In this list you'll see places that I've been to as a customer and I appreciated the service I received, more than one time. All places I recommend offer a cozy atmosphere (I'm not a fan of "pretentious" places) and normal prices. In the line between Volos and Milies, where I move very often, I'm more thorough on my recommendations. The further we move away from that line, I'm also discovering things, just like you.
DISCLAIMER: from all the places I mention in here, I'm not gaining even the slightest bit, directly or indirectly, nor have I ever made any kind of deal with them whatsoever.
If you click on any underlined shop name, you'll be redirected to the respective listing of the establishment on Google Maps.
Wherever I mention "good for kids", I mean that the establishment has an open space where the kids can play outside and you can be ... relatively relaxed about it.
Apart from that, for your convenience I've placed all these places on a Google Maps map you can visit here.
In Milies
I have to admit I haven't visited every single restaurant in the outskirts of the village, so I can't really speak about them (e.g. close to the rail station). So, my recommendations near the center of the village are these:
- Salkimi, next to the bell tower in the village square, on the main road. Very good cuisine, cooked meals, wild boar burgers
- Panorama, 40 meters above the village square, on the main road. An old family-run restaurant with great cuisine and very good quality
- Aloni, on the upper end of the village. Very good cooked dishes, great meat options. Good for kids and has a rudimentary kindengarten
- Liostasi, about 1 km before the village as you're driving up from Volos. Good cooked dishes, great quick plaets and a very cozy atmosphere. Good for kids
The cafe-bars in the village are great options.
- Miliaeri, next to the bell tower and on the main road. On the warmer days the roof is accessible and it offers a great view of the gulf. Good enough for kids
- Anna na éna mílo, 50m below the bell tower and opposite the phamacy
- Another place with a great atmosphere and a fireplace is the cafe of the Iliovolo Hotel, which is also good for kids
Places with outstanding cuisine
- The Mageirakia in Agios Vlásios. On busier days you'll need to make a booking in advance, but the cuisine is easily the best in central Pelion. They take traditional dishes and serve them with a gourmet twist that doesn't feel odd or out of place. Good for kids
- The Yperokeánio in Káto Gatzéa. This is a restaurant where the chef doesn't shy from presenting some outstanding food and it's certainly worth a visit if you're a foodie. Good for kids
- The 6 keys in Afissos, hotel and restaurant. Yes, it's very pricey, but the food is worth it. Kids should be ok to play on the beach but other than that the atmosphere is a little ... posh
For meat eaters
Generally it won't be hard to find good meat and fish meals in Pelion, but here's a few places that I thought the offer a little extra...
- The Salkimi and Panorama in Milies offer wild boar burgers and other very tasty cooked meat dishes
- Aloni in Milies is also one of those "specialist" places. It's also very good for kids
- If you're into wild boar stifádo (cooked with small onions and prunes), you're off to Drosia in Pinakates. Good for kids
- One of the top spots for meat eaters is "Yiannis o Germanos" (Yiannis the German) in the village square of Neohori. Good for kids
- Moutzouris on the Rail Station in Ano Lehonia offers great meat plates. Gregory is a master griller and this is reflected in the restaurant's numerous awards over the years. Good for kids
Tsipouro restaurants and fish
Volos and Pelion overall are renowned for our tsipouro restaurants.
Tsipouro is a greek traditional drink, quite similar to raki or arak, if you've visited neighbouring countries or the Middle East. When you place an order, you only order the "bottles", which are 50ml bottles and each comes with a small plate of cooked food, usually fish. We usually order bottles in rounds (kinda like shots) and in a sitting we typically order 2 to 3 rounds for each person. Tsipouro comes with or without anise, so when you're ordering you have to specify how you want it.
A typical short order could be "2 with", meaning two bottles of tsipouro with anise (or however many people are sitting at the table). You can always order "extras", which means extra dishes, outside those that will be coming with the tsipouro.
So, without further ado, here's my recommendations:
- Balkoni in Kalamaki is a very good old-school family-run restaunt, offering proper home-cooked-style food. Most of the fish he serves he catches it himself, or he'll be sourcing it from local fishermen. He also has great tsipouro infused with figs and other fruits and he certainly knows his stuff. Good for kids
- Hromata in the beach of Lambinou. This is the only shop in the beach, so you can't miss it. You'll be eating great cooked dished and fish and it's sure worth the trip. Good for kids
- Faros in Afissos is a classic spot for dining on the sea. You'll be dining mostly outside, so you'd better confirm availability on colder days
- Maistrali in Agria is a solid choice, next to the seafront and with great dishes. Good for kids
- Bakalogatos in Agria is an old-school tsipouradiko with good fish and very reasonable pries. It's open only for lunch till about 6pm and is closed on Sundays
In Volos the tsipouradika I could recommend are many. Here are some that I think they kinda stand out. If you want more traditional dishes, you'd best avoid the ones at the seafront. Not that they're bad. They're just a little more "commercial", but you'll still eat good food and at reasonable prices.
- Kavoúras. A cult old-school restaurant, quite noisy but you'll definitely be remembering it (in a good sense). The food is fantastic and it's widely considered the top tsipouradiko in town for those who have taste
- Tu Vólou. Open only for lunch till about 6pm. Great dishes and definitely worth a visit. Good for kids
- Ta Voliotákia will probably have you waiting to get yourself a table, if you haven't booked one. But you'll love the home-cooked-style food
- To Dóloma in the old cemetery is an old-school tsipouradiko with great dishes and an a neighourhood-type atmosphere