The 10 Best Restaurants in Mykonos

Matsuhisa Mykonos sits at the Belvedere Hotel above Chora, the island outpost of Nobu Matsuhisa's Japanese-Peruvian cooking. The black cod miso and the yellowtail with jalapeño are the dishes that built the global name, and they arrive here with a poolside view across to the town and the sea. It is expensive even by Mykonos standards, with dinner climbing well past €150 a head, but the kitchen is the most consistent on the island. For a dinner where the cooking matches the setting, this is the booking. See more Japanese restaurants.

Spilia is carved into a rocky sea cave on the Kalafatis side of the island, with tables set on the rocks where the water laps a metre away. The kitchen works almost entirely in seafood pulled from the bay: the sea urchin and lobster pasta is the signature, and you can choose oysters and urchins from a pool fed by the sea itself. Reckon on €80 to €120 a head. It is the most extraordinary setting on Mykonos, and the cooking is honest enough to match it. Book a sunset table on the lower rocks.

The gourmet restaurant at the Bill & Coo suites above Megali Ammos bay is the most ambitious hotel kitchen on Mykonos, plating refined modern Greek and Mediterranean tasting menus on a terrace angled at the sunset. Expect a multi-course menu around €120 and up. It is the calmest of the island's upscale rooms, built for a quiet, dressed-up evening rather than a party, and the service is a clear cut above the beach clubs. For a couple who want fine dining without the spectacle, this is the choice.

Interni occupies a walled garden courtyard off Matogianni Street in Chora, strung with fairy lights and lit by candles after dark, and it has been one of the town's most romantic settings for years. The menu is contemporary Mediterranean — grilled fish, prime cuts, sharp salads — with mains generally €30 to €60, and the bar keeps the courtyard buzzing late. It is the in-town counterpart to the beach clubs: glamorous and lively, but you can still hear your table. Book a courtyard table rather than one near the bar for a calmer night.

Tucked onto Kalogera Street in Chora, M-eating is the room island regulars point to when asked where the actual cooking is. The kitchen takes Greek ingredients and recipes and refines them — slow-cooked lamb, fresh fish, a celebrated mastic-and-honey dessert — with mains around €28 to €55. The small, warm room is a world away from the beach-club volume, and the focus stays squarely on the plate. For a traveller who wants modern Greek cooking rather than a party with a view, this is the most satisfying table in town.

Scorpios on the Paraga peninsula is the island's defining day-to-night destination, a sprawling wood-and-stone club where a Mediterranean mezze kitchen runs alongside the music and the sunset ritual. The sharing plates — grilled octopus, dips, whole fish — are genuinely good for a venue this scene-driven, with a long lunch easily €80 to €150 a head once drinks are in. Go for a late lunch that drifts into the afternoon rather than the packed evening. It is the best of the island's clubs if you want to actually eat. More on the best celebration restaurants.

Zuma brought its contemporary Japanese izakaya format to Mykonos, and the formula travels well: a robata grill, a sushi counter and a sake list, served to a stylish crowd. The miso-marinated black cod and the robata-grilled meats are the dishes the room is built around, with a full dinner climbing past €120 a head. It is a brand rather than a one-off, so it earns its place on consistency rather than surprise — the safe choice when you want polished Japanese food and a lively room without gambling on the kitchen.

The restaurant at the Kensho boutique hotel above Psarou beach plates modern Greek and Mediterranean cooking in a sleek, design-led room with a sea view. The menu leans on island ingredients and fresh fish, with mains generally €35 to €60, and the setting is calmer and more grown-up than the beach below. It does not reach the heights of Matsuhisa or Spilia, but for a reliable, good-looking upscale dinner near the smart Psarou-Platis Gialos strip, it is a dependable booking. Reserve a terrace table for the view.

Noema sits in a plant-filled courtyard in Chora and trades in a polished, social brand of Mediterranean dining that drifts into a late bar scene. The kitchen turns out grilled fish, sharing plates and a strong cocktail list, with mains around €30 to €55. It is more about atmosphere than culinary fireworks, but the greenery, the music and the late energy make it one of the town's most enjoyable rooms for a group that wants dinner to roll into the night. Book early in the evening for a calmer meal before the bar fills.

Krama, on a Chora side street, focuses on seasonal modern Greek cooking and is one of the better-value serious tables in town. The menu changes with what the island and the boats provide — grilled fish, slow-cooked meats, vegetable dishes built on Cycladic produce — with mains generally €26 to €48. It trades the sea view and the scene for a focus on the plate and a more reasonable bill, which on Mykonos is a genuine virtue. For a traveller who has had enough of the spectacle, it is a welcome reset.