DINING OUT:
THIRA SANTORINI

3788 West Seneca Turnpike
Syracuse, NY
(315) 469-8899

See Map

by Sue Brode

Looking for a moderately priced, extremely friendly family restaurant, but in the mood for something a little different from the norm of American style "comfort" foods? Here’s a strong recommendation: THIRA SANTORINI, a Greek Taverna and Bakery not very far from Onondaga Community College that in the past half year has built a reputation as a dependable alternate to meat loaf or pasta - NOT, mind you, that you can’t get BOTH of those items here, if you so desire.

With all sorts of authentic Greek cuisine, each dish created by chef-owner Olga Koumanidis from her own family recipes, the bountiful servings will please anyone with a taste for Mediterranean cuisine while at the same time providing unique variations on all the themes, which range from bakery items like Baklava to special seafood stylings for octopus.

Be aware, though, that if you’re a little less adventurous, there are also plenty of more traditional dishes, including Shrimp Scampi over rice pilaf ($11.95) or New York Strip Steak with choice of potato ($13.95). Then again, if you’re in the mood for something quite unique in the Central New York dining scene, you’ll want to go with their Shrimp Santorini (sauteed shrimp, tomatoes, scallions, garlic, oregano, and wine over pilaf, topped with feta, $12.95) or the Greek Grill Platter (seasoned lamb chops, grilled marinated octopus, souvlaki skewers, and greek fries, $19.95). And to state the obvious, if you have a group heading out for dinner, and some of the prospective diners want something unique while the others insist on more traditional dining, you can get the best of both here.

The same is true at lunch time. If you’re in the mood for regular American Diner food, you can stop by and order such things Philly Cheese Steak ($7.95), a 1/2 hamburger ($6.50), hot turkey sandwich with potato and vegetable ($6.05), and meatball sub ($6.05). Then again, if you’ve grown a bit tired of all that, how about a gyro, served on Pita bread ($4.75) or as a Platter ($6.25) with potato or rice and salad? Or how about Chicken or Pork Souvlaki, likewise served on a Pita ($4.75) or Platter ($6.25)?
I’d bet good money that SANTORINI will become a huge lunch favorite with the OCC crowd, students and professors alike, when everyone returns this fall. As for those new dorms, SANTORINI’s will be less than five minutes away, a thought that incoming students ought to tuck away in their minds right now for breakfast, dinner, and snack-time options.

Speaking of breakfast, by the way, once again you will here find all the possible options. Eggs any style, with sausage, ham or bacon ($4.25), Frittata ($6.05), French Toast ($3.45), even Bagel with cream cheese ($1.75). Want to go Greek? Try the Peppers and Eggs ($3.50), a Greek Omelet ($4.95), or the Broccoli and Cheese omelette ($4.95).

The restaurant’s name, incidentally, comes from one of the most spectacular sites in existence in the Mediterranean world. A volcanic eruption once occurred at Santorini that was so massive, the force blew a good-sized chunk of the island away, raining debris as far away as Egypt. Historians have accused this massive eruption as being cause of the parting of the Red Sea in the Bible’s book of Exodus and also destroying the lost land of Atlantis by creating a tidal wave that also swept away the great palaces on the island of Crete, thereby hastening the end of the once glorious Minoan civilization there. As for Santorini itself, the tidal wave created a crescent shaped island with a steep cliff and a grand view from the top down to the sea crater. That island is, to this day, ringshaped. The uniqueness causes Santorini to be the most photographed of all the Greek islands, with its white-washed homes overlooking the crater. Sunsets here are considered the most spectacular in this part of the world. This, and much more information about the inspiration for Olga’s restaurant, will be found on the back of the menu, and makes for most interesting reading while waiting for your meals to be served.

But back to the food! Appetizers include Hummus (ground chick peas, tahini, garlic, olive oil with pita points, ($3.95); Keftethes ($3.95): ground beef meatballs, uniquely prepared with Greek herbs and spices, which qualify them as quite different from any other meatballs you’ve ever tried; and what proved to be our favorite, Skordalia ($3.95), crushed potato, feta, garlic, olive oil with pita points.

Anyone who is a vegan and visits the restaurant will want to go with the Spanakopita ($3.95), spinach, feta, dill, and garlic, wrapped in fillo. Seafood fans will flip over the fried Kalamari ($6.95), squid with lemon wedges, or the uniquely flavored grilled octopus ($7.95), served with olive oil, lemon wedges, and fresh bread.

On the main menu, meat eaters will likely go for the Shishkabob ($10.95), skewered seasoned chicken, beef, or pork with pepper, onion, and tomato, served over pilaf. Our favorites were the Mousaka ($8.95), homemade casserole of layered eggplant, potato, tomato, ground beef and bechamel sauce ($8.95), and Pastitso ($8.95), layered seasoned ground beef, pasta, onions, tomato, cheese and bechamel sauce. A hungry couple will likely want to opt for one of the house specialties, Greek Platter for Two (at $18.95, one of the most economical ways to go for people who are watching their budget and want a great deal to eat at the lowest possible cost): Mousaka, pastitso, and either pork or chicken souvlaki with choice of pilaf or Greek style roasted potatoes).

If you come in during the evening hours but aren’t in the mood for a full meal, you can choose from a number of sandwiches: gyro ($6.95), Falafel ($695), and chicken or pork Souvlaki ($6.95) among them, as well as a diversity of burgers.
Our ultimate recommendation: Try either a cup ($1.95) or bowl ($2.95) of the remarkable Avgolemono soup, a hearty chicken soup given its unique flavor and texture by eggs yolks added during the slow-cooking process. A greek salad, including stuffed grape leaves, is available. But if you want a more traditional American dinner salad, they’ll put that together for you, too. As keeping with the policy of having both American and Greek possibilities in every category, you can at meal’s end order either American Coffee ($1.05) or greek Coffee ($1.50).

Olga joined us to tell us a little about herself and the restaurant. Though of course of Greek origins, Olga came to America from Australia. She arrived in the states in 1982. Olga came to Syracuse because there were already family members living here. Members of Olga’s family owned and ran the legendary BUTTERCUP BAKERY for several decades. Her approach to the restaurant business is simple: She cooks here precisely as she would at home, for her own family, only on a larger scale. Everything must be ultra-clean and neat (it is) to make for an inviting place but she doesn’t like anything to be "frilly" - that is, she keeps things casual.

Olga herself did all the paintings of Greek landscapes that are on exhibit in the restaurant. There are also many items, like one particularly beautiful plate on display that pictures ancient mythological scenes, that were brought in by customers and given freely to Olga and her co-workers by regular diners who have become friends and part of the extended family feeling that you get upon entering. Very few restaurants instill in a customer the sense that, if they have some prized family heirloom at home, they would prefer to see it on display here, so that others can share in the beauty, rather than keep it packed up in the attic. This is one of those rare places. During the hour and a half that we spent dining at SANTORINI’S, numerous customers - individuals, couples, families, groups of friends - came and went, and they all knew Olga on a first name basis. She knew every one of them by name, and had a unique greeting for each regular. Stop by more than once and that’ll include you, too.

There is a large banquet room, so SANTORINI can handle all sorts of special events: weddings, Christinings, showers. The Marcellus Rotary Club has begun to hold its lunch meetings here owing to the wide range of taste treats available. In addition to a breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant, SANTORINI’S also functions as a take-out bakery. As you enter the front door, you will find a bakery display with Baklava aplenty as well as all sorts of other Greek specialties, including ones we’d never seen or tasted before, but loved when we did. While we were having dinner, a number of bakery customers stopped by to pick up some of the treats and take them home, either for a late night snack while watching TV, or for breakfast the next morning. Ask Olga about her specialty, "Easter Bread."

Though there will likely be a break on SANTORINI’S Sunday brunch during the month of August, expect it to return in the fall, with the expected combination of American breakfast dishes (omelettes, etc.) as well as all sorts of Greek specialties, the possibilities on any one Sunday running from Olga’s uniquely prepared lamb dishes to salads.
Menu items are available for take-out, though SANTORINI’S does not at this point in time have a delivery service.
The restaurant closes early on Sunday, at 3 p.m. It is also closed all day Monday. Every other day of the week, SANTORINI’S is open from seven in the morning until nine at night.

For more information, precise hours, reservations, banquet facility questions, etc., call SANTORINI’S at 315 - 469 - 8899. And please mention that you read about THIRA SANTORINI in Sue Brode’s "Dining Out" column of TABLE HOPPING magazine!

Back to top