A Cyclades Food Guide for 2027. Let the next memorable Greek island trip be guided by what’s growing, cooking and being poured.
A view of the Aegean can stay with you for years. So can the taste of a dish you tried nowhere else.
That idea is shaping the way many travelers are thinking about their next trip. Booking.com’s 2027 travel predictions point to more spontaneous, personal itineraries, with travelers choosing experiences that suit their mood rather than following a familiar checklist. In the U.S. findings cited by Food & Wine, 82% of respondents said they would prioritize how a place makes them feel over simply choosing where to go. For a Cyclades trip, that could mean planning around a long lunch, a village market or a local ingredient—and leaving a little room for the unexpected.
There’s a timely reason to look to the islands’ food, too. The 2027 MICHELIN Guide has expanded to include Santorini and Thessaloniki alongside Athens. On Santorini, Lycabettus received two MICHELIN Stars, while Botrini’s Santorini, Lauda and Selene each received one. It’s an exciting moment for Greek dining, and a good invitation to explore the food culture around those celebrated tables as well.
Start with Santorini, then follow your appetite
Santorini makes a natural starting point. Its new MICHELIN recognition puts the island’s restaurants in a brighter spotlight, but the wider appeal is the way its contemporary cooking draws on local products and the character of the island. Make time for a special dinner if that’s part of your travel style. Then balance it with a more relaxed meal, a glass of local wine or a stop that lets the island set the pace.
The point isn’t to choose between fine dining and a village taverna. It’s to make room for both. A destination becomes more memorable when its celebrated experiences sit alongside the everyday ones: a meal that follows the season, a family recipe, or a dish that tastes different from one island to the next.
Paros: eat by the season, then head inland
On Paros, begin with gouna: mackerel that’s salted and sun-dried before being grilled. It’s a distinctly island-style taste—simple, savoury and closely tied to the sea. Another dish to look for is revithada, a slow-cooked chickpea stew. The island’s cheeses deserve a place at the table, too; try a local selection and ask which ones are made nearby.
For a meal that feels more connected to the island’s daily rhythms, take the road inland to Lefkes. Wander its narrow lanes, then settle into a village taverna and ask what’s cooking that day. If revithada is on the menu, order it. If you’re travelling in spring, ask whether the kitchen has found kalfa, a local wild asparagus-like vegetable that has a short season and can be difficult to find outside it. On the way, look for local honey, herbs and cheeses rather than treating the village as a quick photo stop.
For another taste of Parian cooking, look out for mirmizelli, a traditional pasta, or kolitsanokeftedes, small fritters made with sea anemone. These specialities may not appear on every menu, so ask a local what is available before you order. That small conversation can turn lunch into a discovery.
Naxos: from mountain taverns to a glass of citron
Naxos offers a different kind of food journey. Its varied landscape supports a generous mix of produce and livestock, and the island is known for its cheeses, potatoes, honey and kitron, a liqueur made using the leaves of the citron tree.
In a village taverna, look for kokoras me makaronia—rooster slowly braised in a red sauce and served with pasta. Depending on the season and the kitchen, you may also find rabbit cooked with lemon and oregano, or goat served with local greens. These are dishes to enjoy without hurrying; they make a good reason to turn a scenic drive into a proper lunch stop.
A rewarding inland detour is Halki, where the Vallindras distillery has been making kitron since 1896. A visit offers a chance to learn about the island’s citron tradition and taste the liqueur; check current opening times before you go. Pair it with a wander around the village rather than a quick stop on the way to somewhere else. 6 For a slower afternoon, head to Apeiranthos and choose a family-run taverna. Finish with melachrino, a rich walnut cake moistened with kitron, if it’s on offer.
Back in Naxos town, stop at a local cheese shop and ask to taste graviera and arseniko, two cheeses with protected designation of origin status. A small tasting is an easy way to understand how different the island’s food can be from one village to the next.
Three more islands worth adding to the map
If your route has room for another stop, choose an island for its own food story rather than trying to see them all. These are worthwhile editorial additions even if they sit outside your company’s current destinations or services.
On Tinos, make time for an unhurried meal in or near Pyrgos. The island is known for its cheeses and cured meats, including louza, and its local food calendar follows the seasons: artichokes feature in spring, capers are gathered in early summer, and autumn brings foraged mushrooms. A local breakfast of cheese, cold cuts and frutalia—a hearty omelette with vegetables or sausage—offers an easy introduction.
On Syros, pair a walk through Ermoupoli’s historic streets with a stop at a traditional confectionery for loukoumi or halvadopita. For something savory, look for San Michali, the island’s PDO-protected hard cheese, or marathopita, a pie filled with wild fennel. If you’re heading north, the less-visited Apano Meria is known for wild capers and the village where San Michali cheese is made.
On Milos, seek out pitarakia: small, crisp hand pies filled with local sheep’s or goat’s milk cheese and herbs. They make a simple snack or starter, and a lovely reminder that a destination’s signature dish can be humble, portable and tied closely to local ingredients.
Make the journey your own
A food-led Cyclades itinerary doesn’t need to be tightly scheduled. Choose a few anchors—a Santorini dinner, a Paros village lunch, a Naxos producer visit, or a Syros sweet stop—and let the rest unfold. Take the ferry when it suits your route, allow time for the crossings, and check seasonal openings and local transport before traveling. Restaurants and small producers can change their hours from one season to another, so a quick call or message is worth making before you set out.
Most of all, follow your curiosity. Ask what’s local, what’s in season and what the cook would choose. In 2027, the best itinerary may be the one with just enough planning to get you there—and enough freedom to find something you hadn’t put on the list.
About Curated by ROS
Curated by ROS is a luxury villa rental and concierge specialist operating across Mykonos, Paros, Antiparos, Tinos and the Athens Riviera. Every property in our collection has been personally visited. Every service we arrange is one we stand behind. We have been on these islands and this coastline long enough to know what is genuinely worth your time.
