Santorini - Restaurant Reviews

Q: When is out-of-this-world scenery not a good thing?

A: When it unfairly eclipses your fantastic culinary offerings to such a degree that they literally become afterthoughts.

It may sound strange, but I really think that Santorini's world-famous caldera view has completely overshadowed its reputation as a food destination. Ever since returning from Greece I've felt the need to give proper credit to Santorini's food, starting with its unique climate and terrior. Here you'll find offerings that are exclusive to its exposure to strong winds and the extremely dry volcanic soil, and found nowhere else in the world.



Case in point ... Santorini produces the world's best cherry tomatoes. Period. Yet few visitors know this, and even fewer know the reason behind it. Walk into a local farm and you'll discover these cherry-sized morsels, not grown on stakes as in the rest of the world, but laid haphazardly on the ground to protect from the harsh wind on this barren volcanic island. The tomatoes actually aren't even cherry tomatoes, but regular tomatoes that are never watered due to the dearth of freshwater on the island, and thus never reach adult size! The result is a unique pygmy tomato with a amazing concentration of flavors, head and shoulders above than any tomato I've ever tasted anywhere. And you can only buy them right here in Santorini.



Need another example? This time walk into any vineyard, and watch the local Assyrtiko grapes grown, not on your typical vertical trellises, but in strange circular clusters designed to reduce the vines' surface-to-volume ratio, shielding the hardy grapes from 80km/h winds as well as reducing moisture loss in the 40+ degree summer heat. Being a Canadian and familiar with Ice Wine, I especially loved the balance of sweetness and intense spiciness in the Santo Wines Nama (I couldn't believe the locals use it mostly for Holy Communion!), and have been trying to source it ever since. Please leave me a note if you know where I can get a hold of a case in Canada.

Wine sampling and agri-touring aside, we also had a lot of good local food in Santorini's restaurants. While it's true that food tends to be more expensive on the island, we did come across some reasonably priced places that I can recommend.

Food Review: AKTAION (Firostefani, Santorini)
Address: On the cliff-side pedestrian path, Firostefani
Hours: 12:00 – 22:00 (unconfirmed; based on observation)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: From the bus stop of Firostefani, walk towards the caldera. Aktaion is one of those restaurants on the cliff-side pedestrian path.


When it comes to finding the best local food at a new destination, my most reliable strategy is to always ask the locals for the town's oldest restaurant. That trusty strategy was proven successful once again, right here in Santorini. Tucked away in the neighborhood of Firostefani, Aktaion is said to be Santorini's oldest restaurant at about 90 years old. While it's far enough from central Fira to not get overrun with tourists, its reputation for rustic local dishes seems to have traveled far beyond its town. Eyeing exactly six tables inside, and only a handful more outside in good weather, we were lucky to arrive early and watch the build-up of the queue outside while we dined. It's that popular.



Our meal started with one of the best appetizers of our trip, Aktaion's original Santorini Salad. Remember those amazing cherry tomatoes that I mentioned? Here they are again, only trumped by another fantastic ingredient -- the translucent, cured-raw codfish fillet. The addition of caper leaves, capers and olives didn't hurt of course, and it was simply our most memorable salad.



Next up was another excellent dish, featuring tender white aubergines and sun-dried tomatoes, slowly sauteed in a generous amount of olive oil. Though there's nothing fancy about the dish, the simple combination of fresh local ingredients gave it wonderfully rustic flavors.



I had no expectations when I ordered this dish of minced anchovies with tomatoes and shallots, not even knowing how it should look. While my wife found the taste of the anchovies to be a little strong, I thoroughly enjoyed the fullness of the flavors. I think I finished most of the bread dipping into this dish.



At last our shared main course of roasted lamb medallions arrived rolled in vine leaves. My wife normally steers clear of any lamb, but there was none of that usual "lamby" taste in these medallions, just simple, flavorful, and very tender. Another very good dish.

By the time we left, around 20:30, the queue outside had grown to about 5 or 6 tables' worth of diners. But now we knew Aktaion was fully deserving of its popularity. While prices weren't exactly cheap, they're certainly very reasonable for one of the more acclaimed restaurants on expensive Santorini. Out of all the restaurants we tried on Santorini, this was certainly my favorite.

Bill for Two Persons

Santorini Salad	Euro 7.2
White Aubergines with Sun-dried Tomatoes	Euro 6.5
Anchovies with Tomatoes	Euro 6.8
Roasted Lamb with Vine Leaves	Euro 12.2
Bottled Water	Euro 2
TOTAL	Euro 34.7 (CAD$55.5)

Food Review: NIKOLAS (Fira, Santorini)
Address: Erithrou Stavrou, Fira
Hours: 12:00 – 22:00 (unconfirmed; based on observation)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: In Fira, ask the locals where Hondos Centre is. Nikolas is on the pedestrian shopping alley of Erithrou Stavrou, around the corner from Hondos Centre.


Craving unpretentious local fare but don't want to walk all the way to Aktaion? Here's another recommendation, this time located right at the centre of Fira. The little eatery of Nikolas has been around for a half century, serving all sorts of homey creations from Cuttlefish in Wine Sauce to Cabbage Dolmades, all at reasonable prices. That explains the constant lineup in the above picture, so you've been warned.



While the menu wasn't as extensive as some of the fancier restaurants, it's loaded with favorites like Kalamari Skaras (9 Euros) and Arni Lemonato (also 9 Euros). Note the number of Gemisto items with Hoirino, Kolokythia, Agginares, Piperies etc. I love anything stuffed and was determined to try at least one.



We started with the Octopus in Vinegar (8 euros), a remarkably refreshing salad for a hot summer evening. The generous portion of succulent octopus retained just the right amount of chewiness, and was flavored with nothing but vinaigrette and olive oil. This was easily the night's best dish.



Not everything was on the written menu, as the waiters would go around and recite the day's special offerings. On this night it was the Fish Saganaki (9 euros), featuring hearty chunks of codfish, tomatoes and peppers.



I ended up picking the Hoirino (9 Euros) out of all the Gemisto dishes. Slow roasted and generously stuffed with peppers and cheese, the pork fillet was tender though somewhat blandly flavored. Perhaps I should have picked some stuffed veggies instead.

Overall it was still a good deal for its price, as main courses for less than 10 Euros are really tough to come by in Santorini. Even if you decide to splurge, the most expensive item on the menu -- grilled sea bream -- was only 15 Euros. That would be at least 30% cheaper than most other places in the heart of central Fira.

Bill for Two Persons

Octopus in Vinegar	Euro 8
Stuffed Pork Fillet	Euro 9
Fish Saganaki	Euro 9
TOTAL	Euro 26 (CAD$41.6)

Food Review: KATINA (Oia, Santorini)
Address: Amoudi Beach, Oia
Hours: 12:00 – 21:00 (unconfirmed; based on observation)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: From the village of Oia, walk down to Amoudi Beach. Katina is immediately on the right side of the beach.


With crystal clear Aegean waters just three feet away from the dining table, colorful fishing boats afloat just offshore, and combined with the so-called best sunset in the world at the village of Oia, this was a spectacular location for a seafood dinner that was, as you would probably expect, among the most expensive of our entire trip.

Katina is a small, informal seafood taverna located at Amoudi Beach, right below the crimson cliffs of the famous Oia Village. The seafood was fresh, the view was splendid of course, but diners were expected to pay a premium for it.



At least this huge calamari (12 Euros) was close to reasonably priced and grilled to a slightly charred perfection. I can almost smell that unique aroma of broiled squid just look at this picture. This was a really excellent dish.



Also of reasonable value were these Tomatokeftedes (7 Euros), fritters of tomatoes mixed with green onions and herbs and deep fried into little pancakes. This was also very good.



My wife ordered these mussels (8 Euros), which unfortunately weren't local mussels (one could easily recognize that highly concentrated flavor of Mediterranean shellfish). The mussels were still tender and juicy though.

Wanting a fresh fish on the grill, I followed our waiter to the ice drawer where this large red fish caught my eyes.


"Skorpina," the waiter explained, "scorpion fish." Really? While ominous thoughts of venomous Scorpion Fish did cross my mind, I thought this looked just like what we call rockfish on the Pacific coast of Canada. If the locals don't die from eating it, I thought, there's nothing to worry for me either.

And it turned out to be exactly what I expected -- a firm, meaty rockfish. A fish of this size and thickness takes considerable experience and patience to grill, but the chef managed to hit it perfectly with the meat next to the backbone being just merely cooked.



That fish cost a cool 34 Euros, and in retrospect I could have ordered some sardines plus perhaps some octopus. That way I would have had more leftovers than just bread to feed the little kitty that was meowing at my feet all dinner long ...

Bill for Two Persons

Grilled Calamari	Euro 12
Tomato Keftedes	Euro 7
Mussels	Euro 8
Grilled Scorpion Fish	Euro 34
Bottle of Mythos	Euro 3
Bottle of Water	Euro 1.5
Bread	Euro 1
TOTAL	Euro 66.5 (CAD$106.4)

Food Review: NAOUSSA (Fira, Santorini)
Address: Erithrou Stavrou, Fira
Hours: 12:00 – 24:00
Website/Map: http://www.naoussarestaurant.gr
Directions: At Fira, head to the Archeological Museum. Naoussa is right across from the museum, on the pedestrian street of Erithrou Stavrou.


We tried out another fish restaurant in the town of Fira, based on the recommendation of our hotel's concierge. Naoussa was located on the same busy pedestrian shopping street as Nikolas, but prices were a little more upscale.



Actually not everything was overpriced -- the Tomatokeftedes(4.8 Euros), Sardines (9 Euros) and Calamari (10 Euros) all seemed reasonable. But Spaghetti with Prawns for 2 for 30 Euros? That's just the perfect illustration of why one shouldn't order Italian-influenced food in Greece.

This was our very last evening in Santorini before taking the overnight ferry to Rodos, and we wanted to say farewell to this paradise of an island with a memorable meal. We decided to splurge and ordered the 50 Euros meal for 2, which came out like ...


Whoa! This turned out to be a better deal than I thought, as the plate itself was about the length of my upper AND lower arm. There's one sea bream, two whole calamaris, 6 sardines, generous slices of octopus, plus ANOTHER separate plate of green salad, and 1/2 litre of decent house red. Oh ... and there's also a square of homemade Baklava to share between the two of us.

All the grilled seafood was actually quite enjoyable. The sardines were good, and although the calamari here wasn't quite as well-grilled as the one at Katina, the juicy and tender octopus more than made up for it.



Look at this perfectly grilled sea bream. If you expect to pay about 20 Euros for a fresh fish, 10 each for the two calamaris, 9 for the sardines, 12 for the octopus, and plus the salad, wine and dessert, 50 Euros was actually a decent price for the meal. Though ... we would soon find even better deals on the island of Rodos, but that's a completely different story.

Bill for Two Persons

Mix Fish for 2 with Salad and 1/2 Litre Wine	Euro 50
Bread	Euro 2
TOTAL	Euro 52 (CAD$83.2)

Food Review: LUCKY'S SOUVLAKIS (Fira, Santorini)
Address: Nte Sigala, Fira
Hours: 11:00 – Midnight
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Just a block uphill from the bus station, in the direction of the caldera.


Last but not least I must review the only eatery in Santorini that we visited multiple times, mainly due to its quality-to-price ratio. Our hotel's concierge was absolutely right -- you simply won't find a better meal for your money in Fira. Authentically greasy and always packed with the nearby bus station crowd, Lucky's (Lakis) Souvlakis is extremely popular with both locals and visitors, and for good reasons.



This is your prototypical souvlaki joint with the giant column of artery-clogging goodness roasting away in the corner. Regulars typically walk out with a Gyros Pita, Souvlaki Pita or Kebab Pita (2.5 Euros each), newbies get duped ordering the Souvlaki "Sandwich" (4 Euros), while the really clueless may order a Gyros Plate for 7 Euros. Yes we had learned by this time, having been in Greece for about two weeks now.



Here is our lunch on any given day, a Gyros Pita, a Lamb Souvlaki Pita, and a Chicken Pita. While the quality wasn't the absolute best (read this if you're looking for a better souvlaki), you can't go wrong with spending 2.5 Euros for a meal anywhere in Santorini. If you're on a budget like us, leave the splurging for that seafood dinner, but grab the cheap, filling local fare for those quick lunches between sightseeing.

Bill for Two Persons

Chicken Souvlaki Pita	Euro 2.5
Gyro Pita	Euro 2.5
Gyro Pita	Euro 2.5
Coke	Euro 1.5
TOTAL	Euro 9 (CAD$14.4)

Santorini's Traditional Back Side

To most travelers, the word Santorini immediately conjures up the image of its world famous sea-filled volcano crater, and the whitewashed villages built into the near-vertical cliffs of its caldera. It's easy to understand why most tourist activities concentrate on the caldera side of the island -- after all it is the caldera view that sets Santorini apart from the world's other top island destinations. It's a shame that most visitors end up missing the other side of Santorini, the quiet, non-commercialized interior of the island.



Just 20 minutes on the local bus from cosmopolitan Fira, not so far away from the bustling jeweler shops and high end restaurants at the caldera's lip, there's another side of Santorini, the real, pre-tourism Santorini, that day-trippers from cruise ships never see. In fact we hardly ran into any other tourists when we visited these villages, which shows just how underrated they still remain.



We only learned of the existence of these villages from chatting with the daughter of the owner of our hotel in Fira. "If you want to see the quiet side of the island," she said, "go to Eborio." So we set aside one afternoon and planned out our bus routes, first taking the bus from Fira to Eborio, then a return bus from Eborio and stepping off at Pyrgos for a panoramic view of the island, before returning to Fira for dinner.



Only upon arriving at the bus stop that I realized "Eborio" was properly spelled Εμπόριο, or Emporio, and used to be the island's commercial hub (an Emporium so to speak) prior to the arrival of mass tourism. The area seemed to have retained its status as a shopping centre to the locals, judging by the supermarkets lining the main road towards Perissa beach. But grocery shopping wasn't what we came for, as we went off the main road and started our hike towards the top of the village.



A couple of turns into the village's maze of alleys and it felt like landing on a completely different island. In a way this felt more like Paros than Santorini -- no stores, no tourists, and not even many villagers as we arrived during nap time in the early afternoon. The only congregation of locals was on a roadside with a few older men playing the Greek variation of backgammon and blasting traditional music on an old cassette player. Apparently time has really stood still, at least since the 1980's.



A few more steps into the village and we became utterly lost in its tangle of narrow alleys and haphazardly interconnected paths. We were only able to surmise our location relative to the village's several landmarks: a walled compound near the entrance, a charming blue domed church with a square and a bell tower, and another blue domed church at the top of the village. Further uphill sat the crumbling ruins of an old Byzantine castle.



Losing ourselves in Eborio's labyrinth was an excellent way to spend a leisurely afternoon. At every corner there were only three ways to go -- further up towards the crest of the hill, horizontally along the myriad of cobblestone alleys, or back down towards the main road. Every house was a whitewashed cube with thick walls and disproportionately small windows with colorful, albeit aged and faded, wooden shutters. There's so much character in this village -- I could easily spend weeks here just chilling out in these courtyards.



The further we climbed towards the top of the village, the more eccentric the architecture seemed to have become. This cheese-like facade was getting weird even for these Greek islands! As every alley seemed deserted in the mid-day heat, we soon spent more and more time standing underneath the many arched passageways to cool ourselves in the draft wind.



The top of the hill offered a commanding view of the surroundings, with the front side facing the entire village and the back side overlooking the pastoral land dotted with white farmhouses, small flocks of goats and a donkey. Aside from the electrical wires and the odd solar panel installation, the village probably hasn't changed much in appearance over the past several hundred years.



The downhill hike back to the bus station was much easier, and concluded with a trip to the local Kafeneon for an iced coffee and a shake. The assembly of backgammon grandpas were still there with their old-school ghetto blaster, as they would be on any given day I expect. It was time for a bus to our next stop of Pyrgos, the village with the highest elevation on the island.



Somewhat smaller in size than Eborio but arguably more majestic in location, Pyrgos is propped up on a hilltop at the centre of the island overlooking both sides of the sea. The Venetians and the Turks saw its defensibility as a stronghold, and ruled Santorini from its castle for centuries. Today the old Venetian castle still stands, though it has since been divided up by the townspeople as private homes, churches and public ground. You can just imagine the resulting labyrinth with white Cycladic houses attached to and sprouting organically out of the castle's brick walls.



This view was what came for -- a panorama of the entire island of Santorini. In the foreground are island's famous vineyards, producing its wind-swept, drought-resistant grapes out of a tough volcanic terroir. Further up were the cliff-side towns of Fira and Imerovigli, and far in the background was the north end of the island and the village of Oia. There is hardly a better place to appreciate the island of Santorini as part of a circular volcanic rim.



For readers planning on visiting Santorini, I hope this convinces you that there is a charming, traditional, and certainly quieter side of the island worth visiting. And if you're planning to visit nearby islands solely for some quiet time, perhaps there's something within Santorini that will satisfy you as well.