Thalami — Restaurant in Municipality of Thira

This place is clearly white-friendly, and if you’re not "white enough," you’d better choose another restaurant. Nobody deserves poor service because of their skin color.

I had dinner here last August, and looking back on my trip to Santorini, this experience remains the worst memory.

It wasn’t peak season. We didn’t have a reservation and simply walked in, asking if there was a table for two outside. The waitress (red dress, thin, and a bit short) told us we couldn’t sit outside, even though I could see plenty of empty tables with no reservation signs.

She insisted we sit inside. When we politely asked again if we could move outside if a table became available, she gave us a firm NO and said we could only go to the rooftop after eating, but only if we ordered dessert.

We were hungry, so we sat inside. While sitting there, I observed her interacting with other guests. To my shock, I noticed that white guests were being seated on the terrace without any reservations. I could clearly tell some of them were walk-ins, just like us.

I felt insulted, but we had already ordered our food. So, I approached another waiter and kindly asked if there was any chance we could sit outside. To my surprise, within a minute, he said yes, and we moved to the terrace. That confirmed my suspicion: the waitress was racist. Why? Because during my stay, at least one-third of the terrace tables were empty, and only a few were marked as reserved.

The bad experience didn’t end there. As my mom tried to enter the terrace area, the same waitress blocked her way and rudely stopped her from passing. Her behavior was completely unacceptable.

When I paid, I explained the situation to another waiter. He said he would report it to the manager, but I honestly don’t trust that anything was done. The waiter even defended the waitress.

Santorini is full of tourists, and maybe some staff feel like they don’t need to provide good service because they’ll never see us again. But that doesn’t excuse poor behavior. Despite the food being good, I will never recommend this restaurant to anyone, especially...

We arrived for dinner and were sat by the hostess in a lovely seat, on the edge with a caldera view. And without a reservation (though I do not think they take any). We thought this was the start to a great evening.

As I checked out the wine list, I selected a 2015 bottle of Papaioannou Agiorgitiko Old Vines Nemea. This was listed for 64 euros. We had drank the same bottle 2 nights before at Pelekanos down the street for 59 euros and it was one of get best bottles of wine we have ever drank. The waiter came back to state that they did not have any and could he offer us something else. I was a little disappointed in the other bottle varieties and prices - many of which I can have in California where we are from. He told me they were checking their other restaurants and came back after our appetizer arrived with what he said was a bottle of our order. He showed me, opened it, and here the waiter tastes a bit of the wine to see. I then tasted it and agreed it was good. However, after he left and I started drinking it, I noticed it was a 2019 bottle of the reserve of this grapel vineyard. When he came back I told him the year difference and he agreed, trying to explain he tasted the difference. Anyhow, then after we had our excellent entrees, they brought the bill and charged us 64 euros.

I explained to the waiter (not the taster) the difference and he went to ask, then our original waiter came back and explained and said he would check with the manager. He returned and said the manager said we agreed to the bottle so no change.

When I checked USA retail for these wines, the 2015 retails for $49 and the 2019 for $14. Honestly, I would recommend both wines. However, the 2015 is a different caliber and aged more. And here, it's about the principle. We paid more for a 2019 bottle than a 2015 bottle. True, for my part I could have paid more attention to the label when showed and also taste, but it was also represented falsely by the restaurant. So wine drinkers beware, whether novice or sor pay attention to what this place tries...

I do not review many things, but this restaurant left such an impression that I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

The food, which covered a range of traditional and unique Greek dishes, blew myself and my family away. We had a group of nine, each ordering something different, and we ate here twice. There wasn’t a single stomach left unsatisfied or wanting more. The mushroom risotto was creamy and delicate. The seafood for two was savory and flavorful. The veal burger was juicy and put a classic American burger to shame. The fried feta was covered in a delightful sweet sauce. The lobster for one or two is daunting! So much food with so much flavor. Every dish plated with an eye for detail and flair.

The drinks, which spanned classic cocktails to inventive Greek inspired concoctions, were simply the best on the island. Every cocktail (and yes I mean every. I tried all of them) were unbelievable. The bartenders not only could make a drink taste good, but make it look good. Try not taking an Instagram pic of the drinks.

Finally (and I appreciate if you’ve read this far), the thing that made this restaurant stand out above the rest was the staff. Now let me preface this with almost every worker on the island is absolutely delightful. However, from Mary making coffee in the mornings and helping seat the crowds at night, to Antonis, Amilios, Listos, and Jim behind the bar keeping the energy and drinks flowing, there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t fully focused on the happiness and well-being of myself and my family as customers. Our waiter Stratos took the time to remember the names of my family (I can barely remember my sisters names and he remembered all nine family members’). He took the time to make our family feel special.

I highly urge you to try this restaurant if you are visiting the island. The view, food, drinks, and staff will leave you fuller and happier than when...