Melitini

Melitini is the Oia restaurant that Santorini regulars send their friends to when those friends complain that everything on the caldera costs too much and tastes the same. Founded by Pantelis — a former banker — and his childhood friend Takis, who left Athens to open the first tapas-style Greek meze restaurant in the village, it has become the honest counter-weight to the sunset-trap rooms a hundred metres west. The rooftop terrace delivers a caldera view without the caldera price, and the kitchen refuses to serve anything that is not Greek.

The format is meze. Order five or six small plates and pass them around; regulars fall into a rhythm of ten or twelve across a longer dinner. The kitchen's reference plates are the grilled octopus with capers, the Santorini tomato salad with the island's fava-salted rusks, a kopanisti spread, a lamb sausage from Crete, a spicy sausage (the spetzofai), meatballs in tomato, and a rotating selection of Greek pies — the spanakopita and tyropita are both made on the premises. A short list of fresh fish rounds out the carte when the Vlychada boats oblige.

The drinks programme is as unfussy as the food and as local as the sourcing. Pantelis pours Assyrtiko and Nykteri from Sigalas, Argyros, and Domaine Santo; an unlabelled house Vinsanto in small carafes; Greek craft beers; and raki at the end of the meal whether you ordered it or not. Expect a two-person dinner with wine to settle between €70 and €110 — less if you pace the small plates well, and easily twice that if you go hard on the wine list.

The rooftop is the seat to ask for. It is one of the few Oia terraces where sunset is a bonus rather than the main event — you are there for the food, the view arrives for free. In peak summer the roof fills fast; reservations are essential for an 8pm or 9pm slot in July and August, and the restaurant honours them strictly.

For broader context see the Santorini restaurant guide or compare to Mamageika — the other stand-out back-lane kitchen in Oia. Regulars tend to book both on the same trip.

The meze format is inherently forgiving for a solo diner. Order three small plates, a glass of Assyrtiko, linger as long as you want. Melitini also runs a small bar on the lower floor where single diners are welcome to perch and eat without committing to a full table — a rarity in Oia, where most restaurants are optimised for couples. The rooftop itself is casual enough that you do not feel conspicuous alone, and the service is trained to leave you to your book. For an unhurried evening to yourself, this is the village's best answer. Browse more Solo Dining choices in other cities.

Open with the kopanisti and the Santorini tomato salad, then add the fava, the grilled octopus and the spicy sausage. Ask Pantelis for a wine recommendation — the house Nykteri changes bi-weekly and is usually the smartest pour on the list. Finish with the yoghurt-and-honey plate. The rooftop seats fewer than fifty and turns tables only once per night; book two to three weeks ahead for July and August.