To Trivio — The Table Nobody Told You About
There are places in Greece that exist in a parallel universe from the tourist economy. To Trivio is one of them. It sits at the main crossroads of Volimes — the northern mountain village that most visitors pass through on the way to the Navagio viewpoint — and it has been there, essentially unchanged, since 1967.
The name means “the crossroads.” The sign is faded and half-hidden by the bougainvillea that has been growing over the entrance for at least three decades. Most people drive past it. This is fine. The fifteen seats fill up quickly enough with the people who know.
Who Cooks Here
Stavroula Anagnostou is seventy-three and has been running this kitchen alone for most of her adult life. She learned from her mother, who learned from hers. There is no written recipe for anything she makes. The measurements are “enough” and “until it looks right.” The results are repeatable in the way that only real instinct produces.
Her nephew Petros helps on Saturdays, does the shopping on weekday mornings, and handles situations that require a smartphone. He speaks reasonable English and will translate if you look confused, but he’ll also smile encouragingly if you try the Greek.
What Gets Cooked
The menu is whatever Stavroula decided to make that morning based on what was at the market or in her garden. On a typical day you might encounter:
Tsigareli — Zakynthos’ signature wild greens dish: a mixture of whatever’s in season (usually chard, fennel fronds, chicory, and wild leeks) wilted in olive oil with plenty of garlic and a hit of dried chilli. Simple, ancient, impossible to replicate outside this context.
Roast pork with quinces — a slow-roasted combination that appears in autumn and smells like the whole island. The quinces are from the garden. So is the olive oil.
Makaronia me syka — handmade pasta with a sauce of dried figs, local honey, and a little cinnamon. This sounds like a dessert. Eat it and recalibrate your assumptions.
Soup — there’s always soup, always different, always made from scratch that morning.
Bread comes from the village baker two streets away. The olive oil is from an olive tree you can see from the table. The wine is from a five-litre plastic container that Stavroula’s cousin fills every autumn from his vineyard. Order it by the glass or ask for the whole container if you’re committed.
The Price
For a full meal — soup or salad, a main course, bread, and wine or water — expect to pay €8–12 per person. This is not a price for tourists; this is what lunch costs in rural Zakynthos. Pay it without negotiating, leave a small tip (it is not expected but will be remembered), and understand you’ve just had the most cost-effective meal on the island.
Getting There
Volimes is in the northern mountains, about 35 kilometres from Zakynthos Town. To Trivio is at the main junction in the village centre — where the road splits towards Navagio viewpoint and towards Anafonitria. Park anywhere you can find space (the village is small, the streets are narrow, patience is required). The place is open for lunch only. If you arrive after 15:00, Stavroula will have gone home and Petros will be watching football.
Go for lunch. Go in spring or early autumn when the mountain air is cool and the wild greens are at their best. Go before someone writes it up and ruins it.
