Guide · Food

Symi shrimp: a tiny local catch and a long lunch by the water

Ask anyone who has spent a day on the island what they ate, and the answer is usually the same: the little shrimp. Symi shrimp is the dish the island is known for. Here is what it is, how locals eat it, and what else to order.

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Editorial team, symiboattrip.comUpdated October 18, 2026Reading time 6 min19 sources

On this topic: the tour Rhodes to Symi high-speed boat with swim stop 4.7 (3,658 reviews) 6 to 9 hours3 hours of free time on Symi30-minute swim at St George's Bay from$69per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until one day before

The short version

01What it is: A rare, very small variety of shrimp from the sea around the island.¹
02How it is eaten: Barely cooked, with a little oil and lemon.²
03Also try: Akoumia, the local sweets, and tourtes, small cheese pies.³ ⁴
04Summer sweet: Misokofti, a soft cream made with prickly pear juice.⁵
05On a day trip: This site's boat leaves you 3 hours ashore, time enough for lunch.

A tiny shrimp with a big name

The Municipality of Symi is proud of it: the island's own specialty is the famous Symi shrimp, Symiako garidaki in Greek, a rare variety of very small shrimp that lives in the sea around the island.¹ It is the dish people mention when they come home, and the one to look for on the menus along the waterfront in Gialos.

The ferry company Dodekanisos Seaways puts it first on its list of local products, ahead of atherinopita, akoumia, prickly pear liqueur, the cheese pies called tourtes and galaktompoureko.⁶ Together they make a fair picture of Symi food: small, simple dishes built on what the sea and the dry hills provide.

Do not expect a large plate of prawns. These are small, and the pleasure is in the taste of the sea rather than in size. Order a portion to share at the start of the meal, and let it set the pace for a slow lunch.

Lunch on a short visit

Fitting a meal into three hours

12:00

Arrive

The 11:00 boat reaches Symi at noon.⁷
First

Walk or climb

Do the steps before you eat.⁸
Lunch

Shrimp the island way

Barely cooked, with oil and lemon.²
After

Something sweet

Akoumia, much like loukoumades.³
15:00

Back on board

The boat leaves and cannot wait.⁹

How locals eat it

The municipality is specific about the island way: locals serve and eat the shrimp barely cooked, with a little oil and lemon.² That is the version to look for on a menu. The shrimp needs very little, and too much frying or sauce hides what makes it worth ordering.

Eat it hot, as soon as it reaches the table, with bread to catch the oil and lemon. A glass of something cold beside it suits the heat of the harbor at midday, and a simple salad makes it a meal.

Ask how the kitchen cooks it before you order. A plate prepared the island way, quickly and simply, tells you more about Symi than any guidebook, and it is the taste that most people remember from the day long after the colors of the harbor have blurred together in their photos.

The local table

What to order on Symi

Dish	What it is	Source
Symi shrimp	Tiny local shrimp, barely cooked	Municipality of Symi
Akoumia	Sweets much like loukoumades	Municipality of Symi
Tourtes	Small cheese pies	Municipality of Symi
Misokofti	Prickly pear cream, in summer	Municipality of Symi
Atherinopita	A local specialty	Dodekanisos Seaways
Prickly pear liqueur	A local drink	Dodekanisos Seaways

Dishes as the Municipality of Symi and Dodekanisos Seaways name them.¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶

Boats and meals

Lunch ashore, lunch on board or a snack box

Rhodes: High-Speed Boat to Symi Island & Saint George's Bay

This site's pick

Fast boat and bay

Lunch ashore in Gialos

On Symi: 3 hours
Drinks on board: Bring your own
Price: from $69

See details

Rhodes: Symi Yacht Tour with Unlimited Drinks and Transfer

Lunch included

Yacht day

Up to 25 guests

Lunch: On board
Drinks: Unlimited
Price: from $150

See details

Cruise to Symi Island & St George's Bay with 3h Free Time

Packages

Doll cruise

Mandraki, Rhodes

Options: 4 packages
Swim: About 1 hour
Price: from $64

See details

Decision helper

How do you want to eat today?

Choose your kind of lunch

A fast boat

3 hours ashore to choose your taverna.

The yacht

Lunch and unlimited drinks on board.

The Doll

4 options, some with lunch or drinks.

A Panormitis day

Its bakery is known for tourtes.¹⁰

Bring a picnic

This site's boat welcomes your own drinks.¹¹

Don’t forget to make a stop at the traditional bakery of Panormitis where you can taste the traditional “tourtes” (cheese pies) as well as various fresh local products.

Dodekanisos SeawaysSource 10

Choosing a Symi taverna on the waterfront

Most visitors eat in Gialos, and the choice is wide. A good Symi taverna for a day-tripper is one where you can sit within sight of the water, order quickly and still be relaxed about the time. Look at what other tables are eating, and ask for the day's fish and the shrimp as it is served locally.

The tables on the quay are busiest when the day boats are in. If you want a calmer meal, walk around the harbor to the far side, or eat early, before the midday rush, and save the waterfront stroll for later. A table a street back from the water can be quieter.

Order in stages rather than all at once. Start with the shrimp and a salad, then decide on a main course once you see how much time is left. On a 3-hour visit a long lunch is a fine way to spend half of it, but you do not want to be waiting for a bill when the boat is about to leave.

Checklist

Eating well on a day trip

At the table

Order the shrimp first, the rest later
Cash or card for the bill
Ask for the bill before you need it

Around the meal

Water for the afternoon
A shaded table, chosen early
Akoumia or tourtes to finish

Cost calculator

Compare a day with and without lunch

Pick a boat and the number of travelers.

Fast boat and bayLunch ashorefrom $69 Yacht dayLunch on boardfrom $150 Doll cruisePackagesfrom $64

People 2

Total from$137

per participant from $69

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals multiply each boat's lowest per-person fare on GetYourGuide by your group, converted at the European Central Bank rate; the checkout shows the binding sum.

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Sweets, cheese pies and prickly pears

Symi has a sweet tooth too. The municipality singles out akoumia, the island's sweets, which are much like the Greek loukoumades.³ Dodekanisos Seaways calls them Symian donuts in its list of local products.⁶ They make a good end to a lunch or a snack with coffee in the shade.

In summer there is misokofti, a soft cream much like moustalevria, made with the juice of ripe red prickly pears.⁵ Prickly pear liqueur, also on the ferry company's list, uses the same fruit in another form.⁶

Then there are the tourtes, small fragrant cheese pies made with an easy pastry and a cheese filling.⁴ Dodekanisos Seaways recommends the traditional bakery at Panormitis for them, along with other fresh local products.¹⁰ If your trip calls at the monastery, that is the place to try one.

Tavernas beyond the harbor

Gialos is not the only place to eat. Several beaches on the island have their own taverna, which makes a long lunch part of a beach day for anyone staying overnight. The municipality mentions a taverna at Agios Nikolaos, with sun beds on the sand and shallow water in front.¹² Dodekanisos Seaways adds a beach bar there as well.¹³

Further along the coast, Nanou has sun beds to rent and a taverna, reached from the sea.¹⁴ Marathounda, one of the few beaches with a road, has a large taverna offering food, snacks and drinks.¹⁵ At Emporios, the second harbor of the island, a beach with a taverna sits beside the small settlement.¹⁶

None of these fit into a day trip from Rhodes, but they are a strong argument for a night on the island. Lunch with your feet almost in the water, a swim between courses and a slow walk back are the version of Symi food that day visitors never see.

The sea behind the menu

The island's table grew from a life at sea. Visit Greece links the island's past to sponge diving, shipbuilding and wood carving, and the municipality notes that Symi once had the largest sponge-fishing fleet in the whole world.¹⁷ ¹⁸ A seafaring island eats what the boats bring in, simply prepared.

That shows in the dishes the municipality and the ferry company single out. The shrimp comes from the local sea, and the summer cream is made from the prickly pears that grow on the dry hillsides.¹ ⁵

Seen that way, lunch is a small history lesson. The waterfront where you order your shrimp was built by the captains and merchants whose ships carried the island's trade, and the mansions behind the tables were paid for by it.¹⁹ It is a fitting backdrop for a plate that has barely changed.

Food and the different day trips

What you eat depends on your boat. This site's trip includes 3 hours of free time on Symi, the swim stop and the boat, so lunch is yours to choose ashore. The operator's own FAQ notes that drinks on board are minimal and invites passengers to pack theirs.¹¹

Other boats bundle food in. A yacht for up to 25 guests serves lunch on board with unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks. The Doll offers 4 package options, some with lunch or drinks. SP Cruises leaves lunch out of the fare, and a speedboat-and-bus day to Panormitis includes a snack box.

If the meal matters to you, the trade-off is clear. A boat with lunch included saves time but keeps you on board; a fast boat gives you the full choice of tavernas in Gialos. For the shrimp, eaten the island way at a table on the quay, the second is hard to beat.

A note on time, heat and appetite

Lunch on a day trip is a matter of timing. On the 11:00 boat of Rhodes Sea Lines you reach Symi at 12:00 and must be on board again by 15:00.⁷ ⁹ If you plan to climb the Kali Strata, climb first and eat after; a heavy meal and 500 steps in the midday sun are a poor combination.⁸

Drink more water than you think you need. The harbor is hot and bright in summer, and a cold drink with lunch does not replace a bottle of water through the afternoon. At the waterfront restaurants of Symi the shaded tables fill first, so if shade matters, choose early.

Finally, leave a little room for the swim. On this site's boat the stop at Saint George Bay comes after Symi, so lunch is followed by a run down the coast and a jump into deep water. A light meal of shrimp, salad and bread is the comfortable choice.

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