Hotel Hydrele Beach

Better dining in Samos

by BobTheSnob about Dolichi

Greece is generally not for gourmet tourists, and Samos does indeed have remarkably little to offer the discerning palate, in view of the amount of European (mostly), middle-aged and presumably well-off couples visiting the island every year.

Phytagorio is the city and area where it's at, as they say, and is a lovely, small seaside town full of friendly people. Certainly, Samos and Pythagorio and it's people are warm and welcomming ! Unfortunately, although packed with sea-front restaurants along the harbour, the menu is basically the same everywhere , in variety as in quality, from grilled calamari to pork schnitzel..'nuff said.

Dolichi Greek & Mediterranean Cuisine is Samos's best kept secret, ironically because of its superbly center-stage location. Let me explain: Pythagorio is centered around the harbour, which is lined with all the restaurants and bars, shoulder by shoulder. These are all ground-level and open towards the harbour promenade. In the middle of harbour street you'll find the custom's office, litterally the only house in the entire harbour front that isn't a restaurant. Dolichi is located on the first floor, on top of the restaurant immediately after the custom house. What you do is you take a left away from the harbour as soon as you can after the custom's house, and then another left, to get to the backside alley of the buildings. There you'll see the restaurant sign, go up the stairs, et voilá, you are among the few guests in what is beyond any comparison the best restaurant in Samos. get a table by the balcony, and you have full view to the harbour promenade and the mediterranean ocean, and to top it all, from around 7 to 9 the moon wanders across the sky over t he ocean to linger over the old Greek church on top of the hill, as seen from Dolichi's balcony tables. Simply amazing location, fantastic for a romantic or social evening in the Greek archipelago, it looks like a movie :)

Dolichi is an interesting place. It has world music, tastefully playing in the background, and makes a point of including visual art in the place's atmosphere. The food is simply excellent. Dolichi is also one of the few places on the island that actually serve drinkable wines, and the wine card includes better Greek and some decent European wines. (Greek wine in common restaurants generally stink, and youre better off with Mythos beer, but if you must, stick with the whites and you'll survive ;)

Besides a single night in the mountain villages or at Hydrele Beach Hotel's restaurant, we never eat anywhere else than Dolichi when we are in Samos. It reigns supreme among it's peers. If you wish for an all-you-can-eat buffet, have screaming, unruly children or would dream of asking the waiter if he could play some traditional greek muzak, please do stay away.

Finally I should mention that I am simply a repeat tourist with a long background in the restaurant and hotel business, and that I have absolutely no affiliation with any of the places I mention. I Make sure to try the Sundried Cherry Sweet Bites in Syrup for desert, each tidbit mouthfull is an explotion of taste and heavy sunshine.

Samos - the green island

by andreslo2000

"Island of Pithagoras"

If you dont need to much noise (something like you get on Ibiza or Santorini), the Samos island is right for your vacations. Nice, peaceful, not so little island near Turkish coast. Good food, sun (not so hot due to constant wind), beaches, some archeological places,... What would one want more? So go there and have some good time.