Soulatso

Soulatso sits in the hilltop settlement of Chora — also known as Kastro — the fortified village that crowns Sikinos and serves as the island's main hub. With a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from more than 230 reviews, it is one of the most consistently praised eating and drinking spots on an island that already has a strong reputation among travellers who prefer authenticity over polish.

The place operates as both a café and a restaurant, which means you can stop in for a morning coffee and something homemade, come back for a leisurely lunch, or linger into the evening over local dishes. That flexibility makes it useful at almost any point in a day spent exploring Sikinos, and it fits naturally into the rhythm of a village that moves at its own pace.

Sikinos itself attracts a particular kind of traveller — someone who has deliberately chosen a quieter Cycladic island over the bigger names. Soulatso matches that audience well: the setting is relaxed, the menu leans on locally sourced or homemade preparations, and there is no sense of the tourist-trap scaling that affects more visited islands.

What to Expect

Soulatso's dual role as café and restaurant means the atmosphere shifts depending on the hour. Mornings are quieter, with coffee and homemade desserts drawing locals and guests staying nearby in Chora. Later in the day, the focus moves toward food — local dishes prepared in the Greek island kitchen tradition, which typically means fresh vegetables, pulses, olive oil, and whatever the season and the island's small-scale producers offer.

Chora itself provides the backdrop. The Kastro settlement is compact and pedestrianised in its core, with narrow lanes, whitewashed walls, and views down toward the port of Alopronia far below. Soulatso is positioned within this environment, which means the surroundings are as much part of the experience as the food. Tables outdoors — typical for Cycladic village restaurants — let you watch the foot traffic of a village that functions year-round, not just in summer.

The homemade desserts mentioned in visitor accounts are worth noting specifically. On a small island where supply chains are limited, homemade preparation signals care and usually reflects genuine local recipes rather than bought-in product. Breakfast options round out the early-day offering, making Soulatso practical for travellers whose accommodation doesn't include morning meals.

The rating figure — 4.9 across 230 reviews — is unusually high for a food establishment. On a small island like Sikinos, reviews tend to come from genuinely motivated visitors rather than volume tourists, which arguably makes the score more meaningful than a comparable rating on a busier island.

How to Get There

Soulatso is located in Chora, Sikinos, at coordinates 36.6961952, 25.11979. Chora sits on a ridge roughly 3 kilometres from the port of Alopronia, where ferries dock.

From Alopronia, a bus service runs up to Chora, timed to connect with ferry arrivals and departures. Taxis are also available at the port, though the island has a small fleet and advance arrangement can be helpful during busy summer weeks. The road between Alopronia and Chora is narrow and winds uphill, but it is paved and driveable if you have hired a car or scooter.

Within Chora, the village centre is best navigated on foot. Parking is available at the edge of the settlement before the lanes narrow. The address is listed as an unnamed road, which is typical for Sikinos — the village is small enough that asking locally or using the coordinates will get you there reliably.

Accessibility within the Kastro's older lanes may be limited due to uneven stone surfaces and steps, which is common across Cycladic hilltop villages.

Best Time to Visit

Soulatso operates on Sikinos, a Cycladic island with the standard southern Aegean season. The main tourist window runs from late June through early September, when ferry connections are more frequent and the island is at its most active. During this period, Chora sees its highest footfall and Soulatso will be busiest at mealtimes — roughly 13:00–15:00 for lunch and from around 20:00 in the evening.

For a more relaxed visit, arriving outside peak lunch and dinner hours — mid-morning for coffee, or in the late afternoon — tends to mean more space and easier conversation. Early morning is a good time if you want to use Soulatso as a breakfast stop before heading out to the island's beaches or archaeological sites.

Sikinos can be visited in May, early June, or September with considerably fewer crowds. The weather remains warm and the island functions normally, but the pace is slower and the village feels more like itself. If you are on the island outside the main season, it is worth calling ahead on +30 2286 051204 to confirm current hours, as opening times on small islands often contract in the shoulder months.

Tips for Visiting

• Call ahead in shoulder season. Opening hours for the research bundle were not available; if you are visiting before mid-June or after early September, phone +30 2286 051204 to confirm Soulatso is open before making the trip up to Chora.
• Use it as a base for exploring Chora. The village is small and walkable. Soulatso makes a practical starting or ending point for a walk through the Kastro lanes, the main church, and the viewpoints toward the sea.
• Try the homemade desserts in the morning. Visitor accounts specifically mention them, and morning is when the selection tends to be freshest before the day's service draws down supplies.
• Don't expect a long menu. Sikinos is a small island with limited daily supply. The dishes available will reflect what is fresh and local rather than a broad fixed menu — treat that as a feature, not a limitation.
• Bring cash. Card payment infrastructure on small Cycladic islands can be unreliable or absent at smaller establishments. The nearest ATM is likely in Chora itself, but confirming availability before you arrive is sensible.
• Afternoon coffee is a good option if lunch tables are full. The café function means you can order drinks and something small even when the kitchen is in full-meal mode, which is useful on busy summer days.
• Combine with the Episkopi archaeological site. Sikinos's main ancient monument — the Heroon, converted into a church — is a short drive or walk from Chora. Soulatso works as a before-or-after stop on that visit.
• The views from Chora are best in the early evening. If you are timing a dinner visit, arriving around sunset and sitting outside gives you the hilltop light over the Aegean before the meal.

What to Order

The research available for Soulatso specifically mentions coffee, homemade desserts, breakfast options, and local dishes. On Sikinos, local dishes typically draw from the island's agricultural and pastoral traditions — Sikinos has historically been a farming island, with terraced fields and small-scale livestock, and its food reflects that. Expect preparations involving local cheeses, pulses such as fava (yellow split peas), seasonal vegetables, and olive oil.

Homemade desserts in the Cyclades often include variations on loukoumades (honey fritters), kaltsounia (sweet cheese pastries), or locally made spoon sweets and pastries using dried fruit and nuts. Without a current menu, specific dishes cannot be confirmed, but the consistent mention of homemade preparation in visitor accounts suggests these are made in-house rather than sourced from a supplier.

Breakfast on a Greek island café typically covers Greek coffee or espresso-style options, fresh juice, yoghurt with honey, and toasted bread or pastry. Soulatso's breakfast offering fits that pattern based on available information.

If you have dietary requirements, calling ahead is the most reliable approach on a small island where menu flexibility depends on what is available that day.