Akis Fish Tavern — What Came Off the Boat This Morning

The harbour at Alykanas is small — a concrete quay, a handful of small fishing boats, nets drying in the morning sun. Akis Fish Tavern sits a short walk from that quay, and the distance is meaningful: what the boats bring back in the morning is on your plate by lunchtime.

How It Works

There is no fixed menu in the usual sense. Each day there’s a board listing what came in: maybe red mullet and sea bass, maybe octopus and squid, maybe sole and whitebait. The kitchen’s job is to handle it correctly and not get in the way of the quality. Mostly, they succeed.

The Food

Red mullet (barbounia) is the standout when available. It’s one of the most prized fish in the Mediterranean — delicate, slightly sweet, with a flavour unlike anything farmed. It needs minimal intervention: a hot grill, olive oil, a squeeze of lemon. Akis does this correctly, which means not overcooking it and not drowning it in unnecessary sauce.

Fisherman’s pasta is made when there are enough fish frames, heads, and shells to justify it — prawn shells, fish bones, and mussel shells simmered into a dark, intense broth, strained, and used to cook the pasta directly. The result is pasta that tastes of the sea in a way that no amount of seafood added on top afterwards can replicate.

Mussels in white wine — locally sourced when possible, steamed in white wine, garlic, and parsley. The broth at the bottom of the bowl is the part you drink with bread.

Fried whitebait — tiny fish, flour-dusted, fried in clean hot oil. Eat them whole with lemon.

Getting There

Alykanas is on the northwest coast, about 20 minutes from Tsilivi. The drive is straightforward and the area is quieter than the resort belt. Worth the trip when the catch is good — call ahead to ask what came in.