"The old town's most serious modern-Greek kitchen — technically ambitious, Peloponnese-produce first, and the correct answer for a Nafplio first date."
Wild Duck opened in 2018 in a stone-fronted corner room in Nafplio's old town, a two-minute walk from Syntagma Square. The chef-owner was previously at Spondi (Athens, two Michelin stars) and Botrini's (Athens) before returning to his home region. The room seats thirty-five — a bright interior with blonde wood banquettes, a small counter at the open kitchen, and a sheltered alley terrace for summer service.
The cooking is modern Greek with explicit Peloponnese emphasis. Signatures include a beef carpaccio with roasted hazelnuts and aged Kefalograviera; a slow-cooked octopus with smoked white-fish roe and pickled sea beans; a handmade kritharoto (orzo-risotto) with local crayfish; and a charcoal-grilled lamb shoulder served with a yoghurt of Argolid honey. The menu changes every four weeks.
The wine list is short but exceptional — forty references across Nemean Agiorgitiko, Peloponnese Moschofilero, and a handful of Mantinia whites. The by-the-glass programme is the best in Nafplio and includes single-vineyard bottles that are unusual to find outside Athens.
Service is informal but technically correct. The chef appears in the dining room between courses. This is the most-requested reservation in the old town and the restaurant that most serious Athens diners recommend on the Peloponnese.
For a first date in Nafplio, Wild Duck's scale (thirty-five covers, acoustic privacy), pacing (two-and-a-half hours), and menu bandwidth (ambitious without being intimidating) are all correct. Book the alley terrace in summer or the two-top by the kitchen window in winter.
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