Now, open your eyes and find yourself in one of these must-visit locations for every Santorini visitor with a… sharp sweet-tooth!
When in Oia, Melenio Cafe (Oia, +30 22860 71149) is the place everyone visits to appease their low blood-sugar levels… Especially in the afternoon, just before the sun starts to set, a cap of coffee and a piece of pie at Melenio is the perfect way to wave the day ‘good-bye’. On offer are traditional desserts, such as baklava, kantaifi, walnut pie, chocolate pie and milk pie, but you can also choose from well-known European desserts, such as a puffy mille feuille, a cheesy tiramisu or a refreshing lemon pie. Their chocolate soufflé is to die for…
A few blocks further, Skiza Cafe (Oia, +30 210 32101818) also serves home-made pastries on its patio and second floor, both offering a glimpse over the Aegean. Top choices here include the ‘ekmek kantaifi’, a rich mount of pistachio studded cream filling resting on a perfectly crisp nest of kantaifi fylo, and the mille feuille, same cream save the pistachios…
Rounding the sweet stroll along the central rim of the Caldera, Galini Cafe (Firostefani, +30 22860 23097)is a traditional bakery-turned- cute-coffee- shop. A relaxing space with clear Cycladic references, Galini Cafe is open from early in the morning for breakfast until late at night for a cocktail, serving light meal options and desserts in all hours in between. Their prudent dessert menu includes baklava, apple pie, walnut cake, chocolate ‘mosaic’ with butter biscuits, traditional sweet preserves, heavenly combined with fresh Greek yoghurt or ice cream, and a daily surprise!
Ifestioni (Fira, +30 22860 23900) is a bio organic restaurant, where traditional cuisine is elevated with cutting edge culinary skill. The chefs there have been experimenting with molecular cooking for quite some time and it seems they have managed to produce the perfect version of a ‘deconstructed lemon pie’. It is a feast for the eyes, as well as the taste buds: lemon crème filling piped in a spiral pattern across piles of flavourful crumbs and crisp cushions of meringue…
On another French favourite, La Maison (Imerovigli, +30 22860 25649) has managed to elevate its chocolate tart into chocolate… art, infusing it with notes of caramel and cardamom and presenting it with a vanilla biscuit, caramelized banana balls and white chocolate. No surprise here from a restaurant specializing in innovative tastes, prepared and served in perfection and stunning views.
For a more Mediterranean flavour, you should head to the beach and the Italian tratoria Sabbia Nera (Kamari, +30 22860 33007). Apart from authentic pasta, pizza and all the favourite entrées of the Italian cuisine, you’ll have the chance here to also enjoy 'dolci' by the sea. Just ask for their panacota or, better yet, the best tiramisu - possibly - in Cyclades!
Across the bay and even better-suited to warm weather, Cremeria Vienna (Perissa, +30 22860 81616) serves daily a wide selection of home-made ice cream flavours, including many excellent fruit flavours. Try the melon and watermelon, as you’ve never tasted them before, on a scone for the road or on a crepe or waffle to sit at the picturesque back yard.
If you are hosting an event or just want to order and taste some of the best prepared sweet selections on the island made to your measure and taste, Santorini Bakery Patisserie Lixoudis (Fira, +30 22860 23780, +30 6947996209) will readily realize your vision of a perfect dessert. Offering an artistic alternative to traditional baking since 2000, the establishment offers top quality cakes, macaroons, cookies, cake pops, cup cakes, sweet pies, biscuits… and the list goes on!
If you long for something sweet at odd hours, just head to Svoronos Bakery (Fira, +30 22860 23446) and your sweet (or savoury) longing will soon be satisfied. Baking in Santorinin since 1896, Svoronos has been turned into a 24h go-to spot for these after-drinks cravings. Here, you’ll find a wide selection of pies, bread products, traditional desserts and cookies to choose from and you should definitely try their speciality: a warm croissant with pine-apple filling!
And if you wish to taste a unique flavour of Santorini turned into a dessert, Argyros Estate (Episkopi, +30 22860 31489) has recently launched the ‘Vinsanto Chocolate’, available only in selected areas on the island, including the Argyros winery and the airport duty free shop. Hand-crafted using organic, fair trade cocoa, this mountain 50% black chocolate encapsulates Santorini’s sweet vinsanto wine, making the best of two worlds… and a party in your mouth!
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