Thalassino Ageri

Thalassino Ageri is a traditional fish taverna in the Tambakaria (tannery) district of Chania, established in 1985 by the Krassanakis family. The setting is one of the most distinctive dining rooms in the Mediterranean — a collection of tables set directly on the waterline, among the semi-ruined stone shells of Chania's 19th-century leather tanneries.

The waves reach the tables on rough evenings. On calm nights the water is glassy and the sunset sits over the Venetian harbour half a mile west. The restaurant seats about 80 across the exposed waterline area; reservations for a two-top on the sea edge should be made a week ahead in high season.

The menu is short and unembellished. Grilled octopus (aged on racks at the restaurant for four days before grilling), whole Aegean fish roasted in salt, sea urchin salad, seafood spaghetti, lobster pasta. The boats land direct at the small Tambakaria pier; the kitchen buys the catch that morning.

Wine is exclusively Greek and heavy on Cretan whites — Vidiano and Vilana from Lyrarakis and Douloufakis, Assyrtiko from Santorini, a small red programme around Liatiko from Dafnes. The tzatziki is made from sheep's milk yogurt from the nearby Malaxa producers; the olive oil is Kolymvari from 30 minutes west.

Thalassino Ageri is the Mediterranean's most romantic seafood setting. The waterline tables, the Venetian tannery ruins as the architectural backdrop, and the sunset angle toward the Chania harbour make it the natural proposal restaurant in western Crete. For first dates, request a two-top on the right-hand flank (closer to the water); for proposals, book the corner table at the far end of the exposed dining area.