Updated September 2021
Lindos in Rhodes is one of these picture-perfect Greek villages. As soon as you see it, you can’t help but love it. It is an hour’s drive from Rhodes town towards the south of the island. I searched, and can say I found restaurants that offer mouth-watering great dishes and breathtakingly relaxed decor. Enjoy your meal and the experience. All places are tried and tested as ideal for vegetarians. I loved all the restaurants I show you in this article so much that I returned to them several times during my visit to Lindos.
Do you love eating? Do you relish the benefit of service and authenticity? Do you fancy eating in gorgeously decorated surroundings? These places are for you.
Dinner at César Meze Bar - Simple ingredients and real taste experiences
Stepping into the inner courtyard decorated with wooden daybeds, huge striped cotton cushions, plants in big pots, lanterns hanging from beams on thick sailing ropes feels like visiting a friend's home. A friend who has immaculate taste no less. For dinner, we sit upstairs on the rooftop, right next to the swimming pool. There is pink oleander, intimate wine covered gazebos, and a view of Lindos and the Acropolis. You actually sit right below the Acropolis.
This is the type of restaurant where scriptwriters would surely find inspiration for their next big romantic comedy hit. I ask the waiter about the authenticity of the wine grapes growing over the gazebo. He looks at me somewhat perplexed. He doesn't need to say anything, but I can read his mind and he thinks "city slickers, these poor creatures." I spend most of my time in concrete jungles, and the setting of the restaurant is heaven to me. The service is swift and warm throughout all hours (and visits) we spend at the restaurant.
The dishes are all food creations. There isn't a dull thing on the menu. The chef makes the best use of everything Greece has to offer. He uses simple ingredients and creates real taste experiences. I had lots of tiny pieces of art; in the sense that pretty much everything I had was different to elsewhere. I order the Lollipop Feta for a starter. Feta, kataifi, together with honey and cinnamon all covered in pistachio powder can result in a savoury, piquant dish. The Spinach Pie which comes in the form of a Japanese dumpling (I love Spanakopita) is as delicious as it is beautiful. The courgettes stuffed with bulgur, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese are also a refreshing starter on a warm summer’s night. The best is the Dolma risotto, cooked with vine leaf broth, pine nuts, feta, and lemon-infused olive oil. Vine leaf broth, what an ingenious way to cook risotto. This is Greece on a plate.
For dessert, there are more taste surprises. A Sweet Greek Salad and the syrupy preserved tomatoes, the olives stuffed with almonds, the thinly sliced cucumber, and olive oil ice cream were all covered in dried olive powder. Nothing on this plate, apart from the cucumber, had I ever eaten before. An astonishing idea for a dessert. Another dessert I highly recommend is the Baklava. The way they cook it is exciting. The Baklava comes in form of salted caramel filo dough and is served with pistachio mousse, walnut foam, and cinnamon gelato.
Go, have dinner here and be charmed by the experience, atmosphere, and food. There is so much to discover during one dinner, this is an absolutely fantastic place for a great foodie night out.
Please book in advance. César Meze Bar, Lindos, 85107 Greece. Phone +30 2244 0 31410.
Agostinos Restaurant
This restaurant on the edge of town has one of the best views over the whole of Lindos village and the Acropolis, and the sea. It is an uphill climb from the centre, but it is so worth it. It is a short walk anyway since Lindos is so small. Please order the spinach pie; it is so delectable. The filo is delicate, and its onions slow-cooked to perfection go perfectly with the spinach. It is too good to be true. The staff is super welcoming and friendly, you just want to dine here all the time. The owners are twins, so you get double smiles and friendliness. This is a truly special place in Lindos. I went for dinner on several nights, and funnily enough, there are a few people I recognize from previous visits. Is this the secret spot in Lindos for dinner?
Please book in advance. Agostinos Restaurant, Lindos, 85107 Greece. Phone +30 2244 031218.
Ambrosia – Who wants to live forever?
This restaurant looks really inviting as we walk past, and lucky us, there is a table available for dinner. As we enter, the first thing I instantly enjoy is how peaceful it is. It sounds cheesy but it is how it felt. We sit in the small inner courtyard with the for Lindos typical pebble flooring, a waitress serves us two glasses of bubbly. What a nice welcome. The restaurant is elegantly decorated. Dark brown wood, bright exposed stone walls and white table linen, and it could easily survive in any big European town. I absolutely enjoy the chat with the owner and after he finishes work, his son takes over, and he is just as friendly to talk to.
The typical Greek Aubergine Salad drizzled with olive oil and Stuffed Wine Leaves is a great start to the meal. With the main it gets slightly Italian. I eat Tomato and Feta Pasta. The portion is too huge, but I find out it is made with exactly 100g of pasta and that is the amount that gets used for preparing pasta dishes. I take that as a piece of precious advice back home and have to say it is magnificent information. The Crème Brûlée for dessert is the classic version, it has a good consistency and plenty of vanilla flavour.
In ancient Greek mythology ambrosia is the food of the Greek gods; whoever eats it, becomes immortal. If the family keeps up the good work (I have no doubt about it) this restaurant is a timeless success story.
Please book in advance. Ambrosia, Lindos, 85107 Greece. Phone +30 2244 031804.
Broccolino – Relaxed, fun, and serious about food
This is like having dinner at a colourful bohemian style family home where people know how to cook very well. This Italian restaurant is a few steps away from the centre, close to the Acropolis with a view of the sea. The wall mural in one of the dining rooms by artist Ioannis Spuropulos is impressive. It works exceptionally well with the whitewashed walls and evocative decoration of the place. Broccolino is relaxed, casual in appearance, with warm and fun waiters but serious about food.
When the starter, the Bruschetta, arrives I’m not too sure whether I can eat the other starter too. Courgette Carpaccio with mint and hazelnuts. The Bruschetta might go through as a main course for some. It is prepared with homemade bread and wonderfully seasoned. I eat it to the last crump and have no problem eating the Courgette Carpaccio with mint and hazelnuts as well.
Please try the gnocchi with the black truffle I ordered as a main. So good.
Before we leave, on one night, after a few joyous hours in this magical place, we drink a Mastika, a greeting from the kitchen.
Please book in advance. Broccolino, Lindos, 85107 Greece. Phone: +30 2244 031688.
Odyssia - Dinner in the heart of Lindos
It is in the heat of the afternoon that I walk past this place, and that means it is closed right now. The owner invites me in to have a look around, and recommends I check out the upstairs terrace of the restaurant. I book a table for the following night.
We sit in the cosy upstairs dining area with a direct view of the Acropolis. Pebbled flooring, white washed walls, exposed stone walls, huge flower pots. This place is lovely decorated. The view and welcome are as good as it gets, and I enjoy it together with my starter, the stuffed peppers. On another occasion I decide to have the courgette cake as a starter, and love this too. As a main I choose the Kritharaki risotto with wild mushrooms. Kritharaki is greek pasta that looks like rice, and as far as I know, eaten traditionally all over Greece. What is not to love?
Please book in advance. Odyssia, Lindos, 85107 Greece. Phone: +30 697 594 6221.
Mavrikos – a classic on the main square of Lindos
If you arrive in Lindos, this is probably the first place you are going to see, it is directly in the centre, at the main square. Just order all vegetarian starters on offer and you are going to have a beauty of a dinner. Spinach risotto, garlic mushrooms, eggplants, and roasted fennel, all highly recommended. According to the sign over the door they have been here ever since 1933, I imagine they must do something right.
Please book in advance. Mavrikos, Lindos, 85107 Greece. Phone +30 2244 031232.
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The pandemic is ongoing. Please follow your host's advice. Wash your hands on arrival. Wear a mouth/nose cover when entering the restaurant or visiting the bathroom.
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Want more Greece?
Travel Greece. Day Trips to UNESCO World Heritage Sites near Athens.
A travel guide to Lindos: smell, feel, sleep, see, touch and take.
Travel Greece: Guided food tour - culinary safari through Athens.
From
Berlin with love
