Santorini Headingley review: A flavoursome feast of Greek and Turkish cuisine at this Leeds restaurant

I visited Santorini on a dreary Monday night, entering red-faced and shivering. There could not have been a greater contrast between how I was feeling before and after entering. Suddenly, I was in a warm, brightly lit and cosy space, beautifully designed with striking features such as cherry blossom.

There is an extensive drinks menu as Santorini doubles up as a bar, although I was left underwhelmed by the Santorini lager, which I found to be quite bland. Fortunately, the menu also features some fantastic beers such as Kirkstall Brewery’s Virtuous. There is a huge range of cocktails, which I would have loved to have delved into had it not been a Monday night.

I ordered chicken souvlaki, which set me back £15.95, and added skin-on fries for an additional £2. My partner went for the mixed gyros, which consisted of chicken and halloumi and came to a cost of £14.95. My chicken was beautifully tender and packed with flavour even before I mixed it in with the Turkish spiced salsa and tzatziki. It also came with delightfully elegant vermicelli rice and the portion size was generous without being overwhelming.

My partner recently holidayed in Greece, the home of gyros. With complete sincerity, she said her gyros at Santorini was better than what she had sampled in the dish’s country of origin. I wouldn’t say the food was a bargain but it was certainly impressive and I did not feel like I had been robbed.

The service was impeccable, but in all honesty, I have been reviewing restaurants for the Yorkshire Evening Post since last summer and I am yet to experience poor service. Hospitality industry staff have not had it easy in recent years, but the friendly service on offer at so many of the city’s restaurants – including at Santorini – is something Leeds can be proud of.

For a Monday night, the restaurant was actually quite busy with a diverse range of customers enjoying the impressive interior and even more impressive food. I entered freezing and hungry, and left warm, full and satisfied. Mission accomplished.

Factfile

Address: 55 Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 3AB

Telephone: 0113 278 1532

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs, 5pm-10pm; Fri, 5pm-10.30pm; Sat, 12pm-10.30pm; Sun, 3–9:30pm.

Website: santorinileeds.co.uk

Scores

Food/drinks: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 9/10