Greece — Cyclades

Santorini
at the table

Caldera-edge dining where the Aegean meets your plate. Michelin-starred tasting menus, legendary proposal tables above the volcanic rim, and a fisherman's quay that pours the coldest Assyrtiko on earth.

35 Restaurants Ranked
7 Occasions Covered
4 Villages

All Restaurants in Santorini

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$ under $40  ·  $$ $40–$80  ·  $$$ $80–$150  ·  $$$$ $150+ per person

Selene restaurant Santorini
1
Impress Clients

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Selene

Modern Greek $$$$

Forty years of Santorinian obsession distilled into a single tasting menu — the island's most important table, full stop.

Lauda restaurant Oia Santorini
2
Proposal

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Lauda

Greek Fine Dining $$$$

Oia's inaugural table, still the most romantic seat above the caldera — where questions get answered with yes.

Botrini's Santorini Katikies Oia
3
Impress Clients

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Botrini's

Contemporary Mediterranean $$$$

Chef Ettore Botrini's consecutive Michelin stars meet an Oia sunset — the island's most technically accomplished kitchen.

The Athenian House Imerovigli Santorini
4
Proposal

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

The Athenian House

Modern Greek $$$$

The caldera cliff's most theatrical table — 50 Best Discovery status, Skaros Rock at your shoulder, every detail deliberate.

Varoulko Santorini Grace Hotel seafood
5
Impress Clients

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

Varoulko Santorini

Modern Greek Seafood $$$$

Chef Lazarou's Michelin-starred seafood vision transfers perfectly to the Aegean — every plate tastes of the volcano's shadow on the water.

Metaxi Mas Exo Gonia Santorini taverna
6
First Date

Exo Gonia — Santorini, Greece

Metaxi Mas

Cretan & Greek $$$

Hidden in a village church square, this is the table the locals keep to themselves — Cretan soul food at its most persuasive.

Koukoumavlos Fira Santorini
7
First Date

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Koukoumavlos

Creative Mediterranean $$$$

Fira's most creative kitchen — where the caldera view competes with the plate for your full attention, and both win.

Ambrosia restaurant Oia Santorini
8
Proposal

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Ambrosia

Greek Mediterranean $$$$

Perched on the church square of Oia, with the caldera burning gold at dusk — the island's most cinematic sunset table.

1800 Oia captain's mansion restaurant
9
First Date

Oia — Santorini, Greece

1800

Mediterranean $$$

A 19th-century sea captain's mansion converted into Oia's most storied dining room — history, candlelight, and serious wine.

Petra restaurant Canaves Oia Santorini
10
Proposal

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Petra

Modern Greek $$$$

A single table on the Panorama Balcony of Canaves Oia — private, breathtaking, and entirely unforgettable.

Roka restaurant Oia
11
Birthday

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Roka

Mediterranean $$$

The kind of caldera terrace restaurant that makes you forget your flight home — reliably excellent in a village full of pretenders.

To Psaraki Vlychada seafood Santorini
12
Solo Dining

Vlychada — Santorini, Greece

To Psaraki

Greek Seafood $$$

A portside gem that serves grilled fish so fresh the boats haven't fully docked — the island's most honest seafood counter.

Five Senses restaurant Imerovigli
13
Solo Dining

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

Five Senses

Modern Greek $$$$

An intimate degustation experience above the caldera where every course earns the view it sits beside.

Venetsanos Winery Megalochori Santorini
14
Close a Deal

Megalochori — Santorini, Greece

Venetsanos Winery

Greek & Wine Pairing $$$

Vertical Assyrtiko flights and caldera panoramas inside a 1947 art-deco winery — where business conversations become memorable ones.

Sphinx restaurant Fira Santorini
15
Close a Deal

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Sphinx

Refined Greek $$$

Fira's most elegantly executed traditional menu — a terrace above the caldera where the food matches the ambition of the view.

Mylos Firostefani Santorini
16
Birthday

Firostefani — Santorini, Greece

Mylos

Greek Mediterranean $$$

A windmill terrace in Firostefani where birthday sunsets arrive on cue — the island's most festive caldera table.

Dimitris Ammoudi Bay seafood Santorini
17
Team Dinner

Ammoudi Bay — Santorini, Greece

Dimitris Ammoudi

Greek Seafood $$$

Grilled octopus on the rocks at Ammoudi Bay as the sun sets behind Oia — simple, perfect, and utterly Santorinian.

Argo restaurant Fira caldera view
18
Birthday

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Argo

Greek $$$

The classic Fira terrace restaurant that delivers on every postcard promise — reliable Greek cuisine with the island's most unobstructed caldera panorama.

Kapari Imerovigli caldera restaurant
19
First Date

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

Kapari

Greek Mediterranean $$$

A quieter caldera perch above the tourist trail where intimate tables and thoughtful Greek cooking reward those who seek it out.

Nobu Santorini Japanese Mediterranean
20
Impress Clients

Santorini, Greece

Nobu Santorini

Japanese-Peruvian $$$$

Nobu's volcanic outpost brings black cod miso and Santorinian Assyrtiko pairings to a cliffside address that needs no introduction.

Mamageika Oia Cycladic home cooking
21
Solo Dining

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Mamageika

Cycladic Home Cooking $$

Grandmother's recipes, Oia's cobblestones, and a mezze spread that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with fine dining.

Feggera Imerovigli caldera restaurant
22
Proposal

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

Feggera

Greek Mediterranean $$$

Moonlit caldera dining in Imerovigli's quietest corner — romance without performance, at a price point that doesn't penalise you for it.

Archipelagos seafood restaurant Imerovigli
23
Solo Dining

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

Archipelagos

Seafood & Greek $$$

Bar seating and a focused seafood menu make this Imerovigli's finest solo counter — eat alone, leave feeling triumphant.

Marie Antoinette restaurant Oia Santorini
24
Close a Deal

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Marie Antoinette

French-Greek $$$$

French precision on a Cycladic terrace — formal enough to close a deal, beautiful enough to make the client forget you tried to.

Melitini Oia traditional wine bar Santorini
25
Solo Dining

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Melitini

Traditional Greek $$

Local wine, fava, and sun-dried tomatoes at Oia's most honest table — proof that the island's best flavours cost almost nothing.

Nichteri Kamari Santorini beach restaurant
26
Team Dinner

Kamari — Santorini, Greece

Nichteri

Upscale Greek $$$

The east coast's finest table — long shared meals away from caldera crowds, with Kamari black-sand beach at dusk as your backdrop.

Bony Fish Imerovigli seafood
27
Solo Dining

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

Bony Fish

Greek Seafood $$$

An Imerovigli secret with Michelin-level fish cookery at prices that reward the curious traveller willing to walk past Oia.

Aktaion traditional restaurant Fira
28
Team Dinner

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Aktaion

Traditional Greek $$

Fira's most reliable traditional table — group-friendly, generously portioned, and where the locals actually eat.

Caldera Restaurant Volcano View Hotel
29
Birthday

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Caldera Restaurant

Mediterranean $$$

The Volcano View Hotel's signature table — Aegean cuisine with front-row seats to the crater that built the whole island's mythology.

Esperisma Athina Luxury Suites Fira
30
Proposal

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Esperisma

Modern Mediterranean $$$$

Athina Luxury Suites' dining room with the volcano dead ahead and cruise ships departing as the sun drops — theatre as a side dish.

Katharos Lounge Oia fusion restaurant
31
Close a Deal

Oia — Santorini, Greece

Katharos Lounge

Asian-Mediterranean Fusion $$$

Above the Katharos plateau, with Oia one way and open Aegean the other — effortlessly cool, for deals that need a backdrop to match.

To Steki Tou Psara Vlychada port Santorini
32
Team Dinner

Vlychada — Santorini, Greece

To Steki Tou Psara

Fisherman's Greek $$

The Fisherman's House at Vlychada port where the fish unloaded in the morning becomes your grilled dinner at dusk — as direct as it gets.

Kalofeggo Imerovigli caldera terrace
33
First Date

Imerovigli — Santorini, Greece

Kalofeggo

Greek Mediterranean $$$

An Imerovigli terrace where the caldera curve unfolds slowly as you eat — understated, unhurried, and exactly right for a first impression.

Lucky's Souvlaki Fira street food
34
Solo Dining

Fira — Santorini, Greece

Lucky's Souvlaki

Greek Street Food $

The best gyros on the island, the longest queue at midnight, and proof that Santorini's culinary story doesn't end at the caldera edge.

Vinsanto winery restaurant Santorini
35
Close a Deal

Megalochori — Santorini, Greece

Vinsanto Winery Restaurant

Greek & Wine Pairing $$$

Barrel-aged Vinsanto poured beside the volcanic terraces that made it — the island's most immersive wine-and-food experience.

Best for First Date in Santorini

Santorini was built for first dates. The challenge is choosing the right table — one that impresses without overwhelming, creates conversation rather than silencing it with spectacle. Lauda in Oia handles the caldera view with enough restraint to let you speak. Metaxi Mas in Exo Gonia is the local's secret — intimate, casual, and genuinely delicious without any tourist-trap pressure. For something more sophisticated, Koukoumavlos in Fira delivers creative cooking above the crater in a setting that says you know the island properly. All three require advance reservations. None of them forgive the mistake of arriving late. Consult our full guide to first date dining for context on what makes each work.

Best for Business Dinner in Santorini

Business dining on Santorini operates on a different logic than the mainland. Here, the setting does half the negotiating work for you. Selene carries 40 years of reputation and Michelin-level execution — the correct choice when you need your guest to understand you have discernment. Venetsanos Winery provides a more intimate setting with impeccable wine and a caldera panorama that shifts the conversation from transactional to memorable. Botrini's at Katikies in Oia is the island's most technically accomplished table — use it when only the best will do and you know your client will notice the difference. Explore the full Impress Clients and Close a Deal guides for deeper context.

Santorini Top 10

01

Selene

Fira — Modern Greek — $$$$ — Impress Clients, Close a Deal

For four decades Selene has been the standard-bearer of Santorinian cuisine — the restaurant that defined what the island's produce could become. Now under the creative direction of Michelin-starred chef Ettore Botrini within the historic walls of Katikies Garden, it continues to set the benchmark. The tasting menus articulate a complete argument for Santorinian terroir: white aubergine, fava from Akrotiri, cherry tomatoes unlike anything grown anywhere else, and Assyrtiko threaded through every course like a structural element. Book four to six weeks out for peak season.

02

Lauda

Oia — Greek Fine Dining — $$$$ — Proposal, First Date

Oia's original fine dining establishment, operating since 1971 from the Andronis Boutique Hotel. The caldera drops away below the terrace with a sheer drama that leaves you grateful for the food's quality — it earns its position. Lobster linguini, Santorinian cherry tomato preparations, and a wine list weighted heavily toward the island's own varietals. Emmanuel Renaut, the 3-Michelin-star chef behind France's Flocons de Sel, has brought new creative energy to the kitchen as of 2026. The best proposal table on the island if you plan well enough in advance.

03

Botrini's

Oia, Katikies — Contemporary Mediterranean — $$$$ — Impress Clients

Chef Ettore Botrini's consecutive Michelin stars follow him to Oia, where Katikies Santorini provides one of the island's most spectacular settings. The degustation menu — called Peripatos, Greek for leisurely walking — is a precise tour of Greek-Italian technique applied to the finest local ingredients. The zucchini pastry, herring preparations, and swordfish courses consistently draw critical praise. Master of Wine Yiannis Karakasis curates the wine list. For the client who knows their restaurants, this is the table that signals you do too.

04

The Athenian House

Imerovigli — Modern Greek — $$$$ — Proposal, First Date

Perched above Skaros Rock in Imerovigli — the island's highest and most exclusive village — The Athenian House holds World's 50 Best Discovery status for good reason. Chef Dimitris Skarmoutsos applies serious technique to Greek classics: white aubergine moussaka, black linguini with grilled prawns, and the restaurant's legendary baklava. The caldera view from this position is arguably the most complete on the island. Tables for sunset are the most contested reservations in Santorini. Book six weeks ahead in season.

05

Varoulko Santorini

Imerovigli, Grace Hotel — Modern Greek Seafood — $$$$ — Impress Clients, Solo Dining

Chef Lefteris Lazarou has held a Michelin star for his Athens seafood restaurant since 2002, and his Santorini outpost at Grace Hotel Auberge delivers the same standard of fish cookery with the Aegean as backdrop. The Lava tasting menu — red shrimp with caviar, crab paired with white Santorini wine, octopus reinvented — is the island's most sophisticated seafood experience. The infinity pool terrace at sunset is as dramatic as any table in Greece.

06

Metaxi Mas

Exo Gonia — Cretan & Greek — $$$ — First Date, Birthday

The name means "between us" in Greek, and this is exactly the spirit of the place — a shared secret between the island and those clever enough to seek out Exo Gonia village rather than staying on the caldera rim. Cretan cuisine at its most expressive: fava with sun-dried tomatoes, lamb slow-cooked in Vinsanto, grilled octopus that arrived this morning. Complimentary raki and goat's cheese cake on arrival. Rated among the best value restaurants in the Cyclades.

07

Koukoumavlos

Fira — Creative Mediterranean — $$$$ — First Date, Proposal

One of Fira's most ambitious kitchens, where the creative Mediterranean menu genuinely competes with the caldera panorama for your attention. The seasonal tasting menus showcase island produce through a contemporary lens — not molecular, not retro, but precise and thoughtful. The terrace position above the crater provides a view that few Fira restaurants can match. A strong alternative to Oia for those who prefer the capital village's energy combined with serious cooking.

08

Ambrosia

Oia — Greek Mediterranean — $$$$ — Proposal, First Date

Set in the church square of Oia with the caldera opening out below, Ambrosia is one of Santorini's most celebrated sunset tables. The kitchen delivers refined Greek Mediterranean cooking — not groundbreaking, but consistently accomplished — in a setting that is genuinely cinematic. The terrace position, the candle lighting, and the timing of the Aegean sunset make this the island's most performatively romantic address. Reserve for 7:30pm in July and August to catch the full sunset.

09

Venetsanos Winery

Megalochori — Greek & Wine Pairing — $$$ — Close a Deal, First Date

The 1947 art-deco Venetsanos winery perches above the caldera at Megalochori in a position that offers one of the most sweeping panoramas on the island, yet draws none of the Oia crowds. Vertical Assyrtiko tastings, Vinsanto poured by the glass, and a food menu built entirely around showcasing the island's volcanic wines. The combination of serious viticulture, spectacular architecture, and a complete absence of tourist pressure makes this among the island's most intellectually satisfying experiences.

10

Petra

Oia, Canaves — Modern Greek — $$$$ — Proposal

The Panorama Balcony table at Canaves Oia Suites holds one of the rarest reservations in Santorini — a single private table with nothing between you and the full sweep of the caldera. Chef Tasos Stefatos presents a degustation menu that uses the location as its final ingredient. A private canopy, dedicated service, and the sunset of a lifetime. Book months in advance. Use for proposals, anniversaries, or occasions you intend to remember for the rest of your life.

The Santorini Dining Guide

Santorini operates on a dining culture unlike anywhere else in Greece. The caldera view is both the island's greatest gift and its most persistent trap. Restaurants that sell the view but neglect the plate are everywhere — identifying the exceptions requires knowledge, advance planning, and a willingness to venture beyond Oia's main pedestrian street.

The island divides into four main dining villages: Oia in the north commands the famous blue-domed sunset and the highest concentration of fine dining. Imerovigli sits at the highest point of the caldera, with a quieter, more exclusive atmosphere and some of the island's best views. Fira is the capital, noisier and more commercial but home to several serious kitchens and the island's most accessible caldera terrace dining. Away from the rim, Exo Gonia, Megalochori, Vlychada, and Kamari offer a fundamentally different and often more honest dining experience — the places the island's permanent residents actually choose.

Santorinian cuisine is unlike mainland Greek cooking. The volcanic soil produces unique ingredients: cherry tomatoes of extraordinary sweetness and acidity, white aubergines, capers from the cliffside bushes, and fava — a yellow split pea puree from Akrotiri that has been cultivated here for three millennia. Assyrtiko, the island's dominant grape variety, is among the world's great white wines — a steely, mineral-driven white that pairs with almost everything the sea produces. Vinsanto, made from sun-dried Assyrtiko and Aidani grapes, is the island's greatest vinous achievement — a barrel-aged dessert wine of extraordinary complexity.

The Michelin Guide expanded its Greek coverage to include Santorini in 2026, formalising a quality that serious food travellers had long recognised. Botrini's at Katikies and Varoulko Santorini at Grace Hotel are the island's two most clearly Michelin-pedigreed establishments. Selene and The Athenian House operate at the same level of ambition with outstanding critical pedigree of their own.

Reservations

Peak season runs from mid-June through mid-September. Book any caldera-rim restaurant at least two weeks ahead during this period, and four to six weeks ahead for Selene, Botrini's, The Athenian House, Lauda, or Petra at Canaves Oia. Sunset slots (7:00pm to 8:00pm in summer) are the most competitive of all. Outside peak season — May, early June, September, October — walk-ins are more feasible, the island is less crowded, and many restaurants offer improved value. Most close entirely from November through March.

Dress Code & Customs

Fine dining on Santorini is smart casual to smart. Jackets are not required anywhere, but shorts and beachwear are genuinely out of place at Selene, Botrini's, or The Athenian House. For tavernas and port restaurants, casual is entirely appropriate. Tipping is expected at around 10 to 15 percent in fine dining establishments; in tavernas, rounding up or leaving small change is the local custom. Greek dining moves slowly and that is intentional — do not rush a table that is not rushing you. A meal on the caldera in summer is an event that unfolds over two to three hours.

Wine

Santorini wine is non-negotiable. Assyrtiko from producers like Domaine Sigalas, Estate Argyros, and Gaia Wines is among the world's great white wines — mineral, saline, and endlessly food-friendly. Order it everywhere. Vinsanto, the island's sweet wine, is best taken as an aperitif or with dessert, not as an afterthought. The volcanic soil's basket-pruned vines produce among the lowest yields in the world — expect to pay accordingly. Any restaurant that charges €15 to €25 for a glass of single-vineyard Assyrtiko is not overcharging you.

Neighbourhoods

Oia is concentrated quality in a small area — but also the island's most crowded and expensive village. Arrive before sunset, leave after. Imerovigli offers equivalent caldera views in a noticeably quieter atmosphere — it is the village for those who know the island well. Fira has more choice and a livelier evening atmosphere — it is better for groups and those who want movement after dinner. The villages away from the rim — Exo Gonia, Megalochori, Pyrgos, Emporio — offer traditional taverna dining that is often the island's most rewarding and least photographed experience.