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Rhodes Food and Drink
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to Rhodes food and drink including the Greek words for meze, meat dishes, and fish dishes, and a guide to the best Rhodes wine.
The reputation of Greek food and drink has languished, unfairly, in the shadow of French and Italian cuisine and wine-making. The best Greek tavernas represent the highest standards of traditional cooking, and a modern approach to Greek cuisine is found in many top restaurants, while Rhodes produces some of the best wines in the Mediterranean.
Mezédhes (starters)
Making a meal of it in a Greek taverna may mean that you never get past the mezédhes (or meze, for short). The Greek style of eating mezédhes is to order half a dozen mixed plates and then for everyone to dig in.
Mezédhes worth trying include manitaria (mushrooms), keftedes (spicy meatballs), dolmadakia (rice wrapped in vine leaves), kotópoulo (chicken portions), saganáki (fried cheese), khtapódhi (octopus), spanokeftedes (spinach balls) and bourekakia (meat pies). Add to all this a couple of dips such as tzatziki (garlic and cucumber yoghurt) or melitzanosalata (aubergine and garlic).
Horiatiki (Greek Salad)
A Greek salad (horiatiki) is a good way to start any meal or is just right for a light lunch. The best horiatiki are plentiful and comprise a marvellous mix of green salad with cucumber, tomatoes and onions, the whole capped with a generous slice of feta cheese sprinkled with herbs. It’s also sometimes called a Country Salad or a Peasant Salad.
Meat Dishes
Meat dishes on Rhodes follow the Greek standards of moussaka, souvlaki (shish kebab with meat, peppers, onions and tomatoes), pastitsio (lamb or goat meat with macaroni and tomatoes), stifádo (beef stew with tomato sauce and onions) and padakia (grilled lamb or goat chops).
Some Cool Rhodes Souvenirs
I Love Rhodes t-shirt
Rhodes Coffee Mug
Rhodes Coasters
Rhodes Tank Top
Souvlaki is a good standby, but you might be better settling for chicken (kotópoulo) souvlaki, because veal or pork on the grill can be tough in some tavernas. Lamb souvlaki is usually good but not easily found. Any meat dish that is braised or stewed is usually good.
Fish Dishes
Rhodes has always been noted for its fish and the island boasts some outstanding psarotavernas (fish restaurants). But overfishing, pollution and a general rise in prices has meant that while the choice is still good, fish dishes can often be very expensive. It is also difficult to know whether fish on offer is locally caught or is imported, frozen or farmed versions.
Reasonably-priced dishes include marídhes (whitebait deep-fried in olive oil and sprinkled with lemon), and swordfish, either in meaty steaks or as xsifhia, chunks on a kebab. Kalamarákia (fried baby squid) is another favourite. Red mullet and lobster tend to be more expensive.
See our page on all Greek Food and Drink.
Rhodes Wine and Other Drinks
Rhodian wines have a good reputation and provided you are not a wine snob, you will enjoy some excellent vintages from the major island wine producers CAIR and Emery Wineries, the latter based at Embonas. CAIR labels worth trying include Ilios, a dry white wine produced from the Athiri grape; Chevalier de Rhodes, a superior red, and the Moulin range of white, rosé and red wine.
Free tastings are available at the CAIR winery, located a couple of kilometres outside Rhodes town on the Lindos road. Good Emery wines include the Cava red and first-class Chablis-style Villare dry white. Distinctive wines from smaller Rhodian wineries, such as the Anastasia Triantafillou Winery, are available in some island restaurants.
Most tavernas have their own house wine, which can often be reasonable. Retsina, resinated white wine, is an acquired taste but the best is excellent. Kourtaki is a decent retsina to try.
Light beers and lagers, such as Amstel, Heineken and the Greek Mythos, are widely available. Rhodes also now has a few craft breweries and craft beer bars, so ask around if beer is your thing.
Rhodes also has a handful of distilleries, so do ask about these and about local spirits in bars and restaurants.
Our Pick of Greek Islands Guides
Other Rhodes Pages
Where to Eat in Northern Rhodes
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Northern Rhodes, including fish restaurants and roadside tavernas in Faliraki, Ixia, Kamiros and Charaki.
A Walk in the Old Town of Rhodes
This walk through the Old Town of Rhodes takes you through this World Heritage Site and along the main streets and past the city walls, palaces and mosques.
Places to See in Southern Rhodes
Greece Travel Secrets’ guide to places to see in Southern Rhodes include Gennadi, Glystra, Pefkoi, Kiotari, Lardos, Moni Thari, Lindos, Kattavia and Prasonisi.
Rhodes
Travel advice, information on Rhodes in the Dodecanese, with ferries from Piraeus for Athens, Symi, Crete, Kos, Patmos, Santorini, and flights from Europe
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Lindos is one of the main attractions on the Greek island of Rhodes, with its Acropolis, other ancient sites, beaches and historic captain’s houses.
Mandraki Harbour
Mandraki Harbour is the main harbour of Rhodes Town for travellers and from here you can catch ferries to Piraeus, Symi, Kos, Kalymnos, Patmos, and to Turkey.
Where to Eat in Rhodes Town
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Rhodes Town with fine-dining restaurants and inexpensive tavernas in the Old Town and the New Town.
Easter on Rhodes
During Easter on Rhodes Greece Travel Secrets publisher Mike Gerrard travels from Lindos to Kattavia to visit a monastery and spend Easter with a Greek family.
Where to Stay in Rhodes Town
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Rhodes Town, including boutique and historic hotels in the Old Town and modern hotels in the New Town.
Rhodes Weather
Rhodes weather is hot in summer and mild in winter, so read Greece Travel Secrets’ advice on the best time to visit Rhodes and why you should consider Lindos.
Southern Rhodes Drive
This Southern Rhodes drive starts and ends in Lindos and takes in Gennadi, Kattavia, Monolithos and the chance to stop at several good beaches.
Where to Eat in Southern Rhodes
Greece Travel Secrets recommends its choice of where to eat in Southern Rhodes, including restaurants and tavernas in Lindos, Gennadi, Pefki and Monolithos.
What to Do on Rhodes
If you’re wondering what to do on Rhodes then our suggested highlights include Rhodes Old Town, Lindos, Kameiros, and a visit to Symi.
Best Time to Visit Rhodes
Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Rhodes, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.
Rhodes Festivals and Events
Rhodes festivals and events include those celebrated throughout Greece like Easter and Greek Independence Day, and others that are unique to the island.
Best Rhodes Guidebook
The best Rhodes guidebook is undoubtedly the A-Z Travel Guide to Rhodes, including Symi, with a new revised and updated edition for 2022.
Rhodes Town Old Jewish Quarter
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to the Old Jewish Quarter, which you’ll see if you visit the Old Town of Rhodes.
Where to Stay in Northern Rhodes
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Northern Rhodes with hotels and apartments in Faliraki and elsewhere from 5-star luxury to family-friendly.
Best Beaches on Rhodes
Greece Travel Secrets' choice of the best beaches on Rhodes, an island known for its beautiful sandy beaches.
Rhodes Town Museums
Rhodes Town museums include an archaeological museum, Byzantine museum, a museum of decorative arts, and exceptional collections of modern Greek art.
Ottoman Rhodes
Several mosques in Rhodes Town offer a reminder of Ottoman Rhodes, along with a delightful Muslim cemetery.
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