The Athenian House

Imerovigli is Santorini's highest village — the point where the caldera cliff reaches its greatest elevation and the view encompasses the entire volcanic bay, both the old and new caldera rims, and on a clear day, the island of Folegandros. The Athenian House occupies this position with full understanding of what it means. The restaurant has been voted among the World's 50 Best Discovery establishments — a list that recognises extraordinary dining experiences that exist outside the Michelin star framework — and the distinction is earned.

Chef Dimitris Skarmoutsos applies precise, ambitious technique to the canon of Greek cooking, treating the island's ingredients with the same reverence a French chef would give his terroir. The signature lamb moussaka is made with Santorini's white aubergine, tahini, feta, and bechamel, served alongside lamb chops — a reimagining that respects the original's structure while arguing for its elevation. Black linguini with grilled shrimps turns a familiar combination into something genuinely beautiful. The legendary Athenian House baklava finishes every tasting menu as a definitive statement on the form.

The tasting menu formats — Grand, Discovery, Pescatarian, and A la Carte — offer appropriate flexibility while maintaining the kitchen's ambition across every option. The menu breathes seasonality: what grows on the volcanic island in each week of the season determines what appears on the plate. Spring means fresh broad beans and wild greens; summer brings the cherry tomatoes and white aubergines that are unique to Santorini; early autumn delivers the grape harvest and its associated ingredients.

The physical setting is extraordinary. Tables are positioned on terraces cut into the cliff face, with Skaros Rock — a dramatic volcanic promontory that juts into the caldera — directly to the west. The view at sunset encompasses the entire caldera in a single panorama that no restaurant in Oia can fully match due to Imerovigli's superior elevation. The ambience is more intimate and less crowded than Oia, a distinction that becomes significant during peak summer when Oia's pedestrian street can feel overwhelmed by visitor numbers.

Book six weeks ahead for sunset tables in July and August. The restaurant is busy but not impossibly so — part of what makes Imerovigli superior to Oia for serious dining is the relative absence of the day-tripper crowd that descends on the northern village at sunset. Dress smart casual. The service is warm, expert, and entirely without the formality that sometimes afflicts similar-level restaurants in Europe's larger cities.

The View is the decisive factor. Imerovigli sits 260 metres above sea level at the island's highest inhabited point. The caldera panorama from The Athenian House's terrace is arguably the most complete available from any dining room in Santorini — wider than Oia, higher than Fira, with Skaros Rock providing a geographical anchor that makes the setting feel like a defined place rather than just an open horizon. At sunset, the light changes in specific and dramatic ways that Oia's crowds do not diminish and Imerovigli's relative quiet makes fully available. For a proposal, the combination of serious food, extraordinary setting, and intimate village atmosphere makes this the island's second-finest choice — and for those who prefer substance over spectacle, possibly the first.