Select Cafe

Select Cafe sits on Ipapantis Street in Fira (Thira), the administrative capital of Santorini, a short walk from the central square and the caldera-edge pedestrian paths that draw the majority of the island's foot traffic. It operates as a casual taverna — the kind of place that opens at 11 in the morning and stays in service until nearly midnight, covering everything from a late lunch after a morning of sightseeing to a relaxed dinner that doesn't require a reservation weeks in advance.

The website listed for Select Cafe (select-santorini.com) is currently not active as a functioning site, so the details here draw from the Google Maps listing and address record. The phone number is confirmed: +30 2286 022328. With a 3.5-star average across 317 Google reviews, the cafe sits in the middle range for Fira dining — not a standout destination in the way that cliff-edge restaurants are, but a serviceable and accessible option for straightforward Greek food and cold drinks.

Ipapantis is one of the main streets running through Fira's commercial core, connecting the bus terminal area with the caldera-facing lanes. This central position means Select Cafe is easy to find on foot without much navigation, and it benefits from the steady flow of visitors moving between the town's key points throughout the day.

What to Expect

Select Cafe presents itself as a relaxed taverna rather than a formal restaurant. The source description points to traditional Greek dishes and refreshing drinks as the core offering, which in a Santorini context typically means a menu anchored by grilled meats, Greek salads, mezze-style starters, and cold beverages suited to the island's heat.

The atmosphere is informal. Fira has no shortage of dramatically positioned restaurants charging premium prices for caldera views, and Select Cafe is not positioned as one of those. What it offers instead is a no-fuss setting where you can eat recognisable Greek food without the surcharges that attach to sunset-view seating. The trade-off is that the setting is street-level and urban rather than panoramic.

Service runs from 11:00 AM through to 11:30 PM every day of the week, which makes it one of the more consistently accessible options in the area — useful for early lunchers, late arrivals from a ferry, or anyone whose day doesn't align neatly with the tighter windows some island restaurants maintain.

The review count of 317 suggests the cafe sees a reasonable volume of passing visitors. A 3.5-star average at that volume typically reflects an experience that meets basic expectations without distinguishing itself strongly in either direction. Complaints and compliments at places like this in Fira often hinge on service speed during peak afternoon hours and value relative to the island's elevated average prices.

How to Get There

Select Cafe's address — Ipapantis, Thira 847 00 — places it within walking distance of nearly every part of Fira's town centre. The main Fira bus terminal, which connects to Oia, Perissa, Kamari, Akrotiri, and the airport road, is a few minutes' walk away, making this a convenient stop before or after catching a bus.

If you're arriving from the old port (Fira Skala) by cable car or donkey path, Ipapantis is reachable on foot within around ten minutes from the cable car upper station. Taxis serving Fira's central rank can drop you close by. Parking a car in central Fira is difficult; the town's narrow lanes and heavy tourist traffic mean most visitors on the central caldera side arrive on foot or by bus.

The coordinates (36.4181, 25.4314) place the cafe within the dense commercial part of Fira rather than on the quieter residential outskirts, so orientation from any central landmark — Theoskepasti Church, the Catholic Cathedral, the Archaeological Museum — should put you within a few minutes of the address.

Best Time to Visit

Santorini's high season runs from late May through early September, when Fira is at its most crowded between roughly 10:00 AM and sunset. During this window, the streets around Ipapantis see heavy foot traffic, particularly in the late afternoon when cruise ship passengers are moving through the town centre before returning to their ships.

For a quieter meal, a late lunch between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM tends to fall outside the most congested dining windows, when other restaurants are turning over their lunch sittings and cruise visitors are still exploring. An early dinner — say 6:00 PM — gets you seated before the main evening rush that builds after sunset.

In shoulder season (April–May, October), Fira is noticeably less pressured, prices across the island tend to soften, and the weather is still comfortably warm for outdoor dining. January and February see many Fira establishments closed; the confirmed year-round hours shown here should be verified directly by phone (+30 2286 022328) if you're visiting in the off-season.

Tips for Visiting

• Call ahead in high season if you want to confirm current hours or check wait times: +30 2286 022328. The listed hours (daily 11:00 AM – 11:30 PM) are consistent across all seven days, but peak-season demand in Fira can affect service.
• Use it as a midday base. The 11:00 AM opening makes it one of the earlier options in the area for a proper sit-down meal, useful after a morning at the Archaeological Museum or Akrotiri.
• Manage expectations on the view. Ipapantis is a central Fira street rather than a caldera-edge lane. If a sunset-over-the-volcano backdrop is the priority, this isn't the venue — but neither is there a caldera-view surcharge on your bill.
• Stick to reliable Greek staples. At a taverna with this profile, dishes like Greek salad, grilled chicken, souvlaki, tzatziki, and fried calamari are the safest bets. These tend to be consistently executed across comparable venues in Fira.
• Carry cash as backup. While card payment is common in Santorini, smaller tavernas in Fira sometimes have card reader issues during busy periods. Having euros on hand avoids friction.
• Check the website closer to your trip. The domain select-santorini.com existed at time of research but was not displaying active content. It may be updated before your visit with a current menu or seasonal hours.
• Factor in Fira pricing. Santorini's cost of living and tourism premium means even casual tavernas charge more than equivalent mainland Greek venues. Select Cafe's mid-range review scores suggest pricing in line with local norms rather than outlying.

What to Order

The research bundle confirms the taverna format and traditional Greek menu, but no specific dishes or prices are listed, and the website is not currently active. Based on the taverna category and Santorini context, the menu most likely features the following categories:

Starters and mezze: Tzatziki, taramosalata, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), and fried saganaki cheese are standard across island tavernas at this level.

Mains: Grilled meats — pork souvlaki, chicken, lamb chops — alongside moussaka and pastitsio (baked pasta with meat sauce) represent the core of most casual Greek menus. Santorini's location means fresh fish and seafood appear on most island menus, though quality and price vary.

Santorini specialties: The island has a small number of locally specific ingredients worth trying wherever you see them: fava (yellow split-pea purée from Santorini's own variety), cherry tomatoes (smaller and more intensely flavoured than mainland varieties), and white eggplant. Whether Select Cafe incorporates these into its menu is not confirmed from available information, but asking is worthwhile.

Drinks: Refreshing drinks are specifically mentioned in the source description. Cold Greek beer (Mythos, Fix), fresh lemon juice, and local white wine from Santorini's Assyrtiko grape are standard options at island tavernas. Assyrtiko in particular is worth trying if you haven't elsewhere on the island — the volcanic soil gives it a mineral, high-acid character unlike wine from most other Greek regions.