the order of things if visitors wait for their order for 20-30 minutes. In return for patient waiting, you will receive some kind of bonus - free nuts, a glass of water, or even a glass of wine.
Finding out where the most delicious food is prepared is not difficult. If the establishment has a lot of visitors, the food is better there.
The taverns do not serve desserts. If you want to try Greek sweets, take a look at zacharoplasty... Baking Lovers Regulars tyropitadiko - shops-cafes selling puff pastries with different fillings. Dairy connoisseurs have breakfast in galactopolio - cafes serving healthy dairy dishes and yoghurts.
Tipping on the island is not particularly counted on. It is enough that you pay the bill. If you want to thank you for the good service and delicious food, leave up to 10% of the order in the cafe.
Since 1920, the inhabitants of Crete have been allowed to drive crayfish free of charge, therefore, home brewing is practiced in almost every home. Small shops usually have samovars with alcohol. The customer goes inside, takes a 50 g disposable glass and pours himself some crayfish. You don't need to pay.This is a treat that is offered to all potential buyers of goods.
How to save money on food in Crete
- In taverns and cafes, which are designed for locals, prices are low. In gourmet restaurants, food in Crete costs 50-100% more. At the same time, the quality of the dishes is practically the same. Find out how much money to take to Greece.
- Look for cheap lunches for 6-8 € in fast food establishments, including the well-known fast food chain Goody’s.
- It is customary to bargain in the markets and tourist shops of Crete. Communicate and discuss the price with the seller. Gently but persistently ask for a discount. The indulgences are very significant - up to 10-30%. With good bargaining, it is possible to buy the product you like twice or even three times cheaper.
- Cretan Farmers Markets - in Greek likes work on schedule. They trade on certain days of the week from early morning until 12 noon. If you want something fresh, come early. If you want to get extraordinary discounts, come by 11: 30-12: 00. Before the close, prices are reduced by 30-50%.
- Low food prices in Crete at ΣΥΝ.KA, Halkiadakis, Vassilopoulos and Mart supermarkets. Local products are much cheaper than imported ones.
