Restaurant in Santori, Greece
36 years deep. Book for occasions, not views.

Selene is the strongest case for serious contemporary Greek dining in Santorini. With 36 years of operation, an OAD Top 500 Europe ranking (2025), and a wine list of 580 selections overseen by Wine Director Yiannis Karakasis, it earns its $$$ price point. Book for a special occasion in shoulder season and prioritise the tasting menu with wine pairings.
If you are planning a special-occasion dinner in Santorini and want a restaurant with genuine depth behind it — not just a caldera view and a prix-fixe menu , Selene is the right call. It suits couples marking a milestone, serious food travellers who want contemporary Greek cooking with a credible wine program, and returning visitors who have already done the obvious Oia sunset spots and want something with more substance. The optimal window is shoulder season: late April through June, or September into October, when the heat is manageable, the tourist volume is lower, and the kitchen is operating at full capacity without the pressure of peak summer service.
Selene has been a reference point on the island since its founding, now with 36 years of continuous operation behind it. The current address is Katikies Garden Hotel in Fira, housed in what was originally an old Catholic Monastery , a building with the kind of architectural weight that most Santorini restaurants borrow from their views rather than their walls. Wine Director Yiannis Karakasis oversees a list of 580 selections and 3,000 bottles in inventory, with particular strength in Greek, French, and Italian producers. At $$$ pricing on the wine side, expect bottles well into the €100+ range, so budget accordingly. Chef Ettore Botrini leads the kitchen, and General Manager Vasileios Koumpis runs the floor under owner Nikolaos Pagonis. Opinionated About Dining placed Selene at #494 in its 2025 European ranking , a meaningful data point that puts it in the conversation with the serious end of the continent's dining scene, not just the island's.
Selene's editorial angle is contemporary Greek, which in practice means the kitchen is working with native ingredients and regional technique but not limiting itself to a strictly traditional register. A tasting menu format rewards the patience to let the progression do its work: expect the earlier courses to sketch out the island's pantry , local produce, Aegean seafood , before the middle of the meal takes on more structural complexity, and the final savoury courses resolve into something more considered. This is not the format for a quick dinner or a group that wants to order freely. It rewards diners who are there for the full arc. Pairing the wine list to the menu is worth the extra spend given the depth of the Greek selection , Karakasis has built a list where indigenous varieties are treated seriously, which is not a given at this price point even in Athens. If you have been to Selene once and ordered à la carte, the tasting menu is the next logical step on a return visit.
Cuisine: Contemporary Greek. Meals served: Lunch and Dinner. Wine pricing: $$$, with many bottles above €100. Cuisine pricing: $$$, representing a typical two-course meal above €66 before beverages. Google rating: 4.5 from 299 reviews. Booking difficulty: Easy , reservations are available without the weeks-in-advance scramble you face at comparable restaurants in Athens such as Delta in Athens. Book two to three weeks out for peak summer dates; shoulder season is more forgiving. The Katikies Garden Hotel location in Fira is accessible from most parts of the island, and staying nearby simplifies the evening considerably , see our full Santorini hotels guide for options in the area.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price (Food) | Booking Ease | Wine Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selene (Fira) | Contemporary Greek | $$$ | Easy | 580 selections / 3,000 bottles |
| Koukoumavlos (Fira) | Contemporary Greek | $$$ | Moderate | Not specified |
| Lycabettus (Oia) | Contemporary | $$$ | Moderate | Not specified |
| Aktaion (Firostefani) | Greek | $$ | Easy | Not specified |
If Santorini's dining scene interests you, widen the search: Almiriki in Mykonos and the Myconian Utopia Resort in Elia are worth considering for island dining at a similar register. For serious contemporary Greek cooking on the mainland, Delta in Athens is the current benchmark. Further afield in Greece, Etrusco in Kato Korakiana, Olais in Kefalonia, and the Old Mill in Elounda represent the stronger end of regional Greek fine dining. For those benchmarking against leading European and global tasting-menu restaurants, Le Bernardin in New York City and Atomix in New York City show the international tier Selene is being measured against in the OAD rankings. See also our full Santorini restaurants guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide to build out the rest of your trip.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selene | Contemporary Greek | Selene is one of the most famous restaurants of Santorini, with a history that goes back 36 years. It is currently housed in Katikies Garden Hotel, in an imposing building that used to be an old Monas...; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #494 (2025); WINE: Wine Strengths: Greece, France, Italy Pricing: $$$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Selections: 580 Inventory: 3,000 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: Greek Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Lunch and Dinner STAFF: People Wine Director: Yiannis Karakasis Chef: Ettore Botrini General Manager: Vasileios Koumpis Owner: Nikolaos Pagonis | Easy | — |
| Botrini's | Contemporary Greek, Mediterranean Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Hytra | Modern Greek, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Spondi | Contemporary Greek, French | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Tudor Hall | Contemporary | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Aleria | Greek | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Selene measures up.
The kitchen works in contemporary Greek, meaning native ingredients treated with regional technique rather than fusion flourishes. Lean into the tasting menu format to get the full picture — it is the clearest expression of what chef Ettore Botrini is doing here. The wine list runs to 580 selections with 3,000 bottles in inventory, and wine director Yiannis Karakasis has built particular depth in Greek, French, and Italian labels, so pairing is worth the spend at this price point ($$$).
Selene is a sit-down dining room with a tasting menu orientation, which typically suits solo diners willing to engage with the full format. There is no confirmed bar counter option in the venue data, so solo visitors should book a table directly and confirm seating preferences at time of reservation. At $$$ pricing, the investment makes more sense if you are treating it as a focused, unhurried solo meal rather than a quick dinner.
Yes — this is one of the clearer calls in Santorini dining. Selene has 36 years of operation behind it, an Opinionated About Dining Top 500 Europe ranking (2025), and a setting inside a former monastery at Katikies Garden Hotel. At $$$ for cuisine and $$$ for wine, the price is in line with a proper special-occasion spend. If your group wants a caldera-view terrace with a shorter menu and lower commitment, other island options may suit better — but for depth and track record, Selene is the choice.
Selene's setting — a converted monastery in a garden hotel — and its $$$ price tier suggest that overly casual dress would be out of place. The venue data does not specify a formal dress code, but given the occasion-dining positioning and European fine-dining context, neat resort wear or smart dress is a reasonable baseline. Avoid beachwear. If you are unsure, check the venue's official channels to confirm current expectations.
Within Santorini, the comparison is mostly against view-driven terrace restaurants that trade on the caldera backdrop more than kitchen pedigree. For island dining with comparable ambition elsewhere in the Cyclades, Almiriki in Mykonos and venues at the Myconian Utopia Resort in Elia are worth considering. If you want a Botrini reference point on the mainland, Botrini's restaurant in Athens is the chef's flagship and runs at a similar contemporary Greek register.
The venue data does not confirm a bar-dining option at Selene. Given the formal restaurant format and tasting menu structure, walk-in bar seating is unlikely to be the standard experience here. Book a table in advance — at $$$ pricing and with a ranked wine program, arriving without a reservation is a risk not worth taking in peak Santorini season.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.