The wooden trays of “Spiliada”

At Spiliada, there’s no need to check the menu. Jenny and Lakis, the owners, come straight to your table with large wooden trays laden with a surprising assortment of cold and hot meze.

These are sharing dishes so you’ll get a chance to sample a little of everything: boiled greens in season, a thick eggplant spread, shrimp salad, marinated anchovies, pickled bonito, roast peppers with a feta filling, mushrooms and bacon, bekri meze (meat simmered in a thick wine sauce), pale sheep’s milk kasseri cheese oozing from golden phyllo, spetzofai (spicy sausages browned with peppers and tomatoes), as well as squid, fried calamari, fish, or seafood cooked to order.

Jenny likes to punch up traditional recipes with non-traditional flavors so there are always new dishes to sample. Match drinks to your mood—and selections. Fish and seafood pair better with ouzo or tsipouro, heavier dishes with the house wine or beer.

Open mainly for dinner (sometimes lunch too), Spiliada has a definite island feel. Claim a table at the road’s edge with a view of the sea through the sailboats’ masts as you sit back and enjoy the gentle breeze that riffs through Pounta on even the hottest summer night.

When we went: Friday night.

What we ate: Mixed salad (seasonal produce) dressed with balsamic vinegar, octopus in a herb-flecked vinaigrette, grilled sardines, chicken in a curry-mustard sauce, potato salad with house wine and ouzo.

What we paid: The bill averages 12-15 euros per head, depending on the number of dishes and people sharing.

What we like: Being able to sample many different dishes and the owners’ genial attitude.

I Spiliada Mezedopoleio

Pounta. Tel.: 22980 22350