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I've been visiting Santorini, Greece, for 15 years — here are 9 restaurants where you'll find the most authentic food

May 10, 2022, 19:43 IST
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Try the fresh seafood and salads that Santorini is known for, including a meal at Kali Kardia.Maria Mavropoulou for Insider
  • I spend many months each year in Santorini talking with locals and eating where they recommend.
  • Here are the best restaurants in Santorini for local specialties, fresh fish, and seasonal produce.
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With its fertile volcanic soil and sizzling climate, Santorini offers several specialties that you really need to try when you're here. As a long-time Greece-based writer, I've picked up many favorites: ntomades keftedes, which are tomato fritters made with Santorini's famously sweet tomatoes; cloud-soft fava, a puree made from the island's yellow split peas; and sweet white aubergines, which are divine when baked and then mashed to a puree with garlic, lemon, parsley, and olive oil to make melitzanosalata (eggplant salad).

Having said that, it's not always easy to find tavernas where you can feed on the island's finest fare. Luckily, I'm a real truffle hound for sniffing out the best dining places serving local dishes that often have the best prices, too.

After spending many months on the island, talking with locals, and eating out most nights, I've had plenty of time to separate the wheat from the chaff — here's my pick of the crop.

Located by the Akrotiri Lighthouse, Kali Kardia is a great place for a hearty meal.Maria Mavropoulou for Insider

Kali Kardia

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I stumbled over this family-run taverna the first time that I took the lonely road to Akrotiri Lighthouse on the island's remote southwestern tip. Tired from an afternoon of driving on winding roads, I stopped in for a coffee and ended up staying for dinner, not only because they were as friendly as the name of the taverna suggested ("kali kardia" means "good heart") but also because the food, which included tender kouneli kokkinisto (rabbit in tomato sauce) and a big bowl of delicious moussaka thalassinon (seafood moussaka). At around 8 to 10 euros for a copious main dish, it was a pretty good value, too.

Seaside

Hip surf-and-turf joints abound in Santorini, but it's always a good sign when most of the clients are Greek since locals generally know the best places to eat. That's the case at Seaside, a feet-in-the-sea taverna with a bamboo ceiling, circular wooden tables, and an inventive menu combining international and local tastes. I like their fresh garlicky yogurt tzatziki, which is made at your table, the beautifully paired fava and smoked eel, and aromatic pasta spiked with fresh Kalamata truffles. I never get bored of the food when I go there.

Enjoy a fresh catch at this no-frills fish tavern.Maria Mavropoulou for Insider

To Psaraki

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In the tiny seaside town of Vlychada, which is so remote that it's said they still believe in Santorini's mythical vampires, this no-frills fish taverna with its caned chairs and Greek blue veranda doesn't look like much. But chef Thanasis Sfougaris prides himself on only serving the freshest fish. Do as I do and order brine-fresh carpaccio or the Greek mussels steamed with wine and spring onions and you'll see how well he succeeds. If you're here at the right time of year, you might find lobster on the menu.

Tranquilo

This colorful bamboo-fronted beach bar and vegetarian restaurant overlooks the black sands of Perissa beach and is one of my favorite spots to disconnect.

It grows most of its own vegetables, which are prominent in huge, delicious salads, and there is also a large choice of wraps, veggie burgers, and meze snacks. But it's not just about the food here. Laze in one of their hammocks, do yoga in their shala, or enjoy an impromptu music event. This is as good of a place to grab a meal as it is to meet people and make new friends.

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The courtyard at Selene exudes a luxurious fine dining vibe.Maria Mavropoulou for Insider

Selene

If like me, you eat with your eyes as well as your stomach, you'll love this dining venue that was founded back in 1985 by foodies Giorgos and Evelyn Hatzigiannakis. Originally in the hilltop town of Pyrgos, this fine-dining spot now sits in the palm-shaded courtyard of a former monastery at the heart of Fira town and is overseen by Michelin-starred chef Ettore Botrini. He puts his own aesthetic on traditional dishes like spinalio (octopus and sea bass in a yellow-pepper sauce) and kleftiko ( lamb baked in parchment and served with a smoky Cretan cheese mousse).

1800

You'll find dozens of restaurants with stunning views along Oia's main pedestrian street, but 1800 is not just about glorious caldera views (although it has them, of course). Rather, this atmospheric restaurant resides in a captain's mansion that dates back to 1845 and has won countless awards for its creative spin on Greek cuisine.

Standout dishes that I've tried in the past include mouth-wateringly tasty lamb chops served with a sweet-and-sour green-apple sauce, and a tender fillet of fresh white grouper on a red bed of Santorinian sun-dried tomatoes, surrounded by tiny spicy Santorini capers.

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Aroma Avlis sources local ingredients to make Greek specialties.Aurelia Tatu/Shutterstock

Aroma Avlis

Santorini is (justly) famed for its wine, and you can expect to taste some of the best at this taverna that belongs to the Karamolegos winery in the hamlet of Exo Gonia.

Seated in the taverna's flower-filled courtyard with distant glimpses of the sea over the furled waves of vines, you'll sample a range of locally sourced produce. I like the grilled saganaki cheese rolled in sesame seeds and served with crusty homemade bread or tender fillet steaks with garden-fresh vegetables. I pair it all with the restaurant's own organic wines and come early and enjoy a tour of the vineyards before dinner.

Meze Meze

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A real local-loved venue, Spiros and Irinikos Pagonis converted their ancestral family home in the village of Finikia to create this meze restaurant, which has a gorgeous dome-ceilinged, cave-like dining room and vine-shaded terrace with distant views of Oia.

Inspired by local cuisine, they serve a wide range of traditional share plates, including my favorite, the meaty grilled octopus with fava and spicy grilled loukaniko sausage. Other dishes include luscious goat's cheese with poached figs and eggplant rolls stuffed with local chloro cheese and served swimming in a rich homemade tomato sauce.

Listen to local musicians while enjoying a meal at To Pinakio.Maria Mavropoulou for Insider

To Pinakio

Along a sidestreet of Kamari town, this cave-like mousiko mezedopoleio (a meze taverna with music) is one of my favorite places when I want a cheap, tasty snack while listening to musicians playing traditional local nisiotika or island music.

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The acoustics in the dome-roofed café are excellent, as are meze snacks like tomato fritters, grilled sardines, burgers stuffed with feta cheese, and plenty of grilled meats, all served with carafes of the fiery local white spirit, raki.

View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting Santorini.

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