Santorini

Fresh red snapper was amazing. It was cool to see it deboned table side. The Greek roasted potatoes were upwards of the best potatoes I’ve ever had. Service and atmosphere was great. Exactly what you think of when you think of Greektown. Highly recommend.

I have been eating at Santorini for years with my father, we go before Blackhawk games. The service has always been great, the food fantastic, especially grilled octopus and saganaki cheese.
The atmosphere, dimmed light, the view from the booth windows, it’s all great. I refuse to go to any other restaurant in Greek town.

Oh my goodness. How on earth can Greek Islands and Santorini be across from one another? I have eaten at Greek Islands a few times and found it pretty darned good. Santorini was a giant let down. Maybe when the Zagat sign is two years old on the door, that should account for something. It basically has the same decorum as its competitor. Sat down, and my server was pretty pushy about getting my order for some reason. (I can only think of the sound of tumbleweeds in the near distance, as this place was virtually a ghost town at lunch). I ordered the eggplant spread and the dolmades. I asked if maybe I could have a side salad with it, but he wasn’t very clear about whether or not that could happen. Strange. The bread was probably the best thing I ate. I’ll guess its made off premises. The eggplant was bright green and different looking than I’ve seen before, but I’m ALL about new experiences! It was bitter and very vinegary. Not at all tasty, just disturbing. (where’s a Tom Hanks milkshake from Big when you need one?) The dolmades comes out and the sauce reminds me of the cheese slop I had the other night when my bright idea was to try The Wienerscircle at 4am. It was thick and looked like it came from a can. Nothing fresh looking about it. The grape leaves themselves were fair. I was hungry, so I ate half of them. The service was also pretty bad. I watched the server and quite possibly the busser chatting it up a bit and not paying attention to what little guests they had. After motioning twice for the check, I finally spoke louder, «Excuse me!» I will not be back here.

Even after being almost an hour late due to Chicago rush-​hour traffic and local construction, Santorini held our table for 8 people. Their FREE vallet parking made it a little easier when we arrived. I
We were all dressed in our Blackhawks jerseys because we were all going to the game which started in just over an hour of when we sat down. Our waiter assured us that he would have us out the door in time to make the start of the game.
Most of us had the traditional greek food… lamb, and it was very good! Mine was the cinnamon lamb and pasta. The lamb was so tender it came off the bone like it was pulled pork. My wife went with the lamb chops which I tasted and were also fantastic! But my favorite ended up being the sea bass that my sister got. It was perfectly seasoned and had this incredible buttery flavor. I hope it will be one of the daily specials when I go back because it will be what I order.
To speed up the process the waiter dropped off the bill just as we were finishing up our meal and kept track of time for us. He let us know that there was 20 minutes till puck drop. We paid our bill and headed out. We made it to our seats just in time for the National Anthem.
In the winter time, ask for a table close to the fire place, it’s a nice touch.

This was not our first visit to Santorini. Our New Year’s Eve visit included some out of the ball park hits, and some definite misses. Free valet parking is a big plus. The ambience is great, and includes the fireplace, multiple levels, and a fresh Christmas tree. We had a reservation, and were seated promptly. Water glasses brought to table and filled. Fresh, crusty bread, olive oil on the table, and an open, empty butter packet in the dish of butters served (we stuck with the olive oil). The wine list includes many nice Greek selections. We chose a fresh, light Greek white, which was served in a chilled wine glasses. Nice! The saganaki flamed high, and was delish, a nice counterpoint to the bread! We tried the Santorini salad-​Romaine, salad veggies, feta, and olives over boiled potato cubes, with a tangy vinaigrette. Another good companion to the bread. They were out of sea bass, so we chose grouper and swordfish. Both were fresh tasting and char grilled to perfection. Sides included typical Greek rice and potato wedges; we also ordered the green beans, which were tender crisp in typical Greek sauce. Surprisingly, they were out of three dessert selections. We had crème caramel, which was just ok. Decaf coffee tasted as though it was sitting quite a while. Service was efficient, waiter was knowledgeable. The bus man (won’t call him a bus boy, he was a grey haired gent) did a great job, filling glasses, removing used plates, de-​crumbing the table… he ran circles around the others and greatly increased the caliber of the service. Opaa! I recommend Santorini for the seafood selections. On the whole it was a good dining experience.

My boyfriend and I came here for a date night (we’ve been dreaming of going to the real Santorini so he surprised me with reservations at the next best thing!).
FOOD: ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Yas. I had the vegetarian moussaka — so yummy! Tasted like lasagna but without noodles and made of layers of veggies. My boyfriend had the walleyed pike and devoured it in seconds! We shared a side of Greek fries that were divine. Wine was great too! I had the house Merlot, he had the house Cab.
SERVICE: ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Our server was so helpful and attentive. He could tell we were having trouble with the menu so he made many suggestions to us.
AMBIENCE: ¹⁵⁄₁₀! My favorite part! I’m big on the ambience of restaurants and this one was so delightful. If you didn’t look out the window and see the Chicago streets, you would think you were right there in Greece! There were huge families having big family style dinners — we’re planning on bringing a big group next time!
I would 100% recommend this place to anyone looking for a great date night or family dinner night!

Really terrible restaurant.
Food: We order grilled octopus as a starter which was only ok. Then gyros which were as dry as you can ever imagine and then kebob which was terrible too.
Service: bad. At all times the waiter was just wondering around. There was even a waiter that dropped a whole salad on to the floor just beside our table.
Ambient: noisy, terrible. The dish cleaning station was behind us so there was dish clanking noise all the time.
Won’t recommended. I’m never going back.

I’ve eaten at Greek Islands across the street before and have nothing but praise for that place. We decided to give Santorini a shot yesterday and oh what a let down! We had reservations but that was unnecessary. Most tables were empty for the entire time we were there.
We ordered the Fried Calamari as an appetizer which was yummy. The most disappointing part of the experience was the main course. I liked my Shrimp De jonghe but my husband’s Shrimp Scampi was extremely buttery and greasy. The rice pilaf I ordered as a side would put any Greek grandma to shame. This was an insult to the genre as of pilafs. It was just a plate of plain rice with some yucky red tomato sauce on it. The potatoes my husband ordered as his side was dry and some pieces were under cooked (for some really good Greek-​Middle Eastern style potatoes, I recommend Pita Heaven on Michigan in the South Loop).
We were very disappointed with the food. I would never ever go there again. I should have guessed from the unappealing food pics on their website.
Also when we asked our server about family style food options, he had no idea what we were talking about. He had to go and ask someone and then came back and told us that you need a minimum of 8 people to order family style (note that Greek Islands does family style with 2 people or more).
We did not order desserts. Our server was the only good thing about the place. He was nice, attentive, and apologized for the bad food saying he is Greek and he was not too happy with the new chef. Santorini — never again.

As a greek girl myself this place is great! My family and I have been coming here for years. It’s one of the only places we come back to in greek town.
The food and the service is as authentic as you can get in the states!
The Greek Chicken is Amazing!

First time at Santorini. Not a large restaurant, and quite loud as a result. Far more large groups than couples. The service there is absolutely fantastic. Had a reservation and had to wait a little longer, but no worries with a nice little bar area to wait at. Bartender was as nice as they come, and busting his ass to help customers and co-​workers.
Lemon Sole Filet was good. A little bummed at the amount of bones, but otherwise enjoyable. They only offer a vegetarian Moussaka, which is odd. It is good, but not the best I’ve had. Saganaki and Avgolemono soup were excellent, although the soup was slightly over-​salted. The portion sizes for the price are a great value for anybody into the big portion thing. They have a small offering of steaks, and for Choice cuts, they seemed highly over-​priced.
By far, the best, most sincere service in Greektown that I’ve experienced. Will return just for the good service, Hard-​working crew there.

This restaurant was recently reviewed by The Chicagoist and was called one if the best Greek restaurants in the city.
I recognize that all reviews are subjective, but the food here wAs sub par at best. The saganaki was great, but our respective meals of lamb kapama and the combination plate were not. The meals were cold and the sauce on the lamb was quite watery.
The service, however, was great. Stick with the saganaki and drinks and you’ll leave happy.

This place is always amazing! Haven’t been here in years, but when dinner is in question, and the weather is nice, outside seating at Santorini is the place!
The customer service is great, giving us enough time to chat and enjoy the weather.
Food was delicious. We ordered the garlic sauce appetizer which was amazing– with the hot bread, yum. And the calamari appetizer was also great and filling.
We ordered the seafood platter to share for one of the entrees and it was just about enough. As well as the scallops. They were small but tasty.
The Reisling was very good for the day and with dinner too.

I wish I could write a different review of Santorini. I am giving this place 2-​stars rather than one, based on previous experiences. The story:
My former company’s sales department visited Santorini a few times a week. The heads of state would dine on an all-​too-​lengthy lunch, often imbibe, and keep the expense gravy train flowing in their coffers. It was always good, not great. But good enough that even I, on my last day of employment at this place, thought that Santorini would be a good pick. So yes, I once liked it there…
Skip ahead a number of months to Saturday night, and we go to Santorini with high hopes. A rainy night, not packed, plenty of reservations available on open table, I know we will be able to sit down. The hostess politely tells us a party is paying and asks us to wait at the bar. Okay. We go up, and each order a glass of wine. Hers: fine. Mine: the glass had JUST been used for Ouzo. I saw it, it smelled of it, it tasted of it. Gross. I ask for our check to be transferred to the table as the hostess takes us to our place. We immediately get water and bread, and wait a long while for a person resembling wait staff. Our guy finally shows, tells us he will give us a moment, and starts walking away. I put in an appetizer order anyway (we have had 8 – 10 minutes at this point alone, so I figure I might as well shout something out when he is there.) Spicy feta cheese and Saganaki. Good choices most always. We eat them slowly as we look at menus. We continue to look at menus. And continue. Our wine glasses have been long empty, our water glasses no longer have ice as we have chewed that away after water is gone. And we legitimately want to order. Finally. I have had enough. Our waiter has been long carrying along a conversation with the table next to us– our menus have been closed at this point for about 10-​minutes to signal it was time… we knew what we wanted. When he finally turned around to realize we were there, said something like– «I’ll give you a few minutes to decide what you want!» I said behind dead eyes, the check. He didn’t seem to realize it was him that drove us away. And the wait. And the wine. And the overall vibe. We got our bill– it was wrong. Way under what we owed. We gladly left the underpayment and left.
The confused old server was bad. When walking in the door, from section to the right of the fireplace. The dirty wine glass was annoying. The wrong check was comical. The fact that we wanted to order more, get a bottle of wine, maybe deserts– well thats their loss.
Santorini. Greek town has a number of spots. Literally across the street. All offer a similar feel, food, and expectation. To keep lines out the door you need to set yourself apart. And as far as I can tell, the only differentiator I see for Santorini as compared to the other Greek-​haunts? Mid level food and terrible service. From now on, I’ll walk across the street or to any of the other greek places. Including the fast food Mr. Gyros– at least I will be able to order a meal there.

So much good food. Seriously.
The wife and I visited here early on a Saturday. We were getting an early start on the day and, as such, were the only ones in the restaurant for awhile before other lunch patrons began to filter in. This is usually a little awkward, as the waitstaff tends to hover over you, but our server did a good job keeping our glasses full but at the same time giving us some space. We started off with cups of the Avgolemono soup and boy was it tasty. We then had to try to figure out our entrees. The menu has a lot of options, many of which looked really good. My wife settled on some pasta while I went the lamb route. Both dishes were delicious! The portions were also pretty large, so unfortunately we didn’t have room for desserts. I guess we’ll have to go back another time if we want to try some sweets.

Be mindful of prices and choices. Few dishes are original compared to other Greek restaurants, however, Santorini is still American Greek food as its sister (Red Tomato) restaurant in Santorini was unappealing. Common Santorini, Greece was all about Pork Gyros with Fries in a pita bread and standardized menu.
BREAD N BUTTER — automatically served gratis.
VILLAGE SALAD ($ 5.50) — overpriced. Serves 2. Simple ingredients.
VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA ($ 10.50) — no pasta fillers. A gluten-​free dish. 1 serving.
BEEF STIFADO ($ 13.95) — dubbed as original Greek that I haven’t seen in other Greek restaurant menus. Have you? A special. Serves 2. Great to dip bread on sauce (slightly sweet with a hint of pepper).
VENUE — great to be seated outside under the pouring rain and impending fog, just like a rainy day in Santorini beach side. I haven’t seen the interior restaurant décor.
SERVICE — decent. Thoughtful in a way that he adjusted table seating to avoid rain drops.

Fresh Seafood, Free Valet Parking and Free bread! We ordered, Shrimp kebab, salmon and grilled leg of lamb. The bread was very tasty the kiddos loaded up on it with olive oil. For dessert we got the flan and baklava which were equally good. Will certainly go back

Best restaurant in Greek Town, fresh fish flown in daily. order the Saganaki and SeaBass, you won’t be disappointed. The servers bring whole fish then debone in front of you.

I’m a big fan of Greek food. I especially like this restaurant because of the food, atmosphere, and free valet parking.
My co-​worker and I came here for lunch. We arrived at exactly 11:59am. We expected a busy, lunch rush but were surprised to find that we were the first ones there.
I oredered a hot tea. Sadly, it was just Lipton. I expected fancy tea.
My friend ordered a frappé. Waiter (who seriously seemed very nervous) took the order and came back to tell my friend they didn’t have any frappé. She ordered a cappuccino but they were out of that too. Third time was a charm, because they did have lemonade.
Both of our dishes were huge in portion. I had the stuffed chicken breast with spinach and feta. It was very delicious. Greek potatoes were bomb diggity. Yum.
The only reason I’m giving this place three stars is because over the years, while I have really enjoyed coming here the atmosphere is starting to look very outdated. Things look like they were falling apart. And oddly enough, upon walking out I pointed out to my friend that they have a Blackhawks rocking chair in the front. Just an odd place to have a Kane rocking chair (made out of hockey sticks).
Another one bites the dust.

No gyro, gyro plate or assorted gyro options here… but that’s not why for the deuce.
First, seated against the south wall at lunchtime in late summer, there was the thickest, smokiest smell. I don’t usually mind kitchen /​restaurant cooking/​smoking/​baking etc. scents, but this one was just too strong. When I left the place, the odor was in my hair and for that, I don’t care.
When I saw the prices/​portions of lunch plates, I was rethinking things. I wasn’t in it for a huge lunch and I was already put off by the odor, so I opted to begin with soup/​salad. Unfortunately, the egg lemon soup was just «thin» consistency but it had a nice flavor. The salad however, was thick with wetness — apparently the victim of a heavy hand in the kitchen as admitted by the manager when he walked over and asked, «is everything to your liking?» The server had gone to fetch me additional greens so as to disperse the liquid but even taking dry lettuce «to go» mixed with some of the wet lettuce… still rendered it a soppy mess. (I’m just not one to throw things away, but this one should have met the bin.)
The manager was aware of my dismay however did not offer to comp the salad or to say anything except mention the heavy-​handed guy in the back. I was glad that I did not order a larger meal.
This experience is at odds of memories of Santorini of years ago, but as is said «nothing stays the same.»
Tip: Ask for salad dressing on the side!

Last time we were in Chicago, we went to Greektown and ate at Greek Islands. This time, my husband wanted to try another Greek restaurant in that area. So, after looking at a few menus, my husband chose Santorini mainly because they offered a good selection of seafood entrees.
We were here on a Monday night around 5:30 p.m. At that time of day there were only a few customers in the place. Our first impression was that the place could use a face lift as it was looking kind of shabby and the bar area was really cluttered. However, we don’t get put off by décor as long as a place is clean and the food is good.
We were seated in a booth by the window facing Halstead Street which gave us a good view of the buildings in the loop area.
Our waiter was efficient if not overly friendly. To start, we both ordered a cup of avgolemono soup. Sadly, this soup was a disappointment. It had the thick broth with orzo in it but it was sorely lacking in lemon flavor. That was a shame because if the lemon was added, it would have been an excellent soup.
As I mentioned, my husband was attracted to this restaurant because of the large number of seafood entrees. However, when it was time to order, he chose a filet mignon kebab, as did I.
The kebabs came on a bed of pilaf which was properly prepared with good flavor and nice moistness. Sometimes pilafs can end up overdone and dried out. As for the kebab, the waiter asked us how we wanted the meat to be cooked. We both said «medium». My kebab had one piece of meat that was properly done but the other pieces were well done and dried out. My husband said that all his pieces came out that way.
So…the food was a disappointment — so much so that we were thinking that we should have returned to Greek Islands.
Also, while we ate some people came in who were clearly regulars. The staff really fussed over them while we felt like we barely mattered. In fact, as our meal progressed, we hardly saw our waiter as he was paying more attention to the regulars. Yes, I understand that long-​time customers are appreciated, however the new customers, for all they know, could have the potential of becoming regular customers. So, it’s imperative that newcomers get the same attention.
Overall, a disappointing experience. Being that this is Greektown with lots of restaurants competing for business, it’s important that places make a real effort to stand out. That didn’t happen here, sad to say.