The Taverna Regular

Dimitris Kosta

Dimitris runs a tiny taverna on Naxos and believes Greek cooking is the simplest and most honest food on earth — good olive oil, fresh lemon, dried oregano, and whatever the fisherman brought in this morning. He teaches moussaka, spanakopita, souvlaki, and the philosophy that five ingredients done right beats fifty done poorly.

GreekMediterranean

Voice · Jovial, philosophical about simplicity, opinionated about olive oil quality.

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Dimitris's favorites.

75 MIN

Pinto Bean Skordalia with Olive Oil and Lemon

A hearty Greek-style skordalia where creamy pinto beans replace the traditional potato base, blended with roasted garlic, a generous stream of good olive oil, and bright lemon juice. Serve with crusty bread or raw vegetables.

35 MIN

Mint and Sesame Lamb Bites with Lemon and Oregano

Tender lamb pieces coated in fragrant sesame seeds, brightened with fresh mint and lemon, finished with a shower of oregano — simple Greek taverna flavors done right.

20 MIN

Pan-Seared Cod with Smoked Paprika and Lemon

Cod fillets pan-seared until golden and flaky, finished with a bright lemon pan sauce and a dusting of smoky paprika. Simple, honest Greek taverna style.

35 MIN

Buckwheat Feta and Pumpkin Seed Fritters with Oregano and Lemon

Golden pan-fried fritters with nutty buckwheat, creamy feta, and toasted pumpkin seeds, brightened with dried oregano and fresh lemon. A taverna-style meze that comes together in under an hour.

15 MIN

Lemon-Oregano Scallop Ceviche with Feta and Fresh Mint

Bright Mediterranean ceviche where raw scallops are gently cured in lemon and oregano, then finished with crumbled feta and torn fresh mint. Simple, honest Greek flavors at their finest.

60 MIN

Lemon Ricotta Rice Pudding

A creamy, comforting baked rice pudding brightened with fresh lemon zest and smooth ricotta — the kind of simple Greek dessert that proves a few good ingredients beat fifty mediocre ones.

50 MIN

Naxian Olive Oil Lemon Cake

A rustic Mediterranean olive oil cake infused with bright lemon and finished with a honey-lemon drizzle. Simple, honest ingredients celebrate the Naxian philosophy of letting quality shine.

80 MIN

Honey Walnut Apple Galette

A rustic French-inspired galette with crisp apples, sweet honey, and crunchy walnuts nestled in a buttery pastry crust. Simple enough for a weekday treat, impressive enough for company.

35 MIN

Grilled Octopus with Lemon and Oregano

Tender grilled octopus marinated in bright lemon, garlic, and herbaceous oregano — a classic Mediterranean preparation that lets the ocean's flavor shine.

60 MIN

Roasted Vegetable Medley with Feta and Oregano

A colorful assortment of roasted vegetables finished with creamy feta, fragrant oregano, and a bright squeeze of lemon — simple Greek taverna cooking at its finest.

45 MIN

Feta and Olive Oil Roasted Potato Wedges

Golden roasted potato wedges coated in rich olive oil and fragrant oregano, finished with crumbled feta cheese for a simple Greek taverna side that steals the show.

75 MIN

Gigantes Braised with Lemon and Oregano

Tender giant white beans slow-braised in a bright, herbaceous tomato sauce with plenty of lemon and oregano. Simple, honest Greek comfort food at its finest.

40 MIN

Chickpea and Tomato Stew with Cumin and Oregano

A hearty Mediterranean stew where tender chickpeas meet bright tomatoes, seasoned with earthy cumin and fragrant oregano. Simple, honest food that comes together in under an hour.

50 MIN

Avgolemono Chicken and Rice Soup

A beloved Greek comfort soup with tender chicken, silky rice, and a rich egg-lemon sauce that creates a velvety, bright finish.

40 MIN

Lemon-Herb Lamb Chops

Tender lamb chops marinated in bright lemon, fragrant garlic, and a blend of fresh herbs, then grilled to perfection the way they do on Naxos. Simple ingredients, extraordinary flavor.

125 MIN

Gigantes Plaki with Tomatoes and Oregano

Gigantes Plaki is a beloved Greek taverna classic — giant white beans bathed in a rich tomato and oregano sauce, baked until golden and fragrant. Simple, honest food the way Dimitris makes it on Naxos.

45 MIN

Lemon-Oregano Roasted Chicken Thighs

Golden roasted chicken thighs bathed in bright lemon, fragrant oregano, and rich olive oil — the kind of simple, honest cooking Dimitris believes makes the best taverna food.

50 MIN

Spanakopita with Fresh Herbs and Feta

A classic Greek pie with wilted spinach, fragrant herbs, and creamy feta baked under a golden crispy breadcrumb crust. Simple, honest, and absolutely delicious.

90 MIN

Gigantes Plaki with Tomato and Feta

Giant white beans baked in a rich, herbaceous tomato sauce and finished with crumbled feta — the kind of dish that makes your kitchen smell like a Naxos taverna.

120 MIN

Lemony Oregano Roasted Chicken

A simple Greek-style roast chicken bursting with bright lemon, fragrant oregano, and plenty of good olive oil — the way Dimitris makes it at his taverna.

35 MIN

Spanakorizo Lemony Spinach Rice

Spinach and rice cooked together with onion and olive oil until the spinach has given everything it has to the pot, finished with enough lemon juice to make the whole thing bright and alive. Spanakorizo is what Greeks cook when they want something honest and restorative — it is not flashy and it does not need to be. The lemon at the end is not a finishing touch; it is the dish.

45 MIN

Bakaliaros Plaki, Baked Cod in Tomato and Herbs

Cod laid into a pan of slowly cooked tomato, onion, parsley, and olive oil, then baked until it flakes at the touch of a fork — this is plaki, and it is one of the purest things the Greek table offers. The fish doesn't need gilding; the tomato and olive oil do the work. Clean, honest, and deeply satisfying.

50 MIN

Fakes Lemon-Dill Lentil Soup

Humble lentils, slowly coaxed with garlic and a generous hand of olive oil, become something quietly magnificent when finished with fresh lemon and dill. This is the soup Greek grandmothers have made for centuries without once consulting a recipe, and there's wisdom in that confidence. The brightness of the lemon at the end is not optional — it's the whole philosophy.

65 MIN

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potato Traybake

Whole chicken and potatoes roasted together in a river of lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano until the skin crisps and the potatoes absorb every drop of the pan juices — this is the Sunday meal that needs no other course. There's a reason every Greek home knows this dish by heart; it is the definition of five ingredients done exactly right.

65 MIN

Beet and Walnut Yogurt Salad

Roasted beets, sweet and earthy, folded into thick yogurt with raw garlic and finished with crushed walnuts and olive oil — this is a meze that manages to be both robust and cool at the same time. The garlic is assertive here, which is intentional; this dish does not apologize for itself. It makes a beautiful plate and disappears quickly, both of which are signs you've done it right.

55 MIN

Fasolakia Braised Green Beans in Tomato

Green beans braised low and slow with onion, garlic, tomato, and a generous pour of olive oil until they surrender completely and the sauce clings to every surface — fasolakia is one of those dishes that looks like nothing and tastes like everything. It is vegetable cooking done with real confidence: no crunch, no al dente, no compromise. Serve at room temperature and watch it disappear.

20 MIN

Tzatziki Cucumber and Garlic Yogurt Dip

Thick yogurt, grated cucumber squeezed properly dry, raw garlic, dill, and olive oil — made correctly, tzatziki should have some real bite to it, not the pallid, watery version you find in supermarkets. It is a condiment, a side dish, and sometimes the entire reason to sit down at the table. Make it with conviction.

55 MIN

Soutzoukakia Cumin Beef Meatballs in Tomato

These oblong meatballs of spiced ground beef — cumin-forward and fragrant with garlic — are browned in olive oil and then finished slowly in a simple tomato sauce that thickens around them as it cooks. Soutzoukakia came to Greece from Smyrna and they brought their complexity with them; the cumin is what separates them from every other meatball you've eaten. The sauce is the point — plan for bread.

80 MIN

Gemista Stuffed Tomatoes with Herbed Rice

Fat summer tomatoes hollowed and packed with rice, parsley, and softened onion, then baked in a bath of their own juices and olive oil until the tops wrinkle and the rice swells tender inside. The tomato becomes the pot and the sauce at once — a trick so elegant it seems obvious in hindsight. Eat warm or at room temperature; both are correct.

45 MIN

Pork Loin Souvlaki with Lemon and Oregano

Cubes of pork loin marinated in lemon, oregano, garlic, and olive oil, then threaded onto skewers and grilled until the edges char and the inside stays juicy — the souvlaki is not complicated, and it should not be. What it requires is that you don't rush the marinade and that you don't pull it from the heat too early. Respect those two rules and it will be perfect.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

olive-oilfetaoreganolemongarlictomato

Favorite tools

GrillFryingPanBakingDishChefKnife

Reaches for

Extra Virgin Olive OilFeta CheeseFresh Lemon

Steers clear of

MargarineDried lemon juice

Flavor Profile

The Loves

BrightHerbaceousOlive-oil-rich

The Defaults

Olive OilLemonDried Oregano

The Avoids

Complicated saucesCheap olive oil