Helios is one of those restaurants that begins with an almost unfair advantage. You take your seat and, before you have even opened the menu, a small summer conspiracy has already been set in motion. The setting, shaped by the kind of polished nonchalance that Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens makes appear almost effortless, is world-class. It is the sort of place that makes you understand immediately why the Athens Riviera can hold its own alongside far more storied destinations. And this is where the latest development becomes interesting: the sun goes down, but Helios stays open. It suits the restaurant. A setting like this deserves a life beyond lunch. For a restaurant whose name means “sun” in Greek, there is a pleasing twist in that. A place so closely associated with daylight, long lunches and the languor of summer on the Riviera is now exploring a different time of day, a different energy and a different temperature. The music takes on a more active role, the pace lifts just enough, and the atmosphere becomes livelier, more generous and more cosmopolitan. Helios retains its identity as a serious restaurant; it simply seems to be making fuller use of its privileged location and responding more directly to what a summer evening on the Athens Riviera calls for.
I return to Helios at the start of this new chapter, three years after my original review. I have visited several times in the intervening period and followed its development closely; it would be fair to say that the restaurant has by no means stood still. This year, it was awarded two stars at the FNL Best Restaurant Awards — a distinction that speaks volumes in itself. The latest changing of the guard in the kitchen brings Enrique Fernandez to Helios, and his story adds an intriguing layer to the restaurant’s new direction. Fernandez comes from Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s great culinary heartlands, and at Helios his heritage appears to find a more mature expression in the food: in the rising intensity of the flavours, in sauces with real depth, in the acidity that brings each dish into sharper focus, and in the warm, earthy energy that gives the cooking its pulse. His experience in Quique Dacosta’s kitchen adds a more exacting Mediterranean precision. As a result, his cooking seems to draw on two worlds that can meet here to compelling effect: on the one hand, deeply rooted flavours that require little explanation; on the other, the clarity, rigour and technical discipline associated with one of Spain’s foremost culinary schools.
Does he pull it off? To a large extent, yes. I say that bearing in mind that, when I visited, the menu had been in place for barely a week. The successes were both more numerous and more convincing than the less assured moments, with dishes that showed a genuine desire to connect Fernandez’s Mexican heritage with Helios’s Mediterranean setting. There were still a few areas in need of refinement, particularly on the technical side, but that is almost inevitable with a menu that is only just finding its feet. What matters is that this first impression reveals real potential. At its best, the cooking already has something worth following. For that reason, I am rounding my score of 7.3 up to 7.5/10, as I believe the restaurant will very soon be performing consistently at precisely that level.
The tableside guacamole is fresh, correctly textured and immediately satisfying — exactly what is needed to set the evening in motion. Even more successful are the tomate al fuego, in which charred tomato, jalapeño, ponzu and smoked feta cream bring Mexico, Greece and the wider Mediterranean together to compelling effect. Bright, lively and clean in flavour, this is one of the dishes I would order again without hesitation. The salmon tataki is refined, with its various intensities carefully judged, while the sea bass ceviche is one of the menu’s high points: vivid and incisive, with an exhilarating lift from the ají amarillo leche de tigre and an impressively persistent finish.
The beef tartare is less convincing. The fried milk bread was hard, while the tartare itself remained comparatively muted in flavour.
When it comes to tacos and tostadas, however, Helios performs at a genuinely world-class level. The pork al pastor, made with premium Joselito pork, is explosive, with fat, acidity, sweetness and heat held in thrilling balance. The chicken-leg taco is lighter and more playful in character, but no less delicious. The tostadas are equally accomplished: crisp, sharply defined and full of flavour, with excellent textural contrast.
The quesadilla had a tasty filling, but it emerged from the pan too heavy and ultimately proved richer and more cloying than it needed to be.
The octopus, by contrast, was outstanding: tender, succulent and beautifully cooked, accompanied by potatoes of remarkable sweetness. It was one of the best octopus dishes I have eaten in Athens in recent months. Unfortunately, the pork arrived overcooked, with a mole that lacked clarity and depth. The arroz del mar with carabinero prawn had a pleasing maritime richness, although the quantity of sobrasada needs to be reduced, as it pushes the salinity noticeably too far. The wagyu, finally, was faultless: precisely cooked, buttery in texture and deeply pleasurable.
Desserts are where Michalis Chatzikalimeris truly excels. The churros are superb — crisp, aromatic and impeccably fried. The churros ice cream is exceptional: dense and creamy, with a beautiful cinnamon flavour and all the indulgence of a churro recast in a cold, velvety form.