Gorgona Tavern
Visitors say
Very beautiful outdoor seating, good service and very good food. If you’re in the area, do not hesitante in trying
This place is awsome. We ate seafood which was very delicious and prices are not expensive. The personal are very polite and sympathetic. Thanks.
About
Gorgona Tavern is a welcoming dining spot situated near Vareia, a quiet coastal settlement just south of Mytilini that sits along the eastern shore of Lesvos. The area around Vareia carries a gentle, unhurried character, with the sea never far from view and the landscape shifting between olive groves and the calm waters of the Gulf of Gera. A tavern bearing the name Gorgona — the Greek mermaid figure woven deep into seafaring folklore — signals a place rooted in the island's maritime identity and its enduring connection to the Aegean.
Visitors stopping at Gorgona Tavern can expect the kind of honest, straightforward Greek cooking that defines the best of Lesvian hospitality: fresh seafood, grilled meats, and mezedes prepared with local ingredients. The tavern draws both islanders and travellers passing through the southern outskirts of Mytilini, making it a natural pause point after visiting the nearby Theophilos Museum or the Teriade Museum, two cultural landmarks that celebrate Lesvos's remarkable artistic heritage. The proximity to these institutions means the tavern often serves as a relaxed lunch stop for those exploring the area on foot or by car.
What makes a place like Gorgona Tavern matter to the visitor is precisely its ordinariness in the best sense — it is not a stage-set version of Greek dining, but a neighbourhood establishment where the rhythms of local life play out over shared plates and glasses of ouzo or local wine. Sitting here, within earshot of the sea and the everyday sounds of a Greek village, offers a more grounded and authentic experience of Lesvos than any postcard could promise.
Before you go
What to expect
Order a plate of fried calamari or grilled fish and settle in for the kind of unhurried lunch that locals here consider non-negotiable. The name Gorgona — the mermaid of Greek seafaring lore — sets the tone: seafood comes first, and the kitchen keeps things honest rather than showy. Expect a mix of Mytilene families and day-trippers who've just come from the nearby Theophilos or Teriade museums.
Best time to visit
April through October suits a visit well; July and August are livelier but also the hottest, so a shaded table here at midday is a genuine relief.
How to get there
Vareia is barely ten minutes by car from central Mytilene — follow the coast road south and the village appears before you've really left town. The short distance makes it an easy stop to pair with the Theophilos Museum, which is just around the corner.
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Visitor Reviews
Dim pilot
January 2026
The people who own this business need to really learn how to properly improve everything. The waitress was not properly attending the customer. She also was sick with the flu and not wearing a mask she was going around. There was also a loose dog inside the restaurant, which occasionally visited the kitchen. Certain plates were heavily salted; when we mentioned that, the cook told us that's the way the owner likes them; moreover, we ordered non salted French fries and of course the fries arrived with tons of salt. Overall: very unprofessional
Reviewed Popcorn
January 2026
Amazing place with home made Greek food, this is the kind of place we were looking for
Paul Regester
October 2025
Had a very good dinner with good service great view and top notch food. Everything was as it should be. Prices are very reasonable. Although I am sure that they see their share of tourists I get the feeling that most diners are local. Not fancy, just good.
Ali Hamidian
July 2025
The best Greek food experience I had in the town.
Pedro Manuel Pombo
June 2025
Very beautiful outdoor seating, good service and very good food. If you’re in the area, do not hesitante in trying
tulay demircan
August 2024
This place is awsome. We ate seafood which was very delicious and prices are not expensive. The personal are very polite and sympathetic. Thanks.
Aslı Dönmez
July 2024
It was a nice evening. Atmosphere was cute. I didnt like the octopus but maybe thats on me. Greek salad was nice. I think that maybe you can find more delicious places but this one was really nice too. Thank you for everything. Cute date place for drinking ouzo.
Ömer Faruk Arıkan
May 2024
Great Greek food and very kind women. Thanks for gift ice cream.
STUART GIBBONS
July 2022
Had stuffed peppers and a lovely tomato salad. Nice restaurant with sea views on the outskirts of town. Was nice and quiet when I got there, but was relatively busy by time I left at 22.00. Recommended. 👍
Thomas H.
April 2022
Cosy tavern, delicious food and good service. Reasonable prices and although the tavern was busy, we were served by Aggeliki who was very kind and helpful, always smiling.
