Rhodes on a plate

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Starters & Salads

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• Avranies: it's a local type of wild asparagus, cooked with oil and onions and dressed with a light sauce made of flour and lemon juice.
  You may order it at: Pelecanos – a traditional taverna with great respect for local produce
  Location: Vati
• Pitaroudia: fried pies made of chickpeas, served with onion and tomato You may order it at: Posperi – one of the best places to have tsipouro and mezedes in Rhodes
  Location: Ialyssos
• Karavoloi giachnisti: For the more adventurous in tastes, these are actually snails cooked in a pot with onion, olive oil, tomato, pepper, bay and cumin. You may order it at: Artemida – a great, family-style tavern focusing mostly on traditional dishes
  Location: Psinthos
• Chtapodokeftedes: The exact translation of this is 'octapus ball'... Think meat-balls, but made of minced octapus meat, fried and served for your pleasure! You may order something similar at: Pizanias – one of the best places to eat fresh fish in Rhodes and the leader in deliciously cooked octapus any which way!
  Location: Old Town

Main dishes & Sides

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• Matsi or pasta “plasta”: Handmade pasta cooked in meat stock with lots of cheese and sizzling fresh butter. It may be served with boiled lentils, chickpeas or dry beans. You may order it at: Rodion Gefseis – one of the latest additions in Rhodes' restaurant scene dedicated to recreate traditional local recipes.
  Location: Rhodes town
• Ornitha me loukoumi: Boiled chicken filled with rice, giblets, onion and herbs and served with local chylopites (egg-based homemade pasta). You may order something similar at: Ta Koupia – One of the finest restaurants in Rhodes, which has went on to receive high honours internationally, this is where traditional cuisine reaches its most delicate refinement.
  Location: Old Town
• Psaria marinata: Basically, it's any type of freshly fished fish, marinated in wonderfully aromatic freshly picked rosemary, olive oil, salt, vinegar and pepper. You may order it at: Mavrikos – Family owned restaurant, operating since the '30s and combining fresh ingredients, classical training and an abiding love for the best of Greek village cuisine.
  Location: Lindos
• Psaria tiganita me pligouri: Fried fresh fish with a side of groats cooked with tomato You may order something similar at: Dinoris – A true gastronomic – and particularly sea- food – paradise in the heart of the Old Town, housed in an impressive 14th century castle.
  Location: Old Town
• Katsiki stifado: Lamb chops cooked with rice and cinnamon, a traditional favourite at the village of Psinthos. You may order it at: Pigi Fasouli – A tavern with a true family feel, in the heart of the village and surrounded by beautiful greenery, it serves fresh food, clean flavours and abundant smiles!
  Location: Where else? Psinthos!
• Lakani: Veal or goat or lamb meat cooked in tomato sauce in the wood oven inside a 'lakani' (ceramic pot with lid) and served with 'chondros' (coarsely ground wheat). You may order something similar at: Vassili's Tavern – one of the locals' best kept secret eateries, it serves some of the most authentic dishes in town.
  Location: Kova area, Rhodes Town

Desserts in Rhodes

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Most of Rhodes' traditional sweets and desserts may be served in local restaurants, passed on to guests during house calls or bought in shops and local markets. For a truly authentic taste and couleur locale feeling, you should opt for the latter option and wander through one of the city's open local markets, set up during the week in specific spots around Rhodes town:

• On Wednesdays and Saturdays: Agios Dimitios (graveyard area)
• On Thursdays: Vyronos street (Diagoras football field)
• On Fridays: Constantinos Ydraios street (Analipsis area)

Some of the most distinctive local sweet tastes to choose from are:

• Katimeria: small round cookies with a hole in the middle made with honey. They may be served hot or cold. The longer they sit, the softer and tastier they become.
• Melekouni: the typical Dodecanese dessert made with sesami, almonds, herbs and honey. It's a traditional wedding treat.
• Moschopougia: The translation being 'aromatic satchels', these are small desserts made with ground nuts, ground almonds, nutmeg, icing sugar and rosewater.
• Takakia (or madinades): Pastry filled with ground nuts, nutmeg, cinnamon and clove.
• Fanouropita: This type of pie dedicated to Agios (Saint) Fanourios is still made today and dedicated to the Saint whenever someone loses something and wants to get it back. Originally, Agios Fanourios was supposed to reveal to unwed girls the man they were going to marry. The recipe varies from region to region, but the main ingredients include flour, wine, water, sugar, cinnamon, sesame oil and orange juice.
• Mouhalebi: It is actually a turkish dessert made popular in Rhodes by the owner of the renowned Stani bakery and milk store, dating as far back as 1952. A lighter version of the Italian panacota, mouhalebi is made with milk, rice flour, rosewater and ground mastiha pieces.