4 Best Restaurants in Metsovo, Epirus and Thessaly

Koutouki ("little box"), aptly named for its diminutive interior, is a good value, just one reason this place is so popular with the locals. All the taverna favorites are here, but order something made with the local cheese, or the amazing hilopotes (local pasta) cooked in a chicken broth, or the divine celery-leek-and-beef meatballs. Anything served in this taverna is delicious and honest, and the local wine isn't bad either. Kali Orexi! (Good appetite!)

A local classic with vintage rustic charm (crackling fireplace included), situated in the town’s main square, this has been a go-to choice for quality local flavors for three decades. Try various homemade pies, a wide array of regional cheeses, trachanas (a Greek type of pasta crumb, served here in an extra creamy rendition with feta and butter), local hylopytes pasta stewed with tomato sauce in a ceramic pot, local game, and kokoretsi (lamb’s intestines seasoned and cooked to a crisp on the spit).

A large fireplace, Metsovo costumes on the walls, old photos, and carved wooden furniture enliven the dining room. Try the vegetable pies, especially the kolokithopita (zucchini pie) made from bobota (corn flour), an unusual crust in Greece but an Epirote favorite. In addition, the saganaki (fried cheese) made with four Metsovo cheeses and tender lamb yiouvetsi (baked in tomato-wine sauce) are winners. The large wine selection includes good local choices, Katogi and Zitsa.

The name means "traditional," and that's what this comfortable spot decorated with colorful weavings and folk crafts is. Vasilis Bissas, the chef-owner, has revived many of the more esoteric regional specialties. Try the fileta tou dasous (fillet of the forest)—a choice beef fillet stuffed with cheese, ham, tomato, mushrooms, and "woodcutters' potatoes" (potato slices baked with bacon and four kinds of cheese). "Grandmothers' bread" is toasted and stuffed with cheese, bacon, tomato, peppers, and onions, then baked in the oven. Accompany your meal with the house wine, guaranteed to be a well-researched regional specialty, or choose the heady local red Katogi.