Ombra restaurant at Esperas Santorini hotel — Restaurant in Municipality of Thira

Made a reservation for sunset dinner as recommended by many others. The view was gorgeous, though the restaurant was a little difficult to find. I did arrive late to my reservation but there was no one else there, thankfully we were seated without issue.

The server was very kind at first and provided insight into the menu. We chose to start with cocktails and have a few dishes at a time, enjoying our evening fully. We did this because it did not appear that there was any information about time limits for reservations so we had no problem taking our time and wanted to spend all night enjoying drinks and food.

However, it seemed that the manager of this restaurant did not agree. I heard him angrily berating our server for allowing us to be seated even though we arrived late for our reservation. I clearly heard this manager saying over and over that we shouldn't have been seated, that we needed to hurry up, etc etc. He made no effort to hide his speeches as they were standing just a few meters from our table. I was trying to not allow this to ruin my evening, but when the server came back to table and sarcastically asked "The sunset is done, are you?" I knew that this restaurant was a basic tourist trap and only cared to make money and not please guests. I was very surprised that the restaurant manager would so loudly and angrily proclaim that I shouldn't have gotten the table I made a reservation for and complain that I was taking too long while I was seated clearly within earshot. I left shortly after, even though I wanted to continue ordering, because this kind of treatment left a poor taste in my mouth.

This place has a lovely view and good food. But the treatment of guests by restaurant staff leaves something to be desired.

EDIT: The management response being "just read the other reviews to see that this one is incorrect" kind of goes in line with how little they actually care about guests. It appears that they add such insulting responses to all reviews that are less than 4 stars. Due to this response I am decreasing my review from 2 stars to 1 star.

To management: Sir, perhaps when someone mentions that they personally had an issue with your restaurant and service you should take it into consideration and admit that you were in the wrong instead of attacking the person? I have nothing against your restaurant, but my REAL personal experience as a guest was unpleasant, and your response to me voicing my REAL personal experience is even more unpleasant. Please be...

This restaurant was on our concierge's list of restaurants with stunning sunset views in Oía. We got to the restaurant just before sunset, they had our reservation and the waiter was nice enough to take excellent sunset photos... That was everything positive to happen because the rest was one of the worst experiences I have ever had.

My wife is pregnant and hungry, no surprise. Appetizer salad took a bit to come but it was OK (honestly just ok, it had 4 ingredients and seemed a bit repetitive). Then we waited two hours for her pasta dish and my grilled seabass to come. In that time, no one could figure out why it was taking so long. Finally, our waiter offered the explanation that someone ordered the same two dishes via room service and there was a mixup caused by the second waiter who took our food to a room. So we continued to waited and still nothing. Another employee frantically speaking in Greek on the walkie-talkie with the kitchen. Finally, the second waiter comes over and tells us that he did not mix up the order but that our first waiter took the wrong order. Finally, the walkie-talkie guy runs to the kitchen and eventually we get our food.

The food wasn't great. Had no seasoning what so ever. The cooking was ok, the presentation on the pasta dish was horrible, just everything slopped together.

The table next to us asked for desert before our food came (they arrived after us) the waiter told them no because the kitchen was closing (really?).

We asked for the manager who said he was deeply sorry and it was his first day (unlikely, we saw him talking with a friend the entire shift). He then said he would pay for my glass of wine and her lemonade (wow...) and then gave me the bill and said that if I came back tomorrow, he would personally take the order and everything would be perfect (and I would pay again).

I was very surprised he had the guts to bring the bill and even more surprised by the behavior of the staff who blamed each other the whole time instead of taking action...

Ombra boasts a beautiful setting, ideal for a picturesque dining experience. However, finding the place is a challenge. Despite being aware from previous reviews that it wasn't easy to locate, we still struggled. Google Maps was unhelpful, leading us in circles. The directions provided by the reservations team were brief and insufficient, resulting in our arrival 30 minutes late and missing the sunset.

The presentation of the food was good, but it all lacked in flavour, falling short of expectations for a fine dining establishment with premium pricing.

While the waiting staff were friendly, they were notably slow and lacked knowledge about the dishes and ingredients. The timing of the courses was poorly managed. Our starters were served in a reasonable time, but the main courses were rushed out immediately after the starters were cleared. This left us without drinks to pair with our mains, and we had to wait to get the attention of a waiter to order more.

We were recommended the steak, something different to a traditional local dish, which we decided to try despite our reservations. Priced at 45 euros, it was underwhelming. The steak was rubbery, chewy, and also lacked flavour. The accompanying mashed potatoes, though well-presented, were cold and had developed a skin, indicating they had been left out for some time.

From our week in Santorini, dining at a variety of restaurants, this was unfortunately the least enjoyable experience by a significant margin. The location and setting hold promise, but the food quality and service need considerable improvement to justify the...