Base Cafe — Tsilivi’s Morning Ritual
Most beach resorts have a cafe problem: the coffee is instant, the yogurt is from a plastic tub, and breakfast costs more than it should. Base Cafe is the exception in Tsilivi, which is why you’ll often find it full by 9 AM with a mixed crowd of families loading up before the beach, couples lingering over second coffees, and the occasional local who knows better than to drive to Zakynthos Town for a decent freddo.
The terrace is the key feature — a wide, well-shaded outdoor space with enough room between tables that you’re not eating in someone else’s conversation. The fans run constantly from June through September, which makes the 9 AM heat manageable. There’s an indoor section for rainy mornings, though rain in July is essentially theoretical.
What to Order
Greek yogurt with thyme honey and walnuts — this is not the industrial variety. It’s thick, strained, slightly sour, and arrives with a generous pour of honey from the hills around Volimes and a scattering of walnuts. Eat it slowly.
Bougatsa — a warm pastry filled with custard cream and dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. Traditional Greek breakfast food, made fresh each morning, gone by 10 AM most days. Set an alarm.
Freddo espresso — double shot espresso, shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker until it turns to coffee foam, poured over ice. This is how Greeks drink coffee in summer and it’s perfect. Costs €2.50-3.
Avocado toast with feta — yes, it’s on every menu everywhere, but here the feta is the real thing (Greek PDO protected origin), the bread is from the local baker, and the proportions are correct.
Full English — available and surprisingly decent. Proper bacon, real eggs, toast that isn’t soggy. For homesick British visitors on day one, it does the job.
Family Notes
High chairs are available. The menu has plain options (toast, scrambled eggs, yogurt) that fussy children will eat. The terrace is large enough to accommodate a pushchair. Staff are relaxed about messy children in a way that makes breakfast genuinely enjoyable rather than stressful.
The Verdict
At €8-15 per person for a full breakfast with coffee, Base Cafe isn’t giving food away, but it’s fair for what it delivers: proper ingredients, good coffee, and enough space and shade to make breakfast feel like the start of something rather than a queue at a buffet. Go early, order the bougatsa, and claim a corner table before the main rush.
