Pomo d'Oro

Pomo d'Oro sits on Skaramanga Square — one of the most beautifully preserved small plazas in Corfu Old Town, with a restored Venetian church on one side and 17th-century townhouses on the other. The restaurant's outdoor terrace occupies most of the square in summer; the interior dining room, used in cooler months, is a warm stone-walled space with low beams and candlelight.

Chef Aristotelis Megoulas runs the kitchen with a menu that consciously plays the Greek-Italian duality of Corfiot cooking. Homemade pastas rotate weekly — agnolotti of Corfu cheese, tagliatelle with local langoustine, ravioli of aubergine and smoked mozzarella. The mains trend toward classical Italian reference points: osso buco braised in Corfiot red wine, saltimbocca with fresh Corfu sage, a whole local sea bass roasted in salt. The dessert cart — a proper Italian tradition, featuring tiramisu, panna cotta, and a Corfu kumquat sorbet — is one of the best in the town.

The wine list stretches the standard Corfiot range into Italian depth: serious Piedmont reds, a considered Veneto selection, and a small but thoughtful Sicilian set. Greek producers are well represented on the white side. Corkage is handled generously for guests bringing something specific.

The square is the entire point. On a summer evening, with the church illuminated, the swifts circling, and the tables in the square full under white canvas, the setting competes directly with the best in Corfu.

Pomo d'Oro's terrace on Skaramanga Square is Corfu's classic first-date setting for a diner who wants the town to do the work. The menu is familiar enough to make ordering easy, the square is romantic without being over-performed, and the evening stretches naturally into a walk back through the Campiello. Book a square-facing table in the corner near the church.