Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e Pepe sits on 25is Martiou in Fira, the main town of Santorini, and has built a reputation as one of the island's most reliable stops for Italian food done properly. With a 4.5 rating across more than 1,750 Google reviews, it draws both tourists and repeat visitors who want something other than the Greek seafood taverna circuit.

The kitchen commits to Italian-origin ingredients prepared to order. That means no pre-cooked pasta sitting in a bain-marie — dishes come together after you place your order, which adds a few minutes to the wait but makes a noticeable difference on the plate. The menu spans fresh pasta, handmade pizza, meat dishes, and seafood, with the restaurant's namesake cacio e pepe — a Roman pasta of Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and not much else — as the anchor dish.

Fira is walkable from most of the town's hotels, and the address on 25is Martiou puts the restaurant close to the caldera-edge hotels and the main shopping street, making it a practical dinner option after a day of exploring the island.

What to Expect

The menu at Cacio e Pepe is broader than the name suggests. Starters include handmade focaccia, garlic bread, bruschetta with tomato and mozzarella, Italian cured meats such as Parma ham with melon, and smoked beef with Parmesan. These are well-executed versions of familiar antipasti rather than reinventions.

Pasta is the core of the experience. The kitchen makes its own dough, and beyond the signature cacio e pepe, the menu includes lobster ravioli — one of the dishes that consistently comes up in reviews. Seafood threads through the rest of the menu too: salads built around lobster, octopus, shrimp, marinated mussels, and smoked salmon. For meat, options include filet mignon with mushrooms and truffle and scallops prepared in the Italian style.

Handmade pizza rounds out the main courses for anyone at the table who wants something outside the pasta and meat register.

The restaurant has a full drinks menu. Italian wine is the natural pairing choice, and the wine list aligns with the cuisine's focus on Italian provenance.

The room itself sits in the middle of Fira's busiest zone, so the setting is town-facing rather than caldera-view. That trade-off means better food focus and, generally, more reasonable prices than the cliff-edge restaurants that charge a premium for the sunset panorama.

Service is attentive according to the bulk of reviews, though peak-season evenings in July and August can mean a fuller room and slightly longer waits between courses.

How to Get There

Cacio e Pepe is at 25is Martiou, Thira 847 00 — in the center of Fira, within easy walking distance of the cable car station and the main pedestrian shopping street. If you are staying in Fira or Firostefani, the walk is straightforward and takes under ten minutes from most hotels.

From Oia, the drive south along the caldera road takes approximately 20–25 minutes depending on traffic. Taxis from Oia to Fira are available but tend to run short in high season; book in advance or use one of the island's taxi apps.

Parking in central Fira is limited. The main public parking area sits at the edge of the town center near the bus terminal; from there it is a short walk to the restaurant. The KTEL bus from Oia, Perissa, Kamari, and other parts of the island stops at Fira's central terminal, which is a few minutes' walk from the restaurant.

Accessibility: Fira's terrain is uneven and includes steps throughout. 25is Martiou has some flat stretches, but visitors with mobility considerations should confirm the specific entrance situation directly with the restaurant before visiting.

Best Time to Visit

Cacio e Pepe is open every day from 12:00 PM to midnight, year-round. Lunch service, particularly on weekdays, is notably quieter than dinner. If you want a relaxed meal with attentive service and no wait, arriving at noon or 1:00 PM is consistently the best strategy.

Dinner from 7:00 PM onward is peak time, especially in June, July, and August when Santorini's tourist season is at its densest. Tables during the sunset window — roughly 8:00 to 9:30 PM in summer — are in highest demand across all of Fira's restaurants.

Shoulder season (April–May and September–October) brings fewer crowds and cooler evenings. Temperatures in October make outdoor seating comfortable without the heat of midsummer. Spring visits in late April and May offer the additional benefit of a quieter island overall.

Santorini's meltemi wind picks up in July and August, which can make outdoor seating less comfortable on exposed terraces, though Fira's position offers some shelter compared to more exposed parts of the caldera edge.

Tips for Visiting

• Book ahead for dinner in high season. Tables between 7:30 PM and 10:00 PM in July and August fill quickly. Contact the restaurant by phone (+30 2286 024971) or email ([email protected]) or use the reservation function on their website.
• Order the namesake dish. The cacio e pepe pasta is the reference point for the kitchen's technique. It is a simple preparation that shows whether a kitchen is careful with heat, pasta water, and emulsification — and here it is done well.
• Start with the focaccia. The house-made focaccia comes out at the table as the meal begins and sets the tone for the freshness of what follows.
• Ask about the pasta of the day. Beyond the printed menu, the kitchen sometimes runs a daily fresh pasta based on available ingredients.
• Arrive for lunch if you want the same food with less noise. The menu is the same midday as in the evening, and the room is significantly calmer.
• Consider the seafood pasta if you want something island-appropriate. The lobster ravioli is specifically mentioned often enough in visitor reviews to be worth ordering if your table has a seafood preference.
• Check the wine list for Italian labels. The restaurant sources Italian-origin ingredients throughout the kitchen; the wine program follows the same logic, and the staff can suggest pairings.
• Fira can be very busy on cruise ship days. Check the Santorini cruise schedule online before you go — when two or three ships are in port, central Fira including the restaurant district sees a significant pedestrian surge between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

What to Order

The anchor dish is cacio e pepe pasta — tonnarelli or a similar thick strand coated in a Pecorino Romano and black pepper sauce. It is the dish that gives the restaurant its name and, handled well, has no excess: no cream, no shortcuts, just technique.

Lobster ravioli is the other dish that draws consistent mentions. Fresh handmade pasta filled with lobster and finished in a bisque-style sauce is a more elaborate preparation and sits at the top of the pasta menu price-wise, but it is what regulars return for.

For meat, the filet mignon with mushrooms and truffle is the kitchen's most upscale main course. It reads as a choice for anyone who wants to move beyond pasta into a full Italian second-course territory.

From the starters, the Parma ham with melon is the most classically Roman antipasto on offer, and bruschetta with fresh tomato and mozzarella is an honest baseline for reading the kitchen's ingredient quality.

If your table has mixed preferences, the handmade pizza is a solid alternative to pasta — made to order and a good option for anyone who wants something lighter than the richer main courses.