Although the number of standout restaurants is not large, their quality and the clarity of their culinary approach give the Northern Suburbs considerable gastronomic weight. In 2026, the area presents a well-defined dining landscape, with restaurants that invest in excellent ingredients, sound technique and a clear culinary identity.
ATELIER PAPAIOANNOU
FISH RESTAURANT
Dim. Vasiliou 14, Neo Psychiko
+30 210 265 0200
www.atelier-papaioannou.gr
€100–140 per person
Open all year
round
Restaurant with outdoor seating
Atelier Papaioannou, which has relocated from the Spyromiliou Arcade to the space that previously housed Maison Colette, represents the most “culinary”, more refined and more bistro-leaning expression of the classic Papaioannou school. Here, fish remains the undisputed protagonist, yet it is allowed to pass through a filter of creativity. Konstantinos Pappas, who has worked alongside Giorgos Papaioannou since childhood, presents here a more mature and personal interpretation of this cuisine, placing greater emphasis on cooking itself, on sauces, temperatures, textures and attention to detail.
BOTRINI`S
GREEK HAUTE CUISINE
24 Vas. Georgiou V 24, Halandri
+30 210 6857323
www.botrinis.com
Over €140 per person
Open all year
roun
Restaurant with private parking
The new era of Botrini’s finds the kitchen of the multi-award-winning restaurant in a phase of meaningful reconstruction, signalling a clear change of direction. Since early 2025, the position of head chef has been held by Ilias Doukas, who has worked at major restaurants such as The Fat Duck, Alchemist and Quintonil in Mexico, and in recent years worked alongside Ana Roš. Botrini remains ever-present in this narrative, carrying the weight of a long journey that shaped Greek haute cuisine more than anyone else. Doukas, on the other hand, brings with him a completely different gastronomic culture. His references, his techniques and, above all, the way he conceives the composition of a dish have been shaped by experiences that lend a more austere character to Botrini’s new era.
KIVOTOS
MEAT RESTAURANT
Dios 32, Kifisia
+30 210 807 1014
€25-50 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with outdoor seating
Hidden away in a side street off the service road of the Athens–Lamia National Road in Kifisia, Kivotos is a simple, well-kept taverna serving delicious food, distinguished by its selection of beef steak cuts and origins, as well as by its impeccable grilling — the kind that would make many of the city’s celebrated modern steakhouses blush with embarrassment. The dining room is very simple and understated, neat and comfortable but somewhat impersonal, while the service is efficient. Guests are welcome to bring their own wine, as many of Kivotos’s devoted regulars do.
KINJO
FUSION & ETHNIC
29 Konitsis Street, Pl. Anaspies, Vrilissia
+30 2106825208
€75-100 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with outdoor seating
The decision by chef Nikos Politakos, a well-established representative of Japanese fusion cuisine, to focus on the more authentic expressions of Japanese cooking, while discreetly adding a few of his own clever twists, has significantly elevated the restaurant, turning it into an important destination for devotees of truly great sushi and expertly cut sashimi, nigiri and usuzukuri — and not only.
MONZÙ
EUROPEAN CUISINE
317B Kifissias Avenue, Kifissia
+30 2106200495
www.monzu.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with outdoor seating
The very talented chef Giannis Liokas refines the flavours of Italian cuisine at Monzù, marrying the classical school with more contemporary and gastronomically elegant specialities, while enriching the dishes on the menu with a wealth of distinctive products from small Greek producers, without the cuisine losing its Italian character.
PAPAIOANNOU RESTAURANT
FISH & SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Kolokotroni 32, Kefalari
+30 2104225059
www.papaioannou-restaurants.com
€100-140 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with outdoor seating
Absolute devotion to impeccable ingredients, together with the grill, the pan and raw preparations, once again set the tone at this iconic seafood restaurant, a destination well worth mentioning and visiting, which consistently keeps the bar of refined fish cookery high. In the hands of Giorgos Papaioannou, the outstanding ingredients supplied daily by fishing boats and spear fishers are quite literally elevated through a minimalist approach that has become a benchmark in its own right.
RICK`S ATHENS
MEAT RESTAURANT
Pentelis 1, Kifissia
+30 2107583348
www.ricksathens.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with outdoor seating, private parking
With Frank Sinatra and Jack Nicholson “framed” on the wall, a distinct interwar atmosphere and a film noir setting, the beautiful Rick’s in Kifisia serves a range of all-time classic specialities at reasonable prices that fit perfectly within the script of American steakhouses and French brasseries, in the hands of the very talented Dimitris Stamoudis.
VERITABLE
EUROPEAN CUISINES
Aggelou Sikelianou 8, Neo Psychiko
+30 211 182 9109
€100-140 per person
Open all year round
Alain Parodi handles the terroir of his homeland with remarkable ease, working with exceptional ingredients from France that he manages at VeriTable with impeccable technique, creating dishes that dive deep into the very heart of flavour. This is precisely the element that makes VeriTable such an authentic restaurant – or, more accurately, a bistro – just as its name promises. Service moves with courtesy and professionalism, while the chef’s wife, Christine, in addition to the range of excellent cheeses, also oversees VeriTable’s impressive walk-in cellar, stocked with labels from many wine-producing regions of the French vineyard, with Burgundy and Languedoc-Roussillon particularly well represented by several outstanding and hard-to-find wines.
The upward arrow next to the stars indicates those restaurants that are performing at the upper end of their rating and are considered more likely to move up to the next rating level in a future evaluation.
