Where to eat in Platanes
- The main coast road through Platanes — the concentration of tavernas, grills and family restaurants.
- Beachfront tables on the Rethymno sands — casual lunches and sunset dinners with the water in front of you.
- Adelianos Kampos, immediately east — more of the same strip, slightly quieter.
- Rethymno old town, 4 km west — the area's best and most varied dining, easily reached by bus, bike or taxi.
- Villages inland toward Pigi and Prines — small tavernas away from the resort entirely.
Popular types of cuisine
The strip serves the resort mix: Greek taverna staples, grills, pizza and pasta, plus a few kitchens doing more careful Cretan cooking. Fish is available but Rethymno harbour and the fishing villages have the wider choice.
Traditional Cretan food
Several long-running family tavernas along the strip still cook oven dishes daily — lamb, gemista, briam, moussaka — and these are usually the best-value tables in Platanes. Inland villages a few kilometres up give a fully traditional evening.
Family-friendly dining
Platanes exists largely for family holidays: flat pavements, shallow beach, early service and children's options nearly everywhere. It is one of the easiest places near Rethymno to eat out with young children.
Sea views
Beach-side tables face north across the Cretan Sea, which makes for long light evenings rather than a dramatic sunset over water. The Rethymno seafront promenade, walkable from the western end, gives the best sea-view stretch.
Best time to eat
Platanes is seasonal, roughly May to October, and quiet outside it. Service starts earlier than in Greek towns, which suits families, and Rethymno's later scene is a short ride away for anyone wanting a 22:00 dinner.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Platanes in Crete?
- On the north coast immediately east of Rethymno town, at the far end of Rethymno's long sandy beach, about 4 km from the Venetian old town.
- Is Platanes good for restaurants?
- It has a solid run of family tavernas and beach restaurants along the coast road. For a wider choice, most visitors head into Rethymno old town, a few minutes away.
- How much does dinner cost in Platanes?
- Typically €12–20 per person at a taverna with house wine, with fish priced by the kilo and costing more.
- Is Platanes suitable for families?
- Yes — it is one of the most family-oriented parts of the Rethymno coast, with shallow water, flat walkways and early dinner service.
Continue reading
- Dining in CreteA practical guide to eating in Crete — the island's regions, Cretan dishes worth ordering, typical prices, seasons and how to pick a good taverna.
- Where to eat in CreteWhere to eat in Crete, town by town — Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and the resorts, plus mountain villages and prices.
- Best restaurants in CreteHow to find the best restaurants in Crete — what separates a great taverna from a tourist trap, which towns suit which meal, prices and booking advice.
- Cretan restaurantsWhat a traditional Cretan restaurant serves — dakos, kalitsounia, antikristo, raki and the Cretan diet — plus how tavernas, mezedopoleia and rakadika differ.
- Seafood in CreteHow to eat seafood in Crete — fresh versus frozen, pricing by the kilo, which fish are in season, best-value orders and where the fishing harbours are.
- HeraklionEating in Heraklion — the market streets, raki bars, harbour fish tavernas and Archanes wine villages, with typical prices and when to book.
- ChaniaA guide to dining in Chania — the Venetian harbour, Splantzia's backstreets, the covered market and mountain tavernas, with prices and booking advice.
- Agios NikolaosDining in Agios Nikolaos — Lake Voulismeni, the harbour, Kitroplateia beach tables and nearby villages, with typical prices and booking tips.
Looking for your next place to eat?
Woltaro is a platform for discovering restaurants, events and experiences in Crete. Restaurants are added as they join, so this guide stays about the destination rather than a paid listing.