6 Best Restaurants in Symi, Rhodes and the Dodecanese

Family run by the owners of the nearby Opera House hotel, Kavos has umbrella-shaded quayside seating for sunny days and for cooler evenings tables in the elegant setting of an old Symiot mansion. The Med-fusion menu emphasizes local seafood. 

Just around the headland west of Yialos harbor, Paradeisos nestles next to the closest stretch of beach to town, where it rents loungers for €5 a day and offers an array of water sports plus chilled beers, snacks, and dips, and even a small library of tattered paperbacks for beach reading.

A seaside perch at the end of Yialos Harbor is the picturesque setting for an excellent meal, which often begins with such traditional appetizers as stuffed zucchini or boiled greens (the taramosalata here might just be among the best in Greece) and includes fresh grilled fish and other daily home-cooked offerings. You may want to arrive early enough to enjoy sunset views of the harbor, and reserve far ahead—during peak summer season it can be booked out days in advance.

Meals at this simple taverna, as popular with locals as it is with tourists, are served in a high-ceilinged, whitewashed dining room or on a terrace that is partially shaded by a grape arbor and affords wonderful views over the sea and surrounding hills. Fish is a specialty, and simply prepared mezedes (small dishes), such as roasted peppers topped with feta cheese and fried zucchini, are a great start to a meal here.

A 10-minute walk east of the evening bustle on the main waterfront leads to this waterside gem. The accomplished Haritomeni has a lofty terrace with spectacular views over the bay. Like most places on the island, either eat early or book ahead as it fills up fast later on. The menu is decent value, with typical Greek mezedes dishes—calamari, fried saganaki cheese, papoutsakia (stuffed eggplant)—all crafted with no little skill and propping up meatier grilled fare.

The steep climb up to Zoe's all but guarantees a spectacular view, though it's worth booking ahead to secure a table with front-row seats. The food is equally breathtaking, with a strong adherence to traditional Symiot cuisine: think jugged hare, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) the way granny used to make them, and meltingly tender five-hour slow-cooked lamb and potatoes. Many of the ingredients used come from the owner's own farm.