One of us grew up eating in Preveza. Long tables in the old town, the clock tower in the square, a plate of prawns on the table before anyone had decided what else to order. Years later we still go back, and what we notice most is not the food. It is the pace. In Preveza, lunch is the main event, it is shared, and nobody is in a hurry to leave the table.
The short answer
If you eat one thing in Epirus, make it the Ambracian prawn, and eat it in Preveza. The town sits on the Ambracian Gulf, the only water these prawns come from, and it is a calm, walkable place where family lunch still matters more than the schedule. Come for the prawns, stay for the slow days.
What the Ambracian prawn is
It is a small prawn that lives only in the Ambracian Gulf. It is endemic: it is born, fished and eaten within the same waters. You can recognise it by its long whiskers and a tail marked with blue, red and yellow. Marketable ones are usually over ten centimetres, and it is known above all for its flavour.
The name is also getting official attention. A protected geographical indication (PGI) has been proposed for the “Ambracian prawn”. It is worth asking for it by name and asking where it was caught.
A line from James Bond
In For Your Eyes Only (1981), Bond, played by Roger Moore, orders shrimps from Preveza and a Robola wine from Kefalonia. One of us caught the scene by chance while watching the film with his father, and they talked about it afterwards. Few visitors know it, and it fits: even a secret agent stops for a long lunch here.
How you eat them
- Grilled, with a squeeze of lemon and nothing else. This is the purest way.
- Fried with garlic, usually in a small pan, to eat with bread.
- In pasta or kritharoto, when you want something richer.
Our rule: order them the simple way first, and the pasta on your second visit.
Where we eat them
All three are in the old town. We have eaten at each of them for years, and the tavernas around the clock tower are where one of us has been eating since childhood.
- Trelli Garida: grilled Ambracian prawns, in generous portions.
- Filippas: the owner is a fisherman with his own boats, and the prawns come grilled or fried with garlic.
- Alati: kritharoto with Ambracian prawns, on the old town quay at Aktia Gorgona.
We know people at some of these places. None of them pays us, and none of them asked for this page.
The town around the plate
Preveza is built for long lunches and unhurried evenings. The old streets are paved and quiet, with small shops that run from clothes to a coffee roaster. Mornings are for walking. At midday the town switches off, and everyone goes home for a long lunch with the family and a siesta. Do not fight it. Eat, rest, and come out again when the evening begins.
The rhythm is the point. People here put rest and a table shared with family before almost everything else, and a visit works best when you let it work on you.
Where to stay to eat well
For a food trip, stay in or next to the old town, so that lunch and the walk back are both on foot. Ask your hotel which taverna the staff eat at themselves, and book ahead in July and August.
We like Preveza in September, when the sea is still warm and the town slows down even more.
Our take
This is a trip for people who plan around meals and company, not sights. If you want sun beds and nightlife, look elsewhere. If you want a long lunch, an easy town and a dish you cannot get anywhere else, go.
- For: one of the best simple lunches in Greece, a walkable old town, and a dish you will not find anywhere else.
- Against: it is not an island or a beach resort, and the town goes quiet at midday.
What comes next
Looking for mountains after the sea? Read our guide to Syrrako in Epirus.
Heading on? In winter, the lagoons of Lefkada, not far from here, fill with flamingos: A winter flight over Lefkada’s lagoon.
Menus, prices and fishing rules change, so confirm locally before you go.
Photos: Greecyz.
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