From dakos to fresh seafood, wild herbs to aged cheese: a guide to the dishes that define Cretan cuisine and where to find them in Hersonissos.
The produce is local, the recipes are ancient, and most of what ends up on your plate has barely changed in generations. The island was one of the original reference points for the Mediterranean diet, documented here in the 1960s as a model of how people had eaten well and lived long for centuries. Consider this a starting point.
Dakos is the place to start. A twice-baked barley rusk soaked in tomato juice, topped with crushed tomato, mizithra cheese, and olive oil. Simple, sharp, and perfect in the heat. The oil matters here: Cretan olive oil is cold-pressed from Koroneiki olives, one of the smallest and most flavourful varieties in the world, and it shows up in almost everything you eat. You'll find dakos everywhere, and it's always better than it looks.
Above: Dakos, photo used under Creative Commons license.
Stamnagathi is a wild Cretan green, bitter and slightly peppery, usually boiled and dressed with lemon and oil. It grows across the island and has been eaten here for centuries. Order it as a side whenever you see it.
Lamb with stamnagathi is a natural pairing. Slow-cooked until it falls apart, finished with lemon. The kind of dish that takes all day to make and tastes like it. The depth comes partly from the herbs: wild thyme, sage, and dittany of Crete, a plant endemic to the island and used medicinally and culinarily for millennia. It's why even simple dishes here taste the way they do.
Chochlioi boubouristi are fried snails, a Cretan specialty cooked in olive oil with rosemary and salt. Nothing like a French preparation. Considered a local delicacy, and a good litmus test for how adventurous you're feeling.
Sfakianes pites are thin pies from the Sfakia region, made with fresh mizithra cheese and cooked on a flat pan. Small, slightly sweet, served with honey. Find them as a snack or a dessert.
Gamopilafo is Cretan wedding rice, slow-cooked in meat broth until it's rich and almost creamy. It's a celebration dish, so you won't always find it on the menu, but when you do, order it.
Graviera is the local hard cheese, made from sheep's milk, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour. If you find xigalo, the fresh spreadable sheep's milk cheese rarely found outside Crete, try that too. Both are worth going out of your way for.
Above: Apaki, photo used under Creative Commons license.
Apaki is smoked pork, cured with vinegar and seasoned with herbs including thyme and oregano. Eaten cold, in thin slices. It has the kind of depth that comes from a process that hasn't been updated or improved because it doesn't need to be.
Cretan wine deserves more attention than it usually gets. Indigenous varieties like Vidiano and Kotsifali are increasingly interesting, and a glass alongside any of the above is the right call.
For loukoumades, follow your nose. Fried dough, honey, sesame. The Cretan version tends to be lighter and less sweet than what you'd find elsewhere in Greece. A good thing to eat by the water at the end of the afternoon.
Above: Loukoumades, photo by AVLXYZ on Flickr
The DIO Taverna is a natural place to begin: dakos, fresh seafood, snails, and Sfakiani pita on the dessert menu, all a few steps from the water. For everything else on this list, Hersonissos has no shortage of places to look.
Yes. The kiosk menu includes vegetarian options including spanakopita, veggie burger, mozzarella sticks, veggie mix and rice, Greek yogurt bowl, avocado toast, all salads, and the full range of sweets and beverages. Please speak to a team member on the day if you have specific dietary requirements.
Yes. The kiosk menu includes a dedicated healthy options section with smoothies (tropical fruit or mixed berry, with optional protein), chicken and rice, veggie mix and rice, sweet corn, low-sugar protein and energy bars, and a smoothie cone. The salad menu also offers lighter choices including a Dakos bowl, green salad, and Greek salad.
The DIO kiosk serves a full menu covering breakfast, snacks, salads, beverages, sweets, and healthy options. Breakfast includes a Greek yogurt bowl, avocado toast, omelette, and bacon egg brioche. Snacks range from calamari, chicken souvlaki, pita pork gyros, and shrimp tacos to a DIO beef burger, veggie burger, spanakopita, club sandwich, and mozzarella sticks. Salads include a Dakos bowl, Greek salad, and green salad. The drinks menu covers cocktails including mojito, Aperol spritz, and pina colada, alongside wine, beer, soft drinks, coffees, and teas. For something sweet, there are Greek donuts, ice cream, lemon gelato, and smoothie cones. A healthy options section covers protein bars, smoothies, veggie mix with rice, and chicken and rice.
The full menu is available at dio.life/beach-menu.
Cocktails at the kiosk include a mojito, Aperol spritz, and pina colada, each priced at €8. Wine is available by the glass (rosé at €6) or bottle (€22). Beer is €5. Soft drinks and teas are €3, and coffee starts from €3 with options for a double shot or flavoured syrups.
Food and drinks are served directly to your sunbed by the DIO kiosk team. There is no need to leave your spot. Simply order from the beach menu and the team will bring everything to you.
Yes. The DIO beach is open to day visitors as well as suite guests and event attendees. You can book a sunbed and enjoy the beach, kiosk, and bar without attending an event or staying in the suites. The beach is part of the core DIO experience.
Yes. Suite guests have full access to the DIO kiosk, bar, and restaurant throughout their stay. Lunch can be delivered directly to your balcony, and the bar and kiosk are available during venue opening hours. On event days, the full food and beverage programme is available as part of the wider venue experience.
The day at DIO is yours to shape. Morning swims directly from the beachfront, yoga on the grass, coffee at the kiosk, and lunch delivered to your balcony. Air-conditioned afternoons when the Cretan sun is at its most intense, and then as the light softens and the music builds, a front-row view of one of the most sought-after venues on the island. On SUNSETS evenings, the DJ programme begins at 5pm directly below. On HEDONISM and DIONYSIA nights, the full event production unfolds from your suite's vantage point.
