Strofilia Taverna — At the Edge of the Forest

The Strofilia forest on the northwest tip of Zakynthos is one of the lesser-known ecological oddities of the Greek islands — a 2,000-hectare protected area of pine trees, peat bogs, freshwater lagoons, and rare wildlife. It’s designated a Natura 2000 zone. Almost no tourists visit it, because there are no beaches, no hotels, and no Instagram setpieces. The forest is simply itself.

The taverna at the forest edge exists for the same practical reason that tavernas at forest edges in Greece usually exist: because somebody needs to eat after a morning of fieldwork, and because a building with a grill and some chairs was the obvious response.

The Food

The menu is short and does not change. Grilled pork chops — thick, charcoal-grilled, with olive oil and oregano. Chicken on the spit — whole chicken rotisserie-cooked until the skin crisps. Roast potatoes with herbs and olive oil. These three dishes cover the majority of what the kitchen produces, and all three are done well in the way that straightforward cooking done repeatedly tends to be done well.

Feta in foil — a block of feta cheese placed on a piece of foil with olive oil, dried chilli, and dried oregano, folded up and put in the oven for 15 minutes until it softens and gets a slightly molten edge. Eaten with bread. One of the great simple Greek starters that costs €4 and is better than it has any right to be.

Village wine — house wine in carafes, from a local producer. It’s functional and cheap. Order the white.

The Forest Walk

From the taverna you can walk into the Strofilia forest on marked paths — the flat terrain makes it accessible without equipment. Spring and early summer bring wildflowers and migrating birds (the Strofilia lagoon is an important bird habitat). After the walk, lunch here. This is what an afternoon in the quiet northwest of Zakynthos looks like.