Key Takeaways
- Athens' restaurants are a foodie's paradise, as they can be found around every corner and offer a glimpse into the cuisine that has attracted visitors to Greece for thousands of years.
- Athens offers diverse restaurant options, from classic Greek to modern fusion cuisine.
- Traditional Greek and Mediterranean dishes remain central to Athens’s culinary identity.
- Picturesque views and attention to dietary preferences enhance the dining experience in Athens.
Athens, a city steeped in history, is also a vibrant hub for culinary enthusiasts.
The Greek capital’s eateries provide a meal and an invitation to explore Greece's culture and flavors.
Traditional tavernas serve up time-honored dishes such as moussaka and souvlaki, while modern establishments fuse classic flavors with global influences.
Beyond the taste, some restaurants in Athens offer breathtaking views of attractions and historic landmarks, creating a dining experience that’s as visually stunning as it is delicious.
Additionally, the city’s commitment to diverse dietary needs means finding vegetarian, vegan, and seafood options easier than ever.
Here, we have hand-picked our top favorite restaurants in Athens, including establishments for all types of dietary needs and preferences.
We have carefully accumulated a list with our picks of the best restaurants to make your life in Athens a tasty experience and taste the best of Greek food.
Michelin- Star Restaurants
Spondi
A restaurant that redefines Athens' fine dining, Spondi has been a leading figure on Athens's gastronomic map for over 20 years.
It has been awarded a Michelin star, which testifies to the deliciousness of its dishes.
What makes Spondi's dishes exceptional is the use of top-quality raw materials and impeccable technique that creates the perfect balance between finesse and expressiveness.
From the most elegant dish, such as the lobster tartar with lemon, caviar, grapefruit, and celery, to the most exuberant, such as the deer with Grand Veneur sauce, all offerings combine the refinement of fine-dining with the intensity of aromas and flavors and the "warmth" of rich taste.
Hytra
📍Leof. Andrea Siggrou 107-109, Athina 117 4
Hytra restaurant has developed its gastronomic identity based on tradition, giving its delicious creations a modern twist.
The various vegetable, herb, and spice alternations create unexpected taste combinations.
Substantial assets of the restaurant are the excellent service and hospitality of the staff, the high aesthetics of the place, its warm and friendly atmosphere, and the constant evolution of the food.
Hytra showcases the Greek cuisine and the local raw materials in the best way possible. After all, no one would expect anything less from a Michelin-starred restaurant like Hytra.
Varoulko Seaside
📍Akti Koumoundourou 54, Pireas 185 33
Varoulko's Seafood cuisine has been winning the coveted Michelin star every year since 2002.
The dishes, with modern aesthetics and very fresh ingredients, justify the timelessness of the restaurant, which has also received the Golden Cap and the Greek Cuisine Award.
Varoulko is housed in a three-story building in Mikrolimano, Piraeus, and serves its delectable gourmet creations by the seaside.
At noon, the atmosphere is more relaxed, with seafood appetizers, a selection of main dishes, and grilled fish.
In addition to the savory dishes, the renowned restaurant serves mouthwatering desserts. Please do not leave without exploring them.
CTC
CTC in the Athenian neighborhood of Kerameikos is housed in a preserved neoclassical building with an enviable outdoor space.
Combining the classic with the modern, CTC has been dedicated to creative Greek cuisine. Its multi-level dishes are set up to a surprise that hides textures and flavors.
Try the pork with potatoes that resemble a Peloponnesian piglet's taste. It has hot cheese, confetti potato, and the aroma of fresh oregano and lemon.
Another great dish is the traditional revithada, a chickpea soup flavored with lemon Verbena, handmade seafood chorizo, and Greek caviar.
Fine-dining Restaurants
Vassilenas
An impressive hall with glossy black and gray surfaces, a grid of Greek wine bottles with fiber optics on the roof, and a beautiful walk-in wine cellar are the things you will come across in Vassilenas, a restaurant with a long history and modern face.
Fish or meat, salads, and traditional dishes all offer gastronomic enjoyment worthy of the long course of the restaurant.
Vassilenas’ dishes are accompanied by selected wines from Greek vineyards, although there is no lack of imported ones.
Vassilenas serves outside in a well-kept small garden full of myrtles, rosemary, and basil in the summer. Its service is excellent, and its award-winning qualities are apparent.
Cookoovaya
📍Chatzigianni Mexi 2a, Athina 115 28
Cookoovaya's venture is considered by experts of Greek gastronomy the most important opening of an Athenian restaurant in recent years.
The partnership of five renowned chefs who use a sixth as a boss in their kitchen has a precedent in international gastronomy. What dominates the dishes is the wisdom of culinary maturity.
Dishes like the vegetable pie and the spit chicken cause feelings of nostalgia. Other dishes, however, such as the beef leg carpaccio with smoked eel and mayonnaise or the tartar with chili and capers, take you a step further.
There are 4-5 different types of house wine created especially for Cookoovaya by a winery in Domokos. In total, there are 120 labels, mainly from the Greek vineyards but also foreign labels.
Modern Greek Cuisine Restaurants
Dopios
Dopios redefines the meaning of the Greek tavern, offering cuisine with a Greek aroma, many exciting twists, and creative dishes that are meant to be shared, as Greek meze should.
Among its top creations, you will find stamnagathi greens with Japanese lemon oil and avocado tzatziki, a rich seafood orzo, and popcorn prawn with black garlic sauce.
The dishes are accompanied by local wines and traditional spirits and served under the shade of a plane tree in Agios Theodoros Square.
Dopios has created a tasty and open-hearted culture hub focusing on Greek delicacies.
Ella Greek Cooking
📍Mitropoleos 26, Athina 105 63
Ella is a beautiful restaurant with Greek cuisine and both indoor and outdoor seating. But that is not all.
A big surprise awaits you in the back of the establishment: the grocery store with selected products, cheeses, and cold cuts from all over Greece.
The traditional Greek food complements this wonderful home feeling. The smells coming from the kitchen are enough to whet your appetite.
There, you won't find Georgia peach french toast, but you will find the wonderfully crunchy handmade cheese pie with feta cheese and Elatis honey and the fricassee with local greens.
Ella Greek Cooking takes Greek recipes, upgrades them with contemporary techniques, and presents them in their new version.
Raw ingredients are transformed into refined flavors but with a distinct solid character.
Mani Mani
Hidden in the picturesque streets of Koukaki's neighborhood, Mani Mani represents traditional Greek cuisine at its best.
Due to the owners' locality, the region of Mani holds the delicious scepter of the menu, but the restaurant's kitchen incorporates recipes from all over Greece.
It does so always with a modern approach to using traditional and high-quality products, which arrive almost daily from Mani.
The restaurant offers its customers delicious "discoveries" through traditional flavors with touches of modern creativity.
Mani Mani is ranked among the city's top restaurants based on TripAdvisor customer reviews.
In their book '36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe,' the New York Times included an extensive presentation of Mani Mani as one of their suggested destinations for a weekend in Athens.
Aneton
📍Navarchou Nikodimou 3, Athina 105 57
From the wood element in the shop to the dishes that are almost handmade and imperfect, Aneton exudes warmth and intimacy with the outdoor area, the lovely bar, and the small indoor balcony with just three tables.
The restaurant's menu features fresh and authentic Greek ingredients: wild greens, mutton, seasonal vegetables, a variety of mushrooms, and fresh fish.
Depending on the season, the search for good raw materials becomes fuel for creativity. The wine list offers exciting options from Greek vineyards and a few labels from around the world.
Aneton's delicious modern Greek cuisine, comfortable, fine-dining experience, and use of local, strictly seasonal products make it irresistible.
True to its philosophy, the restaurant renews its menu items every 40 days or so.
Thes 'Greek Creative Cuisine'
The visible stone on the walls and the white tables compose a light and warm atmosphere in this contemporary tavern in one of the most famous streets of the Psirri neighborhood.
The menu has a talented chef's special touch, who creatively proposes typical Greek flavors, such as the Pelion spentzofai on crispy bread and the yogurt cod.
Thes 'Greek Creative Cuisine' is a beloved restaurant that wants you to get to know Greek flavors through creative proposals and standout dishes.
It is a hangout spot in Athens that loves Greek cuisine and craves its evolution.
Okra
📍Mitropoleos 82, Athina 105 55
Okra Restaurant in Athens is a hidden gem for culinary enthusiasts seeking an authentic Greek dining experience.
Nestled in the heart of the city, this charming eatery boasts an inviting ambiance and a menu that pays homage to Greece's rich culinary heritage.
Okra's specialty lies in its inventive take on traditional Greek dishes, infusing them with a modern twist that surprises and delights the palate.
The restaurant's dedication to using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients ensures that every dish is a fresh and flavorful masterpiece.
Whether you're savoring their tender slow-cooked lamb, relishing the vibrant flavors of a Greek salad, or enjoying the silky textures of their moussaka, Okra Restaurant promises a dining adventure that captures the essence of Greece's gastronomic tradition.
The warm hospitality and attention to detail in both the food and service make Okra a must-visit destination for those looking to embark on a culinary journey through the heart of Athens.
Street Bites
Hoocut
📍Pl. Agias Irinis 9, Athina 105 63
Located in the vibrant Agias Irinis Square and owned by the successful quintet of chefs that also owns the well-established Cookoovaya restaurant, Hoocut takes the king of Greek street food, souvlaki, to a whole other level.
The space is ample and high-ceilinged. It includes four food preparation stations, including an oven, a grocery store, a butcher shop, and a barbecue.
In the center is a heated large marble bench where the ingredients are collected from the other sections and transformed into the well-known souvlaki wrap.
You can choose between 4 types of meat: chicken, pork, beef, and mutton. All of them are cooked at that moment to retain their flavor's freshness.
The pita bread is also kneaded and baked on-site, while a range of sauces accompanies the delicacy.
Vegan Beat
Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore, do not hesitate to visit Vegan Beat Athens, the best vegan street food restaurant in the city's center.
It is a beautiful place with polite and helpful staff. Their dishes are incredible, and the prices are pretty affordable for the quality of materials and products that are not easily found in vegan restaurant shops.
Vegan Beat is for you if you like experimenting with new cuisines and flavors and want a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian options.
Don't leave without trying the delicious vegan gyros skewers with mushrooms and the 'wicked tart,' a lemon-lime tart with royal dates, almonds, and cashews!
Ariston
The smell of butter, going down the center of Athens, tempts you to turn right onto Voulis Street, where, for 108 years, there has been a popular pilgrimage for a fragrant and buttery ‘kourou’ cheese pie.
The reason for the famous Ariston, which is the emblematic bakery-pastry shop with the most famous pies in Athens.
It is ‘Ariston’ that, since 1906, has become an emblem of Athens - something like New York's hot dogs.
The peak of Ariston’s popularity came in the '60s when those who wanted to taste Ariston's cheese pie had to stand for 20 minutes in a queue that reached the corner of the square.
Gradually, other recipes were added, and today, ‘Ariston’ makes over 120 different pies, savory and sweet, with pumpkin, mushrooms, greens, leeks but also apple, and everything else one can imagine, using recipes from all over Greece, and always with handmade puff pastry.
If you want to taste the best pie you’ve ever tasted, you now know where to go!
Drinks & Cocktails
The Clumsies
📍Praxitelous 30, Athina 105 61
The Clumsies is a unique all-day bar that has become the absolute hit of Athenian nightlife and ranked 4th on the list of the 50 best bars in the world!
It is a multi-level space with an impressive interior design.
It is divided into five separate sections: the bar, the small semi-outdoor courtyard, the hall, and the lounge, while on the first floor, there is the Private room with the rare wine cellar and the billiards that can host up to 10 people.
But, of course, the town's talk is about the homemade drinks and ingredients it uses. We wholeheartedly recommend the Sangre Y Arena with white tequila, mezcal, and pomegranate.
At the same time, an excellent idea is the degustation cocktail menu, where one can enjoy 3 to 4 cocktails in half and at a very good price for a taste test.
Adding to its allure, it serves delicious snacks and a Sunday brunch that is hard to beat
To Lokali
Lokali is not strictly a cafe, a charming restaurant, or a bar. According to its creators, it is "a Greek pub," an exquisite place with original ideas.
Lokali introduces itself as 'cup, tap, tavern,' which means that it opens its doors from 10 in the morning for coffee and continues until three after midnight -every day- with drinks and delicious food (no mediocre bar food in sight).
You can find Mediterranean food featuring fried green tomatoes, green beans, and fried sweet plantains, as well as some Southern food (you could probably find in Athens, GA, and not Athens, Greece), including pulled pork, all with a Greek twist!
The wine cellar includes a selected list with careful labels from Greek vineyards and beers from Greek microbreweries.
At the same time, you will also find Greek spirits, such as Greek gin, vermouth, mastic, tsipouro, ouzo, tsikoudia, and even prickly pear extract.
There is also a list of 9 cocktails, which change depending on the season.
42 Bar
42 Bar opened in 2011, changing the cocktail scene of Athens. Its name came from the BBC radio series and later Douglas Adams' book 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.'
42 is the seemingly surreal answer given to the question, 'What is the meaning of life?'. The drinks menu is based each time on a script, a story, a journey, while the cocktails combine an average of 15-17 (!) ingredients.
Hidden in the most beautiful gallery of the center, 42 makes some of Greece's most inspiring and mouthwatering cocktails.
There, you will also find bar snacks to accompany the drinks and dishes with New York and international influences, while Jazz and soul music accompany the drinks with style.
Couleur Locale
Couleur Locale is one of the most favored bars in Athens, famous for its mesmerizing views. It is located in the classic city center.
You will find it in the stoa of Normanou Street in Monastiraki, very close to the homonymous metro station, in a busy neighborhood reminiscent of old Athens.
As an all-day view bar, it is located on the 3rd floor, offering stunning views of the Acropolis hill all year round.
Combining the imposing sight with original and creative cocktails, delicious finger food, and affordable prices, you will indeed feel that you have discovered a well-hidden secret.
Ermou 18: Beyond the Horizon
The newest addition to Athens' nightlife, Ermou 18, is hidden in a stoa on the most commercial street of the center, Ermou Street.
However, it is worth discovering it and going up to the 7th floor to marvel at one of the most beautiful rooftops you have ever seen in Athens.
It is a terrace with minimal aesthetics, wooden tables, and details that naturally refer to an island. At the same time, the fact that it is located on the 7th floor gives it a view 'beyond the horizon' across Athens.
But, of course, the most impressive sight is the Acropolis rock, which looks closer than ever.
If you're lucky enough to visit Ermou 18 at sunset, we promise the spectacle will sweep you off your feet.
Final Thoughts
The hub of Greek culture, the country’s capital city, is also the mecca of Greek cuisine.
The city's restaurants offer extensive dining options that cater to all tastes, from traditional Greek cuisine to innovative contemporary dishes.
Whether you're looking for a hearty Greek salad or a modern twist on Mediterranean classics, Athens' dining scene won't disappoint.
During your trip to Athens, it is worth exploring the culinary scene people from all over the world wax lyrical about. Don't you think?
