One of our favorite restaurants (“Estiatorio” in Greek) in the Old Village of Alonnisos is called “Kastro,” which in English means “The Castle.” It is centrally located along a major walkway in the village, and during the summer is one of the busiest restaurants in the Old Village, if not on the entire island. We eat dinners there on a regular basis, and in the past have gotten groups together for parties.
In my view there are three primary reasons for Kastro’s continued success over the years. First and foremost, the food is of excellent great quality (more about that in a moment), second, the atmosphere is vibrant, and third, the owner, Nectarios (pictured on the left with Andrea and me) is a true professional who is dedicated to making certain his customers are completely satisfied. Part of this is a commitment to ensuring that food orders are filled as promptly as possible.
Andrea and I originally met Nectarios back in 2003, and since that time have come to consider him as a very dear friend. Unlike some other restaurant owners in Greece we’ve met who we feel “feign” friendliness, it’s obvious that Nectarios really does like foreign visitors to the island, and is very grateful when they choose to eat at his restaurant. He truly embodies the spirit of the Greek term “filoxenia” (friendship and hospitality to foreigners).
The Menu
The dish that Kastro is most known for is Nectarios’ renowned “roast pork on a spit” called Kontosoufli. Other available foods include grilled chicken, lamb chops, swordfish, calamari, a host of tasty hot and cold appetizers, and a full range of fresh salads as well. In addition, one of Nectarios’ most popular appetizers is flaming Saganaki cheese. Click on this link to see a brief YouTube video of him preparing and delivering that dish to a customer. While other restaurants offer similar types of food, from our experience there is certainly no better grilled food in Alonnisos. Nectarios also has a nice selection of bottled wines, plus the usual beers typically found in restaurants in Greece (i.e., Amstel, Mythos, Alfa, Kaiser, and Mammos). I can honestly say we’ve never had a bad meal at Kastro, and in the rare instances where something we ordered wasn’t exactly what we wanted, Nectarios made sure that we were fully satisfied in the end.
Atmosphere
As I indicated earlier, the ambiance of the place is very lively, and particularly so during the high tourist season. On the very busy nights there is a constant parade of people strolling through the village checking out the sites and looking for a spot to eat. There’s probably no better place for people watching at that time of night in Alonnisos. Because of the popularity of The Kastro, there are times when one has to wait for a while to get a table. One way to make sure you’ll get seated is to arrive prior to the big evening rush, which usually begins after about 8:30 p.m.
One other thing, sometimes later in the tourist season (late August/early September) when business slows down a bit, Nectarios will occasionally pick up his bouzouki (which he’s played since he was a boy) and play traditional Greek songs. To see a YouTube video showing parts of an impromptu concert we experienced many years ago please click here.
