ATHENS Centre 2024

February 27, 2024
Athens remains the metropolitan centre of taste, weaving a multi-dimensional pattern of restaurants of great interest and new and much-discussed arrivals that enrich its dynamic scene.
  • ATHENS CENTRE 2024 | FNL Best Restaurants

Athens remains the metropolitan centre of taste, weaving a multi-dimensional pattern of restaurants of great interest and new and much-discussed arrivals that enrich its dynamic scene. Without leading the way, fine dining is holding its defences and strengthening. Gastronomic restaurants and modern bistros are making an even stronger presence, while meat and fish restaurants continue to perform at a high level.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

AKRA
GASTRO TAVERN

Amynta 12, Pagrati
+30 210 7551116
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Open-air restaurant

Greek gastronomy guru Yannis Loukakis (Mourga, +food in Thessaloniki) has partnered with top pastry chef Spyros Pediaditakis to open "Akra" in Pagrati. The menu changes daily and is characterised by creative spontaneity and a spirit of experimentation with Greek ingredients, which almost always work like clockwork. When it comes to dessert, the bar is raised considerably.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

ALERIA
CONTEMPORARY GREEK CUISINE

57 Meg. Alexandrou, Metaxourgeio
+30 210 5222633
www.aleria.gr
€100-140 per person
Open all year round

The restaurant has an outdoor dining area, private parking, and a beautiful location and decoration.

In one of Athens`s most atmospheric and popular restaurants, Gikas Xenakis continues to interpret Greek cuisine uniquely and creatively and is considered one of the foremost authorities on the modern version of Greek cuisine. The wine list is interesting; the service is of a high standard, and in the summer, you can dine in the garden.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

BIRDMAN
FUSION & ETHNIC

2 Skoufou, Plaka
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.

Aris Vezene`s Japanese gastropub, where Syntagma meets Plaka, continues to buzz, in a truly electrifying atmosphere. With the relocation of Ekiben, the path is now even more widely open for higher achievement. The incredible Birdman Smash Burger remains uniquely sinful. The wine list is also quite interesting, focusing on natural wines.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

BRUTUS
STEAK RESTAURANT

Leventi 3, Kolonaki
+30 210 7240453
€75-100 per person
Open from October to May

Particularly charming location and decoration.

A cosmopolitan and atmospheric restaurant, like a Parisian bistro, that ... "translates" to suit New York or London. Michalis Nurloglou signs a menu with meat as its theme and protagonist, while Stefanos Rizos, who is in the kitchen at Brutus, carefully executes his mentor`s cosmopolitan specialities. On the plus side is an exciting list full of well-chosen selections from the vineyards of Greece and the New World and a smaller selection of top French labels.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

COOKOOVAYA
CONTEMPORARY GREEK CUISINE

2 Hatzigianni Mexi, Athens
+30 210 7235005
www.cookoovaya.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, own parking or valet service.

Cookoovaya is a rare success story, renewed in 2022 when its kitchen passed exclusively into the hands of Periklis Koskinas. Past experimentation, which would, at times, lead to exceptionally interesting dishes but, on occasion, to rather awkward and overly complicated compositions, has now given way to an absolutely solid menu with clear direction. The fewer dishes that are now available are delightfully delicious, based on recipes executed with precision and featuring ingredients fully aligned with the restaurant’s new identity. Under the watchful eye of the experienced and masterful chef Koskinas, the Greek flavours shine equally through the typical speciality dishes and the more adventurous options.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

CTC
GREEK FINE DINING

15 Plataion, Keramikos
+30 210 7728812
www.ctc-restaurant.com
€100-140 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors, own parking or valet service.

Alexandros Tsiotinis` restaurant in Keramikos has won the trust of Athenians and international foodies alike. Despite serving only a "blind" tasting menu, it is absolutely buzzing on a daily basis. With speciality dishes that stand out for their finesse and compact flavours, the chef pays tribute to Greek cuisine traditions, reinterpreting them through culinary aesthetics and infusing them with notes from French cuisine. The wine list is also remarkable and has now caught up to the restaurant`s high standards.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

DRY & RAW BY DRAKOULIS
STEAK RESTAURANT

14 Platia Filikis Etaireias, Kolonaki
+30 2107221188
Over €140 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors.

With its signature decorative wall, where light shines through mineral salt blocks, the interior of Dry & Raw in Kolonaki is "coloured" by darkness against a backdrop of subtle yet tangible luxury. The dark music, with its somewhat psychedelic beats, pulsates throughout at respectful volumes and sets the tone for a restaurant that can easily become a “place to be” for those who love eclectic meat cuts.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

EX MACHINA
FUSION & ETHNIC

34 Empedocleus, Pagrati
+30 2107560362
€75-100 per person
Open all year round

Outdoor restaurant.

At Adam Kontovas` first restaurant in Athens, the talented chef has created a space that captures without boundaries an inventive rock fusion cuisine that, with Asia and the Orient at its core, combines ingredients of different types and classes to shoot an arrow into the heart of deliciousness. His unique stamp is not only on the flavours but also on everything from the music to the decor and the food served.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

GALLINA
MODERN BISTRO

49 Markou Botsaris, Koukaki
+30 2109237425
€75-100 per person
Open all year round

Particularly charming location or decoration, a restaurant serving outdoors, and an excellent wine list.

At Philippos Tsagridis` artisanal restaurant in Koukaki, design, wine, and gastronomy create a highly charming setting that fascinates with its cosmopolitanism. The award-winning chef Pavlos Kyriakis signs a well-executed menu of penetrating delicacies inspired by French cuisine, while top-quality ingredients, which Christos Chitos and his team manage impeccably, play a prominent role in the dishes. One of the main pillars of Gallina is the fantastic wine list by Yannis Gougoutoudis, with more than 700 labels at unbeatable prices. It is one of the most exciting openings of the year.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

GB ROOF GARDEN
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL CUISINE

Grande Bretagne Hotel, 1A Vas. Georgiou, Syntagma Square
+30 210 3330766
www.gbroofgarden.gr
Over €140 per person
Open all year round

Excellent wine list, restaurant serving outside, restaurant with a unique view.

The iconic Great Britain Hotel`s rooftop offers a breathtaking view, service worthy of expectations, and an excellent wine list. The cosmopolitan Mediterranean cuisine, always orchestrated by Asterios Koustoudis and chef Nikos Lioka, has taken a qualitative and exciting turn to Greek products. Thus, this comeback is a great success. The restaurant was renovated in the spring, spicing up some of the aesthetic directions of the overall renovation that is being planned.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

HERVÉ
INTERNATIONAL HIGH GASTRONOMY

170 Trion Ierarchon, Ano Petralona
+30 210 3471332
€100-140 per person
Open all year round

The restaurant of Hervé Pronzato, Grigoris Kiki and Giorgos Efthimiopoulou in Petralona, three years after its opening, continues its high gastronomic flights, unfolding around its bar and overlooking the open kitchen, a degustation menu overflowing with creativity, great executions and original ideas.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

HYTRA
GREEK FINE DINING

1 Petrou Kokkali
+30 210 3316767
Open all year round
www.hytra.gr
€75-100 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors, with its own parking or valet service, and a unique view.

Before taking the reins in Hytra`s kitchen, George Felemegas was for many years the right hand of top Spanish chef Quique Dacosta, and this tenure is reflected in the restaurant`s signature menu. He uses hard-to-find raw materials from Greek producers to create delicate compositions that will not leave you unmoved. The restaurant has recently moved to a new—temporary—space at the Athens Concert Hall.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

JERAR
MODERN BISTRO

55 Agias Barbaras, Dafni
+30 2109755764
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant offering indoor and outdoor seating.

The gourmet bistrot of Haris Nikolouzos and Giorgos Kavaklis in Dafni has firmly established itself. Their cuisine constantly evolves towards the world of bistronomy. The setting seamlessly blends the warmth of a Parisian neo-bistrot with a Scandinavian aesthetic. The open-plan kitchen also contributes to the space’s warmth.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

LOST ATHENS
MODERN BISTRO

7 Archelaou, Pagkrati
+30 2107230832
www.lostathens.gr
€25-50 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant offering indoor and outdoor seating.

Eleni Saranti`s contemporary eye and ability to move between warmth and subtlety successfully combine the familiar with the modern dress-up Lost`s menu with deliciousness that touches on the Mediterranean and France but also nostalgia for Greece. Here, they especially love natural wines and don`t hide it.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

MAKRIS
CONTEMPORARY GREEK CUISINE

Astigos 10 & Ermou 19, Athens, Greece
+30 2160047777
€100-140 per person
Open all year round

A restaurant that serves outside, restaurant with a unique view, restaurant with its own parking or valet parking, and an excellent wine list.

With momentum from the successful Makris in Corfu, Elounda and Milos, the fine dining restaurant of Domes Resort has landed in Athens, setting the bar high from the start. The neoclassical building that houses it has been elegantly renovated, while from its terrace, the Acropolis makes the frame unforgettable. Makris Athens, however, steals the show in flavours too, with Petros Dimas creating an artful gastronomy through two tasting menus embroidered with ingredients from Greek producers, while most of the vegetables he uses come directly from the chef`s family farm at the foothills of Ancient Corinth.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

MERCERI
MODERN BISTRO

21 Irakleidon 21 Thiseio, Athens
+30 210 3417511
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Melina Chomata, an old acquaintance from Vedema and Mystique in Santorini, along with Maria Dioudi have put together a relatively small menu at Merceri Food & Drinks with several tempting suggestions. They use quality ingredients that they process with knowledge and creativity. However, what makes their mark is how they add individual elements to their dishes.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

METROPOLIS ROOF GARDEN
CONTEMPORARY GREEK CUISINE

Electra Metropolis Athens
15 Mitropoleos Street, Athens
+30 214 1006200
€75-100 per person
Open all year round

A restaurant that serves outside, with a unique view, particularly charming location.

On the tenth floor of the Electra Metropolis Athens hotel, on one of the city`s most charming rooftops, with a magnificent view of the sacred rock of the Acropolis, chef Haris Zeevgoulis presents his own cosmopolitan yet experiential version of Greek cuisine that charms his steady Greek audience and the restaurant`s international clientele in equal measure. The à la carte offerings on the menu include several interesting "vegan proposals." The wine list is thorough, opinionated, and has excellent value for money.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

MILOS
FISH RESTAURANT

3-5 Kolokotroni, Syntagma
+30 216 6003300
€100-140 per person
Open all year round

The new "home" of this iconic restaurant in Athens is a beautiful, stately hall on the ground floor of the first Milos Hotel that opened to the world! Here, Kostas Spiliadis once again showcases his gastronomic "credo" with mastery and consistency: the charm of simplicity and the magic of sourcing top-quality ingredients.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

NYX
FUSION & ETHNIC

38 Akadimias & Omirou, Athens
+30 2103670000
€75-100 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors, with a special view.

A charming rooftop bar-restaurant in Academias Hotel with panoramic views of Athens -from the Acropolis to Lycabettus- and a skilfully crafted Japanese fusion cuisine full of colour, aroma, and soulfulness by chef Dimitris Kotsalis.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

OIKONOMOU
TRADITIONAL GREEK CUISINE

41 Troon & Kydantidon, Ano Petralona
+30 2103467555
Up to €25 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors.

It is located in the same building that dates back to 1918 and was the house of Yannis Economou, but the tavern was called Zephyros and started operating as a tavern in 1930. Passing through a thousand waves and changing hands, it was lucky enough to fall into the hands of people who not only respected its historicity but did not take a half step back in the heritage it received. So, the now legendary tavern of Economou is better than ever in every way. You`ll sample many traditional dishes they served back then, with their delicious olive oil dishes remaining the highlight. Greek wine is now also prominently featured at Oikonomou`s, with over a hundred labels, mostly mildly vinified.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

PHARAOH
TRADITIONAL GREEK CUISINE

54 Solomou Street, Exarchia
+30 2103808412
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Four highly influential - each in their field - and trendy people joined forces to open a restaurant with an antithetical culinary concept, choosing, against all odds, a spot in the centre - two steps from Patision and another two from Kanigos Square - that had been practically discredited and reviving it. Pharaoh, one of the most talked about restaurants in Athens in recent years, is thus located in Exarchia, playing fugitive vinyl, serving natural wines and drinking water in the name of Greek tradition. At Pharaoh, Manolis Papoutsakis cooks, following the simple rules of Cretan cuisine - a cucina povera, of minimal ingredients and excellent raw materials.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

SEEDS
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL CUISINE

14 Umblianis & 27 Dioharous, Ilisia
+30 2107235116
€100-140 per person
Open all year round

The first restaurant of Dimos Samourakis and Alexandros Bellonias is evolving impressively and continues to surprise with its elegant but delicious gastronomy. The space that hosted the CTC for five years has been renovated: wood sweetens the atmosphere, earthy colours rest the eyes that will only fall on two or three works of art and directly on the open kitchen from which Samourakis and his team go in and out, serving almost all stages of the - now unique - menu. On the one hand, his flavours wink at the minimalism of modern Scandinavian cuisine. Still, only a dish goes by with embroidery, a substantial contrast in textures or a finely crafted sauce that doesn`t make it delicious.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

SENSE
CONTEMPORARY GREEK CUISINE

5 Dionysiou Areopagitou, Athens
+30 210 9249954
www.athenswas.gr
€75-100 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving both indoors and outdoors, with a special view.

The contemporary Greek cuisine of Alexandros Charalampopoulos on the rooftop of Athens Was Hotel is a constant source of interest. The chef renders it with beautiful technique and expressive flavour, incorporating traditional recipes in his unique blend of flavours.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

SIMUL
MODERN BISTRO

63 Ypsilantou, Kolonaki
+30 2107224737
www.simul.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving both indoors and outdoors.

The flavours of Nikos Thomas at Simul keep our interest lively, as the talented chef patron of this atmospheric restaurant in Kolonaki puts the knife deeper into the bone of bistronomy without leaving the deliciousness out of the plan. Alongside him in Alexandra Gasparinatou and Trianta Louzi, they ensure that what we taste is accompanied by an exemplary service that takes the experience to the next level.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

SOIL
GREEK FINE DINING

5 Ferekidou, Pagkrati
+30 210 7513505
www.soilrestaurant.gr
Over €100 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant serving both indoors and outdoors.

Housed in a two-story neoclassical building in Pagkrati, dating back to 1925, Soil has been beautifully renovated to house chef Tasos Mantis. This nature-loving chef reveals his rare culinary skills through two tasting menus, creating innovative specialities that largely reflect his garden-to-table philosophy. He further enriches the flavours with herbs, fruit, and flowers grown in his own garden in Alepochori. Mantis` dishes exude delicacy, variation in intensity and a clear, earthy deliciousness that makes them stand out. The restaurant also boasts an impressive wine list.


3 FNL Stars |EXCELLENT INTERNATIONAL CLASS RESTAURANT

SPONDI
INTERNATIONAL HIGH GASTRONOMY

5 Pyrronos, Pagkrati
+30 210 7520658
www.spondi.gr
Over €140 per person

Restaurant serving both indoors and outdoors, with its own parking, excellent wine list.

Arnaud Bignon`s creations at Spondi, which remains a national treasure for Greek gastronomy, always revolve around exceptional ingredients cooked to perfection. With these ingredients, he crafts a complex, sophisticated, and harmonious succession of flavours and textures. The service consistently achieves high standards, and the wine list is remarkable.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

SUSHIMOU
FUSION & ETHNIC

6 Skoufou, Plaka
+30 211 4078457
www.sushimou.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Antonis Drakoularakos seeks out fresh ingredients on a daily basis. Handling them with prowess, he prepares delightful nigiri and sashimi and serves dishes for the patrons sitting at the twelve-seat wooden bar of Sushimou and at the few stands on the sidewalk. The omakase experience on offer here is full of rhythm and charm.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

TELEMACHOS ATHENS
STEAK RESTAURANT

10 Panepistimiou, Syntagma
+30 2103613300
www.telemachosathens.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Chef Giorgos Tsiligkiris scours Greece and Italy for their finest cattle breeds to source his meats; hence, his lavish menu offers quality meat dishes from both countries. The restaurant exudes an aura of old-world charm and elegance, and the wine list features numerous labels from both Greek and international vineyards.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

TSIFTIS
GASTROTAVERN

Sevasteias & Michalakopoulou, Ilisia
+30 2107754246
€50-75 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.

Sifis Manouselis, Babis Kazanas, and Vaios Koromilas opened their first restaurant in Athens on a pedestrianised street in Ilisia. The restaurant met with great success from day one. Using high-quality ingredients and letting their imagination run wild, the talented chef offers a welcoming, relaxed, yet substantially delicious version of Greek gastro tavern dishes. The wine list features many gems from Greek and international vineyards.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

TUDOR HALL
CONTEMPORARY GREEK CUISINE

3 Vas. Georgiou I, Syntagma Square, King George Athens Hotel
+30 210 3330265
www.tudorhall.gr
Over €140 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, exceptional view, a particularly charming location or atmosphere, an exceptional wine list.

The classy Tudor Hall has set the bar higher than ever, and Asterios Koustoudis`s bold bet to upgrade the restaurant by choosing the hard way is being won increasingly daily. Still, the vote of confidence he gave to the very talented Nikos Livadias fully vindicates him. The high-quality compositions are executed with excellence: the sauces are impeccable, the combinations of ingredients work together, and the ideas in the dishes fascinate, sometimes with their classicism and sometimes from a more creative point of view.


2 FNL Stars | VERY GOOD RESTAURANT REGARDLESS OF CLASS

VEZENE
MODERN BISTRO

11Vrasida (Hilton area)
+30 210 7232002
€75-100 per person
Open all year round

Restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.

Aris Vezene`s ability to listen to the pulse that beats for a democratised and more relaxed gastronomy with subtle luxury elements is proverbial. The same goes for its access to raw materials of exquisite quality, even now that seventy per cent of the menu proposes seafood and fish. Meat is still an essential part of his cuisine, but it no longer dominates as it used to. Vezene is becoming more and more timeless, without stopping to evolve and excel. It is delectable to the marrow but also more beautiful than ever.


1 FNL Star | GOOD IN ITS CLASS

ZURBARAN
MODERN BISTRO

38 Patriarchou Ioakeim, Kolonaki
+30 2107238334
€75-100 per person
www.zurbaranathens.gr
Open all year round

Restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.

With its popularity still soaring and a corresponding influx of people, Zurbaran in Kolonaki is celebrating six years of life this year. The kitchen in the hands of Georgianna Chiliadakis is cosmopolitan, very tasty, and better than ever. The central idea of the dishes remains comfort, familiarity, and understanding. Still, as you eat, you feel a different touch, a friendlier and more creative "hand" that knows what it means to be delicious.


The arrow pointing up next to the awarded stars marks those restaurants that are moving towards the upper end of their rating and we think are more likely to move up to the next rating level in a subsequent review


User Comments

Login or register to join the conversation