Dining at Vegera
Greece Travel Secrets eats at Vegera in Zaros and finds a cheap but
wonderful feast of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes cooked daily with fresh
local food.
The Vegera Restaurant in Zaros
We were staying in Zaros on Crete at the lovely Keramos
Studios, where they only serve breakfast, so we walked a minute round the
corner and found the Vegera Restaurant. It had been recommended to us by our
Cretan guide, Isi from Go Crete, who we knew by now could be relied on to find
the best eating places around.
Vegera is run by the vivacious Vee-Vee, who is part of the family that also runs the Keramos Studios. Not only is vee-Vee quite a character, we were soon to discover that she is also quite a cook.
Part of our Feast at Vegera
Dining at Vegera –
the Menus
Vee-Vee doesn’t have a regular menu, but three basic set-price menus and you choose one of these: Full Menu with Fish, Full Menu with Meat, or Full Vegetarian Menu.
When the restaurant opened in 2011 they decided they would only serve food cooked fresh that day. Zaros doesn’t get many visitors so it’s difficult to have a big menu and make everything fresh. They didn’t want to serve people yesterday’s moussaka but instead cook like you would cook at home.
We ordered some red and white wine and told Vee-Vee we would eat anything, so she offered us a mix of all menus. She then disappeared into the kitchen, where somehow she managed to conjure up a feast for each of the several tables that were full.
The Feast at Vegera
Lentil Soup
Stuffed Tomato, Stuffed Zucchini, and Moussaka
Vee-Vee Makes Great Pies Too!
Stuffed Cabbage and Stuffed Vine Leaves
We started with a dish of lentil soup, which smelled and
tasted fantastic. Then some cheese pies arrived, followed by spinach pies, a
plate of wild greens, some cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, some stuffed vine
leaves, a green salad, stuffed zucchini, stuffed tomatoes, stuffed peppers, several
mini moussakas, and finally a main
course which was a bigger dish of
beef, onion and rice.
Beef Stew
We thought that was it, but no. Finally came a whole trout,
which the town is noted for as there's a trout farm here. It’s one of only two
places on Crete where they farm trout. To round off the meal, Vee-Vee produced
a bottle of raki, and a piece of chocolate cake. When we came to pay I think
Vee-Vee simply made up a figure. As it was a remarkably small figure for such a
feast, we didn’t worry.
Local Trout
Dining at Vegera
Vee-Vee is very enterprising and also gives cookery courses,
organises cooking and wine-tasting holidays, and can arrange for people to eat
with the locals. Find out more on the website for the Vegera Restaurant
in Zaros.
And Finally (Really) Chocolate Cake!
Other Crete pages
Greece Travel Secrets goes hiking in southwest Crete with Ramblers Walking Holidays based in Paleohora and hiking the E4 footpath and to Anidri and Azogires.
This Airbnb in the quiet village of Malaxa, a 30-minute drive into the hills above Chania, is a peaceful retreat with a delightful and thoughtful artist owner, with wonderful views and amenities.
Greece Travel Secrets page on Phaistos or Faistos, the site of one of the finest Minoan palaces on Crete and is where the mysterious Phaistos Disc was found.
The best things to do on Crete and top things to see include the Samaria Gorge, the Minoan Palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the towns of Chania and Rethymnon.
This olive grove walk from Limnes to Vrises on Crete also takes you through orchards and gives close-up views of some of the island’s windmills.
Rethymnon is the third-largest city in Crete and has a Venetian fortress, Archaeological Museum, Old Town area and Venetian harbour,
Greece Travel Secrets suggests where to stay in Eastern Crete with our favourite hotels in Zakros, Elounds, Sitia, Agios Nikolaos, Istron Bay, Myrtos, Neapolis.
The Battle of Crete during World War 2 inspired several books and took place with an airborne invasion over Maleme on the north coast of the island.
The Snails House in Plouti near Phaistos in southern Crete serves the Cretan delicacy of snails, cooked in several different ways.
Visiting the Arkadi Monastery near Rethymnon is one of the best things to do on Crete.
This tour around central Crete lists some of the area’s highlights such as the traditional village of Arolithos, Minoan remains at Tilisos, and Agioi Deka.
Cretan music is part of the island’s soul and visitors will hear live music wherever they go, with several distinctive Cretan musical instruments and songs.
Greece Travel Secrets tours the Lyrarakis Winery on Crete and learns about Crete grape varieties such as plyto, dafni, vidiano, vilana, mandilari and kotsifali.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Western Crete with tavernas and restaurants in Chania, Rethymnon, and Paleochora.
The Goules Taverna in Goulediana, south of Rethymnon, has been called one of the best tavernas on Crete and Greece Travel Secrets recently visited them.
The best Crete hotels include 5-star luxury hotels, historic and romantic Venetian palaces, and several hotels in Hania and Iraklion.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Zacharioudakis Winery near Ancient Gortina in southern Crete, and does a vineyard tour arranged by our guide from Go Crete.
These shopping tips for Crete include advice on buying souvenirs like ceramics, icons, jewellery, leather, weavings, wood carvings, and food and drink.
Sir Arthur Evans is the archaeologist famous for the excavations he made at the royal palace of Knossos on Crete.
Studies have shown the Cretan Diet as one of the healthiest in the world, involving lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh fish, and moderate amounts of wine.
Western Crete in five days allows time to visit Chania and Rethymnon, enjoy the beaches, hike the Samaria Gorge and see the monasteries at Arkadi and Preveli.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in western Crete, including both luxury and inexpensive hotels in Chania, Rethymnon, and Paleochora.
Keramos Studios in Zaros on Crete is an inexpensive two-star hotel/guesthouse with one of the best breakfasts on the island using food from the family’s farm.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
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