Dinner at Red Bicycle – Santorini

Red Bicycle or Kokkino Podilato is probably best known from Giada in Paradise. In the episode, Giada goes to Red Bicycle for breakfast. (She also goes to another restaurant and orders tomato fritters only to wrap them in a napkin for later. Is it just me, or is that ghetto granny-style?) Well, I didn’t go there for breakfast, and in fact, I didn’t even plan to go there because of all the online reviews saying it was overpriced and overrated, but one night while aimlessly wandering the marble streets of Oia looking for a place to eat (the place I originally wanted to go to was closed for a event), my little group stumbled upon Red Bicycle.

And I’m very glad we did. It was the best dinner I had in Santorini. The appetizers were all great, like this beautiful plate of fried shrimp served on mounds of creamy, puréed yellow-split peas. (The menu described the shrimp as grilled, as did our waiter, but the shrimp was definitely fried. Fried is a good thing.)

However, the best part of the meal was the pasta. Alli and David were raving about their fresh pasta with local tomatoes, but I couldn’t get over how good my sea urchin pasta was. The sea urchin tasted fresh and clean, and the pasta was studded with whole red peppercorns which gave it a nice, spicy bite. It was immensely satisfying.

And you can’t forget the view. Dining al fresco is a must at Red Bicycle. Not only do you have gorgeous view of the water and the sunset (if you time things right), but you also get a breathtaking view of the cliffside with all the whitewashed buildings and blue domed churches.

The total for three appetizers, three entrées, two desserts, one glass of wine, and three nonalcoholic drinks was €141.50 ($200.96). Is Red Bicycle overpriced and overrated? If you take everything into account, absof*ckinglutely not.

Red Bicycle | Kokkino Podilato
Main upper road in Oia (map)
Santorini, Greece
22860-71918