16 Best Restaurants in Epirus and Thessaly, Greece

One of the last in Ioannina's main and famous row of lakeside tavernas, family-run and welcoming Mirovolos serves great food. Graze while you gaze at the lovely view of the minaret of Aslan Mosque reflecting on the calm waters of Lake Pamvotis. Enjoy delightful local starters, such as melitzanabourekakia (eggplant-stuffed phyllo sheets), kolokithokeftedes (zucchini and feta fritters), and the zingy cheese dip tirokafteri (made with feta) from nearby Dodoni, washed down with their light house white. For a main course, savor the spiced kontosouvli (pork tenderloin) or the Greco-Roman chicken pie with a light Parmesan sauce.

Also know as Elias's Garden restaurant, this simple taverna with a traditional Greek menu and a waterfall in the garden attracts everyone from visiting royalty to Olympic-medal winners. Kids get their own pethika piata (kids' plates). Unusual appetizers include spicy fried feta with peppers and grilled mushrooms. Among the main dishes are beef stamna (baked in a covered clay pot with herbs, potatoes, and cheese), rabbit with onions stew, a range of local village sausages and perfectly fried vegetable croquettes.

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!)

At this spot on the main square, a local favorite since 1925, the Gkertsos family serves food prepared by the matriarch, Ketty. Meteora is known for hearty main courses—try Ketty's special wine-and-pepper chicken, veal, or pork stifado (stew)—and some specialties from Asia Minor, including tzoutzoukakia Smyrneika, aromatic meatballs in a red sauce laced with cumin. The surrounding hills and mountains are noted for goat and sheep rearing, and these meats are grilled to perfection here. Customers are ushered through the kitchen to place their order.

This is the best place in Ioannina to enjoy Grandma's home-style cooking, such as pork and celery in a velvety egg-lemon sauce, chicken in yogurt sauce, and patsa (tripe) and beef in tomato sauce—simply head to the counter at the back of the charming little magirion, a canteen variety of taverna, and point to the dishes that strike your fancy. Beer is served cold and the wine by the kilo (or half, if you must).

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).

For more than 30 years Mr. Vassilis has run this friendly place, where you can discover how Greek grandmothers cooked before the comforts of electricity were introduced to Epirus. The gastra is basically a large clay or iron container placed on a fire with hot coals scattered on the iron lid over the pot. Your meal (of lamb, chicken, or goat) roasts very slowly in its own juices, resulting in tender, juicy meat with a crispy outer skin. Even though the location is rather charmless, the great food has local diners coming in droves.

Come here just for the knockout views of Meteora and the Kalambaka plain below, and the food isn't bad either. Of course, to make sure you get a prime position on the veranda it's best to book in advance. For starters, along with typical mezes, they serve mushrooms stuffed with cheese and a deliciously rich melitzana saganaki (roasted eggplant) served in a claypot with bacon. Try the beautifully prepared lamb chops or the smirneika meatballs, swimming in a spicy tomato sauce. For dessert don't miss out on the syrupy orange cake with a scoop of ice cream.

When a Greek cooks with meraki (good taste and mood), the world does indeed find paradissos (paradise). Owner Kyriakoula Fassoula serves meat dishes cooked tis oras (to order), such as grilled pork and lamb chops. Vegetarians can choose from delectable eggplant papoutsakia ("little shoes"), fried zucchini with garlic sauce, and various boiled greens. Complimentary fruit is served for the finale, but it would be a shame to pass up the flaky baklava.

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.