Skiathos, Greece: Dinner and Views at Sofia's Family Restaurant

One of the really nice dinners we've had in Skiathos, in terms of stunning views, was at Sofia's Family Restaurant, Café & Bar.

Sofia's Family Restaurant from the Church's hilltop square.

We saw the restaurant from the working new harbour where the large public ferries dock. It sits on top of the hill just behind the Agios Nikolaos Church and Clock Tower. It has a very huge, but not a really sophisticated signage. I can’t say which caught my eye right away; if it was the worn-out too simple signage or the outdoor terrace where I saw people dining on. Perhaps both?

I always love a good view while dining so I told the Dutchman that we are going there for dinner one evening. He agreed with me.

So now, how do we get to the Sofia’s Family Restaurant? Dutchman and I went inside the maze of cobbled and narrow backstreets of the hillside of Skiathos and searched our way to the restaurant. Luckily there were signs giving us directions.

The backstreet alleys in the town center of Skiathos.

I love Skiathos, it’s one of those pretty and traditional Greek island towns that promote the traditional image of Greece. Just think of the world-famous Santorini minus the epic rocky cliff setting and the blue domed churches. And oh, definitely minus the crazy number of tourists!

Most traditional Greek towns and villages are white, however, the more you go to the direction of Turkey (east) and to Italy (west), the architecture landscape and colours changes. It is mostly in the middle part of the Greek island archipelago that you will see white-washed architecture such as in the Cyclades Islands predominantly. The Sporades Islands have some similarity wherein the houses are mostly white, however, the roofs are covered in red-orange terracotta colours.

This is exactly what Dutchman and I saw when we climbed our way up to the highest point of Skiathos town center searching for Sofia's Family Restaurant. We saw white houses and bright terracotta roofs.

This is another restaurant with a great view, the "Final Step" Restaurant which is not too far away from Sofia's. The advantage of Sofia's is that the restaurant has better views as it captures the part of the old town area and harbour. This restaurant is facing the new harbour where the ferries dock.

The Agios Nikolaos Church Tower.

At the top of the hill are the Agios Nikolaos Church and the Tower that have a nice little square with gorgeous panoramic views of the old town. We lingered a bit here before finding our way to the restaurant. We actually saw the restaurant’s balcony patio from the church’s square and the Dutchman and I were just hoping that we will be shown to one of the good tables when we arrive.

I am very particular about my table and where I sit in a restaurant. It is a deal breaker for me. I mean, this may sound a bit shallow to others but I am pretty serious with this. I can get personal with it, haha. My philosophy is that I pay money to eat at a restaurant and I want to make sure I get the best experience out of it and the best value for my money.

When you know what you want and insist on it, you can and will for sure get it. And that’s how I roll at work as well. Perhaps this is the reason why I have reached far in life, and I mean in a financial-career kind of way. I do not settle for less. Of course, with all things in perspective, I have learned to choose my battles carefully as well.

Dining with a view. The restaurant was actually big, it has several levels so there's room for many. However, I am sure that during the peak months it would be difficult to find a table.

The view to the new port harbour.

Because eating out every day during a 2-week lazy summer holiday can take its toll on the waistline (and health condition in general), so Dutchman and I pay attention to what we eat. We only eat a main course and if we eat another, such as a starter or dessert, we share it, and not every day. Those are the guidelines for dinner. In the morning we have brunch, and if we have to eat something in the afternoon, it should be a shared snack.

Here at Sofia’s Family Restaurant, I ordered the local cuisine, some Greek beef stew with onions in tomato sauce called Stifado, while the Dutchman chose for the Ravioli pasta dish. The meal came of course with some bread and a tapenade which we ate as our starter. All restaurants and tavernas in Greece (and in most of the Mediterranean countries) give you bread. It’s a standard thing that the diner must take; it’s not free and is similar to a cover charge. It’s cheap anyway between 1 to 2 Euros.

We have to say that the food here was delicious. They were really good, however, the servings were relatively smaller than expected, so we decided to share a dessert, which I forgot to take a picture of, haha. Helaas. Yes, I do forget sometimes.

Dinner of pasta and typical Greek beef stew, Stifado.

Just bread for a starter with butter and tapenade... and views.

This Ravioli dish is looking very gourmet-esque. 

Stifado beef stew with whole onions, Greek style.

After which we had some coffee while taking in the rest of the views for the night.

What we enjoyed during this dinner were, none other than the ambiance and views of course. We love the outdoor seating and having a panoramic view of both harbours, the old and the new. It was really nice to be able to dine on top and see Skiathos. We could see people walking along the new harbour and we even witnessed the ferry dock, offload and load hundreds of passengers and then sail into the night.

Farther ahead we saw the lights shimmering against the waters of the old town harbour and its whitewashed houses with terracotta roofs. The old and traditional harbour sits between the islet (Bourtzi) and a rocky peninsula and is a beautiful sight to behold at night.

This is the view of the old town and the old harbour.

I tell you, and I am not ashamed to say this, I really live for dinners like this during holidays. They do not have to be super expensive, a nice ambiance and with spectacular views. would suffice. Naturally, if the food is delicious, it makes the experience all the better and perhaps unforgettable.

We highly recommed this place!

The ferry loading passengers. I think the destination is somewhere in mainland Greece.

Coffee and some digestif liquor to close the dinner.

Travel Period: June-July 2017
Destination: Skiathos Old Town, Sporades Islands, Greece

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All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.