Santorini: Cooking Class with a Chef at the Ftelos Brewery

Santorini’s food culture makes more sense when you have caper leaves, cherry tomatoes, split peas, beer batter, and a chef in front of you. At Ftelos Brewery, you cook a four-course Cycladic meal from start to finish, then sit down to eat it with a craft beer made on site. The class is practical, social, and far more useful than another meal you simply order and forget.

I like the small group size, capped at 10, and the way the class connects local ingredients with modern cooking. I also like the setting: you may work beside the beer production area or beneath 150-year-old vines on a shaded wooden patio. The main consideration is that this is not a brewery tour with a cooking demonstration. You must take part in the chopping, mixing, shaping, and cooking, so it suits you best if you want an active class.

Key points at a glance

• Four local dishes: Prepare Santorini salad, cod croquettes, split-pea dip, and pork fillet with stout.
• A real hands-on class: You participate in every stage rather than watching a chef do the work.
• Brewery setting: Cook beside the production area or outdoors under old grapevines, depending on weather.
• Small group format: The class is limited to 10 people, making it easier to follow the chef.
• Meal and beer included: Eat the complete meal you prepare, with one Ftelos craft beer and bottled water.
• Recipes to take home: Written instructions let you recreate the dishes after your trip.

Why this class adds something to a Santorini visit

Santorini is famous for its cliffs, sunsets, and whitewashed villages, but its cooking has a character of its own. The island’s dry soil and strong sun produce ingredients with concentrated flavor. Cherry tomatoes replace the large, watery tomatoes you may know elsewhere. Capers and caper leaves bring a sharp, salty note. Yellow split peas become a smooth dip called fava, a staple of Santorini cooking.

This class gives you a way to understand those ingredients through your hands. You do not simply hear that capers are important to the island. You use them in the salad. You do not just order fried cod. You help prepare the beer batter and cook the croquettes.

The setting at Ftelos adds another layer. This is a modern brewery rather than a traditional taverna, so the experience connects local food with contemporary Greek craft beer. It is a good choice if you want a break from sightseeing but still want to learn something tied to Santorini.

The three-hour format is long enough for a proper meal without consuming an entire day. You can schedule it around time in Fira or another activity, though you should check the available starting time before booking. Since hotel transfer is not included, allow extra time to reach the brewery.

Arriving at Ftelos Brewery

You can reach Ftelos Brewery by taxi, car, or on foot from Fira Town. Free parking is available, which makes the class easier to fit into a driving day. If you are walking, check the route and heat before setting out, particularly if you are carrying bags or wearing anything less than comfortable shoes.

The activity starts and ends at the brewery. That simple arrangement gives you control over the rest of your day, but it also means you are responsible for getting there and back. There is no hotel pickup, and the cooking class does not include transportation.

The brewery itself has a state-of-the-art production unit and an industrial-style dining room. You can have free time to look around on your own, but keep the limits clear: a guided brewery tour is not included. You may also buy craft beer to take with you after the class.

The cooking area changes with the weather. On a suitable day, you work outside on a wooden patio beneath the shade of 150-year-old vineyards in a bioclimatic garden. If conditions are not suitable, the class moves indoors to a special area overlooking the beer production unit. Both options offer more atmosphere than a plain teaching kitchen, but the exact setting is not guaranteed.

Meeting the chef and your cooking team

The class is taught in English and limited to 10 participants. That size matters. You have a better chance of seeing the chef’s technique, asking questions, and getting a turn with the ingredients than you would in a large group.

The teaching style appears warm and informal. Mike has been praised for keeping the group entertained while producing a delicious meal, while Katerina has been described as kind and helpful, with a talent for explaining the food. Staff at the brewery are also noted for their friendly hospitality.

Names and staff can change, so do not book expecting a particular chef. Still, the descriptions suggest that the class depends as much on personal instruction as on the menu. You learn the background of the dishes, hear personal stories from the chef, and get practical advice that written recipes alone cannot provide.

Bring comfortable clothes, a T-shirt, comfortable shoes, sunglasses, and a hair tie. You are taking part in all stages of the cooking, so dress for work rather than for a formal meal. A passport or identity card, or a copy, is required.

The four-course menu

The menu is the heart of the experience. It is modern Cycladic cooking, but the ingredients keep the meal connected to Santorini.

Santorini salad with tomatoes and caper leaves

The first course is the real Santorini salad, built around cherry tomatoes, capers, and caper leaves. This is not simply a Greek salad with a Santorini label. The use of caper leaves gives the dish a distinctly local touch, while the small tomatoes reflect one of the island’s best-known crops.

You learn how the ingredients work together rather than relying on a heavy dressing. The dish is likely to be the easiest course to recreate at home, provided you can find good cherry tomatoes and capers. The written recipe helps with that after you return.

Cod croquettes in beer batter

Next come cod croquettes fried in beer batter. Here the brewery setting becomes part of the cooking lesson. You use beer in a technique that many home cooks know from fish and chips, but the result is connected to the local brewery rather than treated as a separate tasting.

This course requires more active work than the salad. You may be shaping the croquettes, preparing the batter, or helping with the cooking. It is one reason the class feels like a workshop rather than a demonstration.

Santorini split-pea dip with dry onion

Santorini’s yellow split-pea dip, often called fava, is a central island dish. It has a simple base but needs the right texture and seasoning. The dry onion adds bite and contrast to the soft dip.

This is a useful course for home cooks because it shows how a modest ingredient can become a satisfying first course. You also get a clearer sense of Greek food beyond the familiar combination of grilled meat, bread, and salad.

Pork fillet with stout and mustard-rosemary sauce

The main course is pork fillet with Malt n’ Marvel Stout and a mustard-rosemary sauce. It is the most modern dish on the menu, pairing a brewery product with familiar Mediterranean herbs and mustard.

This course also gives the class a stronger connection to Ftelos itself. The beer is not only something you drink beside the food. It becomes part of the sauce. The recipe brings together local-style cooking and a contemporary brewery approach without abandoning straightforward flavors.

Eating the meal you made

Once the food is ready, you sit down inside the brewery’s industrial-style dining room. You eat the complete four-course meal together, with freshly baked homemade bread, bottled water, and one Ftelos craft beer included.

That shared meal is an important part of the class. You have worked through each course, so the food feels more personal than a standard restaurant order. It also gives you time to compare results with the rest of the group and ask final questions.

The included beer is a sensible match for the meal, particularly the cod croquettes and stout-based pork sauce. Extra food and drinks are not included, so budget for anything beyond the stated meal and one beer. The class is about cooking and eating rather than drinking your way through a brewery, which will suit some people more than others.

The meal can also be a practical advantage at $113 per person. The price includes instruction, a small group, written recipes, the full four-course meal, bread, bottled water, and one craft beer. It is not a cheap lunch, but it combines a cooking lesson, a substantial meal, and a brewery visit in one three-hour experience.

Exploring the brewery after cooking

You have free time to explore Ftelos Brewery on your own. This is a useful extra, especially if you have an interest in how craft beer is made. You can look around the modern production setting at your own pace and buy beer to take with you.

Do not expect a guided technical tour. That is not part of the activity, and the brewery exploration is self-guided. If you want detailed information about brewing equipment or production methods, you may need to ask what is available on the day.

The contrast between the shaded vineyard patio and the industrial interior is part of the appeal. Santorini can sometimes feel focused on postcard views and crowded village streets. Here, you get a look at a working food and drink business with both local agricultural roots and modern equipment.

Who will enjoy this class most

I would recommend this experience to you if you enjoy learning by doing. It is especially good for couples, friends, and families with older children who are comfortable working in a shared kitchen. The small group can also suit solo participants, since the meal naturally creates conversation.

It is a strong choice if you want to bring home a skill rather than another souvenir. The recipe booklet gives you a useful reminder, and the menu is realistic enough to attempt again, at least in adapted form, after you return home.

The class may be less suitable if you want a relaxed meal with no participation. You are expected to help at every stage. It is also not the best choice if your main goal is a formal, guided brewery tour, since the brewery visit is self-guided and the cooking takes up most of the three hours.

The activity is wheelchair accessible, which is useful to know when comparing Santorini experiences. Still, the class can move between indoor and outdoor areas depending on the weather, so ask for current access details if you need specific arrangements.

Practical details before you book

Book with the weather in mind, particularly if the outdoor patio is a major reason you want to go. The indoor cooking area overlooks the beer production unit and remains part of the experience, but the vineyard setting has a different feel.

Wear shoes you can stand and work in. Tie back long hair, bring sunglasses for the outdoor option, and choose clothes that are comfortable around food preparation. Food and drinks from outside are not allowed, smoking is prohibited indoors, and tripods, video recording, and audio recording are not permitted.

The class is offered in English. You can cancel up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option lets you hold a place without paying immediately. Those policies help if your Santorini schedule is still shifting.

The activity has a 4.8 rating from 33 reviews, with especially strong praise for the chefs, the friendly brewery staff, the quality of the food, and the welcoming atmosphere. The repeated comments about Mike and Katerina point to the importance of the instructor, so the experience may vary slightly with the day’s chef, but the format remains clear and well structured.

Should you book the Ftelos cooking class?

Book it if you want a hands-on Santorini food experience with a proper meal at the end. The combination of local ingredients, four practical recipes, a craft beer, and a modern brewery setting gives you more substance than a standard tasting.

The $113 price makes the most sense when you value the instruction and the meal together. It is less compelling if you only want to sample beer or eat lunch, since neither a guided brewery tour nor transportation is included.

For most visitors, I would place this high on the list of non-sunset activities in Santorini. You leave with recipes, a better sense of Cycladic cooking, and a meal you helped create. Just arrive ready to work, not simply watch.

FAQ

How long does the Ftelos Brewery cooking class last?

The activity lasts three hours. Check the available starting times when you choose your date.

What food will I cook?

You will prepare Santorini salad with cherry tomatoes, capers, and caper leaves; cod croquettes in beer batter; Santorini split-pea dip with dry onion; and pork fillet with Malt n’ Marvel Stout and mustard-rosemary sauce.

Is a meal included?

Yes. You eat the full four-course meal you prepare. Freshly baked homemade bread, bottled water, and one Ftelos craft beer are included.

Is the cooking class hands-on?

Yes. You participate in all stages of the cooking rather than watching only a demonstration.

How many people are in the group?

The workshop is limited to 10 participants.

Is transportation from my hotel included?

No. Hotel transfer is not included. You can reach the brewery by taxi, car, or on foot from Fira Town, and free parking is available.

Can I cancel the booking?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. A reserve-now, pay-later option is also available.