Apollon

Apollon Restaurant occupies a beachfront position on Perissa, the long black-sand beach on Santorini's southeastern coast. With over 1,000 Google reviews and a 4.4 rating, it has built a consistent following among both island visitors and repeat travelers who return specifically for the tavern-style cooking. The address places it directly on the beach road, with the distinctive dark volcanic sand and the Aegean a short walk from your table.

The menu covers the full spread of Greek and Mediterranean cooking — grilled fish, seafood, meat, and a solid vegetarian selection — which makes it practical for groups with mixed preferences. Perissa's eating scene runs the length of the beachfront, but Apollon's combination of on-beach location, broad menu, and long opening hours (from 9 AM through 11:30 PM most days, with an 8 AM opening on Saturdays) gives it a strong position among the strip's restaurants.

The kitchen describes its focus as fish tavern work first, with Greek and Mediterranean dishes rounding out the card. Starters, salads, mains, and seafood are each treated as separate categories on the menu, rather than folded together, which makes ordering straightforward even for first-time visitors to Greek tavern dining.

What to Expect

The setting is a beachfront tavern rather than a white-tablecloth restaurant. Perissa beach is made up of black volcanic sand and pebbles, and the beach road runs parallel to the water — Apollon sits right on that stretch, so the atmosphere is casual, open-air, and oriented toward the sea.

The menu is structured in clear sections. Starters include garlic bread, saganaki cheese, saganaki shrimp, oven-baked feta, grilled vegetables, and French fries. Salads cover Greek salad, lettuce, tuna, chef's, and Caesar. The main course section features traditional moussaka, Greek roast lamb with potatoes, chicken gyros with pita, white sea bream with vegetables and rice, and a mixed grill. The seafood section runs to stuffed squid, grilled prawns, grilled octopus, a seafood variety plate, and seafood spaghetti.

The range is wide enough that a table of four with different preferences — one person wanting fish, one wanting meat, one vegetarian — can each find multiple options rather than one token dish. The moussaka and roast lamb are traditional Greek preparations rather than fusion adaptations. The seafood dishes lean toward simply grilled presentations, which suits the quality of Aegean fish and shellfish during the summer months.

Service is geared to a beachside pace: you can linger through a long lunch without feeling rushed, which is appropriate for the Perissa setting where most guests are combining a meal with a day on the beach.

How to Get There

Perissa is on Santorini's southeastern coast, roughly 14 km by road from Fira. By car or scooter, follow the main road south from Fira through Messaria and Emporio toward Perissa; the drive takes about 25 minutes depending on traffic. Parking is available along the Perissa beach road, though space fills quickly in July and August.

The local KTEL bus network connects Fira Bus Station to Perissa with regular services throughout the day in summer; the journey takes around 35–40 minutes. From Kamari, a footpath crosses over the Mesa Vouno headland to Perissa — a 45-minute walk that drops you directly onto the beach and makes an excellent one-way option if you are traveling light.

Taxis from Fira or Oia are straightforward to arrange; the fare to Perissa is a fixed tariff set by the local taxi association, so confirm the rate before departure. Apollon is located on the beach road itself, so once you reach Perissa the restaurant is visible from the seafront strip.

Best Time to Visit

Apollon is open daily throughout the main season from 9 AM to 11:30 PM (8 AM on Saturdays), which covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one stretch. Perissa beach gets busy from mid-July through August, and the beachfront restaurants fill up during the midday to early afternoon window when sunbathers take their lunch break. If you want a quieter table, arriving before noon or after 2:30 PM avoids the peak lunch rush.

Dinner on the Perissa beachfront is popular but less crowded than midday, partly because some visitors move to Fira or Oia for the famous caldera sunset. That shift works in your favor if you prefer an evening meal at the beach. The table temperature on an open terrace in July and August can be warm at midday; the beach breeze usually arrives by late afternoon.

Santorini's main tourist season runs from April through October. Outside that window, Perissa quiets significantly and some beach-road businesses reduce hours or close. Apollon's operating season should be confirmed directly if you are traveling in the shoulder months of April–May or late October.

Tips for Visiting

• Book ahead in peak season. The restaurant offers online table reservations through its website for up to 11 people, with date, time, and seat count fields. Walk-in availability shrinks considerably in July and August.
• Call to confirm seasonal hours. The listed hours apply during the main season. If you are visiting before mid-May or after early October, call ahead on +30 2286 085340 to confirm the kitchen is open.
• Order the seafood with confidence on weekday mornings. Fish and shellfish quality at beachside taverns is typically freshest mid-week when boats have been out; Saturday and Sunday midday service can see faster turnover at the expense of the most pristine catch.
• The saganaki shrimp makes a useful starter to share. It appears on the menu as a starter portion, so it can be split across two people while you wait for mains.
• Vegetarians have real choices here. Oven-baked feta, grilled vegetables, Greek salad, and moussaka are all explicitly listed — this is not a restaurant where vegetarians are limited to a side salad.
• Arrive on foot from Kamari if you want a morning hike. The Mesa Vouno path between Kamari and Perissa is well-trodden and drops you onto the beach within easy walking distance of the beachfront restaurants, making a meal at Apollon a natural endpoint.
• Perissa beach is black volcanic sand. Bring footwear for the walk from any parking area; the sand heats significantly by midday in summer.
• The restaurant is contactable by email at [email protected] for group inquiries or questions about availability outside normal booking channels.

What to Order

The grilled octopus is the benchmark dish at any Aegean fish tavern worth the name, and Apollon lists it explicitly on the seafood section of the menu. It is typically prepared by slow-drying and charcoal-grilling, which produces the caramelized exterior and tender interior that characterizes well-handled octopus.

White sea bream (the menu lists it as such) served with vegetables and rice is a reliably solid choice for those who want a whole fish rather than a platter. Sea bream is one of the most commonly farmed and fished species in Greek waters, so supply is consistent throughout the season.

For meat-focused orders, the mixed grill described as a special BBQ and the Greek roast lamb with potatoes are the most characteristically Greek choices on the main course list. Traditional moussaka — layered aubergine, minced meat, and béchamel — varies noticeably between kitchens; at a tavern with over 1,000 reviews, there is enough feedback to suggest the kitchen handles it competently.

Among starters, saganaki cheese — pan-fried kefalograviera or similar hard cheese — is one of the more distinctive Greek dishes for first-time visitors. The shrimp saganaki variant is cooked in a tomato sauce with the same fried cheese, and it pairs well with bread to soak up the sauce.