Santorini Estiatorio — Restaurant in Markham

Santorini is the most authentic Greek food I have had in the GTA. The servers are extremely attentive, friendly and accommodating and even spoke Greek to my grandparents (that is their preferred language).

I had started with the "lemonada" cocktail. It reminded me of summer is Greece as a kid because they used this lemon flavoured soda that wasn't too sweet but had just the right amount of lemon flavouring without being tart. For appetizers we ordered the calamari and saganaki. I have a cow milk allergy but the sanganaki cheese is made with sheep and goats milk so I was able to enjoy the gooey goodness. For those of you who haven't ordered saganaki before I highly recommend! (It's so fun when they set the cheese on fire, talk about dinner and a show)

The food was unbelievable. I ordered the grilled octopus dinner. The octopus was extremely tender and the plate had a generous portion of food. We had also ordered the Special of the day - sea bass. It was the last one left and our server had ensured it would be set aside for our order. The fish flaked perfectly and the lemony seasoning complimented the dish wonderfully.

At the end of the meal we had ordered Greek coffee. The set up reminds me of my grandmother making these coffees at home. (again quite the show). The server uses fire to heat up the coffee pots at the table and boils the coffee within a minute.

I would absolutely recommend this fine establishment for any special occasion or date night. Make reservations in advance because a table here is highly...

I really hate leaving negative reviews but I feel I have to share my experience here. Despite the many positive reviews on this place, I came here with my coworkers for a farewell lunch and was left horribly disappointed.

First, the good stuff: The restaurant is nicely decorated and looks nice inside. The bread they give out is excellent and tastes freshly baked. Same goes with the pita bread with the platter of dips.

Now the bad: Service was extremely slow and the wait staff can’t seem to handle group checks properly. Yes, I understand that it might take a minute or two longer to enter everything for separate checks, but that’s no excuse for the food to take more than an hour to come and the attitude given to us when we inquired about the food wait time.

What really did the meal in was my calamari dish. After waiting 1.5 hours for this, I found a packaging plastic film that was grilled along with the calamari! Absolutely disgusting and a health hazard! The portion was also pathetic for a $27 (!) dish.

At this point we didn’t even bother notifying the restaurant/server because we came here at noon and got my food at 2pm, and also partly not wanting my coworker to have a bad memory of this last group meal together. And based on the server’s attitude it was unlikely he would have done anything (even if he does, are we really going to wait another hour for a new...

I had high hopes walking into this restaurant, especially given its claim to serve authentic Greek fare. Unfortunately, what followed was a masterclass in how not to honour a culinary tradition. The Horiatiki salad—typically a rustic, vibrant dish, filled with tasty chunks of ingredients—was reduced to a sad plate of cherry tomatoes, paper-thin cucumber slices, and slivers of red pepper. No bold chunks, no robust flavors, just a watered-down interpretation that felt more like a garnish than a centerpiece.

The meal for four came to a staggering $500, which included just one drink per person and a tip. For that price, you'd expect at least a hint of finesse. Instead, I had to ask for salt to coax out any flavor, only to be handed a generic shaker from a discount grocery store. The salad tongs looked like they came straight from a dollar bin—cheap plastic and flimsy.

My ribs were spongy and devoid of taste. The fish dishes ordered by my companions were equally underwhelming. Not one of us left satisfied, and certainly not impressed.

It baffles me how this place continues to draw a crowd. If you're craving Greek food, the humble spot in Hillcrest Mall’s food court delivers far more flavor and authenticity—for a fraction of the cost.

Adios, Santorini. This was a...