10 Best Restaurants in Hydra, The Saronic Gulf Islands

Set right on Mikro Kamini, a leisurely 15-minute walk from the port (or 5 minutes by mule or couple of minutes by water taxi), this fully renovated 18th-century fortress is a popular bar-restaurant offering some of the most fortifying dining on the island. Castello is the only place where you can find sushi, or if you are craving a snack, try the catch of the day served with wild greens and saffron. Its multilevel café serves breakfast, coffee, drinks, and snacks and is the ideal spot for enjoying Hydra sunsets over the best apple martini on the island. Renting a sun bed for the day on the beach right in front of Castello will set you back €5.

The charming young trio of owners—Yiannis, Kostas, and Alexandros—have imbued this beach taverna just 100 feet from Vlichos Beach with energy and attentive service. The traditional taverna fare includes favorite Greek dishes like ntakos, prawn linguine, and lively salads, which all go perfectly with a glass of house wine or a cold beer. The all-white surroundings (with cool-blue undertones) contrast gloriously with the injection of color from the surrounding pink bougainvillea. At the back of the taverna, you will find the headquarters of the Hydra Diving Center.

This spot where Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas once danced is a vision in minimalist island stone and white. The restaurant/bar is set in the high-ceilinged Hydra Nautical Club and the deck outside, which affords an exquisite sea view. Gourmet sefood dishes, and lively salads are the light standards that will help ensure you keep the energy levels up if you choose to stay on and dance the night away as the night time revelry kicks in and cocktails start flowing

Don't leave Hydra without some traditional almond macaroons in your suitcase. The Tsagkaris family, led by octogenarian matriarch Anna Tsagkari, have been lovingly making them in their workshop for more than 70 years.

Kodylenia's Taverna looks like a whitewashed fisherman's cottage on a promontory overlooking the little harbor of Kamini, with a veranda terrace charmingly set with folkloric pennants and communal tables—it's the perfect perch to catch some sublime sunsets. It is also an irresistibly alluring (if a little pricey) place that has enraptured town folk and off-duty billionaires alike. When there, peek into the kitchen below the terrace to see what's cooking: a whole fish may be chargrilling and, when available, order kritamos (rock samphire), the urchin salad, or share an order of fresh-caught grilled squid in tomato sauce.

The half-Greek, half-Danish host of this taverna in Kamini, the second-largest village in Hydra, likes to cook for and entertain all his visitors himself. Being the life of the party that he is, by the time you leave after a heartening dinner, you will feel as if you've made a new friend. Theo cooks Greek and international dishes with a twist, as evidenced by the chicken souvlaki marinated in lemon and sage, and the pork fillet with Roquefort cheese sauce.

Christina and Manolis, the former owners, have now passed the baton to their son Constantinos, who has modernized the home-style Greek dishes served here, in his traditional old Hydriot house with stone floors and wooden ceilings, where time seems to have been standing still since the 1950s. If it's available, try the fresh fish that is prepared to perfection. It's a good idea to arrive before 9 pm for dinner; there are only 20 tables under the open-air vine-covered pergola upstairs, and they fill up quickly.