The Garden
Steps from the table
Vegetables and herbs grow the length of the terrace and are picked the morning they are served. When Despoina needs more lemon herbs, she gathers them while you take your seat.
Theologos · Rhodes
Mariposa — The hidden gemabove the Aegean
A family kitchen where the Mediterranean is grown in our own garden and served beneath the vines of Theologos, Rhodes.
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Menu · Signature Plates
The plates guests ask for by name
Our menu changes with the garden and the day; these are the plates guests ask for by name.
Garden & Philosophy
Grown here, cooked here
Three things shape every evening at Mariposa: a garden a few steps away, a menu kept small so nothing sits, and a table set among the plants. What the garden withholds, the island and the sea provide.
The Menu
Small, and always moving
A few dishes, chosen and replaced often, every plate cooked fresh. It keeps the kitchen honest and gives you flavors you rarely meet twice.
The Setting
An earthy calm under the vines
Tables sit among the plants beneath a canopy of vine leaves, the light coming through soft and green. The evening slows the moment you arrive.
Chef's Words
Two voices, one kitchen
Good food begins in respect.For the ingredient, and for theland that gives it.
Despoina draws the vegetables from the beds beside the terrace, picked the morning they reach your plate, and cooks them the way she cooks at home. The menu, the dishes and the look of the room all began with her.
I keep the menu small andchange it often, so every plateis cooked fresh.
Salvatore came from Sicily and now carries Despoina's kitchen forward. The pasta is rolled by hand and the bread leaves his oven each morning. Sicily meets Rhodes on one table, and the result is a handful of flavors you rarely find twice.
The Experience
One long, unhurried day
The garden, the vines and the light shift through the hours, and the kitchen follows. We hold only a handful of covers each service, so we gently suggest reserving ahead.
Breakfast
09:00 – 11:30
The garden at its freshest, with warm bread as the terrace wakes.
Lunch
12:00 – 15:30
Long, easy plates beneath the vines while the afternoon holds still.
Dinner
18:00 – 23:00
The kitchen's full hand, carried out as the sun sets over the Aegean.
Celebrations & Private Events
For the evenings that matter
Plan your evening with us
Tell us the occasion and a little of what you have in mind. Konstantin will take it from there.
4.9 stars · 288 reviews · Travelers' Choice 2025 · #1 in Theologos
288 reviews. 4.9 stars. One word keeps surfacing: gem.
“Mariposa is a true gem, a place where elegant ambiance meets outstanding flavors made with fresh, quality ingredients.”
“Such a hidden gem. The food was spectacular, and the home-grown ingredients from their own garden make it the best spot for a sunset dinner.”
Reserve your table
Lunch beneath the vines or dinner over the Aegean at dusk. We hold only a handful of covers each service, so we gently suggest reserving ahead.
The Family
One house, five hands
Despoina built it. Konstantin opens the door. Mara carries the warmth. Nickolas mixes the night. Salvatore writes the next chapter. You are received the way we receive our own.
Despoina
Founder & Chef
Konstantin
Host
Mara
Hospitality
Nickolas
Cocktails
Salvatore
Chef · Fresh Pasta & Bread
Mariposa runs on one family's hands. The recipes and the rooms are Despoina's. The welcome is Konstantin's. The warmth passes from Mara to your table, from Nickolas to your glass, and now from Salvatore to the next plate of fresh pasta and bread. A family holds a standard the way only a family can — personally. You arrive as a guest and you are looked after as one of our own.
Every table here is set the way we set our own.
Questions
Good to know before you come
Where we are, how we cook, and how to find a table. If your question is not here, call or write and we will gladly answer.
Mariposa is in the village of Theologos on the west coast of Rhodes, Greece, about a twenty-five minute drive south of Rhodes Town. We sit just off the Ialysos to Kameiros road, up in the green hills above the village at Epar.Od. Ialisou-Katavias, Theologos 85106.
Mariposa serves Mediterranean food, Greek at its heart with Italian alongside. Much of what reaches the table is grown in our own garden, and the menu follows the season and the morning's catch, with favourites like grilled octopus, beef stifado and a refined moussaka always close at hand.
Yes, there are always vegetarian dishes on the menu, many of them built around vegetables picked from our garden that morning, such as the zucchini balls. Vegan guests are looked after too, so let us know when you book and the kitchen will prepare for you.
You can book by phone or WhatsApp on +30 690 648 9686, or by email at mariposa.rhodos@gmail.com. We keep only a small number of tables each service, so reserving ahead is the surest way to a seat, especially for dinner.
Mariposa is open every day, from nine in the morning until midnight. The morning opens quietly in the garden, and the day runs long under the vines through to the last of the evening light.
The menu changes because we cook from our own garden and the day's market, so the plates follow what is ripe and freshly caught. A handful of favourites stay year round, the grilled octopus and zucchini balls among them, while the rest moves with the season.
Yes, Mariposa hosts birthdays, anniversaries, proposals and wedding dinners, with an intimate table for up to sixty in the garden. We also arrange private and corporate evenings, so tell us the occasion when you book and we will plan it with you.
Yes, Mariposa is run by one family. Despoina founded the kitchen and created the menu, Konstantin hosts the room, Mara looks after guests, Nickolas tends the cocktail bar, and Salvatore makes the fresh pasta and bread.
Mariposa is a garden restaurant set in the hills above the Aegean coast, shaded by its own vines. The terrace opens onto the countryside and the evening light, which makes it a favourite place for a sunset dinner.
Mariposa sits in the moderate range, around the mid-level for a sit-down restaurant on Rhodes. It works for an easy lunch or a long celebration dinner, and the full, daily-changing menu is on our menu page.