Built in 1846 and re-imagined in 2024, Lamda Casual Dining occupies a lovingly restored home with a sun-faded stone façade, situated directly at the water’s edge in the heart of Vasiliki. The history of the building is there for all to see but what’s happening there now is anything but old-fashioned. Instead, it’s a culinary reboot of Greek tradition: reverent, but not nostalgic. Greek cuisine with a modern twist — and perhaps a touch of theatre.

The food

Dishes arrived with understated drama – never pretentious, but always composed. And served with the utmost care and attentiveness We began proceedings with the cornbread sourdough – delicate and warm, it was accompanied with salted fish roe and citrus-marinated olives — a nod to tradition, yet with a gently rebellious note.

My favourite dish of the evening was the lentils, one of the humblest of pulses, elevated with the most delicious smoked eel, cauliflower purée and aromatic oil.

Feta cheese, usually a rustic staple, was served breaded in polenta, drizzled with a thyme honey from Lefkada and a generous sprinking of black sesame.

Don’t also miss the grilled octopus, beautifully tender, paired with a carrot purée, pickled pearl onions, rice chips and a tarragon oil – a textural masterclass.

Also worthy of mention is the crispy mozzarella, set on a canvas of eggplant and tomato marmalade, and laced with basil oil, and the rich and comforting shrimp saganaki, reimagined with a touch of sweet chilli, Metsovone cheese and basil.

For me, the standout main was my seafood orzo, glistening with shrimp and squid, in a tomato and basil reduction that struck just the right chord of simplicity, whilst still being packed with flavour.

My wife swore by her Black Angus burger, served with pickled cucumber, Cheddar, onion mayo, and crispy potato rocks. And the indulgent deconstructed pastitsio — with layers of beef ragu, pasta, béchamel foam, and seared parmesan, even got the better of my son’s enormous appetite.

Desserts didn’t disappoint either, from the deconstructed lemon tart with blueberries, caramelised Aegina pistachios and chocolate flakes, to the chocolate fondant, served with crème anglaise, Madagascar vanilla, yuzu, dried rose, and ice cream. Decadent, dreamy… and quite probably more calories than we should have had, but nothing that a run the next morning couldn’t sort out.

The chef

Menelaos Chalikiopoulos is not just a chef. He is, in the best sense, an architect of appetite and memory. His food feels like it’s searching — for lost flavours, for new frontiers, for the stories in between.

Having trained in some of the sharper corners of European cuisine, Chalikiopoulos returns to Lefkada not with a mission to modernise for the sake of novelty, but to listen more closely to the land and sea he grew up with — and to let them speak. There’s humility in his innovation. He doesn’t shout through the plate; he whispers.

His dishes dance between confidence and restraint — bold without being brash, elevated without alienating. That balance is hard to teach. It’s instinctual.

The ambience

What better setting could you find? We were seated just a couple of yards from the water’s edge, interrupted only by the gentle hum of other happy diners, seemingly envious passers-by, and the hush of boats nudging against Vasiliki harbour. And against this backdrop of stone and sea, the waiting-on staff are very attentive, but never overbearing.

The cost

Don’t expect traditional taverna pricing, but do prepare yourself for exceptional value. Most starters hover around €14–17, and mains largely sit in the €24–28 range.

Wines start at €36 a bottle – we had the Chardonnay from the Karipidi Estate (near Larissa in central Greece), priced at €48.

The final verdict

In a village best known for its windsurfing and relaxed vibe, Lamda Casual Dining offers something a little different to anything else on Vasiliki’s waterfront. Quitely radical and offering a more refined dining experience, Lamda is a place to savour – not just for the food, but the also mood, the moment and the mellow tempo of a special Lefkada evening.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lamda Casual Dining. Our trip was sponsored by AEGEAN Airlines.

Welcome to Where the Chefs Eat a column in which chefs share their go-to restaurants in their favorite cities.

The Lisbon that Nuno Mendes grew up in during the 1980s was nothing like the city we know and love today. The City of Light was “a very tough city,” Mendes says. “Back then, there was no sense of national pride.”

Mendes then traveled the world, exploring different ingredients and innovative global cooking techniques under the likes of Wolfgang Puck and Rocco di Spirito, before settling in East London where he has now lived for 20 years. While Hackney is home, the Lisbon that Mendes knows and loves today is thriving—so, he finally decided to open a restaurant there. Following the success of his highly acclaimed London restaurants Lisboeta, The Loft Project, Bacchus, and Viajante, Santa Joana opened in Lisbon last October to rave reviews, allowing him to split his time between London and his childhood home.

“It’s a stunning, one-of-a-kind space,” Mendes says about Santa Joana. “It’s in an old convent with beautiful high ceilings, the kind of space you don’t really find, so this is a dream come true for me. And what’s critical is you can really feel the heartbeat of the city in that restaurant.” He acknowledges that he’s in good company cooking in the city, given the incredible chefs in Lisbon today: “The food culture is now much broader than it was when I was younger. The food we’re cooking is traditional yet also reflects the current and contemporary aspects of Lisbon’s culinary culture.”

Part of the energy in kitchens and restaurants comes from the people in the city itself, he says. “Lisbon is now a city full of vibrant, excited people, a lot of young people, a lot of Portuguese people who have traveled the world and then come back home again. And I love that I can use products, 99 per cent of which have come from only 300 meters away.”

So, we asked Mendes to share his favorite restaurants in Lisbon—where he goes the minute he touches down in the city. “I wanted to highlight the places that are my personal favorites, that have such an amazing atmosphere. [Where] you really feel like you’re being welcomed into somebody’s home.” And when you walk in, you’ll know where you are: “Every single one of my recommendations could only exist in Lisbon.”

Prado

Tv. das Pedras Negras 2 (Baixa)

“The menu changes regularly at Prado, one of my favorite restaurants. The team works with a lot of excellent small producers, and there is a fantastic wine list. It’s hyper-seasonal, but it’s perfectly inspired by Portuguese products and by classic Portuguese cooking. It’s a very different restaurant to St John in London, but it’s got a similar approach and ethos of using the entire fish from nose to tail; not wasting anything. The people who visit Prado seek it out, so the clientele seems alive and on board with what they’re doing. There’s also a great little wine bar. The food is incredible in there if you want something quick and light.”