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.
AKTI RESTAURANT
FISH RESTAURANT
6 Poseidonos Avenue, Vouliagmeni
+30 2108960748
€75-100
Open all year round
Restaurant serving both indoors and outdoors, by the sea.
Making the most of top-quality ingredients, Panagiotis Giakalis has transformed Akti Restaurant, revived by the Agiostratitis family, into one of the best seafood restaurants in the greater Athens area. The network he has established with fishing boats delivers excellent fish and seafood, which the kitchen prepares into intensely tasty, beautifully presented dishes in a cosmopolitan style. This is a “fun restaurant”, consistently partying Greek-style, against the backdrop of Vouliagmeni Bay.
ARGOURA
FISH RESTAURANT
49-51 Agesilaou, Tzitzifies
+30 2177173200
€50-75
Open all year round
Nikos Michael`s cult fish restaurant in Tzitzifies has been overwhelmed daily for years by people drinking water because of its sui generis seafood cuisine. It is an unconventional cooking of rare raw materials that he seeks out with absolute dedication to serving unpretentiously in his restaurant, where rustic can be original and, in many cases, deeply delicious.
BASE GRILL
STEAK RESTAURANT
64 Konstantinoupoleos Avenue, Peristeri
+30 2105757455
www.basegrillathens.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round
The most timeless success story in the Athenian steakhouse scene, which planted the seed of nose-to-tail dining in 2005, is the award-winning Basegrill by Spyros and Vangelis Liakos in Peristeri. It never stops evolving; this year, it proudly earned two FNL stars. Its passionate creators seek out rare ingredients while maintaining a profound connection with Greek farms and producers who supply them with tailor-made products for Basegrill. Many delicacies here, such as their incredible cured meats, are produced in-house.
BEEFBAR ATHENS
STEAK RESTAURANT
40 Apollonos, Vouliagmeni
Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel
+30 2109670700
www.beefbar.com/athens
Over €140 per person
Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors, with a particularly charming location or decor.
The Athenian Beefbar, nestled between the two hotels of the Four Seasons, constantly improves its performance. It remains one of the most prestigious restaurants focusing on top-quality beef, with Japanese Kobe as a highlight. The restaurant`s chef, Panagiotis Retzis, also offers a range of profoundly flavourful meat specials, drawing inspiration from street food and classic European cuisines.
BLUEFISH VOULIAGMENI
FISH RESTAURANT
4 Leoforos Poseidonos, Vouliagmeni
+30 2109671778
€75-100 per person
Open all year
round
Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors, with a particularly charming location or decor, by the sea.
George Oikonomidis` continuous experimentation with the anatomy and maturation of fish has led him to propose, besides the à la carte menu, head-to-tail dishes prepared in a variety of ways: heads, collars, fillets, cheek, and even tails find their spot on the plates, thus demonstrating in practice the sustainable culture of Bluefish. Although the restaurant operates throughout the year, its summer setup with tables on the waterfront, almost floating on the water, feels like it came out of the pages of Condé Nast. The upgraded desserts bear the signature of Eugenios Vardakastanis and Giannis Kikiras from Noble Pastry.
DELTA RESTAURANT
INTERNATIONAL HIGH GASTRONOMY
364 Syggrou, Kallithea
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
+30 2168091288
www.deltarestaurant.gr
Over €140 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with exceptional decor, an excellent wine list, and its own parking or valet service.
Two and a half years have passed since the opening of the most impressive, majestic and ambitious fine dining restaurant of the last twenty years on the Greek scene, which opened its wings in the post-pandemic era and, in a short period, managed to tune Athens into an international gastronomic frequency - the first time at this level. Delta at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, which created Dimitris and Takis Christofileas` Dipnosofistirion, set the bar unexpectedly high from the very beginning. The high-end naturalistic cuisine of George Papazacharias and Thanos Feskos in the impressive restaurant at the SNFCC continues to draw its inspiration from contemporary Scandinavian gastronomy. Their artisanal and highly advanced technical creations are gradually enriched with substantial flavour and exceptional raw materials.
DOURABEIS
FISH RESTAURANT
29 Akti Dilaveri, Piraeus
+30 2104122092
€75-100 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant serving indoors and outdoors, with its own parking or valet service.
The epitome of classic seafood dining at the entrance of Mikrolimano, with a history dating back to 1932, although it was completely renovated in 2005, shaking off its tavern style. Here, prime ingredients take a prominent position. Fresh catches of fish daily and exceptional vegetables, perhaps the best in the market, are skilfully handled in the kitchen of Dourabeis, with a charming Spartan simplicity.
DRAKOULIS DRY & RAW VOULA
STEAK RESTAURANT
103 Vas. Pavlou, Voula
+30 2108955655
€100-140 per person
Open from September to June
In the atmospheric and luxurious restaurant, the first of Stratos Drakoulis, we find everything that characterised and gave success to the project from the beginning. Here, the menu is a welcome yet sophisticated return to Dry & Raw`s beginnings, which focused on comfort and hard-core meat-eating core, with quality and variety in cuts and origins as a constant trump card.
GIUVETSAKIA
TRADITIONAL GREEK CUISINE
45 Moreris & 20 Ithomis, Glyfada
+30 2109648081
€25-50 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant serving both indoors and outdoors.
Haris Tzitzis, the passionate owner of bio-tavern "Giouvetsakia," goes on a daily "treasure hunt" to seek the best of the market. Thanks to this thorough search and his dedication, he ensures fresh fish, excellent herbs, and top-quality meats and cheeses. Eva Pasanikolaki prepares delicious, simple dishes that offer the warmth of homemade cuisine, such as bean soup, fish soup, local pork with celery and avgolemono (egg and lemon) sauce, or her beautiful dolmades with cabbage or vine leaves.
KOHYLIA
FUSION & ETHNIC
Grand Resort Lagonissi , 40th km. F. Athens-Sounion, Lagonissi
+30 2291076000
https://www.lagonissiresort.gr
Over €140
Open from May to October
A restaurant that serves outside, particularly charming location or decoration, restaurant by the sea.
Comeback for one of the most emblematic but also most atmospheric summer spot of the Athenian Riviera, the former multi-cuisine restaurant of the "Grand Resort Lagonissi", whose flavours are now curated by Thanos Stasinos. The well-executed cuisine has turned its compass from Polynesia to nikkei paths, balanced tensions, delicate acidity and excellent technique. Even the sushi served at Kohylia is delectable, though not on the level of the other dishes.
KRABO
HIGH-END BEACH RESTAURANT
Thespidos, Zoska Bay, Kavouri
+30 210 8963309
www.krabo.gr
€100-140
Open from April to November
Restaurant serving outside, restaurant by the sea, with its own parking or valet parking.
Krabo of the Agiostratitis family (The Margi Hotel) wets its feet on Zoska Bay in Kavouri and is designed with such architecture to charm from noon to night. The elegant and more relaxed elements coexist harmoniously with the beautiful boho summer setting without overshadowing each other. This cosmopolitan lampshade has an irresistible charm and brings in many people from all over Athens daily. The duo Yakalis - Foteinis sign a modern multi-cuisine, in which the menu leans towards the familiar gourmet, emphasizing the immediacy of deliciousness and the search for exceptional raw materials.
MALABAR
MODERN BISTRO
11 Litos, Vouliagmeni
>The Margi Hotel
+30 2108929160
www.themargi.gr
€50-75 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with own parking, serving both indoors and outdoors, particularly charming location or decor.
Cosmopolitan flair and stylish warmth converge at one of Athenians` favourite spots, when venturing south. The flavours crafted by highly acclaimed chef Panagiotis Giakalis tantalise the taste buds with their incredible deliciousness and spontaneity. Although they remain familiar, these flavours result from high technical expertise and a brigade of talent and skill.
MATSUHISA ATHENS
FUSION & ETHNIC
40 Apollonos Street, Vouliagmeni
Astir Palace Hotel
+30 2108960510
www.matsuhisaathens.com
Over €140 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant that serves outside, restaurants with their own parking, particularly charming locations or decoration, restaurants with special views, and restaurants by the sea.
Consistently high performance for Nobu`s Athenian Embassy. Tony Vratsanos and Thomas Kourakos easily handle excellent ingredients to compose mostly specialities in the familiar style of the world-famous Japanese chef. However, they also serve some of their own "improvisations" where finesse, aromas and harmony steal the show. The dumplings stuffed with valley prawns, foie gras sauce and caviar are superb.
NAPUL’E
EUROPEAN CUISINE
43 Vasileos Konstantinou Street, Vari
+30 2109655815
€25-50 per person
Open all year
round
Restaurant that also serves outside.
A benchmark for Italian cuisine, Napul`e, owned by Francesco Granata, remains in excellent shape and never stops evolving. With a calculated simplicity of precision and successful combinations of ingredients, the chef sometimes pulls authentic recipes from the chest of Neapolitan memory and sometimes refines specialities, giving them a more delicate timbre. And the pizza from Francesco`s hands is truly unique.
PAPAIOANNOU RESTAURANT PIRAEUS
FISH RESTAURANT
42 Akti Koumoundourou, Mikrolimano, Piraeus
+30 2104225059
www.papaioannou-restaurants.com
€100-140
Open all year round
Restaurant that serves outside, restaurant by the sea.
It all started in Mikrolimano for George Papaioannou, but his partnership with the Stasinopoulos Group brought a new air of renewal at all levels. The absolute dedication to impeccable raw materials, the grill, the pan, and the raw set the tone again for an iconic fish concept worthy of reference and a visit. With its endless aftertaste, the steaming roe is exquisitely delicious; the crayfish pasta is impeccable; the braised octopus is pure lucuma; and the orange pie is airy and juicy in the finale.
PAPAIOANNOU RESTAURANT KAVOURI
FISH RESTAURANT
2 Iliou 2, Kavouri, Vouliagmeni
+30 2111001117
www.papaioannou-restaurants.com
Over €140 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant that serves outside, restaurant by the sea.
Although the three signature restaurants under George Papaioannou`s signature have a prevalent stylistic direction in cuisine, the performance at Kavouri is impressively high and consistent, making it stand out. Here, the raw material speaks the language of freshness and literally sparkles, while even on peak days, its management yields dishes embroidered with such precision that they perfectly highlight the delicate profile of the materials. As for the location, words are probably unnecessary in front of this view.
PATIO
INTERNATIONAL HIGH GASTRONOMY
11 Letous 11, Vouliagmeni
>The Margi Hotel
+30 2108929160
www.themargi.gr
€100-140 per person
Open from May to October
Restaurant serving outside, restaurant with its own parking or valet parking.
Panagiotis Yakalis serves high-quality gastronomy with penetrating flavours, perfect technique, and elegant embroidery on the constantly upgraded Patio using luxurious ingredients from top producers and exceptional-quality produce from Margi`s farm. Excellent!
PELAGOS
INTERNATIONAL HIGH GASTRONOMY
Apollonos 40, Vouliagmeni
Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
www.pelagosathens.com
+30 2108901192
Over €140
per person
Open all year round - Closed in January
Restaurant that serves outside, restaurant with its own parking lot, particularly charming location or decoration, restaurant with an exceptional view, restaurant by the sea.
With a lounge that resembles the interior of an ultra-luxury yacht and a terrace that wets its feet on the most charming spot of the Argosaronic Gulf, Pelagos at the Arion Hotel is exactly what its name promises: a "sea" that takes you to the open seas of taste and "seas" of textures, colours and aromas guided by Luca Piscazzi, who was for a long time the right hand of Ann Sophie Pic, at her flagship restaurant in London. Chapeau also to the restaurant`s manager, Cédric Vinckier, for his impeccable service orchestration.
PISCIS
FISH RESTAURANT
30 Koumoundourou Beach, Mikrolimano
+30 2104170772
€50-75
Open all year round
Restaurant serving outside, restaurant by the sea.
Mikrolimano equals fish: this equation remains a non-negotiable classic through the years, which is why the decision of Panagiotis Yakalis, Petros Foteinis and Manolis Mavridakis, the owner of the "Koursaros" restaurants in Athens and Mykonos, to open Piscis on the beach of Akti Koumoundourou has vindicated them. Piscis`s value-for-money cuisine is oriented towards quality fish food, suitable raw materials, well-worked techniques, and modern presentations. There is no indoor dining room. But they serve in the courtyard and across the street, where the blue and white backdrop is truly a gem.
TRAVOLTA
FISH RESTAURANT
33 Ag. Pavlou Street, Peristeri
+30 2105719222
€50-75 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant serving outside.
From the beginning, Spyros and Vangelis Liakos have given the stamp of an artful seafood, whose holy grail would be the best possible raw material and the ethical, as they used to say, and indeed is how they would cook it. Over the years, they have created, together with Anestis Lazai, an enviable repertoire of touchingly delicious, high-quality specialties with fish as their primary focus.
VAROULKO SEASIDE
FISH RESTAURANT
52 Akti Koumoundourou 52, Piraeus
+30 2105228400
www.varoulko.gr
€100-140 per person
Open all year round
Restaurant with its own parking, restaurant by the sea, restaurant serving outside.
Three decades after its opening, Lefteris Lazaros` iconic Piraeus anchorage remains Greece`s most timeless fish restaurant. The restaurant`s menu is constantly enriched with new ideas, and you can always enjoy the classic hits that have left their mark.
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
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