I spent 4 days in Kefalonia exploring different places to eat and I have conjured up a list of three of my favourite restaurants for you to try, when visiting the beautiful Island Kefalonia.

Kalafatis Restaurant

The first restaurant is Kalafatis Restaurant (we dined here our first evening) it is located in the heart of Argostoli down by the sea front overlooking the port.

The atmosphere was lively, it was rather windy when we were there but we got to sit by the sea. Claire mentioned when she last visited Kalafatis there were turtles swimming up to the water edge for feeding and customers threw bread in. Sadly we didn’t get to see that, instead customers were throwing bread in to feed the fish.

Our waiter bought out half carafe of red which got us tipsy pretty quickly, a basket of bread with butter and fresh plum tomatoes and olives – the tomatoes were sweet and juicy.

We didn’t have to wait long until our mains came; Claire being vegan had chosen tomatoes on toast with olives and gigantes (big beans) a traditional Greek dish that was served in a light tomato sauce. I also chose a couple of local dishes – baked halloumi and meat pie. There was no description for the meat pie so it was all a surprise when it turned up to the table.

Luckily, it was a delicious and flavoursome – flaky crust full of rice and chicken, a generous slice of pie, incredibly tasty something I’d like to try to replicate at home as we get into the wintery months. The baked halloumi was equally outstanding, packed full of flavour and the drizzle of the perfect amount of balsamic vinegar made the dish rich in taste.

Kalafatis a lively restaurant in the centre of town, it is amongst bars and restaurants facing the water front with friendly staff that go above and beyond your every need. This restaurant was perfect for dinner with great ambience – suitable for all to enjoy!

Arcon

The second restaurant is Arcon located on Antisamos Beach in Sami, a beautiful picturesque beach that is hugged by the mountainous greenery that overlooks the clear blue sea. A beautiful location if you wanted less busy bodies. I would recommend hiring a car as it’s a location that goes through steep hilly roads, but if you love to hike I’m sure it would be amazing to experience!

Arcon is a beautiful sheltered bar restaurant overlooking the pebbly beach of Antisamos, boasts the most beautiful location by far with a modern setting.

We had ordered lunch there; 1 club sandwich with fries and 2 gigantic burgers showed up – one that was vegetarian (you could request items to be taken out and they’d happily obliged) and a salmon burger with fries. Bottled water for the table and 3 different milkshakes. Strawberry, caramel and peanut – all 3 flavours were delicious really hit the spot! The peanut flavour reminded me of almonds and amaretto – incredibly tasty!

The grilled salmon burger was out of this world – tender and fresh, packed full of delicious flavour, just mouthwatering reminiscing about it! The fries were crispy and fluffy inside, cooked to perfection.

Arcon is perfect for a spot of lunch, the atmosphere is relaxing, a great place to chill and to enjoy food and one another’s company. The sun loungers horizontal to the restaurant were included so we soaked up the last of Septembers sun with friendly staff catering to our every need.

Kyani Atkin

The third restaurant I’d like to mention is Kyani Atkin a restaurant that overlooks a breathtaking view of the mountains that meet the sea. The restaurant is family run and has been running for over 20 years, they make modern and traditional Mediterranean kefalonian dishes.

The dining sits over the water, where you could see fish in the sea whilst you enjoy the excellent service and food.

We ordered a feast for dinner; small little dishes – deep fried courgettes, saganaki (salted cheese), fried cubed potatoes, gigantes (beans), whitebait, Greek salad without feta. To drink a bottle of water for the table and house carafe red wine to share. The wine was strong, you can dilute it with water if you feel it’s too strong. The saganaki was delicious – that was my cheese fix for the week. The salty flavour that made me yarn for more. The saganaki cheese is like between feta and halloumi. The whitebait was delicious but I personally thought it needed some sauce to dip it in.

Kyani Atkin is a wonderful dining experience perfect for an evening meal that comes with a vibrant, romantic and nature filled picturesque atmosphere.

These are my top 3 restaurants in Kefalonia, that stood out for me and I strongly recommend. Claire and I were very impressed by the food and service, everyone was so friendly! Looking forward to going back and hopefully this time I’ll be able to feed the turtles!