éla! is a farm, summer kitchen and rare wine cellar nestled in a pastoral valley on the Greek island of Patmos.
Dedicated to the curation of natural wines and local organic food, éla! makes a spectacle out of telling agricultural stories — recalling a simpler methodology born out of cooking, drinking, eating, and pleasure!
The Summer Kitchen
Farm-to-Table | Open-Fire
Our farm-to-table restaurant is a stage to celebrate the agricultural heritage of Patmos. Using only the harvest from our organic farm and locally-sourced proteins, our summer kitchen features a seasonal, daily menu written on the chalkboard that explores the creative potential of local flavors.
The live-fire kitchen is designed around two hand-crafted stone grills that anchor the space. Past favourites Include: whole butterfly seabass, roasted crispy chicken, gazpacho from the garden.
The Vibe in the Valley
Harvest Table | Flower Garden
The outdoor terrace is set on a midcentury Patmian cottage that overlooks our vineyard and organic farm. Blooming and fragrant, oleanders loom above as a three-hundred-year-old olive tree holds court over the view. Fig trees and lemon bushes pepper the gravel with ceramics and amphoras strewn about. The lighting is intimate and we pride ourselves on good, tender, funky tunes. Pinewood farm-tables make for the sturdiest of canvases. Nothing is precious here except for the art of a good chat.
The
Organic Farm
Regenerative | Wild + Natural
Over the past three years, we regenerated 2.5 acres of farmland on Patmos Island into a thriving oasis of good Greek soil. With the help of natural farming techniques, a once barren valley has become a lush green garden, teeming with organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
Decades ago, Christos Valley was the bread basket of Patmos — the agricultural heart of the island. The ethos of éla! is agricultural: to regenerate the soil and show the potential of small-scale organic farming.
Every year, we get a bit better.
Siga, siga, as they say.
Harvest 2024
serrano pepper | bell pepper | cherry tomato | pomodoro tomato | roma tomato | black beauty eggplant | baby egglpant | cucumber | green melon | watermelon | almyra | chives | basil | oregano | lavender | thyme | sage | zucchini | fig | guava | pomegranate | salvia | lime | fennel | yarrow | mulberry | marigold
We pick petals fresh from the wildflower garden and create wild bouquets every summer night. And if you come early enough In the day, before the sun sets to a glow, we‘‘ll give you a little garden tour of the only organic farm on Patmos.
Rare Wine Cellar
Natural | Low-Production
The cellar of éla! made its mark when we opened our doors in 2021 and became the first 100% natural wine bar in Greece.
Every spring we reinvent (and expand!) the room, exclusively telling the stories of winemakers who are dedicated to the ancient technique of low-intervention winemaking. Many of these natural winemakers in Greece have kept alive indigenous grape varieties that were verging on extinction. Every bottle is a wellspring of knowledge. We do our best to tell stories of the farmers, the daughters who wade in wine up to their knees and then stomp all of it out, toes dripping wet with juice.
There is no wine list at éla! It infuriates the few and relieves the rest. No posturing, pretending, searching for something familiar. No meandering through the same old wines, the steady ones, the sips that you can taste before the bottle even arrives at your table.
Every single person who enters éla! must be taken hand-in-heart by us into the cottage — our little house packed with stellar wines.
Patmos Island
Patmos is a curvaceous volcanic island perched in the South Aegean Sea. Known as the Island of the Apocalypse, Patmos is a spiritual retreat for travelers worldwide. It is thought that Patmos summons people with its spiritual energy, calling the lucky few to its seahorse shape.
Who knows, but the calm and crystal blue waters are perfect for long swims, and there’s nothing better than a glass of wine after a long, refreshing dip.
If you stick around our table long enough we’ve got love stories to last a lifetime (wink, wink).
Alright, we get it! What a dream!
So how do we get there?
éla! is located in the valley of Christos on Patmos Island. On your way from Kampos Beach to Lampi Beach, turn left at the wine barrel and follow the driveway all the way down the valley.*
* If you smell flowers and smokey chicken, you’re going in the right direction!