Mark Hendriksen

6. THE MERCHANT’S HOUSE – OLD PERITHIA

Not a restaurant per se, but a guesthouse that should be visited if you have the time, this foodie spot is a restored 13th century Merchant’s House located in an all but abandoned village at the base of Corfu’s highest peak, Mount Pantokrator. Run by an Anglo-Dutch couple, Mark and Saskia Hendriksen–Bosch, this once-crumbling structure has now been restored to its former Venetian glory and transformed into a boutique B&B.

Visit if only for breakfast, prepared by Mark, who is proud to be one of the few Corfiot residents reviving the ancient tradition of sourdough baking. Enjoy all-you-can-eat servings of crusty, sourdough bread for breakfast, slathered with conserves made from the fruits that grow on the overburdened trees of the abandoned village. The fig, plum and orange marmalade, along with local beekeeper Vasili’s honey is the stuff of saccharine dreams.

Ask and the couple will even take you past the crumbling Venetian settlements and up to where Vasili tends to his hives.