Fira -- As you might expect, restaurants here range from blah to beatific. The bad ones stint on quality and service because they know that most tourists are here today and gone tomorrow. The good places cater to the discriminating tourist and to Greek and foreign visitors who come back again and again.
If all you want is breakfast or a light, cheap meal, try Corner Crepes, just off the main square (no phone). The popular taverna Camille Stefani (tel. 22860/28-938) long in Kamari, is now in Fira, at the Fabrica shopping center.
Note: Many of the restaurants near the cable car fall into the forgettable category. In addition, some of these restaurants have been known to present menus without prices, and then charge exorbitantly for food and wine. If you are given a menu, make sure prices are listed.
Oia -- If you want to be by the sea, head down to Ammoudi, Oia's port, hundreds of feet below the village, huddled between the cliffs and the sea. We recommend Katina's fish taverna there; Captain Dimitri's, a long time favorite, is now at the other end of the island at Akrotiri. If you don't want to trek all the way down to the beach, stop along the way at Kastro (tel. 22860/71-045), where you'll still have a fine view and can enjoy Greek dishes, pasta, or fresh fish. To get there, follow the stepped path down from the vicinity of Lontza Castle, hire a donkey (5€/$6.50 one-way), or call a taxi. We recommend the walk down (to build an appetite) and a taxi or donkey up.
