I have written about the GB Roof Garden several times, and each visit has been prompted by something different. Sometimes it has been Hotel Grande Bretagne itself, and the singular place it holds in Athenian life. On other occasions, it has been the rare power of this rooftop, which seems to meet the Acropolis almost face to face, or its cuisine, which has evolved with remarkable consistency in recent years under the direction of Asterios Koustoudis. This time, I am returning for a more specific reason. The GB Roof Garden appears to be entering another new phase. The extensive refurbishment completed by Goddard Littlefair around two years ago restored its metropolitan glamour, together with the sense of grandeur befitting a landmark hotel in southern Europe. The space now has cleaner lines, a more contemporary elegance and a stronger sense of theatre. Yet it remains unmistakably Athenian, urban and spectacular, with the city unfolding below and the Parthenon doing what it has done for centuries: stealing the scene with infuriating ease.
The real news, however, is now coming from the kitchen. Last February, Asterios Koustoudis welcomed Giannis Rokanas as the new Chef de Cuisine at GB Roof Garden, entrusting him with the restaurant’s day-to-day culinary direction under his own close supervision. We first encountered Rokanas at Cremnos, the restaurant at Acro Suites in Crete, where he had already revealed a distinctive culinary sensibility defined by clarity, thoughtfulness and instinct. In Athens, at a restaurant carrying such weight and history, the challenge is of a different order. This is a kitchen that demands precision, composure and the ability to perform consistently under intense pressure. It must speak to an international audience while remaining connected to its setting. And it would be difficult to deny that Rokanas has achieved precisely that.
GB Roof Garden’s culinary identity is grounded in the style of fine comfort food that suits it so well: Mediterranean at heart, cosmopolitan in expression, with dishes that recall an elegant bistro driven by creative ambition and elevated by the polish of a leading luxury hotel. I believe the restaurant is currently enjoying its finest period to date. The food is more delicious, ambitious and adventurous, with a kitchen determined to push further while keeping pleasure, clarity and a sense of refinement at its core, qualities entirely in keeping with Hotel Grande Bretagne. The kitchen scored straight from the opening whistle with the sea bass tartare. Bright, focused and beautifully composed, it was lifted by an explosive spicy lemon dressing with avocado, jalapeño and coriander, bringing freshness, intensity and tremendous energy. It is the kind of dish that could easily make GB Roof Garden’s fine-dining sibling at the King George look on with envy. The salad of sweet green beans, samphire, baby leaves, pistachios and dry anthotyro cheese was also beautifully refined. I enjoyed its textures, the purity of its ingredients and its delicate vegetal character. I would, however, have liked a dressing that brought the elements together more fully, adding moisture and that final lift of flavour capable of turning a thoughtful idea into a truly complete dish.
The ravioli filled with Volaki cheese from Andros, served with roasted pepper sauce, oxymeli, aromatic herbs and olive crumble, rank among the highlights of the menu. The technique is delicate, the pasta remarkably fine and the filling silky. The sweetness of the pepper is beautifully balanced by the oxymeli, while the olive brings the necessary earthy note to the finish. They are so accomplished that one might imagine them emerging from the hands of an Italian chef with a master’s degree in pasta, someone who speaks to fresh pasta more tenderly than to most people. The squid tagliatelle with peas, fennel beurre blanc, squid-ink cream and caviar is an ambitious idea, but one that needs a little more breathing room. The squid would benefit from a less dense composition, allowing its delicacy and subtle maritime character to come through more clearly. Far more convincing are the scallops with lemon risotto, pea and basil cream and bottarga. Here, the cooking steals the show: precise and buttery, preserving the sweet, oceanic flesh that becomes such a treasure when handled with this degree of care.
We finished with an exceptional Australian Wagyu, cooked to perfection and possessing the almost provocative deliciousness of truly outstanding beef, where the marbling seems to dissolve into aroma, succulence and velvet. It arrived with appropriate ceremony on Hotel Grande Bretagne’s silver serving platters, accompanied by roasted seasonal vegetables, pan-fried mushrooms with parsley and garlic, crisp salad leaves with avocado, grilled corn, onion and coriander, potato purée, allumette potatoes, sauce au poivre and béarnaise. There is something of the grand tradition of luxury hotel dining in a presentation like this, and rituals of this kind feel entirely at home here.
Another significant development is the arrival of Germain Decreton at Hotel Grande Bretagne. The French pastry chef brings considerable experience in haute cuisine, having worked at the three-Michelin-starred Le Pré Catelan and at Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower alongside Frédéric Anton. He has already taken charge of the desserts at GB Roof Garden and Tudor Hall, and his first creations suggest a pastry chef with imaginative ideas, expressed with finesse and an assured understanding of flavour. The standout is the Chocolate Tart, one of the finest chocolate desserts I have tasted in Athens in recent years. It arrives as a sleek, glossy brown curve on a delicate cocoa shortbread tart, finished with grated chocolate and fleur de sel. The cocoa nib sorbet brings an almost fruity freshness, the chocolate espuma is light and velvety, and the salt is measured precisely enough to bring the entire composition into perfect balance. It is a dessert of exceptional class, technically exact and deeply enjoyable. The Peach Pavlova, Melba Style is equally impressive. Crisp meringue, Greek yoghurt mousse, fresh peach, a delicate veil of peach jelly and raspberry coulis come together in a contemporary, pared-back interpretation of a classic. It retains the comforting familiarity of pavlova while elevating it to a more elegant level. Delicious, light and highly photogenic without sacrificing substance, it has the rare ability to feel both modern and timeless.
Finally, it would be remiss not to mention Evangelos Psofidis, the hotel’s highly experienced Head Sommelier, who can build a genuinely exciting wine journey around a menu of this kind. His selections range from prestigious labels that complement Hotel Grande Bretagne’s aristocratic character to more unexpected bottles that bring an additional layer of pleasure to the table. The possibilities naturally depend on how far, or how strategically, each guest wishes to explore the wine list.
For the first time, GB Roof Garden has received a score of 7.5/10 from FNL, reflecting what is undoubtedly its finest period to date. The challenge from this point onwards is consistency. It must continue working with the same discipline and culinary alertness, so that this impressive standard becomes its new normal.