Kalamaki in Zante has long been a favourite with our family, and one of the reasons is the food! The resort is home to some of our favourite ever restaurants, and it certainly is worth trying them all! We have not been disappointed by any of the Kalamaki restaurants any time that we have visited!
We’ve just returned from our 5th visit to this fabulous family-friendly resort. It’s perfect for us, a 3-hour flight from local airports, a 15-minute transfer and accommodation on the main strip. Most hotels and apartments in Kalamaki are either on the strip or a few minutes walk from it. It’s just such an easy break for us.
The beauty of visiting so many times means that we don’t lose a day figuring out where we are. A part of our excitement is deciding which restaurants we are going to visit each time, how many times we are going to go to the beach and even wondering if we were going to be able to hire the pedalo we’ve been thinking about.
Pandesia
We always know one Kalamaki restaurant we will visit, Pandesia! A huge hit with us all, and somewhere we have visited at least once each time we’ve been to Kalamaki. You can spot Pandesia as you walk down the strip, the huge sign is a giveaway! You will also spot “the Godfather” greeting people visiting! The friendliest restaurant PR ever!
On a “normal” summer evening this place is so busy. Greek music is playing, people are dancing around the tables and kids are playing in the play area. They go all out with the Greek nights in the summer (Tuesdays and Saturdays), plate smashing, music and fire dancing. It all adds up to a very memorable night. It’s often busy but they can usually move tables around and fit you in, nothing is ever too much trouble. The staff have the biggest smiles on their faces the whole time, they are brilliant with kids and then to top it off the food is good!
Olive Tree
For a more relaxed meal head on over to Olive Tree. This place is so pretty with lots of plants, trees and cool decorations. It’s a lot more low-key, but some days this is what you need. The food is really good, and the early bird menu is great value for those who like to eat earlier in the day. The kids all get an activity mat to play with while waiting for their meals, great touch and it means they don’t miss the play area over at Pandesia either.
Bullhorn
Another favourite Kalamaki restaurant is Bullhorn, right next door to the Vanessa Hotel on the main strip. Despite it being called Bullhorn Steakhouse they still have a good selection of vegetarian and fish dishes too. Another thing that didn’t change with the name is generosity. The portions are huge and they bring out all the extras, it’s such good value.
We visited on our first night this July, and the staff were so friendly and welcomed us back once again. Bringing food out so quickly and then topping us up with free saganaki (they know the way to my heart!). They offered us ice creams and after-dinner drinks too. As the kids were so tired from the very early start we declined and they brought us a small bottle of ouzo to take away (alcohol is the other way to my heart!). So if you like good food, friendly staff and a couple of freebies Bullhorn is a great option for you!
Iguana Bar
Off of the main strip, another great Kalamaki restaurant is the Iguana Bar. With the new roof terrace, the views over the resort are great and the food is good too. Great for those who love an instagrammable spot, and there’s often live music too. The food here is very reasonably priced and good honest food. Not so many traditional Greek dishes but the burgers are good, and I really enjoyed the fish and chips!
The best that I have missed…
I could go on and on really there are so many lovely restaurants. Kalamaki is quite a big resort now so those staying at the other end of the strip may have different favourites. Stani Taverna – try the cheese pies with honey and sesame from the starter menu if nothing else. They are to die for! Melon Bar always gets great reviews from people, especially the steaks. For many people is a Kalamaki restaurant. Maybe next time we will head over there, but then again I might be too scared to miss the restaurants we love!
Breakfast and snacks
If you want gyros for lunch head on over to Tazie’s, Corner45 or down to the Iguana bar you will not be disappointed.
For breakfast there’s loads of choice, the Cronulla bar serves a great veggie breakfast, Greek breakfasts or just a simple bowl of cereal (the meat-eaters in the family all had a great full English too). The Rose n’ Crown is a huge favourite with lots of people for full English too. Vanessa Hotel pool bar is also a great option for breakfast or lunch. This summer they’ve updated the menu and have some interesting new additions such as the gyros Bao Buns which I was told were pretty amazing! Cooked breakfast or cereal with Greek and veggie options and toasties and burgers for lunch. We ate here loads, the food was good, the staff friendly and prices were reasonable.
Have you been to Kalamaki? What’s your favourite restaurant? Let me know in the comments…… or if you haven’t been, I’d love to know what your favourite Greek dish is!
For after-dinner drinks head out to one of the amazing family-friendly bars in Kalamaki, our favourites are here: The best bars in Kalamaki.
Becky x
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