The Arismari Taverna consists of a cluster of quaint old buildings that surround a small square called Platanaki Square. Platanaki means “in the neighborhood of the small plane tree” and acknowledges the plane tree in the square’s center. Arismari is just a few steps from the main square as you head toward the Folklore Museum, and you’ll recognize it because of its inviting and colorful chairs and tables. The name Arismari is an ancient word in the Cretan dialect for “rosemary.”
Platanaki Square has long been a gathering place for Gavalochori residents and tourists. It once was the center of the Turkish neighborhood of Gavalochori and contained six coffee houses, some of which also served as bakeries and grocery stores. Each coffee shop was claimed and visited by people of particular political or cultural leanings, and there were sometimes fights among customers at the various coffeeshops. Inside the main building of Arismari, you can see a fireplace where coffee was heated on coals in this earlier time.
This might be a good place to explain what a Greek taverna is. It isn’t a tavern or a pub like you would see in the United States or in European countries, where alcohol is the primary item served. A taverna is simply a small Greek restaurant—rather like a café—that serves Greek cuisine. Generally, a taverna will have tables covered with paper tablecloths or paper placemats, a relaxed atmosphere, and often a cat or two.
Arismari Taverna is run by Dionysia (Soula) Aggelaki and her husband Yiannis Kokoladonakis, who both grew up in Chania. They purchased the taverna in the spring of 2024 from the previous owners, Anastasia Kazoyli and her husband Vagelis Moulas. Yiannis owns a large butcher shop on Apokoronas Street in the center of Chania, so Arismari benefits from his access to the best meats. The couple bought Arismari in part so that Soula could have a business of her own to run. She also likes people, and a taverna is perfect place to meet and interact with locals and tourists alike. Soula had previously worked in her husband’s butcher shop, in a taverna in Armenoi, and many years ago at Arismari. When Anastasia decided to sell the business, Soula jumped at the chance to make the taverna she loved her own.
The menu at Arismari features traditional Greek dishes, and on most days, there are special dishes cooking over coals in Minoan-style cooking pots. Whenever possible, Soula uses fresh produce in the dishes she serves from land that she and Yiannis own near close by Neo Chorio, and their lemonade is handmade with organic lemons from their lemon trees. The drink menu at the taverna is quite extensive, making Arismari a perfect place for an afternoon beer, a cocktail, or a nightcap. The offerings include beer, wine, and hard-liquor drinks as well as a huge variety of nonalcoholic drinks called Be Fresh that come in flavors such as lemon/ginger and pomegranate.
Soula is often joined by family members who help out in various ways with the taverna, and many of her patrons appreciate the fact that a family owns and runs the business. Yannis spends the early part of his day running his butcher shop and works evenings at Arismari alongside Soula. Her mother Katerina makes some of the dishes for the taverna such as courgette flowers stuffed with rice when they are in season. Two of her brothers, Artemis and Aristidis can be found working in the taverna, as does her teenaged daughter Anna. Soula and Yiannis also have a son, Konstandinos, who can often be seen darting about the taverna, but, so far, his role in the operation, as his mother explains, is confined “to getting into trouble.”
The clients at Arismari are both locals and tourists, and everyone who enjoys a meal there appreciates the warm and comfortable environment where people can come and relax—sit, talk, listen to music, and just hang out. Soula and her family have put a lot of energy and love into the place, and it shows. A German who lives around the corner from Arismari said that he loves his house in Gavalochori, but it wouldn’t be nearly as special if Arismari weren’t there.
A plaque in the square where Arismari is located marks a historical event in Gavalochori. It reads, “In 1892, a committee was established here for the awakening of the Cretan people from their deep sleep against the Organic Law of 1879.” Organic law is a body of laws that form the original foundation of a government. In this case, it refers to the Pact of Halepa, an agreement made in 1878 between the Ottoman Empire and the representatives of the Cretan Revolutionary Committee, which was composed of leading Christian Cretans. The pact was named after the place where it was signed, Halepa, a district of Chania.
The Pact of Halepa was designed to end Cretan resistance to the Turks by making Crete an autonomous state within the Ottoman Empire. It granted a large degree of self-government to the Cretans, including that public services would be staffed by native Cretans, Greek would become the language of the law courts, a portion of Crete’s tax proceeds would remain on the island for local use, native Cretans would form the police force for the island, and a general amnesty would be in effect for those who had taken part in uprisings against the Turks. Although the Ottoman Empire largely failed to enforce the provisions of the pact, the Muslim residents of Crete were upset because they believed the pact delivered the administration of the island to the Christians. Conflict continued between the Muslims and Christians, and in an effort to maintain order, Ottoman authorities sent military forces to Crete between 1880 and 1896. The plaque commemorates a meeting in Platanaki Square to plan Cretan resistance to those forces. Read more >
During the spring, summer, and fall, Arismari is open from 8:00 in the morning until 11:00 at night every day except Tuesdays. What months the taverna is open in the winter depends on the weather, but it likely to be closed between December and February, although it might be open on some weekends.
The Arismari Taverna consists of a cluster of quaint old buildings that surround a small square called Platanaki Square. Platanaki means “in the neighborhood of the small plane tree” and acknowledges the plane tree in the square’s center. Arismari is just a few steps from the main square as you head toward the Folklore Museum, and you’ll recognize it because of its inviting and colorful chairs and tables. The name Arismari is an ancient word in the Cretan dialect for “rosemary.”
Platanaki Square has long been a gathering place for Gavalochori residents and tourists. It once was the center of the Turkish neighborhood of Gavalochori and contained six coffee houses, some of which also served as bakeries and grocery stores. Each coffee shop was claimed and visited by people of particular political or cultural leanings, and there were sometimes fights among customers at the various coffeeshops. Inside the main building of Arismari, you can see a fireplace where coffee was heated on coals in this earlier time.
This might be a good place to explain what a Greek taverna is. It isn’t a tavern or a pub like you would see in the United States or in European countries, where alcohol is the primary item served. A taverna is simply a small Greek restaurant—rather like a café—that serves Greek cuisine. Generally, a taverna will have tables covered with paper tablecloths or paper placemats, a relaxed atmosphere, and often a cat or two.
Arismari Taverna is run by Dionysia (Soula) Aggelaki and her husband Yiannis Kokoladonakis, who both grew up in Chania. They purchased the taverna in the spring of 2024 from the previous owners, Anastasia Kazoyli and her husband Vagelis Moulas. Yiannis owns a large butcher shop on Apokoronas Street in the center of Chania, so Arismari benefits from his access to the best meats. The couple bought Arismari in part so that Soula could have a business of her own to run. She also likes people, and a taverna is perfect place to meet and interact with locals and tourists alike. Soula had previously worked in her husband’s butcher shop, in a taverna in Armenoi, and many years ago at Arismari. When Anastasia decided to sell the business, Soula jumped at the chance to make the taverna she loved her own.
The menu at Arismari features traditional Greek dishes, and on most days, there are special dishes cooking over coals in Minoan-style cooking pots. Whenever possible, Soula uses fresh produce in the dishes she serves from land that she and Yiannis own near close by Neo Chorio, and their lemonade is handmade with organic lemons from their lemon trees. The drink menu at the taverna is quite extensive, making Arismari a perfect place for an afternoon beer, a cocktail, or a nightcap. The offerings include beer, wine, and hard-liquor drinks as well as a huge variety of nonalcoholic drinks called Be Fresh that come in flavors such as lemon/ginger and pomegranate.
Soula is often joined by family members who help out in various ways with the taverna, and many of her patrons appreciate the fact that a family owns and runs the business. Yannis spends the early part of his day running his butcher shop and works evenings at Arismari alongside Soula. Her mother Katerina makes some of the dishes for the taverna such as courgette flowers stuffed with rice when they are in season. Two of her brothers, Artemis and Aristidis can be found working in the taverna, as does her teenaged daughter Anna. Soula and Yiannis also have a son, Konstandinos, who can often be seen darting about the taverna, but, so far, his role in the operation, as his mother explains, is confined “to getting into trouble.”
The clients at Arismari are both locals and tourists, and everyone who enjoys a meal there appreciates the warm and comfortable environment where people can come and relax—sit, talk, listen to music, and just hang out. Soula and her family have put a lot of energy and love into the place, and it shows. A German who lives around the corner from Arismari said that he loves his house in Gavalochori, but it wouldn’t be nearly as special if Arismari weren’t there.
A plaque in the square where Arismari is located marks a historical event in Gavalochori. It reads, “In 1892, a committee was established here for the awakening of the Cretan people from their deep sleep against the Organic Law of 1879.” Organic law is a body of laws that form the original foundation of a government. In this case, it refers to the Pact of Halepa, an agreement made in 1878 between the Ottoman Empire and the representatives of the Cretan Revolutionary Committee, which was composed of leading Christian Cretans. The pact was named after the place where it was signed, Halepa, a district of Chania.
The Pact of Halepa was designed to end Cretan resistance to the Turks by making Crete an autonomous state within the Ottoman Empire. It granted a large degree of self-government to the Cretans, including that public services would be staffed by native Cretans, Greek would become the language of the law courts, a portion of Crete’s tax proceeds would remain on the island for local use, native Cretans would form the police force for the island, and a general amnesty would be in effect for those who had taken part in uprisings against the Turks. Although the Ottoman Empire largely failed to enforce the provisions of the pact, the Muslim residents of Crete were upset because they believed the pact delivered the administration of the island to the Christians. Conflict continued between the Muslims and Christians, and in an effort to maintain order, Ottoman authorities sent military forces to Crete between 1880 and 1896. The plaque commemorates a meeting in Platanaki Square to plan Cretan resistance to those forces. Read more >
During the spring, summer, and fall, Arismari is open from 8:00 in the morning until 11:00 at night every day except Tuesdays. What months the taverna is open in the winter depends on the weather, but it likely to be closed between December and February, although it might be open on some weekends.
