Corfu Restaurants
Here is a selection of some of our favourite restaurants.
O Foros in Old (Ano) Perithia doesn’t appear in the book because the taverna had only been running for a month or so when it went to press; we only include those that have been around for a minimum of 5 years.
I am happy to report that Tomas’s (as we refer to O Foros in our house) has both survived and thrived. Tomas is front of house, while his wife Vassa produces delicious traditional Corfiot food from a small kitchen up a flight of rickety stairs. One of my favourites is tsigari , a paprika-spiked dish of stewed horta, or wild greens, which are abundant in the spring (swiss chard or spinach at other times of the year). Her onion pitta or pie is excellent, as is the grilled octopus – I could go on. In fact what we usually do is order lots of dishes as mezethes and tuck in.
Rick Stein hit it off with Tomas and went back 3 times while filming for his latest Mediterranean series. At the moment Tomas doesn’t appreciate what a celebrity Rick is, and is more impressed by the prospect of Italian TV doing a piece on the taverna. Go there now, before he becomes famous.
There are now 5 tavernas dotted around this once abandoned village; O Foros is to be found in the old square, under the poplar tree. It’s a lovely spot.
Chrysomallis is bang slap on the main tourist drag at the Liston end of N Theotoki St; yet it remains happily oblivious to the milling throngs of visitors, most of whom don’t notice the unprepossessing front amidst the brightly lit clothes and jewellery shops. The service is courteous, the food traditional: expect boiled potatoes and not the ubiquitous chip to be served alongside your meal. One late spring evening we had delicious stewed fresh peas and artichokes, a very good stifado and a hearty helping of horta. The knowledge that Lawrence Durrell used to hang out here adds to its old fashioned charm.
