Iordanis Cheese pie – Bougatsa

I’ve been going to this coffee/bakery place since I was in primary school. Bougatsa Iordanis has been in operation since 1924 and the only food item it offers is a special pastry called “bougatsa”. The traditional Greek “bougatsa” is a pie filled with a sweet white custard. At Iordanis, the bougatsa is more like a cheese pie made with a thin, crispy dough. They serve it dusted with cinnamon and sugar, so it’s both sweet and savoury.

Reason to Go

The main and only reason to visit Iordanis is to taste its delicious bougatsa. Something that’s very typical for Chanians to do, something that even my belated grandfather did, is visit Iordanis the moment they arrive in Chania, for breakfast. Before there were many flights connecting Chania to Athens, most people would arrive in Chania by ferry. For the last billion years, the ferry that connects Chania to Athens arrives at about 6 o’clock in the morning. People disembarking from this ferry, especially locals, would stop at Iordanis and have a bougatsa for breakfast, before heading home.

My grandfather always stopped at Iordanis when he returned to Chania and besides the bougatsa he ate there, he would always order a couple more to take home. At Iordanis, you can also order coffee, tea, and other beverages to drink with your bougatsa.