Meandros — Rooftop Greek, Done With Thought

The name means “meander” — the Greek word that gives us the English term for a winding river, derived from the Meander River in Asia Minor. At Meandros restaurant in Argassi, it refers loosely to the kitchen’s approach: not a straight line from tradition to plate, but a considered wander through Greek ingredients and techniques that ends up somewhere more interesting.

The Rooftop

The restaurant has two levels: a ground-floor dining room that works on cooler evenings, and the rooftop terrace that opens from sunset onwards. From the terrace, the view takes in the Argassi bay, the lights of Zakynthos Town to the northwest, and on clear nights the dark mass of the Peloponnese coast across the water. The table spacing is generous, the lighting is warm without being theatrical, and the service knows how to be present without interrupting.

The Food

Seabass ceviche is the bold opener: fresh sea bass from the previous day’s catch, sliced thin and cured briefly in Zakynthos lemon juice with lemon thyme oil and sea salt. It’s technically not a Greek preparation, but the fish is Greek and the lemon is emphatically Greek, and the kitchen’s confidence with it is earned.

Slow-cooked veal cheek with kritharaki — veal cheek braised for 8 hours in red wine, aromatics, and stock until it collapses at pressure. Served over kritharaki (orzo) that has been cooked in the braising liquid. The single most satisfying dish on the menu, best ordered when the temperature drops in September.

Grilled Zakynthos lamb with skordalia — rack of lamb, precisely grilled, with a puree of potato and roasted garlic (the modern version of skordalia, tamed slightly from the traditional sharp raw garlic version). Local lamb with a sauce that has been thinking about the animal.

Greek cheese board with quince — a curated selection of Greek cheeses (graviera, kasseri, xinomyzithra, manouri) with quince paste, walnuts, and honey. The right ending before dessert.

The Wine List

One of the better lists in this part of the island, with genuine commitment to Greek producers: Ktima Gerovassiliou from Macedonia, Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko, Robola of Cephalonia. The sommelier is worth talking to.