Visitors say
Breathtaking view of the city and loved the fact that everything was homemade. The spanakopita, the mpogatsa and ryzogalo were all amazing! Must try
Happiness is appreciating the simple things in life! With this quote in your mind, visit this place and enjoy the view, delicious homemade sweets and various selection of food plates.
About
Tucked into the village of Agia Marina on the eastern slopes of Lesvos, Cafe Taxiarches takes its name from the Taxiarchs, the archangels Michael and Gabriel who are venerated throughout Greece and whose chapels dot the island's hillsides. It is the kind of neighbourhood cafe that anchors village life here — a place where locals linger over a morning freddo espresso or a slow afternoon Greek coffee, and where the pace of the day is dictated by conversation rather than the clock.
Visitors stopping here will find a welcoming spot to rest during a drive through the olive-grove-covered interior of the island. The cafe serves coffee in all its Greek variations alongside cold drinks, fresh juices, and the light snacks that sustain a morning or afternoon on the road. The atmosphere is unhurried and genuinely local, a world away from the tourist-facing cafes of the coast, and it offers a glimpse into the everyday rhythm of a Lesbian village.
Agia Marina sits in a part of Lesvos known for its agricultural character and its proximity to the island's productive olive groves, which have shaped the local economy and culture for centuries. Stopping at Cafe Taxiarches is as much about absorbing that unhurried village atmosphere as it is about the coffee itself. For travellers exploring the island's interior or making their way between destinations, it is a natural and very human pause in the journey.
Before you go
What to expect
The cafe hums with the low murmur of locals catching up over their morning coffee, while the scent of freshly ground beans mingles with cool air drifting in from the surrounding olive groves. Tables fill with people who are clearly not in a hurry — ordering a second Greek coffee, watching the village go about its day. It feels less like a pit stop and more like being briefly let into someone's daily routine.
Best time to visit
It suits every season, though spring and autumn bring the most pleasant conditions for exploring the olive-grove interior — in July and August the midday heat makes a shaded coffee stop feel especially welcome.
How to get there
Agia Marina is roughly a 10-15 minute drive from central Mytilene, heading north into the eastern interior of the island. The village is well signposted from the main road.
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Visitor Reviews
Reviewed Popcorn
January 2026
Amazing cafe even in the winter time
Onur Bayraktar
August 2025
A cafe in the garden of a church. Everything is like homemade. Pizza has a soft thick layer of bread. Desert, cherry jam on the cheesecake. The cake is actually crumbles of caramel biscuits. Cheese part is something creamy and delicious. So calm and amazing view. With a motorbike is much easier to visit since parking is an issue: Among city center and the airport.
Anil Turkben
August 2025
Good service&food, spectacular view
Gary Howe
September 2022
The wonderful view over the olive groves, the town, the port, and the sea - with the coastal towns of Turkey a seeming stone's throw away. The peace of the church precinct and the village/suburb. The shade and cool under the pine trees. The simple, ordinary snacks to refresh, drink and eat - in an extraordinary milieu. If you are looking for a break from the hustle and heat of Mytilene, this is the place. Made for a pause and quiet reflection.
Andreas Flouris
July 2022
A very nice cafe by a church. With excellent view and a variety of homemade desserts.
worldtraveller
October 2021
Was really looking forward to taking my partner here as the photos online of a warm cosy fireplace in a traditional greek setting over looking Mytilene and the sea looked amazing, since we had an hour to kill before a flight, was rainy and we were hungry it was the perfect day. How wrong we were! This 'cafe' is more like a caravan serving coffee, surrounded by plastic we could hardly see through, the cushions we sat on were soaked,as was the muddy ground. the furniture could do with a refurb, our spanakopita was a flat dark green reheated thing, and bougatsa definitely not fresh and reheated- the cutlery had leftovers from other customers! The room in the pictures online was all locked up and they didn't want people going in so they wouldn't get mud on the rugs (I heard a greek lady shouting that) one star for the view and the church, certainly not worth the drive up there--not sure we went in the right season but definitely won't be back!!
Christina Papadopoulou
August 2021
Great views and convenient location , especially if you visit Theofilos and Tériade museums. Some items were overpriced (spoon sweets for €1,5, when most places offer these for free with a greek coffee, is ridiculous!).
Owner Response
Thank you.
Evangelos Soultanis
August 2019
Beautiful place with nice view!!!
Jkos Kostopoulou
July 2019
Breathtaking view of the city and loved the fact that everything was homemade. The spanakopita, the mpogatsa and ryzogalo were all amazing! Must try
Owner Response
Thanks a lot
Nikos Maras
July 2019
Happiness is appreciating the simple things in life! With this quote in your mind, visit this place and enjoy the view, delicious homemade sweets and various selection of food plates.
Owner Response
Thanks a lot
