The Athenian House — Restaurant in Municipality of Thira

The Athenian House boasts some of the most amazing views you could ask for in Santorini. There are a select number of restaurants that would self-identify as five-star with top-tier pre-fixed tasting menus on the island. The Athenian House strives to be among them but falls desperately short.

your experience starts with a 200 Euro prepayment to make a reservation. While some deposit or prepayment is not unreasonable for 5 star or Michelin caliber eateries, the Athenian House is nowhere near the caliber to warrant this ridiculously high deposit, and 200 Euros borders on extortion.

We arrived on one of the hottest days in Santorini. Certainly not the fault of the owners. Unfortunately no umbrellas, no effort to create shade, and little to no sensitivity as to how uncomfortable the outdoor seating was. At a minimum, a complimentary chilled beverage upon arrival might have conveyed some concern for the patrons' comfort.

Service was average. By average I mean it was OK for an average restaurant. If The Athenian Hous hopes to be considered in any top-tier discussion, service needs to be at an entirely different level. Most servers seem unfamiliar with the menu. For a fixed price tasting menu at roughly 100 Euros per plate, it was alarming that the servers often didn't seem to know anything about the dish they were offering. They served the wrong dish to the wrong person multiple times. On at least three occasions I had to ask what was being served. The descriptions were memorized and when asked for any additional details regarding preparation, the server stumbled with no additional information or insight. When my napkin fell the server did pick it up but never replaced it. Attentiveness to the table was average to poor. Most importantly the food just missed the mark. For an average restaurant, it was average. For a top-tier restaurant, it was a disappointment.

The fava bean starter was served smoked in a sealed jar which made for a nice presentation but imparted zero taste to the dish itself. The Artichoke starter is best described as one-dimensional. No characteristic taste to comment on. Both of these were really not enjoyable.

The seafood bisque was less bisque and more of seafood stock. Over salted.

Not sure why the shrimp starter was called a shrimp "saganaki". It tasted like a very average grilled shrimp with feta cheese,

The beef and lamb kebabs were also quite average. Just nothing unique. Minimal flavor. The lamb mousaka was below average. I had high hopes for this unique take on a traditional dish. The smoked eggplant was either tasteless or absent and the feta cheese bechamel could have been canned. The lamb itself was dry and overcooked.

The "Famous Athenian House Baklava" is basically two pieces of filo dough that could be bought pre-packaged sandwiching peanut butter cups. Not bad but not unique and something I'd expect in my gelato as a garnish at a local gelato shop. Certainly not a 5-star desert nor alertly of the descriptor "Famous".

The positives of the evening in addition to the incredible views were the ginger ravioli which were incredibly unique and flavorful and the truffle risotto. These two dishes were truly remarkable and memorable.

All in with a couple of drinks, this was a six hundred euro meal for 4 people. Way, way overpriced for the quality of the food, the level of service, and the overall experience. I certainly don't mind paying in this price range but certain expectations come if you hope to be considered worthy of this price tag. The view was nice, the service was polite but average and the food misses the mark for the tier in which this restraint hopes to...

I had very high expectations reading the reviews and all the talking going on around the restaurant however unfortunately must admit I was very disappointed from the food and the service. Going at a restaurant where you have a selection of 3 menus between 80 and 120 euros / person you expect fine dinning however this was not the case. I apologize for what is coming next however it is what it is. I got the discovery menu: 1st dish : Zucchini Carpaccio ( tarama citrus & yuzu ) - 6 round slices of zucchini (rather thick ) marinated and some walnuts on the top... ok it was raw but seriously now... 2nd dish : Chilled Greek Summer soup ( fresh mint yogurt ) : Serving a tomato paste on top of 4 slices of cucumber does not make it a soup. Sourdough Fluffy Crust ( tomato, chioro chesse , oregano & capers ) : it was ok but definitely not a dish for such a restaurant. 3rd dish : Truffle grilled baby calamari with the Athenian house fava - first plate that came and was pretty good , the calamari was really nice cooked and the risotto with the truffle flavor sitting underneath was nice even though the rice was a bit overcooked. Moreover the smoked fava served in a jar with caramelized onions was really interesting. 4th dish (main course ) : You could choose between Organic beef - lamb kebabs and Surf & Turf Black linguini. I went for the linguini with grilled shrimps, chorizo, peas & asparagus as it took my eye when I saw it to other tables next to me. Unfortunately it was only eye catching as the chorizo was so strong and salty covering all other flavors. 5th dish ( desert ) : there was again a selection of 2 where I got the Famous Athenian House Baklava ( peanut butter, chocolate , salty caramel & pistachio ) - must admit it was an interesting dish with maybe the best crisp phyllo I ever tasted. As far as drinks: I got a cocktail which was ok and my girlfriend got a selection of three different white wines which were served all together at the same time ( huge mistake ). By the time she had the first glass the other two had become warm. To close up with my experience have to mention the service part. We were the only Greeks at that time and they kept talking to us in English and then apologizing for that, they could not explain the dishes in Greek so they used also English words and moreover they did not know which one of us had ordered which menu and they were keep mixing up the plates. Some things might be details but when its about fine dinning details count. Location and view on the other hand are...

DO NOT COME HERE. Please do not waste one of your precious meal reservations on your Santorini vacation at this place. We had to pay a $100 deposit when making the reservation when, looking back on it now, is extremely laughable. Usually when you make a reservation with a hefty deposit, you can be confident the food will be good. I’m confident they have a $100 deposit in place to make you feel trapped once you arrive and see how lackluster the place and menu are. This is touted as a Michelin star restaurant online, and all I have to say about that is... What????? Ended up paying 400 euros for what I could imagine paying around 75 euros max for. My girlfriend had to ask for salt to put on her seafood moussaka as this and the rest of the meal for both of us was totally bland and lacking any real flavor complexity or creativity. Super basic dishes. My cocktail tasted like gin and water and was truly laughable.

The google photos online of the seating area are a straight up CATFISH!!! They have stuffed in so many more tables since taking those photos. The place is way overcrowded and super uncomfortable. They first tried to sit us at a table that was in between two other tables on the upper deck area which I declined. The chairs were literally touching the other tables’ chairs and couldn’t even be pulled out.

Service was horrible, and everyone seemed lost. I didn’t finish any of the courses I was served, which is not normal for me. There are so many other better options on the island to choose from, including one that is right below this place. It’s Varoulko — which is arguably the best restaurant in Santorini.

They put water in the soap dispensers and just leave a little soap in there. That should tell you a lot about the place and that this is NOT fine dining or Michelin star quality.

You know a place must be really bad if you’re on vacation and still feel the need to leave a review about how poor the experience was. I legit would not come back here if they paid me to eat here again. So many fake reviews on here touting this place as the best meal they ever had… must be the only meal they’ve ever eaten in their life if this is how they feel. Overall, don’t come here unless you want to get scammed and eat cafeteria food for close to $200 per person. Complete disgrace to the Michelin star status and they should be ashamed...