The Verandah Club is an excellent spot to stop and savor the atmosphere of the small district of the Mykonos town known as Little Venice. This section must get its name from the way in which the old buildings that line the waterfront seem to teeter over the edge of the Aegean waves, for there are no canals here and no bridges I could find, nor is the architecture at all reminiscent of the Italian city. On the other hand, I seem to recall that a Venetian duke was once the local ruler on Mykonos some centuries ago. Could that connection also explain the derivation of the name?
Never mind. The Verandah Club has plenty of atmosphere that does date way back — all the way to the late 18th century in fact. It’s an ancient wooden building comprised of a number of connecting, high-ceilinged rooms that each have their own individual décor. After a roam around the twisting backstreets of this Mykonos town, this is a nice point to pause for a drink and a snack. You can sit inside amid walls filled with artwork that reflects the island’s and the Cycladics’ colorful history, or have your drink outside at one of the small tables that are squeezed onto the narrow slate verandah. At high tide, the waves can seem to be licking very close to the building’s edges, but this is the charm of the Little Venice waterfront. The food is indifferent to very competent popular Greek dishes, the drinks are fine, but the ambiance is consistently superb. Try it if you’re nearby.