The small but stunning Greek island of Santorini has hundreds of restaurants that serve delicious food and offer breathtaking views. Here is our local guide Rebecca’s absolute top 10 favourite restaurants in Santorini, selected for their authenticity, local flavor and the quality of their dishes.
One of the oldest eateries of Santorini, Nikolas Oinomagiremata is a family-run tavern located in one of the main pedestrian streets of Fira town. Preserving the atmosphere and decoration of the old-style Aegean taverns, it serves high-quality homemade traditional dishes from Santorini and Greece such as local fava and tomato fritters.
They don’t have a website but you can find them at Erithrou Stavrou, Fira 84700. For reservations (recommended), call +30 2286 036422.
Located in one of the most dramatic settings of Firostefani, Volkan on the Rocks has a clifftop terrace with panoramic views overlooking Fira, the Caldera, and the volcanic islands. This all-day cafe restaurant is the home of Santorini Volkan beer and the Ergon Deli food concept store (there’s a greengrocer, butcher, fishmonger and bakery on site), serving delicious creative cold and hot mezes (greek tapas), fresh salads as well, delicious brunches. All products they use for cooking are locally grown or made. Occasionally they run outdoor cinema events, check their websites for upcoming events.
After walking in a labyrinth of narrow cobblestone alleys, you’ll find Roca restaurant in a quiet back alley looks like an oasis in the crowded Oia village. In its beautiful small courtyard filled with plants there’s a pastel-coloured old captain house building. At Roca, you will experience a unique gastronomic trip designed and prepared by its 1 Michelin star-awarded chef Koukouvas Nikos. Enjoy creative traditional cuisine and a great selection of wines in a friendly relaxed atmosphere where you can mix with locals and other travellers.
The award-winning 1800-Floga restaurant is located in a 19th-century old mansion in Oia village overlooking the deep-blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Here, you can taste Greek and Mediterranean cuisine cooked and served in a creative way. You can also pair your gourmet dishes with excellent quality wines from Santorini and all over Greece from their extensive wine list.
Since 1922, three-generations of Greeks have run Akaion, one of the oldest traditional taverns on the island, located on the main square of Firostefani next to the blue-domed church of St. Gerasimos. From its small terrace with uninterrupted views to the Caldera, you will enjoy a menu that is based on local traditional recipes using fresh ingredients from Santorini. You should not miss the amazing art that’s housed in the tavern as well, and take a look at the restaurant’s imaginative website, we love their trick photography! Due to a limited number of tables, we recommend that you make a reservation.
In the picturesque tiny hamlet of Finikia, an off the beaten path village a few kilometers away from Oia, you’ll find the Krinaki tavern with its historic old canava and charming courtyard overlooking the narrow alleys and cave-houses. Due to the rural character of Finikia and the fact that all previous owners were farmers, Krinaki continues the village’s tradition of only using local products in their cooking, such as white eggplants, fava beans, capers and the like creating authentic vegetarian and meat dishes.
If you head to the scenic inland village of Pyrgos with its castle-houses, you should find your way through the maze of streets to the tiny square under a tower bell where Penelope’s Ouzeri is located on. This small family business is one of the quietest, away-from-tourist-hordes corners of the island serving super delicious homemade local dishes accompanied with local distillates such as ouzo, tsipouro or raki, and all of these at reasonable prices.
Few meters away from the buzzing center of Fira town, you’ll discover the tranquil lush yard of Pelican Kipos Restaurant that previously was the old owner’s house with its garden where he grew up. This all-day cafe and wine restaurant has a variety of homemade Greek dishes and intercontinental cuisine, however, its highlight of the restaurant is the 2-levels underground cellar that houses more than 400 wine labels from Santorini, Greece and worldwide. Join a tour to the cave with the wine specialist and select the wine that fits better to your interests
One of the taverns local prefer visiting is Metaxi Mas in Exo Gonia village, one of the least visited inland villages of Santorini. From the charming yard of the tavern with the endless views to the village, east part of Santorini and the Aegean Sea, you will be surprised at how tasty their dishes could be. Their menu includes authentic cuisine from Santorini and Crete such as the yummy Santorini salad and the Cretan-style cooked snails.
Overlooking the small harbor of Vlychada from its terrace at the edge of a cliff, To Psaraki restaurant, meaning the little fish in Greek, serves some of the tastiest fish on the island, from fresh small sardines to large ones like red snappers and white groupers. The main menu is daily accompanied by the “dishes of the day” menu that includes the fresh fish caught by local fishermen every morning. Choose among tuna carpaccio, marinated anchovies, and shrimp spaghetti or if you can’t part with meat, taste any of the creative local meat dishes.