Santorini food is shaped by the island’s volcanic soil and sea, giving distinctive dishes such as tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters), creamy fava, sweet cherry tomatoes, white aubergine, capers and fresh seafood, all paired with Assyrtiko wine. This guide covers what to eat, the local specialities and where to taste them.
Eating well is one of the island’s great pleasures, a flavourful part of the wider Santorini travel guide. The volcanic land produces unique ingredients. The sections below cover the food.
What makes Santorini food distinctive?
Santorini food is distinctive because the mineral-rich volcanic soil and dry climate produce unusually intense ingredients: famously sweet cherry tomatoes, creamy yellow split peas for fava, a rare sweet white aubergine and pungent capers. These define a cuisine quite unlike mainland Greece.
Santorini’s cooking grows straight out of its volcanic land. With little rain and rich mineral soil, the island produces ingredients of remarkable concentration and flavour, above all its tiny, intensely sweet cherry tomatoes, the yellow split peas used for fava, and a rare local white aubergine that is sweeter and less bitter than the purple kind. Wild capers and caper leaves add a salty tang, and the surrounding sea supplies fresh fish and seafood. Together these give Santorini a cuisine of its own, built on a handful of special, sun-concentrated ingredients rather than rich sauces, set within the wider things to do in Santorini. Two dishes lead the table.
What are tomatokeftedes and fava?
Tomatokeftedes are Santorini’s signature tomato fritters, crispy patties made from the island’s sweet cherry tomatoes mixed with herbs, onion and flour and fried golden. Fava is a smooth, creamy purée of yellow split peas served with olive oil, onion and capers, grown on the island for over 3,000 years.
These two specialities are the island’s must-try dishes. Tomatokeftedes, said to have originated on Santorini, are made by mixing the famous sweet cherry tomatoes with grated onion, mint or other herbs and flour, then frying spoonfuls into crisp, golden fritters that are soft within, herby and slightly sweet, served hot with a squeeze of lemon or a dollop of tzatziki. Fava, not to be confused with the bean, is a velvety purée of yellow split peas, an island crop for over three millennia, cooked down and served warm or cool, drizzled with olive oil and topped with raw onion and capers. Both appear on every traditional menu, set out alongside the guide to Santorini wine. The sea and the land offer more.
What other dishes should you try?
Other dishes to try are fresh grilled seafood such as octopus, sea bream and calamari, the sweet local white aubergine roasted or in moussaka, Greek salad with Santorini capers and chlorotyri cheese, plus saganaki, dolmades and slow-cooked lamb. The seafood is a highlight at the harbours.
Beyond the signature fritters and fava, the island’s tables are generous. Fresh seafood is a highlight, with grilled octopus, sea bream, red mullet and calamari simply dressed in lemon and olive oil, best enjoyed at the waterfront tavernas of Ammoudi Bay below Oia or the fishing village of Vlychada. The sweet white aubergine appears roasted, grilled or layered into a local moussaka, and the famous tomatoes and capers brighten a Greek salad, often with the soft local chlorotyri cheese. Classic mezze such as saganaki, dolmades and slow-cooked lamb round out a meal, all matched beautifully by a glass of crisp Assyrtiko, set out alongside the guide to Oia and Ammoudi Bay. There is a sweet finish too.
What are the local sweets?
Santorini’s sweets include loukoumades, warm honey-soaked doughnuts, baklava of phyllo, nuts and honey, and melitinia, little cheese pastries traditionally made at Easter. Local Vinsanto dessert wine and spoon sweets of cherry tomato or other fruit complete a meal sweetly.
A Santorini meal often ends on a honeyed note. Loukoumades, small balls of fried dough drenched in honey syrup and dusted with cinnamon, are served warm and irresistible, while baklava layers crisp phyllo with chopped nuts and honey. A more local treat is melitinia, small sweet cheese pastries scented with mastic and traditionally baked for Easter. To finish, the island’s own sweet Vinsanto wine pairs perfectly with desserts and cheese, and you may be offered a spoon sweet, fruit such as cherry tomato or bergamot preserved in syrup, a traditional gesture of Greek hospitality, set out alongside the guide to Santorini villages. Knowing where to eat helps.
Where do you eat well in Santorini?
You eat well in the waterfront fish tavernas of Ammoudi Bay and Vlychada, the traditional kitchens of inland villages like Pyrgos and Megalochori, and the caldera-view restaurants of Oia and Fira. A food tour, cooking class or winery lunch adds depth to the island’s cuisine.
Santorini rewards eating across its different settings. For the freshest seafood, the harbour tavernas of Ammoudi Bay below Oia and the fishing village of Vlychada serve the day’s catch by the water, while the inland villages of Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio offer authentic, good-value traditional cooking in shaded squares away from the crowds. The caldera-view restaurants of Oia and Fira deliver the dishes with a spectacular backdrop, ideal at sunset but best booked ahead. To go deeper, a guided food tour, a cooking class or a long lunch at a winery brings the island’s ingredients and wines together, set out alongside the guides to Fira and a Santorini private tour. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food is Santorini known for?
Santorini is known for tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters made from its sweet cherry tomatoes), creamy fava of yellow split peas, the sweet local white aubergine, wild capers, fresh grilled seafood and crisp Assyrtiko wine. Its volcanic soil gives unusually intense ingredients.
What are tomatokeftedes?
Tomatokeftedes are Santorini’s signature tomato fritters, crispy patties made from the island’s famously sweet cherry tomatoes mixed with onion, herbs and flour and fried golden. They are soft inside, herby and slightly sweet, served hot with lemon or tzatziki.
Where can you taste traditional Santorini food?
You can taste traditional Santorini food in the waterfront fish tavernas of Ammoudi Bay and Vlychada, the village kitchens of Pyrgos and Megalochori, and the caldera-view restaurants of Oia and Fira. A food tour, cooking class or winery lunch adds depth.