Where to Eat in South Paros, Our Favourite Tavernas Near Aliki

Ask us the question our guests ask most often and it is not about beaches or ferry times. It is this: “Where should we eat tonight?” Happily, the south of Paros holds one of the island’s best kept culinary secrets. While Naoussa collects the headlines, the fishing villages and coves of the southern coast quietly serve some of the most honest, most delicious food on the island, often with the sea close enough to salt your bread.

This is the guide we share with every guest: not a list of every restaurant, but the places and dishes we genuinely return to, season after season.

Aliki: The Fish Village That Feeds You Properly

Our neighbouring village is, first and foremost, a working fishing harbour, and it eats accordingly. The tavernas along the waterfront receive the morning catch metres from their kitchens, and the difference is on the plate: fish grilled simply, dressed with lemon and olive oil, needing nothing else.

What to order in Aliki:

• The day’s catch, whole and grilled. Ask what came in that morning. Fresh sea bream, red mullet or snapper, priced by the kilo and chosen by you from the display.
• Gouna. The southern speciality: sun dried mackerel, briefly grilled, intensely flavourful. A dish that tastes of the old Aegean.
• Octopus, sun dried and chargrilled. You will see them hanging on lines by the harbour in the morning; by evening they are on your table with a splash of vinegar and oregano.
• Kakavia, the fishermen’s soup, when available. Slow, rich and restorative.

The rhythm matters as much as the menu. Lunch in Aliki begins around 13:30 and dissolves gently into the afternoon; dinner starts as the harbour lights come on. Book ahead in August, or arrive before 20:30 and take your chances happily.

Faragas: Lunch Above the Turquoise

The beach restaurant at Faragas deserves its own mention, because eating lunch barefoot on its terrace, with the bay glowing below, is one of the definitive experiences of southern Paros. The kitchen ranges from generous salads with local Parian cheese to seafood pasta and grilled fish. Come for a late lunch around 14:30, when the first beach shift departs and the tables breathe again, and let the afternoon go where it wants.

Around the South: Worth the Short Drive

• Drios, ten minutes east, hides tavernas around its little harbor and leafy lanes, favourites of Athenian summer families for generations. Look for slow cooked lamb and courgette flowers in season.
• Pounta, towards the Antiparos crossing, mixes beach bar energy with proper kitchens, ideal when a swim, lunch and people watching need to happen in one location.
• The inland villages, Lefkes and Prodromos especially, reward an evening drive with mountain cooking: goat slow cooked until it surrenders, rabbit stifado, handmade cheese pies and house wine by the carafe, at prices that feel like a misprint after the coast.

The Parian Pantry: What to Seek Out Everywhere

Wherever you sit, certain local treasures elevate a meal from good to memorable:

• Cheeses of Paros: ask for local graviera, the aged touloumotyri, or fresh xinomizithra with a drizzle of honey.
• Wine of the island: the white Monemvasia variety, crisp and lightly aromatic, was born for seafood. Most tavernas pour a local house version by the carafe.
• Souma: the island’s grape spirit, offered after a good meal as a gesture of friendship. Accept it, sip it slowly, and toast your hosts: “Yamas.”
• Honey, capers and sea fennel: small jars worth carrying home in your suitcase.

How to Eat Like a Local in the South

A few habits that transform the experience:

1. Follow the fishing boats, not the reviews. A taverna with its own caique at the dock rarely disappoints.
2. Ask what the kitchen cooked today. The handwritten specials, or simply the answer to “ti exete simera?”, usually beat the printed menu.
3. Eat late, linger long. Greek tables are rented for the evening, not the hour. No one will ever bring your bill unasked; when ready, request it and receive, more often than not, a small treat on the house.
4. Trust simplicity. The best dish on the southern coast is often the simplest: today’s fish, good oil, a lemon, a view.

Dinner, Solved

That is the honest answer we give our guests each evening: fish by the harbour in Aliki, lunch above the bay at Faragas, mountain food in the villages when the mood turns rustic, and always, always the local wine. The south of Paros does not shout about its food. It simply serves it, wonderfully, a few minutes from your table on our terrace.

Villa Azzuro sits above Faragas Beach, five minutes from the tavernas of Aliki. Our personal, up to date recommendations, including the names we happily share in person, await every guest on arrival. [Check Availability →]