Nick the Grill

Nick the Grill sits on 25is Martiou in Fira, Santorini's busy commercial capital, and does one thing particularly well: straightforward grilled food at a price point that stands apart from the island's clifftop dining scene. The menu centers on souvlaki and gyros, backed by a wider range of classic Greek dishes and vegetarian options. With over 1,500 Google ratings averaging 4.3 out of 5, it has earned a genuine local following rather than just passing tourist traffic.

The restaurant also holds a Halal certification — notable on an island where options for Halal-compliant diners are thin. That distinction, combined with the all-day opening hours (11:00 AM to 11:30 PM, seven days a week), makes it a practical choice for travelers who need a reliable, affordable meal in Fira without planning around a fixed lunch or dinner service.

Fira is the nerve center of Santorini: cable cars, the main bus terminal, and the bulk of the island's shops all converge here. Nick the Grill occupies that practical, unpretentious corner of the town well — it's the kind of place you return to after a long afternoon at a beach or archaeological site because you know exactly what you're getting.

What to Expect

The format here is casual taverna crossed with a dedicated grill house. The kitchen fires souvlaki and gyros as its headline items — pork or chicken skewers, served wrapped or on a plate, alongside the slow-turned meat of a gyros. The website highlights these as the core identity of the place, and the Google place categories confirm the barbecue and Greek restaurant designation.

Beyond the grill, the menu extends to broader Greek classics and vegetarian dishes, giving the spot enough range to accommodate a group with mixed preferences. The vegetarian options are specifically flagged by the restaurant itself, which is worth noting on an island where grilled meat dominates casual menus.

The setting is practical rather than scenic — this is Fira town, not a caldera-edge terrace. Expect a straightforward dining room suited to a quick lunch or a no-fuss dinner rather than a long, wine-heavy evening. The pricing (marked as mid-range, around the $ bracket on Google) reflects the honest, unfussy approach.

The Halal certification sets Nick the Grill apart from virtually every other casual eatery on Santorini. For Muslim travelers, it's effectively the default answer to the question of where to eat in Fira with confidence about the sourcing and preparation of the meat.

Service is geared toward speed and turnover — appropriate for a grill house on a busy tourist island — and the kitchen runs continuously across its 12-plus-hour daily window, which means you can eat at 3 PM or 11 PM without the restaurant being in an awkward mid-service lull.

How to Get There

The address is 25is Martiou, Fira (also spelled Thira), the main island capital. Fira is the hub of Santorini's road and bus network, so getting here from most points on the island is straightforward.

The central bus station (KTEL Santorini) is in Fira and connects to Oia, Perissa, Perivolos, Kamari, Akrotiri, and the airport. From the bus station, the restaurant is a short walk along the main commercial streets of Fira.

If you're arriving by cruise ship, the port at Athinios is about 12 km south; taxis and buses run from there to Fira regularly. Alternatively, the old port (Fira Skala) at the base of the caldera cliff connects to Fira by cable car or the famous donkey path — once in the upper town, you're within easy walking distance.

Parking in central Fira is tight, especially in summer. If you're driving, use the main parking areas on the eastern edge of the town and walk in; street parking on 25is Martiou itself is limited.

Best Time to Visit

Nick the Grill opens at 11:00 AM daily, which makes it one of the earlier options in Fira for a proper sit-down meal. The kitchen runs through to 11:30 PM, covering both the early-lunch and late-dinner ends of the day.

For the most relaxed experience, aim for lunch between noon and 2 PM, or an early dinner before 7 PM. Fira gets crowded from mid-afternoon as day-trippers from cruise ships and island transfers converge, and the streets around the main commercial zone — where the restaurant sits — can be genuinely busy from late afternoon through the evening in July and August.

The shoulder months of May, June, September, and October offer the same full operating hours with noticeably fewer queues and more moderate temperatures. Santorini summers are hot and dry; eating outdoors at midday in August is uncomfortable, so the indoor setting works in the restaurant's favor during peak heat.

Winter opening should be confirmed directly with the restaurant, as Santorini sees significant seasonal closures from November through March.

Tips for Visiting

• Check current hours before an off-season visit. The listed hours (11 AM–11:30 PM, daily) apply during the main season; confirm by phone or website if you're visiting in November through March.
• Order the souvlaki or gyros as your baseline. These are explicitly the restaurant's signature items — start there before exploring the wider menu.
• Halal diners can eat here with confidence. Nick the Grill holds a Halal certification, which is rare on Santorini; it's worth knowing if that matters for your group.
• Vegetarian options are available. The restaurant specifically promotes its vegetarian dishes, so it works for mixed groups where not everyone wants grilled meat.
• Come early if you're hungry and in a hurry. The kitchen opens at 11 AM, which is earlier than many Fira restaurants start lunch service; it's a good option if you're catching an afternoon ferry or bus.
• Use it as a practical base meal on a busy sightseeing day. Fira is a natural transit point between the north and south of the island — a quick, reliable meal here fits well into a day that includes Akrotiri, Oia, or the eastern beaches.
• Contact the restaurant directly for group bookings or specific dietary queries. Email ([email protected]) and phone (+30 2286 023492) are both available; the website also allows orders.
• Pricing is reasonable by Santorini standards. Don't expect caldera-view restaurant prices — this is a grill house, and the value-for-money ratio reflects that.

What to Order

Souvlaki and gyros are the two anchors of the menu, and both are worth ordering on their own terms. Souvlaki — typically pork or chicken on a skewer — can be ordered as a plate or wrapped in pita with tomato, onion, and tzatziki. Gyros follows the same pita-or-plate logic, with the slow-cooked rotisserie meat as the draw.

The wider Greek menu provides the kind of supporting cast you'd expect from a solid taverna: dishes built on familiar ingredients executed without pretension. The vegetarian dishes are flagged prominently enough to suggest they're taken seriously rather than being an afterthought.

For drinks, expect standard Greek taverna options — soft drinks, beer, and local wines — though the grill-house focus means the food is the main event.

If you're ordering for the table, the combination of a shared gyros plate alongside individual souvlaki wraps is a sensible format for a group.