An exception: if you find yourself at a true working harbor that's big enough to support a fleet of fishing boats, there will usually be a local spot where the fishermen eat. In this case, tawdry decor and bad lighting is a very good sign.
By the way, if you are on a small plaza, sometimes in the center there will be many restaurant tables. The colorful table cloths and painted chairs show which restaurant they belong to. One little plaza could have tables from every nearby restaurant, so if you like the looks of the food on somebody's table, make sure you sit at a matching table!
2. Go to a back street. Even going back one "street" on the islands or in the mainland towns will get you into another, cheaper world. This is also is true for souvenir shops.
3. Go up. Tourists usually hate to climb one more hill after a day of sightseeing, but most Greeks don't even notice a steep incline and will happily run uphill for the best moussaka.
4. Leave town. Just outside of the capital or Chora on the islands, there will usually be a taverna or two that is still somewhat easy to get to, but less tourist-oriented. 5. Ask. If you connect with a Greek you like - shopkeeper, cabbie, hotel keeper - ask if anyone in their family runs a restaurant.
If you're on a cruise ship with Greek staff, they can be a gold mine of information. Ask where they are from originally, and then where they would recommend eating on that island, other than their mother's place. Say you're tired of the tourist stuff and want genuine Greek cooking. Everyone knows someplace that they themselves take relatives from America. If you're asking a Greek woman, ask who cooks as good as she does at home. It is very unlikely she will then send you to a bad place!
6. Ask if you can go into the kitchen. Many touristy places do promote or allow this, but in my experience, it is still a great way to see if what's cooking looks good, and to scope out the attitude of the cook. But do this before you sit down. Say you're planning for later. You can always "change your mind" if the food looks good. But once the tablecover is in place and the bread is on the table, the owners feel you have committed and they can legally charge you the tablecover charge, usually about a Euro a person.
7. Ask what's not on the menu. If there is nothing, or they seem to dismiss the question, that's a bad sign. Ask the waiter what he likes to eat. Again, if the server is male and seems friendly and interested, ask what dish his mother would like to eat there.
8. A good sign is a "Specials" board. Places that bother to cook different things every day are tuned into local suppliers and usually genuinely enjoy cooking.
9. Typos on the menu. The more amusing these are, the better your chances that the main concern here is the food, not the marketing.
10. Is the menu printed in four different languages? You're definitely in a tourist place. Proceed cautiously.
11. Not much on the menu? That's a great sign. They probably are only cooking what they know and like to cook. Ask what else they have if you don't see what you want.
12. Is there something on the menu you've never seen before? That's a hint that they are not just going for tourist tastes.
