Athermi Restaurant — Restaurant in Municipality of Thira

Ok, I need to tell you about this place.

We were in the area because we wanted to see the sunset at the Heart of Santorini, and we needed a place to eat afterwards. There aren't a ton of places to eat nearby, it being a less touristy area than some. We saw this restaurant, with only one review, from six days prior, but the review was five stars, and we figured what the heck. Good job, reviewer six days ago! Excellent job! Only it should have been six stars, or eleven, whatever hyperbole is most hyperbolic.

We arrived at the hotel and sort of wandered down the stairs looking for the restaurant, and we were greeted by a lovely middle aged lady who asked if we wanted to see the menu. "We have good food here," she said, in the tones of one stating a plain fact. And so it was.

The menu does not particularly draw your attention to it, but the scallops are apparently the chefs signature dish, and let me tell you, wowowow. I like scallops and have sought out good ones, but these scallops. They combined richness and sweetness in a way that is unprecedented in my prior experience. The sauce they came in was pure poetry, if you could sop up poetry with house-baked bread. Keats eat your heart out, these scallops are the glory that was Greece.

I had the grilled prawns. Starting from good prawns, I would have said, this is a dish that you mostly need to avoid ruining in the preparation. But honestly, there was just a more-ness to all the flavors-- am I rhapsodizing? Do I digress? Am I o full of good wine and good will for all mankind? Possibly. But you could be too, and here is the place to achieve it.

After our meal, when the sun had well and truly set, it was a bit gusty on the terrace (by the way, THE VIEW, see attached), and the server, I cannot believe this really happened, brought us blankets! To be snuggly in while we waited for the cab they called us!

Thirteen stars! Eleventy stars! Just eat here and write your own silly review, you can...

We happened to be in the area checking out the pottery workshops, and were we extremely fortunate to have found this hidden gem.

It was coming to the end of season and they were going to close in a few days. An absolute close shave for us.

The lady who served us (apologies for we didn't get your name) made our experience so comfortable. She would check in on us, constantly ensure that every little bit of our dining time was perfect, and even share heaps of information about the season, the area, transportation, etc...

Food-wise I must admit I'm very pleased when they refuse to serve any produce that are out of season - whether they have it in store is beside the point. They could have served frozen fish but they did not, and instead shared with us that because the produce weren't fresh, those dishes will not be available. This only shows the standard that they uphold themselves to.

We had quite a few dishes, but the king of the meal was truly the octopus. The octopus was one of the best I've had across the world; it wasn't too chewy like rubber, it wasn't too soft and lacking structure. My wife and I found it to be perfectly done. The rest of the dishes were of course delicious.

Needless to say, we hope to be back.

Oh, by the way,...

We had such a lovely time at Athermi! The food was incredible, the meat with smashed potatoes was cooked perfectly, the Santorinian salad was fresh and full of flavor, and the mushrooms with balsamic sauce and truffle oil were just amazing. For dessert, they brought us a unique chocolate mousse that looked like little chocolate rocks with strawberries on top, it was both beautiful and delicious.

The view was stunning, and even though it was windy so we sat inside, the atmosphere was still cozy and very enjoyable. The staff were wonderful, kind, attentive, and always checking in to make sure we had everything we needed. They even helped us with the menu and kept our water glasses filled the whole time.

Overall, between the amazing food, the warm hospitality, and the lovely setting, Athermi is a place I’d...