The terrace at Kri Kri under the pergola, tables set with the bay of Órmos behind

Our story

The same family, the same sea.

On the bay at Órmos, run by three generations of the same family since 1978.

Since 1978

Yannis and Eleni, Kostas and Anna, and a taverna by the sea.

Yannis and Eleni opened Kri Kri in 1978, when this corner of Órmos was still just sea and stone. He had worked the big hotels of the coast and wanted a place of his own, cooked the way a Cretan family cooks at home. He built much of it by hand, from stone he gathered himself on the Lasithi plateau, and named it after the wild goat of Crete.

Nearly fifty years later it is still the same family. Their son Kostas and his wife Anna run it now, the next generation is already learning, and the same regulars from those first years still come back.

Kostas at Kri Kri in the evening, the taverna's lit sign behind him

Our corner of Ágios Nikólaos

The church that named the town.

Across the water from our terrace stands a small Byzantine church of Saint Nicholas, more than a thousand years old and one of the oldest on Crete. The whole town took its name from it, and we have watched it from this same shore for close to fifty years.

The bay of Órmos seen from the terrace, the far shore across the water

Celebrations

Weddings, parties, and long family tables.

Couples have married here, some travelling back from England and Germany for the day. We host christenings, birthdays and celebrations of every size, and on the right night the tables clear for a little Greek dancing. Tell us what you are planning, and we will set the terrace for it.

A long table set for a celebration on the Kri Kri terrace, flowers and the bay behind

A christening dessert table at Kri Kri with cupcakes and a nautical theme

A celebration setup at Kri Kri with a soft balloon arch and dessert table

Two musicians playing Cretan lyra and lute on the Kri Kri terrace

Greek nights

Come for dinner, stay for the dancing.

In the old days everyone in Ágios Nikólaos came out at night, and Kri Kri filled with music. On a good night it still ends the same way, with a little Greek dancing. Here is an old clip from one of those nights.

A look around

The terrace, the garden, the table.

Real corners of Kri Kri, by the bay at Órmos.

Long tables set on the terrace with the bay behind — Long tables by the water

A white table set for lunch in the garden — Lunch in the garden

A table with a view of the sea through the greenery — A seat with a view

The bay and mountains seen over the terrace railing — The bay from the terrace

Wine glasses hanging under the reed ceiling — Ready for the evening

Dried red peppers hanging in the kitchen — Drying peppers in the kitchen

Bottles of the family's own wine — Our own wine

A vintage red bicycle in the garden greenery — A corner of the garden

The lemon tree in the garden behind the taverna — The lemon tree out back

A place setting in dappled light — Set, in the dappled light

The Kri Kri sign framed by bougainvillea — The sign, and the bougainvillea

The children's playroom with slides and painted walls — The children's playroom

Find us

Come and sit by the sea.

We are on the bay at Órmos, Ágios Nikólaos.

Where: Ilía Sotírchou, Órmos
Ágios Nikólaos 721 00, Lasíthi, Crete
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Reservations: Message us on Facebook, or call to book a table.
Call +30 694 688 6570
Open: Wednesday to Monday, 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Closed Tuesdays.
Good to know: Family friendly, with a clean children's playroom. Quiet enough to talk. Tables for two to a whole celebration.

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