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Santorini sells the view — and the view is worth buying. The caldera — the submerged volcanic crater that creates the crescent-shaped island — provides a dining backdrop that has no equivalent in Europe: villages perched on a cliff edge 300 meters above the sea, the water below shifting between indigo and steel-blue, and the sunset turning everything golden in a daily performance that has been drawing visitors since long before Instagram existed.
The challenge has always been finding restaurants where the food deserves the setting. For years, too many caldera-edge restaurants traded exclusively on location — charging premium prices for food that wouldn't survive a move to any other postcode. But Santorini's food scene has matured significantly. Michelin-recognized kitchens have arrived. Chefs trained in Athens, London, and Copenhagen have returned to the island. The volcanic terroir — the cherry tomatoes, the fava, the capers, the Assyrtiko wine — has been recognized as a genuine culinary asset. And a new generation of restaurants treats the caldera view not as a substitute for quality but as a complement to it.
The result is an island where you can eat extraordinarily well — if you know where to look. This guide is the map.
For the full island guide, see our things to do in Santorini. For accommodation, read our where to stay in Santorini and best hotels in Santorini guides.
Quick Answer: Best Santorini Restaurants by Category
- Best fine dining: Lycabettus — caldera view, Michelin-recognized, the island's most ambitious kitchen
- Best creative Greek: Metaxy Mas — Exo Gonia village, volcanic-terroir ingredients, the locals' favorite
- Best caldera dinner: Ambrosia — Oia caldera rim, food that earns the view
- Best seafood: Amoudi Fish Taverna — Amoudi Bay, below Oia, the honest fish dinner
- Best traditional taverna: To Psaraki — Vlychada marina, fresh fish, local atmosphere
- Best volcanic-terroir experience: Selene (current location) — the restaurant that defined Santorini's food identity
- Best budget meal: Lucky's Souvlaki — Fira, the budget lifeline, surprisingly excellent
- Best wine pairing: Santo Wines — caldera-view winery, Assyrtiko tasting
Caldera Fine Dining
Lycabettus (Oia)
The most ambitious kitchen on Santorini — a Michelin-recognized restaurant on the Oia caldera rim where the chef's tasting menu treats the island's volcanic-terroir ingredients with technique and creativity that would distinguish the restaurant anywhere, even without the view. The Santorini cherry tomato, the fava, the local capers, the Aegean fish — each appears in preparations that are precise, surprising, and deeply rooted in the island's ingredients.
The caldera view is, of course, extraordinary. But Lycabettus has earned its reputation on the cooking, not just the cliff edge. The wine pairings, featuring Santorini's Assyrtiko and broader Greek producers, are expertly guided.
Cuisine: Creative Greek, volcanic terroir, Michelin-recognized
Price range: €70–120/person (tasting menu)
Best for: Special occasions, fine-dining enthusiasts, the meal that justifies the Santorini trip
Good to know: Reserve days ahead — the caldera tables are the most sought-after on the island. The tasting menu is the only option and changes seasonally. Dinner at sunset is the timing. Smart casual dress.
Kapari Wine Restaurant (Imerovigli)
The best value caldera-view experience on Santorini — and among the least known internationally. Kapari sits on the caldera rim in Imerovigli (the village between Oia and Fira, higher up, less crowded, better positioned for dawn light than Oia's famous sunsets). The wine list is the restaurant's organizing principle: the most comprehensive Santorini producer selection available in one room, with pairings that treat the volcanic terroir as the island's primary culinary asset rather than the caldera view.
The cooking is contemporary Greek with genuine care — the squid stuffed with local cheese, the Santorini cherry tomato preparations, and the fava with caramelized onion are benchmarks. Prices are 10–15% below equivalent caldera-rim restaurants in Oia, making Kapari the caldera dinner for the food-focused traveler who doesn't want to pay the Oia brand premium.
Cuisine: Contemporary Greek, wine-focused, caldera view Price range: €35–55/person Best for: Wine enthusiasts, caldera dining without the Oia premium, food-focused couples Good to know: Imerovigli is midway between Fira and Oia on the cliff path — 20 minutes on foot from Fira, 30 from Oia. The caldera view is arguably better than Oia (higher elevation, less building obstruction). Reserve for the caldera terrace. The Assyrtiko pairing is the wine order.
Ambrosia (Oia)
A caldera-rim restaurant in Oia that has maintained quality alongside the view for years — the cooking is Greek-Mediterranean with genuine care, the wine list is deep and well-curated, and the service navigates the fine line between Santorini-premium formality and genuine warmth. The terrace, perched over the caldera with the sunset view extending to Thirasia, provides the visual theater that Oia promises and that not every restaurant delivers alongside quality food.
Cuisine: Greek-Mediterranean, caldera rim
Price range: €50–80/person
Best for: Couples, anniversary dinners, the caldera sunset experience with food that matches
Good to know: Reserve well ahead for the terrace — specifically the front-row caldera-edge tables. The sunset timing is the event. The wine list favors Santorini producers — the Assyrtiko by the glass is the correct order.
Creative & Volcanic Terroir
Metaxy Mas (Exo Gonia)
The restaurant that Santorini locals — the permanent residents, not the tourism industry — consider the best on the island. Set in the quiet village of Exo Gonia in the island's interior, away from the caldera crowds, Metaxy Mas serves creative Cretan-Greek cuisine that celebrates the island's volcanic-terroir ingredients: the cherry tomatoes are roasted until caramelized, the fava is silky and honest, the grilled meats are excellent, and every dish tastes of the ingredients rather than the technique.
The atmosphere is what Santorini was before the tourism machine: a courtyard, local wine, conversation, and food made by people who cook because they love to cook. The prices are fair. The quality is exceptional. The location — requiring a car or taxi from Fira or Oia — filters out casual visitors and rewards those who make the effort.
Cuisine: Creative Greek, volcanic-terroir ingredients
Price range: €20–35/person
Best for: Foodies, locals' recommendation seekers, anyone wanting the best food-to-price ratio on Santorini
Good to know: Reserve for dinner — it's the most recommended restaurant on every Santorini locals' list. Exo Gonia is about 10 minutes from Fira by car. No caldera view — the food is the entire point. The terrace is pleasant. Cash preferred.
Selene
The restaurant that defined Santorini's food identity — the kitchen that, more than any other, established the volcanic terroir (cherry tomatoes, fava, capers, Assyrtiko) as a legitimate culinary concept. Selene has relocated and evolved over the years, but the founding philosophy — that Santorini's volcanic soil produces ingredients of genuine distinction, and that these ingredients deserve serious culinary treatment — remains the island's most important food contribution.
Cuisine: Volcanic-terroir Greek, fine dining
Price range: €45–75/person
Best for: Food historians, terroir enthusiasts, the Santorini food-philosophy experience
Good to know: Currently located at the Santo Wines complex in Pyrgos village — approximately 10 minutes from Fira by car. The cooking school operates from the same location and is bookable independently. The tasting menu and the cooking class are both excellent; the class is better value and more personal. The cooking class and the tasting-menu formats are both excellent. The wine pairings are definitive Santorini Assyrtiko.
Seafood
Amoudi Fish Taverna (Amoudi Bay, below Oia)
Amoudi Bay — reached by descending 300 steps from Oia (or by a road from the back) — is a tiny fishing harbor with a handful of tavernas wedged between the volcanic cliffs and the water. Amoudi Fish Taverna serves the catch of the day grilled simply, with the boats that caught the fish visible from your table. The setting is dramatic (red volcanic rock, blue water, the cliffs of Oia above), the fish is fresh, and the prices — while higher than the mainland — are fair for what you get and where you are.
The walk down the steps from Oia at sunset, dinner at Amoudi as the light fades, and the walk back up beneath the stars is one of the most complete Santorini evenings.
Cuisine: Traditional seafood, fishing-harbor setting
Price range: €25–40/person
Best for: Seafood lovers, the Amoudi Bay experience, the post-sunset dinner
Good to know: Walk down the 300 steps from Oia (atmospheric) or drive around (practical). Reserve for a waterfront table. The fish is priced by weight — ask before ordering. The grilled octopus and the fried calamari are reliable starters. The walk back up the steps at night is steep — bring a phone light.
To Psaraki (Vlychada)
A fish taverna at Vlychada marina on the south coast — away from the caldera, away from the crowds, and beside a small fishing harbor where the boats are pulled up on the volcanic-rock beach. The fish is from the morning catch, the cooking is traditional, and the setting — beneath the dramatic white cliffs of Vlychada (the "moon landscape") — provides an atmosphere that's unlike anywhere else on the island.
Cuisine: Traditional seafood, fishing harbor
Price range: €18–32/person
Best for: Seafood lovers wanting honest fish away from the caldera premium, south-coast explorers
Good to know: Vlychada is about 15 minutes from Fira by car. The volcanic cliffs above the marina are extraordinary. The fish is priced by weight. Combine with a visit to Vlychada Beach (the dramatic eroded cliffs). Book a Santorini catamaran cruise on GetYourGuide.
Fira & Traditional
Ouzeri (Fira)
A meze restaurant in Fira's backstreets — away from the caldera edge and the gold-shop strip — serving small plates of traditional Greek meze with local wine and tsipouro. The dishes are honest, the portions are generous for Santorini, and the prices reflect a backstreet location rather than a caldera-rim one. The atmosphere is convivial and local — the kind of restaurant where the waiter joins the conversation and the evening extends beyond what you planned.
Cuisine: Greek meze, traditional
Price range: €15–25/person
Best for: Budget meze lovers, backstreet Fira atmosphere, groups sharing plates
Good to know: Walk away from the caldera rim into Fira's backstreets — the prices drop significantly. The meze format (4–6 small plates for two) is the way to eat here. Cash preferred.
Aktaion (Fira)
Established in 1831 — making it the oldest continuously operating restaurant on Santorini, and one of the oldest in the entire Cyclades. The location has changed over the centuries (earthquake, eruption, and tourism have all necessitated moves), but the kitchen's commitment to traditional Santorini cooking has not. Fava, white aubergine, local capers, tomatokeftedes — the volcanic terroir as it existed before Selene gave it a name and fine-dining kitchens gave it technique.
Aktaion is the purist's answer to the question of where to eat Santorini's actual food. It sits in Fira at a price point (€18–28) that reflects a restaurant primarily serving locals and returning visitors rather than first-timers drawn by the caldera edge.
Cuisine: Traditional Santorini, historic kitchen Price range: €18–28/person Best for: Food-serious travelers who want provenance, the best traditional-to-price ratio in Fira, history as a quality signal Good to know: Since 1831 is the quality guarantee. The fava is the signature order. No caldera view — the courtyard setting is the alternative atmosphere. Cash preferred.
Naoussa (Fira)
A taverna in Fira's backstreets with Greek-Mediterranean cooking that's a step above the tourist average — the kitchen uses good ingredients, the preparations are careful, and the prices, while not cheap by mainland standards, are fair for Santorini. The wine list features local producers.
Cuisine: Greek-Mediterranean
Price range: €20–32/person
Best for: A solid Fira dinner without the caldera markup, practical travelers
Good to know: The backstreet location means no caldera view but significantly lower prices. The wine list is well-chosen. The fava (the island's signature dish) is a good test — Naoussa's version is reliable.
Inland Villages
Selene Meze (Pyrgos)
The medieval hilltop village of Pyrgos — the highest point on Santorini — has views that rival the caldera from a different angle, and the meze restaurant associated with the Selene legacy serves volcanic-terroir small plates in the village's atmospheric lanes. The setting is beautiful, the food reflects the terroir philosophy, and the experience of eating in a hilltop village rather than on the caldera rim provides a different, arguably more authentic Santorini.
Cuisine: Volcanic-terroir meze
Price range: €20–35/person
Best for: Terroir enthusiasts, Pyrgos village visitors, an alternative to caldera-rim dining
Good to know: Pyrgos is about 10 minutes from Fira. The village has the island's most intact medieval architecture. The views from the hilltop are panoramic — both caldera and sea.
Wine & Budget
Santo Wines (caldera-view winery)
Not a restaurant but an essential Santorini food experience — a winery on the caldera rim with a tasting terrace that overlooks the volcanic crater while you taste the island's most distinctive wine. Assyrtiko — the indigenous grape, grown on ancient, ungrafted vines trained in low baskets to resist the wind — produces whites of extraordinary mineral character. The tasting includes the estate wines paired with Santorini meze.
Cuisine: Wine tasting with meze
Price range: €15–30/person (tasting)
Best for: Wine lovers, the caldera-view tasting experience, understanding Santorini's terroir
Good to know: Late afternoon for the best light. Book ahead in summer. The Assyrtiko is the star — the Vinsanto (sweet wine from sun-dried grapes) is the island's other great wine tradition.
Lucky's Souvlaki (Fira)
The budget lifeline of Santorini — a souvlaki shop in Fira that serves gyros and souvlaki wraps at prices that approach mainland reality. At €5–7 per wrap, it's the best-value meal on an island where a simple salad can cost €15. The quality is good — handmade pita, well-seasoned meat — and the late-night hours serve the post-bar crowd.
Cuisine: Souvlaki, gyros
Price range: €5–8/person
Best for: Budget travelers, late-night fuel, anyone resisting the Santorini markup
Good to know: The €5 wrap on Santorini is a small miracle. Cash preferred. The late hours (past midnight) make it the post-sunset-drinks fuel stop.
Practical Tips for Eating in Santorini
The Santorini dishes. Fava (yellow split-pea purée — the island's signature, silky and simple). Tomatokeftedes (cherry-tomato fritters — uniquely Santorini). White aubergine (grilled or baked). Capers (from the volcanic hillsides). Chlorotyri (local soft cheese). These exist because of the volcanic soil — order them at every opportunity.
Caldera vs backstreet. Caldera-rim restaurants charge a 30–50% premium for the view. The view is worth paying for at least once (book Ambrosia or Lycabettus). For the other evenings, the backstreet restaurants of Fira, the inland villages (Pyrgos, Exo Gonia, Megalochori), and the south-coast harbors (Vlychada, Akrotiri) deliver better food-to-price ratios.
Imerovigli — the caldera village nobody talks about.
Between Fira and Oia on the cliff path, at a higher elevation than either, Imerovigli offers caldera-rim dining at prices 10–20% below Oia and with less pedestrian congestion than Fira's main strip. The caldera view at this elevation is frequently described as the finest on the island — you see both the northern and southern arms of the crater simultaneously. Kapari Wine Restaurant is the anchor destination. For couples who want the Santorini caldera experience without the Oia premium or the Fira crowds, Imerovigli is the answer that most visitors never find.
Assyrtiko wine. Order it at every meal. The volcanic terroir produces a white wine of distinctive mineral character, crisp acidity, and genuine complexity. Santo Wines, Venetsanos, Gaia, and Sigalas are the top producers. The Vinsanto (sweet wine from sun-dried grapes, aged for years) is Santorini's other wine treasure — order a glass for dessert.
When to eat. Dinner: 7:30 PM onward for sunset tables; 9 PM for post-sunset. Lunch on the south coast or in the villages: 1–3 PM. Amoudi Bay: dinner, after descending the steps at sunset. Book caldera restaurants 3–7 days ahead in July–August.
Combining dining with experiences. A caldera catamaran cruise with lunch is one of the best food-plus-scenery combinations on the island. The sunset cruise with dinner sees the caldera from the water while you eat. See our Santorini tours guide.
Written by
Athens-born engineer · Coordinates a 5-expert Greek team · 50+ years combined field experience
I write every article on this site drawing on real, first-hand expertise — mine and that of four colleagues who live and work across Greece daily: a Peloponnese tour operator, a transfer specialist across Athens, Mykonos & Santorini, a Cretan hotel owner, and a Northern Greece hotel supplier. Nothing here comes from a single visit or desk research.
Informed by 5 Greek experts
Every destination we cover has been visited and vetted by at least one team member — not for a review, but as part of their daily work in Greek tourism.