Ela Taverna

Ela is as much an encounter with a building as it is a meal. The house dates from the Venetian period and has served, over the centuries, as a soap works, school, wine store and distillery; its different levels, heavy timbers and open stonework give dinner a sense of theatre without the need for elaborate staging. The menu stays close to familiar Greek and Cretan pleasures: share meze, salads and local cheeses, then move towards grilled meat, seafood or one of the slower-cooked specialities. Cretan wine and raki make the most natural companions, while live Greek music on selected evenings pushes the atmosphere from restaurant towards convivial taverna. Ela is a well-known Old Town address and can feel busy, especially when the pedestrian lanes fill after sunset, but the historic setting remains genuinely distinctive. Take the evening at an unhurried pace, order several dishes for the table and let the room do part of the storytelling. It is a useful choice when you want traditional flavours in a setting that could only belong to Chania.