Peskesi
Heraklion’s most celebrated restaurant — a restored stone mansion down a charming laneway, with deeply authentic farm-to-table Cretan cooking. Reservations essential.
Housed in a restored stone mansion in the centre of Heraklion since 2014, Peskesi is widely regarded as one of the finest restaurants in Greece  — and the locals will tell you the same thing. Two Heraklion chefs we spoke to recommended it without hesitation, which is the kind of endorsement that counts. The setting is a restored historical mansion that emerges with a sense of peace and intimacy , tucked down an adorable laneway that gives no hint of what’s inside. Winner of Best Organic Restaurant in Europe at the 2025 awards, the farm-to-table philosophy here is taken seriously and evident in every dish. 
The menu draws on traditional Cretan recipes and long-forgotten ingredients, sourced from Peskesi’s own 30-acre organic farm in the hills above Hersonissos  — olive trees, beehives, over 120 varieties of fruit and vegetables. The result is Cretan food that tastes like Crete actually tastes, rather than a tourist approximation of it. Book ahead — even outside peak season, tables fill up fast and walk-ins rarely get lucky.
