Best Restaurants in Santorini

Santorini's dining scene has undergone a quiet revolution over the past decade. Where visitors once had to choose between overpriced tourist traps with views and decent tavernas without them, the island now supports a genuinely impressive range of restaurants — from refined tasting menus served against the caldera backdrop to family-run kitchens in inland villages where the food has barely changed in generations. The volcanic terroir that produces Santorini's famous Assyrtiko wine also yields extraordinary tomatoes, white aubergines, capers, and fava beans. The seafood, pulled from deep Aegean waters, is superb. And the setting — dining on the edge of a submerged volcanic crater as the sun drops into the sea — remains one of the great theatrical backdrops in Mediterranean gastronomy.

A word of practical advice before you begin planning: sunset tables at caldera restaurants are the most coveted reservations on the island, and during peak season they book up weeks in advance. If a sunset dinner at a specific restaurant matters to you, reserve the moment you confirm your travel dates.

Fine Dining

Lycabettus at Andronis

Lycabettus occupies a privileged position on the caldera cliff in Oia, and the kitchen makes the most of it. The menu is contemporary Greek with strong technique and a genuine commitment to local produce — the Santorinian cherry tomato features prominently, as do the island's remarkable capers and the seafood landed each morning at Ammoudi Bay below. The tasting menu (around €100–120) is the best way to experience the kitchen's range. The wine list is strong on Santorinian producers, which is exactly as it should be. Request a terrace table and time your reservation for an hour before sunset. The views as the light changes are extraordinary. Book at least two weeks ahead in summer.

Selene

Selene has been the intellectual heart of Santorinian cuisine for over three decades. Now housed within the Katikies Garden Hotel — a restored 18th-century Catholic monastery in Fira — and led by Michelin-starred Chef Ettore Botrini, this is the restaurant that pioneered the idea of serious, research-driven Santorinian gastronomy — reviving forgotten recipes, championing indigenous ingredients, and treating the island's culinary heritage as something worth preserving rather than merely exploiting. The fava puree here — made from the island's unique split peas, grown in volcanic soil — is a revelation, and the white aubergine preparations are consistently excellent. Budget €70–100 per person. The setting within the monastery's elegant stone-walled spaces brings a sense of history and refinement. This is the restaurant for diners who care more about what's on the plate than what's outside the window.

Metaxi Mas

If Selene is the scholar, Metaxi Mas is the passionate home cook who happens to be extraordinary. Tucked away in the tiny village of Exo Goni, far from the tourist trail, this family-run restaurant has become a genuine locals' favourite — which is no small achievement on an island where locals have endless options. The menu is Cretan-influenced (the owners have Cretan roots) and changes with what's available. The lamb kleftiko is superb, the grilled octopus is perfectly charred, and the vegetable dishes — simple preparations of whatever grew that week — are a reminder of how good Greek cooking is when the ingredients are right. Prices are refreshingly gentle (€25–45 per person), and the atmosphere is warm and unpretentious. Book a day or two ahead; it's small, and word has spread.

Caldera Dining

Ammoudi Fish Tavern — Oia

Below the famous clifftop village of Oia, accessible by 300 steps (or a donkey, though walking is kinder), the tiny harbour of Ammoudi hosts a handful of waterfront tavernas. Ammoudi Fish Tavern is the pick of them. You'll eat fresh fish and seafood at water level, with the rust-red volcanic cliffs rising above you and fishing boats bobbing beside your table. The grilled octopus, the sea bream, and the fried calamari are all excellent — simple preparations that let exceptional-quality seafood speak for itself. Budget €35–60 per person. No reservations; arrive by 6 p.m. in summer for a waterside table, or accept a short wait. The climb back up those 300 steps after a full meal and a bottle of Assyrtiko is character-building.

Lauda — Oia

Part of the Andronis Boutique Hotel, Lauda offers caldera-view dining with a menu that balances Greek tradition with contemporary technique. The raw bar — featuring excellent quality tuna, sea bass, and locally caught fish — is a highlight. The setting is intimate and elegant. Budget €70–110 per person. A strong choice for a special evening if you're staying in Oia.

Imerovigli

Koukoumavlos

Reopened in 2023 at its new home within the Katikies Chromata hotel in Imerovigli, Koukoumavlos brings its acclaimed creative Greek-Mediterranean cuisine to one of the caldera's most elevated settings. The cooking remains technically accomplished and occasionally surprising without tipping into gimmickry. The tasting menu (around €90) showcases the kitchen at its most ambitious. The à la carte is equally strong. Service is knowledgeable and unhurried. With sweeping views across the volcanic islands and out to the open Aegean, this is a worthy alternative to the Oia caldera restaurants, typically with easier availability. Book a week ahead in peak season.

Fira

Mama Thira

A Fira institution, Mama Thira serves traditional Greek cooking in a courtyard setting in the town's backstreets, away from the caldera edge. The moussaka is textbook. The stuffed tomatoes — using those extraordinary Santorinian cherry tomatoes — are exceptional. The grilled meats are well handled. It's honest, satisfying food at prices that feel almost anachronistic for Santorini (€20–35 per person). The atmosphere is convivial and authentically Greek. No caldera views, no design-magazine interiors — just good food served warmly.

Wine Experiences

Santorini's wine is among the most distinctive in the Mediterranean, and tasting it on the island, in the volcanic landscape that shapes it, is an essential part of any visit. The signature grape is Assyrtiko — a crisp, mineral-driven white with remarkable acidity that pairs brilliantly with seafood and holds its own against the island's bold flavours. The vines are trained in low basket shapes (kouloura) to protect against the fierce Meltemi winds, and many are ungrafted — a rarity in European viticulture, thanks to the volcanic soil's resistance to phylloxera.

Santo Wines

The most popular winery on the island, and for good reason. Santo Wines sits on the caldera rim south of Fira, and its tasting terrace — with panoramic views of the volcano and the sea — is one of the great wine-tasting settings in Europe. The Assyrtiko is excellent, the Nykteri (a barrel-aged white unique to Santorini) is worth trying, and the Vinsanto (a sweet wine made from sun-dried grapes) is a remarkable dessert companion. Tastings start from around €15 and represent outstanding value given the setting. Visit in the late afternoon for the best light. It gets busy; arrive early or book ahead.

Venetsanos Winery

Venetsanos claims, with some justification, the most spectacular views of any winery on the island. Perched on the caldera cliff between Fira and Megalochori, the restored winery offers tastings in a setting that feels almost vertigo-inducing. The wines are good — the Assyrtiko is clean and mineral, the rosé is appealing — and the sunset tastings are deservedly popular. Budget €15–30 for a tasting flight.

Estate Argyros

For serious wine enthusiasts, Estate Argyros in Episkopi is essential. This is one of Santorini's oldest and most respected producers, with some vines over 200 years old. The wines — particularly the single-vineyard Assyrtiko and the aged Vinsanto — are among the finest on the island. The tasting experience is more educational and less scenery-driven than Santo or Venetsanos, which suits the producer's serious, quality-focused approach. Book ahead; tours are small and fill quickly.

Practical Notes

Reservation lead times: For caldera sunset tables at Lycabettus, Lauda, and Koukoumavlos, book two to four weeks ahead in July and August. Selene and Metaxi Mas fill up three to five days ahead. Off-caldera restaurants and lunch reservations are generally easier.

Prices: Santorini is expensive by Greek island standards but moderate compared to equivalent destinations in Italy or the south of France. A memorable dinner for two with wine will run €80–250 depending on the restaurant. Lunch is better value across the board.

Assyrtiko: Drink it. With everything. It's the island's defining flavour, and it pairs beautifully with the local seafood, the fava, the tomato dishes — essentially the entire Santorinian table. Ask for producers like Sigalas, Hatzidakis, or Argyros if you want to go beyond the house pour.

Getting around: Many of the best restaurants are in different villages, so plan transport. Taxis are scarce in peak season; hotel transfers or a rental car are more reliable. Don't drink and drive the island's narrow roads — pre-arrange a driver or take a taxi.

The shoulder months of May, June, and September are the best time for dining on Santorini. The restaurants are open, the produce is at its peak, and you'll have a realistic chance of securing the sunset table that makes a Santorini dinner genuinely unforgettable.