Santorini Mediterranean Cuisine

SANTORINI RESTAURANT San Francisco is an internationally inspired jewel located in the heart of Union Square. As you approach the front doors; there are miniature sparkling white lights that greet you. The decor is decidely "Greek" in atmosphere an ambience. The interior of this restaurant is very pretty and has artwork, colours and music that depics the beautiful Greek Islands and brings memories of the island of SANTORINI . The menu is very well priced, affordable and has a nice and full variety of food items from the Mediterranean, Greece and Italy. There are dinner specials that change weekly. Some of my favorite items on the menu included the Mediterranean Platter; the Baby Spinach Salad , the Fettuccine Marco Polo(two of my very personal favorites), the Meditteranean Lamb Burger and the Lamb Shank. These dishes were tasty, moist and flavorable. All of the breads are baked fresh daily from the imported Italian Brick Oven. Extended hours make this a place that is perfect for Breakfast, Lunch, Late afternoon dining and Dinner. The service is very good and personable. The owners & operating partners are handsome, charming and very hardworking, Belly Dancing is featured on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a great choice for a casual dinner on your own or a special 'Girls Night Out". Please definitely do check this place out.

Posted 04/11/07

My wife and I stopped in on our way out of our hotel, headed for the square. We were hungry for some hummus and real pita. The food did not dissappoint and the service was superb. The pita bread was fresh and warm, and the hummus thick and creamy. I could live on the pita bread. This place was perfect for lunch, and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it for a casual, mediterranean experience.

Pros: quick service on a friday afternoon

Posted 04/01/07

My first impression was great as I walked throught the door and was greeted immediately. The atomosphere is great with beautiful decor. Being Greek, I know the difference between good, average and poorly prepared meals. My guest had a good meal...gyro dinner. My meal was terrible...Mousaka...it was ground meat only with tomato sauce, poorly heated as well.

Pros: atmosphere, service

Cons: food

Posted 01/05/07

Don't let the other reviews discourage you. They have the topest score H.D. Santorini is located very close to the Union Square and San Francisco shopping center. Nice atmosphere and very nice art works, Great menu and wine list. The food is extraordinary and service is excellent. This restaurant would definitely recommend.

Posted 12/20/06

A good place for mediterranean food, I especially liked their Hummus and Spanakopita. I liked the huge space and ample seating. Needs better service though.

Posted 10/17/06

one of the worst restaurant Ive ever seen.we were four and we went for lunch .first of All we were surprised ,because they are liers ,they show you a nice picture in the tv ,such you think its positioned around the Bay with a nice view ,like
a real santorini aisle.and its not
second we ordered four different food and we all four got sick .(poisoned food)
I suggest you never go there if you care about yourself and your dears

Posted 09/09/06

It was my first time eating Mediterranean food and it was great. The service was great. The food it very fresh and delicious. A refill of my beverage was brought to me before I finished my previous one. I enjoyed it so much that I returned again a couple days later. Santorini is Highly Recommended!

Pros: Fresh Food, Inexpensive, Nice Environment

Cons: Location

Posted 03/15/06

My husband and I decided to stop into this restaurant on a whim. The name sounded familiar and the decorations looked promising. Unfortunately, we should have paid more attention to the faces of the other patrons before deciding to eat there. The service was terrible, we waited 15 minutes between being seated and getting a waitress (who was being stared down by every patron in her section). She had our food dropped off and never looked back. My wine was awful, and when I told her, she argued that the wine was "just fine" and refused to replace it or refund me even though I had taken only one drink. When the manager asked the group seated next to us if everything was ok, he got a similar recitation but did nothing about it. The awful service overshadowed the cheerful atmosphere and tasty food. Don't waste your time.

Pros: Passable food

Cons: Poor Service

Posted 12/11/05

Yes, perhaps you should not stop at this restaurant if you want a quick, fast food experience. That's why we have McDonald's. But, if you are interested in a relaxed dining experience with delectably flavorful food, definitely give Santorini's a try. The Hummus is the best I have ever tasted and sufficient for two. The fallafel was a bit hard, but still tasty. For the main course, I would definitely suggest the chicken in the pomegranate sauce. It was an amazing amount of food, also sufficient for two. The only downside: they were out of gyro meat, and so trying my fav dish was not an option this night. Bottom line? If you have the time to relax and enjoy your present company's conversation (the Santorini waiters certainly take their time between meal courses), and want to treat your tastebuds to an authentic experience, definitely give Santorini a try!

Posted 11/17/05

Unfriendly and rude. After being seated with friends it had been a LONG wait to order, and when we ask to make a order the MANAGER said sarcasticly that he was waiting for us for a long time. Secondly did not get served with bread while we wait for food.Next, an hour long for food. Last but not least, they had charged us 20% for gratuity.I would not mind if the service and food was great.I had questioned the manager about the 20% and he said that they had waited for all of us for 2 hours on our reservation and so that they had increased the gratuity to 20%.Granted that everybody did not show up from up to maybe an hour, not 2.He had stated that he had lost up to $500 because of us, the question is that it was not BUSY and had open tables.

Cons: bad parking, bad food & service, bad managment

Posted 10/22/05

I had my birthday dinner at Santorini. It was a group of 10 & the worst dining experience ever. The food came out cold & we had to practically beg for the "free" pita bread. When we asked for more pita (our food was taking so long), the waiter was reluctant to bring us more. When he finally did, the bread was cold & he did not bring the dipping oils so we had to ask for that as well (which by the way wasn't readily available and had to be "ordered"). The service was slow & the waiter was rude/not helpful. Santorini's added extra charges on top of gratuity because they said we were late in our reservation. Management claimed to turning away customers (completely absurd because the restaurant was half deserted.) I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone unless they don't care about customer service.

Cons: bad parking

Posted 10/22/05

My friends and I shared a few dishes that included chicken, lamb, hummus, pita bread. The chicken and lamb was tender. The gravy that accompanied the chicken was sweet, tangy, very interesting. The gravy on the lamb complimented the meat, mashed potatoes and vegetables nicely. The pita bread was soft, warm and very tasty with the salsa/vinaigrette mixture and hummus.

I don't know much about authentic Mediterranean food, but it was delicious here and the service is great. The one waiter who helped us, single-handedly served the whole restaurant on his own. Even though there were at least 8 tables to help, he was nonetheless, patient, pleasant and acted as though there was no one else around but us.

Pros: close to union square, great service, good food

Posted 09/29/05

The setting is bright, airy, and quiet. The flavors are crisp and clean, a welcome break from S.F.'s ususal self-conscious menus. The service is slow, but the food is good, so what's the rush? The servers are genuine and pleasant, which is also a nice change of pace from most downtown restaurants. And it's not as empty as it used to be!

Posted 09/19/05

we decided to check out this place after work on monday. I have to say that the food fell really short of our expectations. They charge u union square prices - if u want real mediterranean food - then i would suggest one skip this place. the chicken was dry and really had no flavour. service was allright - friendly and curteous. the hummus we ordered we liked. and that was the about the only thing at this place. 13 bucks for a plate of dry chicken with rice (and no sauce to speak off).. in my book - not worth it. go somwhere else -

Posted 09/12/05

I went to Santorini with a good friend, based on the reviews I read on citysearch. The menu seemed extensive, but the food quality itself was below average. The location is the only redeeming factor of this restaurant, it's very close to Union Square which makes it a tourist haven, but there are a lot of other better Mediterranean restaurants in the city which offer authentic food at good prices.

Pros: Location

Cons: Food, Price, Service

Posted 09/12/05

Santorini is a great place to eat any day of the week. Its a very casual environment, almost too empty... but don't be fooled. Their overbaked pitas served to everyone is delicious. If you visit you MUST try their Pork Chops or Lamb Shanks. GOOOOOOD food!

Pros: Reasonably Priced, DELICIOUS, Something New

Cons: slow, too empty

Posted 08/03/05

Wonderful Union squre location with parking across the street. Restaurant is new and totally re-done with a great mediterranean atmosphere, a wood fire pizza oven, and a back room to fit a large party. The appetizers, meal, kebabs, pizza and seafood where all good! The price is right and service excellent, the owner even sat down with us!

Pros: parking, inexpensive, good price

Posted 02/13/05

This new restaurant had vibrant Mediterranean design and authentic art and style..good pizza and awesome kebabs! I found the food to be light, flavorful and freshly prepared. A must try when you are downtown!

Pros: Great Wine List, Healthy, Nice Staff

Posted 02/06/05