Traditional dishes, unique flavours with fresh ingredients and picturesque taverns for local recipes in Zagori, Epirus.
The gastronomy of Zagori is a treasure trove of flavours and traditions that reflect the rich history and culture of Epirus, northwest Greece. Epirus' cuisine is a combined experience for the senses, intersecting aromas, flavours and ingredients receiving influences from all its historical phases.
Zagori, in particular, is a region that hides an entire flavour universe that successfully reflects the special culture and rich nature of the region. In the green world of Zagori, gastronomy is closely linked to local agriculture and animal husbandry.
The inhabitants of the area use the natural products of their place to create dishes rich in flavour and authenticity. In the following text, we will make some interesting tasting stops to try the emblematic Zagoris pies with aromatic herbs, cheeses, tasty and quality meats, and traditional sweets.
Get ready to travel with your palate to a world of flavours that will be unforgettable, thanks to Travel.
We start our tasty journey from the beautiful settlement of Vitsa, where, under the symbolic century-old plane tree of the square, we will try the delicious stews, pies, and fresh meats in Struga. It came here from Ioannina and has already become a meeting point for foodies.
We stayed in the settlement of Vitsa and visited a historical shop of Zagori, "Sta Riza". It has been here for the last few years. However, it had already made a "name" from when we found it in Elati Zagori, since way back in 2004.
It serves traditional local cuisine, with small touches of modernisation, more in terms of serving than in the culinary approach.
In the same village, we will also find the restaurant Κανέλλα και Γαρύφαλλο (Kanella and Garifallo) - fixed value, specialising in dishes based on mushrooms, cinnamon and cloves.
If you don't like mushrooms, you'll still find delicious options.
In Asprangelos, we will go to Virginia, who turned her family home into a restaurant and is a constant asset, giving life to an entire village. Simple ingredients are turned into delicious dishes that smell of continental nature every day.
Here, local cuisine and patriotism lessons are taught, topped by pies such as the fluffy pumpkin pie and the flavorful mushroom pie. They are made with homemade foil, and the ingredients that will make up the filling are always of the best quality.
Beyond the pastries are delicious dishes: the baked aubergines with chicken and gruyere and the greens giants, made with eight wild herbs, create a unique taste you will remember for a long time.
Alekos, Virginia's husband, is on the grill, who knows about meat and cooks delicious juicy ribs and a fluffy burger with 100% ground beef.
A few metres down, in the square of the settlement, you will come across another reason that makes Zagori a special destination, among others, for its food. This is Montaza, where you will find delicious meats and salads, and you will be able to accompany them ideally with wines.
Try a well-done rib-eye or even a perfectly cooked and flavourful tomahawk. Ask about the available meats of the day and find time for a calm and relaxed meal.
In Tsepelovo, in the square, we will eat at Mikri Arktos, where Giorgos Kittas, full of energy and creativity, chooses to cook based on local cuisine and ingredients.
Having studied as a cook and after gaining experience in kitchens alongside experienced cooks, he returned to his village, where his father has been running Mikri Arktos since 1993, picking up the thread and continuing with his love for the place, food and local products.
The restaurant's menu includes mutton with leek in the gut, boiled goat, various pies, and the signature dish, "The Bear's Dish".It is pork with honey, nuts, dried fruits, and sour apple. It is worth trying, especially on cold winter days.
We arrive at Dilofos, and there we will try the delicious dishes of Takis at his restaurant, Lithos. We will start with the bread and let Takis tell us his own culinary stories, which he manages to present every time in a way that is unique and beyond the expected.
Tradition and teasing dishes set up a dance and unfold his talent. He mixes chickpeas with eggplants, creating a unique, balanced taste; he makes red meatballs fluffy and light in an excellent tomato sauce.
It serves goat in the oven with potatoes and a variety of pies, with the cheese pie and the traditional Epirus dough pie at the top.
The restaurant Salvia operates in Aristi on the premises of the luxurious Aristi Mountain Resort. It is a restaurant that serves Greek cuisine with a touch of renewal and upgrading.
Kimon Ligadas, as executive chef, created a menu taking into account the products of Zagori but also including other options. It moves with mastery between the traditional and the modern, leaving a sweet aftertaste of real food, like what we all remember.
Here, we will find veal carpaccio with truffles and sprouts, cabbage dolmades with minced pork, Suzuka, and trachea with trumpets, king mushrooms, and winter truffles. Noodles, soup, risotto, thief lamb and trout complete the menu.
Going up to Papigo, we will go for dinner at Astra, where after taking a walk in the garden, we will learn about the seasonality of the products, and we will sit either on the beautiful and neat terrace or in the hall—local ingredients, an orchard full of herbs, a trout farm and a love of home cooking.
The Astra restaurant in Papigo is located at the exit to Mikro Papigo, in a stone building covered by an orgy ivy. The orchard, right next to the restaurant, reminds us of seasonality and freshness concepts.
In Mikro Papigo, we will dine at the Veranda 1700 Wine Restaurant in the Mikro Papigo 1700 Hotel. Emphasising the seasonality and the quality of the raw materials, the taste captures the terroir of Northern Pindos.
It takes us on a journey to steep green slopes and delicious surprises. You will taste the best that the place produces, exclusively from the small producers of Epirus. The aim is to strengthen the producers of Epirus, putting visitors in the position of the ambassador of Epirus, its cuisine and its products.
Among the options, we find graviera from Pogoni, Paramythia, freshly fried potatoes from Chrysovitsa Metsovou, chicken from Zagori and a series of imaginative salads. Also, Pogoni tagliat, sirloin steak, free-range beef, various pasta dishes, and handmade items complete the restaurant's menu.
In Ano Pedina, in Kato Plateia, as it is called, you will find the refined restaurant Sotiria Tsigara, which stands out for its beautiful decoration with classic furniture but also for the authentic Greek traditional cuisine in its best version.
Delicious stews, oily, such as beans, giants with greens, stuffed okra, but also well-cooked lamb in the oven, braised beef, boiled goat, wild boar with leeks, and handmade pies with airy leaves complete the culinary universe of Sotiria.
READ MORE: The ten reasons why Epirus must not be skipped on your next Greek vacation.
