Where to Eat on a Sunday in Santorini

Tucked into the quiet village of Exo Gonia, Metaxi Mas is the island's most beloved taverna and an institution for a reason. The cooking is a warm Cretan-Santorinian blend, rustic and authentic, built for sharing across a long table of friends. With a rating of 9.4, it is the kind of place where a Sunday lunch begins at one and somehow surrenders the whole afternoon. Book ahead; the locals already have.

A hidden gem in the everyday village of Mesaria, Pentozali is a family-run Cretan mezedopoleio with no caldera view and no pretensions. That is precisely the point: this is honest, rustic mezze cooking aimed squarely at a long, unhurried lunch among friends. It is the Sunday table the island keeps for itself, easy on the wallet at a mid-range price and generous with its plates.

In the hill village of Pyrgos, Penelope's Ouzeri is a traditional ouzeri and mezedopoleio run by a single family. Cosy and authentic, it is built around the ritual of small plates and a slow drink, exactly the cadence a Sunday wants. Affordable and unhurried, it suits a relaxed family table as comfortably as a leisurely lunch for two.

Set on a village square in Pyrgos, Kantouni is the casual, convivial taverna you hope to stumble upon. Family-run and rooted in the local rhythm, it is made for groups and easy lunches that spill across the afternoon. The square setting and gentle prices make it an effortless Sunday choice when you want good plates without ceremony.

In Exo Gonia, Aroma Avlis is a farm-to-table winery restaurant built around a garden and a shaded terrace. The seasonal, authentic kitchen leans on what the island grows, and the setting is made for a long lunch that drifts into the afternoon. It is an ideal Sunday for couples who want something relaxed and rooted rather than showy.

Out in the northern flats of Baxedes, Domaine Sigalas pairs its celebrated wines with a refined food-pairing room and terrace. The seasonal plates are designed to follow the bottles, which makes a Sunday here a genuinely slow affair, glass by glass. With a rating of 9.2, it is a destination that rewards the unhurried, whether for a long lunch or a leisurely afternoon.

Perched above the caldera at Megalochori, Venetsanos is a historic winery with a sunset terrace and a waterfront view that asks you to stay. Family-run and built for slow afternoons, it is at its best with a glass in hand as the light softens over the water. A Sunday here is about the place as much as the plate, easygoing and unrushed.

The cooperative winery Santo Wines, near Pyrgos, offers a sweeping caldera terrace that suits groups and long, lazy afternoons. The refined, local pours and the open-air setting make it an easy Sunday gathering point, especially as the day cools toward evening. It is relaxed and convivial, made for lingering over the view rather than racing through it.

In quiet Akrotiri, The Good Heart is exactly what its name promises: a family-run traditional taverna with a calm, unhurried feel. The cooking is honest and authentic, and the peaceful setting makes it a natural fit for a relaxed family Sunday or a gentle summer evening. There is no spectacle here, only a good table and the time to enjoy it.

Down by the water in Akrotiri, Taverna Giorgaros is a fishermen's seafood taverna where the catch is the whole point. Family-run, casual and authentic, it is built for a long seaside lunch over fresh fish and a cold carafe. A Sunday here suits couples and anyone happy to let the afternoon idle by the harbour.