Tired of Greek Food in Mykonos? Here's What to Eat Instead

Mykonos is one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The whitewashed walls, the cobblestone streets, the endless blue of the Aegean — it's everything the photos promised. But after three days of Greek salad, grilled octopus, and moussaka, even the most devoted traveller starts quietly wondering: is there anything else?

If you've arrived at this page, you already know the feeling. You're not alone, and you're not wrong for wanting it.

Here's the good news: there is somewhere to go. And it might just be the best meal of your entire trip.

Why Tourists Start Craving Something Different in Mykonos

Greek food is genuinely wonderful. Fresh fish pulled from the Aegean that morning. Feta made on the island. Tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes. Nobody is saying the food isn't good.

But Mykonos is an island with a finite number of menus, and by day three or four, a pattern emerges. Tzatziki. Taramosalata. Grilled sea bass with lemon. Another calamari. Another Greek salad. The sameness creeps in — not because the food is bad, but because variety is human nature, and Mykonos doesn't have much of it.

Most tourists don't realise there's a non-Greek restaurant in Mykonos worth seeking out. They assume it would be a tourist trap — a pale imitation of something that doesn't belong here. That assumption is wrong. Pūblico is not just the best non-Greek restaurant in Mykonos — it is one of the only authentic Mexican seafood restaurants in Greece.

The Best Non-Greek Restaurant in Mykonos

Pūblico Restaurant & Mezcaleria is Mykonos' only authentic Mexican seafood restaurant, and it has a 4.9-star rating on TripAdvisor for a reason.

Located in the heart of Mykonos Town — steps from the legendary old port, on one of the Old Town's most beautiful streets — Pūblico is the answer to every "I want something different in Mykonos" search you've ever made. And it turns out that something different doesn't mean compromising on quality. It means eating better.

The menu is built around fresh Aegean seafood interpreted through a Mexican lens. Think handmade tortillas. Open flame cooking. Ceviches made with the same fish the Greek restaurants are serving, but transformed with lime, chilli, and cilantro into something that tastes unlike anything else on the island. Aguachile. Tostadas. Whole grilled fish with a Mexican-spiced crust. Soft-shell crab tacos. Prawn ceviche.

Pricing is comparable to a good Greek seafood restaurant in Mykonos — mid-to-upscale, with no surprise charges and no tourist-trap pricing. The TripAdvisor reviews are consistent on this: guests feel the value matches or exceeds what the island's Greek restaurants charge for equivalent quality.

The restaurant was founded by Edgaras Gaidamavicius — formerly of Zuma London — on a single conviction: that Mykonos deserved a restaurant built on craft, not compromise. The kitchen is led by Head Chef Martin Barrera, originally from Baja California, Mexico, who brings coastal Mexican cooking credentials that no other restaurant on this island can match. This is not fusion food dreamed up to appeal to tourists. It's the real thing, made by people who know exactly what they're doing.

Why Mexican Food Works So Well in Mykonos

It isn't an accident that Mexican cooking feels at home in the Aegean. Both cuisines are built on the same foundations: the sea, citrus, fire, and a deep respect for fresh ingredients. In Mexico, the Pacific coast has always meant ceviche, aguachile, and charred fish. In Mykonos, the Aegean offers some of the finest seafood in Europe. Put those two traditions together and you don't get a clash — you get something that makes immediate, instinctive sense.

The chile pepper, the lime, and the char of open-flame cooking translate perfectly to a Mediterranean context. When Pūblico's kitchen takes a freshly landed Aegean sea bass, scores the skin, and finishes it over direct flame with a Baja-style spice rub, what arrives on the table is genuinely unlike anything you'll find at a Greek taverna — yet it doesn't feel out of place. It feels inevitable.

The other thing that translates is the pace. Mexican food culture — at its best — is not fast food. It's slow tortilla-making. It's letting the ceviche cure for exactly the right amount of time. It's a kitchen that won't rush a dish to the pass before it's ready. That philosophy fits perfectly into a Mykonos evening where nobody is in a hurry and the point is to linger, drink well, and eat better.

What to Order at Pūblico — A First Visit Guide

If it's your first time at Pūblico, here's where to start. The Baja Prawns are the best introduction to the kitchen's approach — tiger prawns in a smoky chipotle butter sauce, finished with charred spring onions. They arrive looking like something from a proper Mexican coastal grill, because that's exactly what they are.

The Sea Bass Aguachile is the dish that consistently stops first-timers mid-conversation. Thin-sliced Aegean sea bass, cured in fresh lime juice, served in a pool of cucumber-jalapeño agua with micro herbs and pink onion. It's bright, cold, and precise — a plate that makes perfect sense of why bringing a Baja California head chef to Mykonos was the right call.

For something heartier, the Soft Shell Crab Tacos are the most-ordered item on the table of any group that's been here before. Served in two handmade corn tortillas — pressed to order, as they always are — with chipotle mayo and a sharp pickled cabbage. The contrast of textures alone is worth the reservation.

For the table, order the Guacamole as soon as you sit down. It arrives with totopos — house-fried tortilla chips — and it will be finished before the first cocktails are. Don't share it. Order two.

What Guests Say About Eating at Pūblico

The TripAdvisor reviews tell the story clearly. Guests who come to Pūblico specifically because they were craving something different are the ones who leave the most passionate reviews. Phrases like "best meal of the whole holiday", "completely unexpected", and "finally something different in Mykonos" appear again and again.

Pūblico is ranked the #1 Mexican restaurant in Mykonos — not by a narrow margin, but by the kind of rating that comes from a kitchen that takes its food seriously and a front-of-house team that makes every guest feel like the only table in the room.

The Mezcaleria — A Whole Other Reason to Come

Even if you weren't craving Mexican food, the Mezcaleria alone would justify the visit.

Pūblico's bar is home to one of Greece's finest collections of agave spirits — a curated selection of artisanal mezcals and tequilas that most bars in Athens, let alone Mykonos, can't come close to matching. The cocktail list is built around smoky mezcal: palomas, margaritas with a twist, signature house cocktails that pair seamlessly with the food.

If you've never had a properly made mezcal cocktail under the bougainvillea on a warm Mykonos evening, consider this your sign.

Practical Information

• Where: Mykonos Town (Old Town), steps from the old port. This is the safest, most walkable, and most beautiful part of Mykonos — easy to find on foot from most accommodation in town, and well-lit and lively until late. No need for a taxi.
• When: Open daily, 18:00–01:00. Dinner and cocktails only — no lunch service.
• Price range: Mid-to-upscale ($–$$). Comparable to a good Greek seafood restaurant in Mykonos, with considerably more to talk about the next morning.
• Reservations: Strongly recommended, especially in peak season (May–September).
• Group dining: Curated group tasting menus from €60 per person — ideal for birthday dinners, anniversary celebrations, bachelorette parties, and villa nights out.