Eating in Perissa means eating on the beach. The black-sand seafront and its continuation down to Perivolos are lined with fish tavernas, beach clubs and meze spots, most with tables a few steps from the water. This is a guide to the places worth your appetite — from a simple grilled-fish lunch to sunset cocktails on the sand. For the dishes themselves, see our what-to-eat guide; for the full list, our restaurants page.
Classic seafront fish tavernas
- Fratzeskos Fish Tavern (€€) — a long-running fish tavern right on the Perissa seafront, tables under thatched shade a few steps from the black sand. The kitchen keeps it simple and Greek: grilled fish and octopus, fried calamari, tomato fritters and a cold carafe of white. The reliable, unfussy choice.
- Lava Taverna (€€) — a blue-and-white taverna on the sand toward the Perivolos end, with tables at the water's edge. An easy seaside spot for grilled fish, Greek classics and a glass of wine as the light fades over the sea.
- Apollon (€€) — a charming traditional taverna near the seafront, doing classic Greek cooking — seafood platters, smoked Santorini aubergine and homemade pies — with sea views and occasional live Greek music on Thursday evenings.
Beach-club dining at Perivolos
- Sea Side by Notos (€€€) — a stylish beach restaurant on the sand at Perivolos, with a wooden pergola and deep sofas. The menu runs from fresh seafood and Mediterranean plates to showy desserts, and it doubles as a lounge — as good for a long lunch as for cocktails at sunset. The place to splurge.
Lively & sharing plates
- Mezedaki (€€) — a cheerful beachfront meze restaurant with turquoise tables, set right on the sand between Perissa and Perivolos. Built for sharing: small plates, seafood and dips passed around the table with a view of the water.
- Ntomatini (€€) — a lively, plant-filled restaurant just back from the Perissa seafront, strung with lights and busy into the night. Generous Greek and Mediterranean plates — grills, souvlaki and baked dishes — in a relaxed, buzzy setting.
- Tranquilo (€€) — a laid-back, bohemian beach café on the seafront that is fully vegetarian and mostly vegan, with an enormous menu of breakfasts, smoothies, salads and plant-based Greek plates. Mismatched colourful chairs, chill music and a shady terrace on the sand — the easy pick for meat-free eating and the best spot in Perissa for vegans.
- Mama's Food (€€) — a small, homely taverna a short walk back from the seafront doing honest home-style Greek cooking to take away or eat in. Tables sit in a stone-walled courtyard with a wood oven and gingham cloths, and the kitchen turns out cooked-to-order classics — grills, fried seafood and slow-cooked beef stifado — at friendly, un-touristy prices.
Worth the drive: the island's best tables
Perissa's own tavernas are all about the beach, but some of Santorini's most loved restaurants sit up in the inland villages and around the caldera — a 15–25 minute drive, and worth it for a night when the meal itself is the occasion.
- Rizes Gastro Taverna (€€€) — the island's food-forward standout, a short drive up in Fira (opposite the Metropolitan Cathedral), it earned a 2026 FNL 'Skinos' distinction — named among ten Greek restaurants in Greece not to miss. Creative takes on Santorinian and Cycladic cooking in a cave-vaulted dining room.
- Metaxi Mas (€€) — one of Santorini's most loved tavernas, tucked into the inland village of Exo Gonia with a rustic stone room and a terrace over the plain. Greek and Cretan cooking done with real care (rated 4.7 across 6,000+ reviews) — book well ahead in high season.
- Pyrgos Restaurant (€€) — classic Greek grills and oven dishes from a vine-shaded terrace in Pyrgos, the island's highest village, with one of the best inland views on Santorini.
- Anogi (€€) — a warm, family-run spot up in Imerovigli on the caldera ridge, doing generous traditional cooking — grilled meats and slow-braised lamb — at friendly prices (rated 4.7).
- Aktaion (€€) — caldera-edge dining in quieter Firostefani just north of Fira, with tables right on the rim and Greek-Mediterranean cooking to match the view.
- Mylos (€€€) — a design-led modern-Greek restaurant and champagne bar in Firostefani, with a terrace on the caldera rim — as good for a cocktail as for a contemporary dinner above the sea.
- Cacio e Pepe (€€) — a proper Italian restaurant in the middle of Fira, with a wine-lined room and fresh pasta — a welcome change of pace if you've had your fill of tavernas.
- Idol (€€€) — a caldera-edge restaurant and bar in Fira with tables straight over the volcano and the sea, plating contemporary Greek and Mediterranean dishes — a sunset-view dinner without going all the way to Oia.
- Salt & Pepper (€€) — a small, well-loved traditional Greek restaurant in the centre of Fira (rated 4.8), doing grilled meats and souvlaki at friendlier prices than the caldera-edge tables nearby.
- Kapari Wine Restaurant (€€€) — a modern-Greek wine restaurant up in Imerovigli (rated 4.7), pairing creative contemporary cooking with a serious Santorini list on a candlelit terrace.
- Cava Alta (€€€) — creative modern-Greek plates and Santorini wine in a whitewashed, cave-vaulted room near Pyrgos — a quiet, food-focused dinner inland.
- Raki (€€) — a relaxed meze taverna on the square in the pretty inland village of Megalochori, with shared small plates and homemade pasta under a thatched pergola.
- Avlogyros (€€) — a homely courtyard taverna in Megalochori with red-checked tables under the plants (rated 4.5), keeping it traditional with grilled meats and cooked-to-order Greek classics away from the coast.
- Kritikos Taverna (€€) — a long-running family taverna in inland Messaria (rated 4.4 across 1,900+ reviews), serving Cretan and Greek home cooking to a mostly local crowd at un-touristy prices.
Over the headland at Kamari
Kamari is Santorini's other black-sand resort, on the far side of Mesa Vouno from Perissa — a 15-minute drive round, and its long seafront has some of the island's most consistent tavernas:
- Fistikies (€€) — a polished modern-Greek and Mediterranean restaurant in a bright, whitewashed Kamari courtyard (rated 4.8 across 1,500+ reviews), giving traditional recipes a modern turn with seasonal produce and bread baked daily in-house.
- Almira (€€) — a long-standing beachfront restaurant on the Kamari seafront (rated 4.7), running from grilled fresh fish and Greek classics to wood-fired pizza with the sea in view from every table.
Down the south coast
A few more are an easy hop from Perissa rather than a proper drive: To Psaraki (€€€) is a well-regarded seafood restaurant on the marina at Vlychada, working the day's catch on a plant-shaded terrace by the boats; The Cave of Nikolas (€€€) is a characterful waterside seafood taverna at Akrotiri, run for decades on the day's catch — fresh fish and lobster pasta in a stone-walled room by the sea (rated 4.6 across 3,000+ reviews); and The Good Heart (€€) is a friendly taverna and local-products deli out in Akrotiri, near the archaeological site, pairing Greek home cooking with island wine and produce to take home.
If you're heading to Oia for sunset
Rather than eat on the pricey caldera strip, these calmer picks a few minutes out are better value:
- Meze Meze (€€) — a well-rated shared-plate meze restaurant in quiet Finikia just outside Oia, with a wicker-lamp-lit terrace and a rooftop sea view (rated 4.7).
- Roka (€€€) — creative modern-Greek cooking in Oia on a blue-chaired terrace away from the crowds, with a strong Santorini wine list.
- Melitini (€€) — a relaxed whitewashed small-plates and meze bar in the heart of Oia — the easy, less-fussy way to eat before the sunset.
- Ammoudi Fish Tavern (€€€) — a classic seafood tavern right on the water at Ammoudi Bay, the little harbour below Oia, with tables at the sea's edge beneath the red cliffs — an iconic waterside meal as the sun sets over the caldera.
For a quick, cheap bite off the sand back in Perissa, there's honest Greek fast food at Grandma's Recipes, and crêpes, waffles and gelato at Chocolat Café-Gelateria by the beach.
What to order: Santorini specialties
Wherever you sit, look past the standard Greek menu for the island's own dishes — Santorini's arid volcanic soil produces ingredients found almost nowhere else:
- Fava Santorinis — a creamy golden purée of yellow split peas (grown here for millennia; PDO-protected since 2010), served with caramelised onion, capers and olive oil. The island's signature dish.
- Tomatokeftedes — tomato fritters made from the tiny, intense Santorini cherry tomato (tomataki, PDO since 2013), fried crisp with herbs and onion — the must-try after fava.
- White eggplant — a pale, naturally sweet local aubergine that barely absorbs oil, turned into salads, spreads and moussaka.
- Chloro cheese — a fresh, slightly tangy island cheese you'll rarely find off Santorini.
- Capers and caper leaves, and the crisp local katsouni cucumber — the small-scale produce of an unirrigated island.
Pair them with a cold Assyrtiko and you're eating the island rather than a generic taverna menu.
A few tips
Tavernas on the sand fill up at sunset in high season — come early or expect a wait for a front-row table. Prices climb a little at the polished beach clubs (the €€€ end) and stay gentle at the classic tavernas (€€). Wherever you land, the format is the same: fresh fish, Greek staples and the sea a few metres away. See our things to do to build the rest of your day around a long lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best seafood in Perissa?
The seafront fish tavernas — Fratzeskos on the Perissa seafront and Lava Taverna toward the Perivolos end — serve simple grilled fish and Greek classics.
Where can you eat on the beach in Perissa?
Most tavernas and beach bars sit right on the black sand; Mezedaki and Sea Side by Notos at Perivolos put tables a few steps from the water.
What are Santorini's local dishes to try?
Look for fava Santorinis (a PDO golden split-pea purée with onion and capers — the signature dish), tomatokeftedes (fritters made from the PDO Santorini cherry tomato), white eggplant, and the island's fresh chloro cheese, plus local capers. They're the volcanic island's own specialties, best washed down with a crisp Assyrtiko.
Do you need to book restaurants in Perissa?
In high summer the seafront spots fill up at sunset, so it is worth arriving early or booking for a front-row table.
