5 Best Restaurants in Milos, The Cyclades

Romantic and rightly popular, Barriello has an enviable position with views of the sea and the Trypiti village square. A 150-year-old mansion has been repurposed to good effect by charismatic owner Takis. Local ingredients, mostly grown on their own farm, are sometimes playfully presented with elements of modern creative Greek cuisine. It's more fine dining than traditional taverna but the tastes are refined and recognisable and it is generally regarded as the best food on the island.

On a cliffside setting by the brilliantly painted huts of Mandrakia is the island's best fish taverna. The very essence of summer is to be had on the large terrace on the waterfront. The view is sublime but the food more than punches its weight. Order a bottle of white from their well-chosen list and enjoy the best seafood with the waves splashing by your feet.

Magic happens in the kitchens of this farm-to-table eatery. A handwritten menu in a school exercise book guides you around the local approach of the Psatha family; if they can't grow it or rear it themselves, they don't sell it. The ingredients in front of you shout of the sun and the earth, all served in a leafy courtyard where geraniums fight for space with herbs for the pot. Quirky touches abound—your bread hangs from the back of your chair in a string bag, and meals are served on handmade terracotta—but it all makes sense in this singular evocation of the islands terroir.

A cut above the tavernas that cling to Pollonia's seafront, Armira harvests the local ingredients to fine effect in its take on modern Mediterranean cuisine. The roof garden is a fine place to savor the sweetest of seafood direct from the family fishing boat. The restaurant decamps to Piraeus in winter, bringing a taste of the islands to Athens.

Tables spill out onto the alley at this relaxed Plaka restaurant where the focus is on fresh flavors. Traditional recipes are refined but still recognizable. This is modern Mediterranean cooking at its best with confidence in ingredients that taste of the land. The personable staff keep things moving, even handing out wine to those waiting to dine. It is worth the wait.