The best restaurants in Athens, picked by a local Greek (updated 2025)

What is it? Elevated Greek cuisine in a historic building. 

Why we love it: Chef Petros Dimas at Makris Athens has put a lifetime of experience on a plate – earning him a Michelin star in 2024. Here, Greek cuisine meets fine dining in a beautiful setting in the center of Athens, where ancient Greece blends with contemporary cool. Choose from one of the three tasting menus, (Genesis, Utopia or Physis Vegan), paired with drinks curated by head sommelier Michalis Kapranos. Drink up a mushroom ‘cappuccino’, savour on red shrimp with caviar from Epirus and enjoy a bouquet of fresh greens and herbs, which he handpicks every day or two directly from the family’s farm near Athens. This is not your typical dining experience – but it’s about as ‘special occasion’ as it gets. 

Time Out tip: If possible, ask them to show you the basement, which is usually used for private dining. I wont give away too much, but let’s just say that you shall be dining over ancient Athens...

Expect to pay: €100 per head without drinks

Address: Astiggos 10, Ermou 119, Athens 105 55, Greece

Opening hours: Daily 6.30pm-12.30am, closed on Sundays and Mondays

What is it? For a fine dining experience with an element of surprise.

Why we love it: In the backyard of a neoclassical building in the center of Athens surrounded by apartment buildings from the ‘50s, chef Alexandros Tsiotinis has created a space where Greek cuisine meets French techniques and international inspiration that earned him a Michelin star in 2023. Do not miss the CTC Voyage, a blind tasting menu of 11 courses; the dishes are a mystery until they’re in front of you, but you can hope for corn soup flavoured with lobster, and possibly an avocado dessert. Oh, and the service here is impeccable: the waiters could be choreographed.

Time Out tip: One of Athens’s most vibrant areas is right on your doorstep – the Technopolis (Gazi), the city’s former gasworks, which has transformed into one of Athens’s largest cultural venues. In the summer months there’s a music concert almost every day of the week.

Expect to pay: €100 per head without drinks

Address: Plateon 15, Athens 104 35, Greece

Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 7pm-12am, closed Sundays and Mondays

What is it? A traditional family-run Athenian kitchen with no Instagram and no website, tucked away on a little side street. 

Why we love it: We’re letting you in on a little secret with To Kati Allo, which is just round the corner from the Acropolis Museum. To Kati Allo is run by a local family over two generations, serving up simple, good, home-cooked Greek food that will likely be the best meal you have there. You can watch the chefs at work from its open kitchen, and the tiny tavern feels really understated. There’s no menu, so we can’t tell you what to order, but just trust us – whatever they serve up will amaze you. 

Time Out tip: The Acropolis museum is only a 5-minute walk and the Parthenon temple only a 10-minute walk from the restaurant. Need we say more?

Expect to pay: €20 per head without drinks

Address: Chatzichristou 12, Athens 117 42, Greece

Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11am-10pm, closed on Sundays

What is it? Byzantine pastomageireio Karamanlidika is a tavern and deli in one spot. 

Why we love it: For the traditional Greek deli experience, set in a neoclassical house. Expect an array of Greek cheeses and cold cuts. serves traditional regional dishes, like fried aubergine and zucchini in a Cappadocian sauce or saganaki cheese, served with a slice of dried meat called pastourma, beef sausage and eggs. 

Time Out tip: You can check their menu, or just pick ingredients from the deli shop window and they’ll make you up a sandwich. The pastirma (local cured beef) is a must-try. 

Expect to pay: €25 per head without drinks

Address: Evripidou 52, Athens 105 52, Greece

Opening hours: Daily 8.30am-11pm, closed on Sundays

What is it? Fine dining on the Athenian Riviera by chef Ntinos Fotinakis, on the seafront of the Saronic Gulf.

Why we love it: Bungalow7 is designed carefully to look like a mansion, with its dining room, bedroom, library and garden – and it feels like home from the moment you step foot inside. Fotinakis blends harmonically Asian techniques with Mediterranean ingredients, from king crab Caesar salad with yuzu to black angus tagliata and fried padron peppers with bonito flakes. For pudding, try the matcha tea-ramisu. 

Time Out tip: The bar of Bungalow7 is well worth a visit for a cocktail or sake, curated by bartenders Dimitris Karapanos and Vassilis Sgouromallis. 

Expect to pay: €65 per head without drinks

Address: Leof. Poseidonos 110, Glifada 166 75, Greece

Opening hours: Weekdays 10am-12.30am, weekends 9am-12.30am

What is it? Intricate, innovative cooking and sharing plates in Athens’s Ilisia neighbourhood. 

Why we love it: Cookoovaya in Greek means owl, and like the wise bird, Periklis Koskinas brings his own wisdom into his dishes. Here you’ll try Greek cuisine at its best, pushing the boundaries of fine dining with shareable dishes, like the grilled octopus with fava or the tarama with grilled phyllo. Here you’ll find Greek pies with a modern twist, (like the one with Greek beef filet, black pork bacon, mushrooms and fresh truffle), and for the full tasting experience, the restaurant created three different menus as an introduction to their cooking philosophy. And there’s a vegan one too. 

Time Out tip: Did you enjoy your food in Athens? Cookoovaya is bringing their expertise to the Greek island of Antiparos during the summer, with the same menu plus dishes cooked on a wood-fire oven.

Expect to pay: €50 per head without drinks

Address: Chatzigianni Mexi 2a, Athens 115 28, Greece

Opening hours: Daily 1pm-12am

What is it? ‘Feyrouz’ is the name of a very popular Lebanese singer, but also the name of the mother and cook of this five-member family owned restaurant in the historic center of Athens. 

Why we love it: Merging the flavors of Balkan food and the Middle East, this small street food spot brought Levantine cuisine to Athens and is well-loved for blending the East with the West. From lahmatzun and peinirli to tabbouleh and some seriously good soups (try the mahluta with pumpkin or the yaÿla with yoghurt), get ready to embark on a journey through classic Anatolian flavours. 

Time Out tip: The team recently opened a dessert spot opposite the restaurant, so head there for a baklava or kunefe afterwards.

Expect to pay: €15 per head without drinks

Address: Karori 23 & Agathonos 1, Athens, Greece

Opening hours: Daily 12-10pm, closed on Sundays

What is it? Lovers of traditional Greek food, Giagia Koukou is your place. Giagia means grandmother in Greek and chef Nikos Efstathiou, though very young, achieves to deliver the deep meaningful flavours of the comfort food a Greek grandmother would make (with a twist). 

Why we love it: Giagia Koukou is housed at an old textile shop in the heart of Athens, with vintage furniture and decorations, meaning the vibes are seriously cosy. Though the menu changes seasonally, expect to find some Greek tzatziki, but with black garlic, chickpeas stew, a traditional recipe from Sifnos island, with marinated anchovies and radish, pies and beef osobuko giouvetsi in a pot with sweet cherry. End your meal with a delicious baklava.

Time Out tip: Do not miss the wild greens pie, which is made everyday, changing according to the season, and as for the wine list, lets just say that you’ll have the chance to try some of the best wines in the country.

Expect to pay: €35 per head without drinks

Address: Παναγή, Skouze 4, Athens 105 60, Greece

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 5pm-12am, Saturday 1pm-12am, Sunday 1pm-8pm

What is it? Chef Stamatis Misomikes’s passion for good food is alive on his menu at Nyn Esti, served on the top floor of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST). 

Why we love it: Well for starters, this restaurant boasts a glorious view of the Acropolis (and trust us, the illuminated Parthenon is the perfect compliment to your meal). Here you’ll find four tasting menus; Sea for seafood, Flora for veggies and Fauna for meaties, each with seven dishes and delightful wine pairings – or splash out and go for Biotope, a nine-course menu combining the best dishes from all three. Expect a delicious zucchini flower salad, a cuttlefish risotto and some perfectly cooked lamb, all served in incredibly unique vessels. 

Time Out tip: Arrive early and stroll around the museum. The exhibitions from Greek and international artists are always top notch. 

Expect to pay: €70 per head without drinks

Address: Leof. Andrea Siggrou 51-53, Athens 117 43, Greece

Opening hours: Daily 12-5pm and 6pm-1am, closed Mondays

Time Out tip: Who doesn’t enjoy some good music while eating? Greek live music is the highlight of Tavern Klimataria, so do check their music program beforehand for the exact days and hours.

Expect to pay: €20 per head without drinks

Address: Pl. Theatrou 2, Athens 105 52, Greece

Opening hours: Monday 11am-11pm, Tuesday-Thursday 12pm-12.30am, Friday-Sunday 12pm-1am