Lycabettus Restaurant — Restaurant in Municipality of Thira

I don't normally leave bad reviews as I am more of a praise in public and scold in private sort of person. However, given the absurd price of this meal compared to teh value received, I feel the need to warn others to avoid a similar feeling of disappointment.

Let's start with the positives. Yes, the location is very pretty. It's on a small outcropping in Oia. The problem is that there are probably 100 other restaurants with an equally pretty view that don't cost anywhere near the amount this place charges. It's a nice view, but nearly identical to all the restaurants in the village with a view.

They don't rush you. Okay, this may be a backhanded compliment because they do the opposite of rush you. This was a four hour long meal. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a nice leisurely meal that allows me to enjoy the food, the wine and the atmosphere. The problem is that the food was spaced out so far apart that we were eating for 5 minutes then waiting 20 minutes for the next course. We actually had to ask for the check before the dessert becuase we had been there so long.

OKay, for the less positive part of the review. The food just wasn't very good. Was if fancy? Yes. But it seemed fancy for the sake of fancy not becuase it was an innovative way to enhance the flavors of the food. Each dish had some unique element of givng you a dish with a few fancy elements and then they would pour some sauce over the top. Or, it had some foam mousse of mushroom blah blah blah that was supposed to make it look expensive. It just didn't taste very good.

Okay, but surely over 9 courses we received a lot of food right? Wrong. Each course was so tiny and unsatisfying that we actaully left the restaurant and went to a souvlaki place around the corner to satisfy our hunger. The portions were tiny! We even upgraded to the lobster for an additonal €60. What we received was a two inch x one inch long piece of lobster. It was literally two bites! I wasn't expecting a whole lobster, but at least give me a whole lobster tail for that price!

Finally, we decided to go with the wine pairing for an additional €143....EACH! What does nearly €300 of wine get you, apparantly not very much at this restaurant. Maybe we should have considered ourselves warned when the waiter tried to talk us out of the wine pairing and told us for teh same price we could get a bottle of wine along with a few additional glasses for after dinner. Unfortunately, we did not heed his warning and decided to stubbornly press on.

Keeping with the theme of the food, the pours were tiny. Also, given the issue with the timing of the food on nearly every course we received the wine 15 minutes before the food came. By the time we had the food for the course the wine was long gone.

We ate at a lot of restaurants in Santorinni while visiting and this meal was by far the worst. To make it worse, at nearly €900, it was also most expensive meal we ate by an even larger margin.

I think this is a tourist trap for people looking to do something extravegant and fancy while in Santorinni. I think thats a great idea, but you can achieve it while spending one third of the price of this restaurant AND get better food.

Thanks for reading, I hope this helps someone else to...

Self-proclaimed as the best restaurant in Oia, Lycabettus was a bit of a disappointment for us. The food is OK, some dishes are even pretty good, but the rest of the experience totally ruined the night. First, yes, the views are supposed to be pretty amazing, but they are such only from one or two tables. I requested a table on the "cliff" (which is actually not really a cliff at all) and was told that it required selecting one of the tasting menus (which are either Euro 140 or Euro 175 per person without drinks or wine). OK, I was willing to do that for what I hoped would be an amazing dinner. When we got our table, my wife was looking at the head of the people at the table in front of us and I was looking at some rocks and garbage on the other side. So much for the view, so I asked to be moved and they did accommodate that request (without being too happy about it) and we got a third table on the left side of the "cliff" with a nice view of Oia - nice, but you can get this same view from probably 50 other different restaurants and without paying insane tasting menu prices.

The tasting menu is fixed - so you have no choices at all. However, one of the items on the menu are oysters that neither I nor my wife like. So I asked for a replacement. These types of substitutions are always very easily handled by the best restaurants like Daniel or Le Bernardin in NYC, but seemed to be a huge issue for Lycabettus. The waiter had to go ask the chef about this and came back offering a green salad instead! I told the waiter that I did not want a green salad and for the chef to come up with something else. In response, I was told "No, this is all the chef is willing to do." So I was paying close to Euro 450 for dinner and was going to be forced to eat something I did not want!?!? The waiter did not seem to care and just left, ultimately bringing us the salad (which was greens with buckwheat - so much for a great meal!). I just pushed it aside and sat waiting for the next dish. Luckily, the manager noticed this and came over to ask what was going on. When I explained, he did offer to bring me another dish and did, which was good. However, did I really need to go through this experience with the waiter and the chef?

Overall, pompous atmosphere, good food (at times) and horrible service for a very expensive price tag. My advice - save yourself a lot of money and go to many other restaurants that Oia...

Last night at Lycabettus was nothing short of magical!

Situated on the most stunning balcony in Oia, this restaurant truly lives up to its reputation.

My partner and I were there for a special occasion as I had planned a surprise wedding proposal.

The staff, knowing the importance of the evening, went above and beyond to make everything perfect.

From the moment we arrived, the ambiance set the tone with its breathtaking view and stars above. The real standout of the evening, however, was the exceptional service provided by the staff, particularly our waiter, an enthusiastic photographer.

Not only did he provide impeccable service throughout our meal, but his passion for photography truly shone. He captured our special moment so beautifully, the photos could easily win awards!

The highlight of the evening was the proposal itself, seamlessly orchestrated by the Lycabettus team.

At the perfect moment, they presented a steaming bowl to our table with the engagement ring nestled inside, surrounded by red roses.

The creativity and attention to detail in planning this moment were incredibly touching.

The menu was a delight as well, with dishes that were both inventive and delicious, truly a testament to the chef's talent and the restaurant's commitment to quality.

I cannot recommend Lycabettus enough. Whether for a special occasion or a memorable meal in Santorini, this place is a must-visit.

Thank you to everyone at Lycabettus for an evening we will...