When thinking of typical Greek food we think of moussaka, souvlaki and Greek salads. But did you know Santorini has its own specialties as well? From fava (the island’s famous and iconic split peas puree) to saganaki (fried cheese in filo pastry drizzled with honey), we’ve tried the best local foods and are happy to share our recommendations with you. Discover our favorite places to eat in Santorini in this blog post.
Pyrgos Restaurant
In Pyrgos you can find one of the cutest restaurants ever, Pyrgos Restaurant (original, we know). When entering Pyrgos Restaurant, there are some lounges where you can enjoy a cocktail before having lunch or dinner. The restaurant also features reception halls for weddings or other events (it even has a helicopter landing platform!).
We enjoyed some authentic Greek dishes with a beautiful panoramic view of the entire island. Before making a reservation, we checked the sunset times, and we were glad that we did! We could admire the enchanting sunset during the largest part of our dinner. You can find flowers and plants all over the place, which gives the restaurant a very romantic vibe. We shared the grilled octopus, the Tomato Keftedes (fried tomato balls) and the grilled vegetables with ouzo and grilled halloumi cheese, accompanied by a glass of white house wine. The food was very appetizing, we really recommend this place for a romantic date night by sunset. The wine was okay (not great), but we’re sure they have better (non-house) wines to offer!
Good to know
In Greece, most people eat after sunset. Since we couldn’t wait that long, we had the advantage of always being able to choose where we wanted to sit to eat, we never had to wait long for food, and we were able to catch the sunset from some unique locations. Also, it was never really crowded when we arrived, we loved this so much as we had most restaurants to ourselves. 😍
Santo Wines
Close to Pyrgos you can find one of Santorini’s most popular wineries, located on the edge of a cliff with a breathtaking view over the ocean. You can take a wine tour, taste some local wines and of course buy wine as well. They deliver all around the world, crazy! We decided to taste a local rosé cava and a regular cava, with a beautiful view of the sea under a clear blue sky. We really recommend the rosé cava, it was one of the best we’ve ever had. It was around € 12 for 2 cavas, which we think is a fair price in such a touristy place. It was a really great experience, the setting is amazing! Although it may not be a“hidden gem”, we recommend Santo Wines to anyone who likes a glass of wine or cava with a spectacular view.
Souvlaki
If you visit Greece without eating souvlaki at least once, did you really visit Greece? This traditional Greek street food is the ultimate quick bite, made with small pieces of skewered grilled meat and served with tzatziki and warm pita bread. Though typically involving meat, there is also a vegetarian version of souvlaki with falafel. It is probably one of the best cheap meals you can have in Santorini. We ate a lot of Souvlaki during our time on Santorini, mostly for lunch or as a late night snack. All places we’ve been to had some great souvlaki, so it’s really difficult to point you towards one restaurant. Our rule of thumb was: if the customers look Greek and are enjoying their meal, it probably is a great place to get some!
Feggera
Megalochori is a traditional village on Santorini with lots of white churches and narrow alleys. It is not that big, but it is very cozy to walk around here. There are some small squares where you can eat some ice cream or participate in people-watching, which we definitely recommend!
In the evening we ended up at the restaurant Feggera. You can reach the restaurant by taking a narrow staircase, once you’re upstairs you end up at a beautiful rooftop restaurant where you can watch the sunset whilst enjoying your meal. We ordered zucchini flowers, the famous fava beans from Santorini and steamed mussels. Every dish was outstanding, we even dare to say that Feggera serves the best fava of the island. What we really liked is that they served traditional meals with a modern twist that were catered to non-Greeks. It really is a great restaurant to get to know the Greek kitchen.
The Vine
One of the best dining spots in Fira town is definitely The Vine. This was truly the most romantic evening of our whole trip thanks to the mesmerizing sunset views and the flavourful Greek cuisine. The grilled vegetables with halloumi cheese and balsamic vinegar were so good, when you try it once, you’ll be fantasizing about it for the rest of your trip. The Ouzo platter with a variety of Greek local meze offers something for everyone, we recommend taking this as starter.
If you want to enjoy some picturesque sunset views while eating some great Greek food, then The Vine is the place to go! It was one of the most exquisite dining experiences we had at Santorini. We were actually really sceptical about going here since it’s located on the (touristy) waterside, but we’re glad we went anyway! Prices are really reasonable, and the quality of the food is exquisite.
Volkan on the Rocks
At Volkan on the Rocks, located in Firostefani, you can enjoy the thrilling panoramic views of Fira, the Caldera and the volcanic islands. The restaurant serves creative cold and hot mezes, local beers and cocktails. We went for the tarama (smoked cod roe spread) and grilled feta, accompanied by a cosmopolitan and a cuba libre. The cocktails were good but not memorable (pretty expensive as well), but it is the grilled feta that really amazed us. We ate a lot of feta in Santorini, this one was definitely the best we’ve had!
Cesare
The streets of Santorini can be surprising. Instead of going for the tourist traps, we suggest you to look for smaller, “un-touristy” restaurants. It is often the case that these local restaurants serve the same delicious dishes or even tastier at a lower price. You will end up in places you would never chose, and taste some traditional and authentic Greek dishes at a reasonable price. For example, along a popular boulevard you would easily pay € 8 for tzatziki, in the traditional restaurants you can find at least equally good tzatziki for less than € 4.
When walking down some little streets in Fira, we came across the restaurant Cesare. We went for the meze plate, a yummy baked feta and fried squid. We even had a bottle of champagne for less than € 30! If we look at the value for money, this is one of the best restaurants in Fira, especially for the delightful bottle of bubbles. We asked the owner of the restaurant why his restaurant was so cheap. He responded with a big smile: “We sell food, not view.”.
Finikia
We saved the best for last. For our last evening in Santorini, we went to an enchanting restaurant located near Oia (and only a 5 min walk from our hotel). When entering Finikia, we were immediately charmed by the adorable decor. The combination of blue and white details reminded us of the famous white houses of Santorini with blue accents. From the terrace, we admired a hypnotic view of the sea.
We had some incredibly delicious dishes here, and the waitress was lovely as well. The orzo with shrimps and seafood spaghetti were memorable, believe us when we say this was one of our favorite places to eat in Santorini! It could have something to do with it being our last evening on Santorini, but that doesn’t take anything away from the amazing food we had over here. We enjoyed the sun slowly disappearing into the sea as we had dinner. This romantic setting was the perfect ending of our holidays, this was truly the most memorable restaurant of the island.
Looking for more Santorini recommendations?
The best things to do in Santorini
Where to stay in Santorini for a romantic getaway
