All-Day Gastronomic Adventuring in Aegina

These favorites are simple, unpretentious, and rooted in decades of history. They open early, slowly filling with the island’s elders, then ceding to a younger crowd by evening, with ouzo or tsipouro in hand and a couple of classic meze on the table.

Over our days in Aegina we visited all three: Aktaion, painted in sea blues, open for two decades and housed in one of the island’s handsome historic buildings; the bright red coffeehouse of Anastasia Galari; and the green one of Kostas Moiras. They stand side by side, operating continuously for sixty years beneath the carved balcony of another landmark that once served as Aegina’s Town Hall.

Food threaded through everything. Read about the standout stops from our stay, and be sure to seek them out on your next escape to this Argosaronic retreat.

We had not thought to reserve fresh tuna, or swordfish from the market stalls in the morning so they could be grilled for us at the taverna, as is the custom, but there was always the catch from their own fishing boat or what the owner himself brought in with his speargun.

Luckily, we managed to try the sea urchin salad, which is served almost daily this season, excellent grilled monkfish with vegetables—also available fried with garlic dip—sardines, and the ultimate specialty: cuttlefish sausage grilled over coals. Along with seasonal greens and salads supplied mostly by local producers and a cold beer, it was the perfect honest and satisfying midday meal.

49 P. Irioti, Aegina Town

For our first day’s swims we headed south, seeking cool waters and dividing our hours of relaxation between the beaches of Klima and Sarpa. Following the road toward Sfentouri and before the small port of Perdika, our first stop was Klima, the organized beach that combines sand and pebbles, especially beloved by locals who know the island’s best spots, and also by yachts that anchor in its crystal-clear turquoise waters. After enjoying plenty of swims, we continued further south to Sarpa beach. Via a short dirt road, we reached a lacy sandy cove with calm waters and full facilities.

Swimming and beach volleyball had stirred our appetites, and as the sunset approached we were called to the water’s edge, to the serene setting of the well-known taverna Aeginitissa, right on the sand of the bay of the same name.

With our gaze lost in the warm tones of the golden sunset, we began with well-crafted sushi to accompany our wine, continued with shrimp cigars and Constantinopolitan-style cuttlefish as starters, agreed that the cod paired perfectly with the delicious pistachio garlic dip, and since we could not decide whether to share the linguine with clams or the seafood orzo, we finally indulged in both—the fullness of flavor fully justifying our decision.

Aeginitissa Beach

As for our evening stroll back in the town of Aegina, we gave it the sweet taste of a refreshing handmade ice cream from the excellent pastry shop Melenio. We went for the timeless favorite pistachio flavor, generously sprinkled with grated nuts, but we were also thrilled with a new creation: rose ice cream with orange pie.

4 Mitropoleos

Between our morning visit to the important archaeological site of Kolona and its museum, and the famous Temple of Aphaia, we made a necessary and delightful stop for authentic Neapolitan coffee with freshly made, airy tiramisu that transported us straight from the Saronic Gulf to the Bay of Naples. This came easily in the artistic atmosphere there, in a carefully designed corner all-day café-bar in the heart of town, which often hosts works by young artists.

During our stay, we returned here either for a genuine Italian aperitivo with delicious bruschette made from Greek and Italian ingredients, or to spend a relaxed evening at the pedestrian-street tables, with selected Italian wines and indulgent pasta dishes: beetroot pesto with prosciutto and walnuts, tagliatelle with prosciutto, spicy salami, mushrooms, and red wine, and the authentic carbonara—all recipes of the Neapolitan owner, Dario Perreca.

43 Panagi Irioti

The day was dedicated to a mini sea excursion, from the picturesque harbor of Perdika to the paradisiacal islet of Moni. We combined this wonderful experience and our return to Perdika with food on the pretty balcony of Nontas, from whose well-kept, shaded tables our gaze wandered beyond the colorful fishing boats, back to the green Moni.

Two by two, we ate the crispy shrimp and small fish that arrived sizzling from the pan, along with velvet-smooth fava, refreshing salads, and handmade pies—zucchini, eggplant, or wild greens depending on the season—that have helped make the almost century-old kitchen of Nontas a timeless benchmark for the island.

As, of course, has their specialty: the thick, hearty “fish soup” made with the fish of our choice, as well as calamari with a delicious homemade Aegina pistachio pesto sauce. We completed the meal traditionally with yogurt and spoon sweets, then bought jars of the pesto sauce to take home for our own cooking.

Perdika

06

Kokkoras

Returning from the northern beaches and passing through Kypseli, famed for its sponge diving, we paused to admire the vast orchards of pistachio trees heavy with fruit—and also to enjoy the authentic atmosphere of a straightforward village taverna, like Kokkoras.

Here the standouts are the excellent slow-cooked dishes: rooster with thick pasta, rabbit stew, and tender veal, giving every reason to set seafood aside for a while, though fish is never absent from the menu.

Kypseli

As our final stop before boarding the ferry home, we left one of the top fish tavernas and ouzeris of our islands—Skotadis, of course, which, with integrity, respect for sustainable fishing, exemplary professionalism, and constant evolution, is approaching its eighth decade. The humble kafeneio that first opened in 1945, named after Giannis Alyfantis’s nickname “Skotadis” (Darkness) because he opened before dawn, preparing hot fish soup and morning coffee for the fishermen of Aegina, has remained in the family, evolved into an ouzeri, and taken on gastronomic ambitions.

Here we tasted seafood meze dishes that would impress even the finest restaurants of the genre. We agreed on the aromatic lemon-marinated anchovies, the perfectly cooked octopus with thin slices of Florina peppers and olive oil, the smoked fava, the velvety garlic dip paired with flawlessly fried ray, the fluffy cod croquettes, and the newest addition to the menu: succulent red mullet skewers.

The salads were exceptional too: one with cheeses crusted in Aegina pistachios, another with peeled tomatoes, capers, and coarse salt, and yet another with string beans and feta aged in honey for a month. The famous seafood orzo more than lived up to its reputation as one of the best dishes one can taste in Aegina. We paired it with a bottle from the carefully curated list of wines and spirits and raised a toast to grandfather “Skotadis,” who left such a legacy on the island.

46 Leoforos Dimokratias

Aikeion

To be completely honest, our very last stop was the 65-year-old pastry institution Aiakeion, specializing in pistachio-based sweets in a constantly expanding range of temptations, to which we succumbed more than once during our stay. The long experience, recipes now in the hands of the third generation of the family business, and pure ingredients from Greek producers delighted us in rich waffles, crêpes, and pancakes with their award-winning pistachio spreads, pistachio ice cream made in-house in countless variations, loukoumades drizzled with pistachio cream and plenty of grated nuts, pastries, pistachio profiteroles, and even the Pistalicious coffee: espresso with pistachio ice cream, thick whipped cream, and abundant pistachio crumbs—energizing, refreshing, and truly irresistible.

18 Leoforos Dimokratias

09

Mourtzis

While we left Aiakeion with boxes filled with crunchy florentines, pistachio bites better than truffles, and syrupy morsels like baklava, saragli, and kataifi with pistachios, we did not fail to stop at the traditional sweets shop and grocery Mourtzis, with an equally large variety of pistachio-based treats.

57 P. Ipeiroti

10

Soros Dairy

And of course, we could not forget to visit the distinguished dairy of the Soros family, with its 80-year tradition, to buy peppery, ideally spicy ladotyri, the soft and tangy fresh geremezi, and graviera—all made with local milk according to the family recipe.