Located in the mountainous village of Drakona, about 18km outside Chania, you will find Ntounias Tavern, which is owned by Stelios Trilyrakis.
It all started back in 2004 when Stelios, who was a chef at a restaurant in Chania decided to return back to his village and take over the traditional tavern run by his parents.
Stelios wanted to make this the most authentic experience for those who came here to eat and dreamed of creating a tavern filled with traditional Cretan food he learned to make from his mum and Yiayia.
He decided to use organic, local produce and prepared traditional Cretan dishes using paresis, which are wood stoves and wood ovens. There are no electric cooking appliances in this tavern and Stelios plans on keeping it this way.
Stelios also decided to grow his own farm and planted his own vegetable garden and also bought livestock, so he only uses free-range eggs, meat, and dairy from his backyard.
Ntounias has become a household name in Crete and entire Greece, where people from all over the country and the world come here to try the most delicious and authentic Cretan food to be found.
Stelios, his wife, and family all work here and everything on the menu is seasonal and depends on what is growing in the garden.
All bread is baked daily in the wood fire ovens and even the wine and Raki is homemade.
One thing you can be sure of is you will not find a more delicious and authentic meal and you will definitely want to make your way here more than just once!
A: Drakona, Chania, Crete 731 00
P: +30 2821 065083