A Visitor’s Dream: Athens’ 23 Most Interesting Restaurants

There is something wonderfully immediate about Akra, the much-loved restaurant in the Athens neighborhood of Pangrati created by two chefs with different but complementary talents. Giannis Loukakis, whose restaurants Mourga and Sintrofi in Thessaloniki, the major city of northern Greece, helped reshape modern Greek bistro cooking, joined forces with Spiros Pediaditakis, the accomplished pastry chef associated with Spondi, one of Athens’ most highly regarded restaurants, and the celebrated pastry shop Ourse. Together, they’ve created a place where the bakery, open kitchen and wood-fired cooking are all part of the ever-evolving tasting experience. Sit at the counter and watch the chefs work over the flames, or settle into the casually stylish, cozily set dining room, filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread.

The menu changes almost daily, following the seasons and whatever arrives from producers and fishermen. Marinated vine shoots, roasted zucchini filled with fish cheeks and beautifully concentrated fish soups show how the kitchen turns deceptively simple Greek ingredients into memorable food.

Come for a taste of everyday Pangrati, from breakfast and pastries to dinner beside the open fire. Pediaditakis brings serious pastry expertise to this relaxed restaurant, with past creations including caramelized brioche with hazelnut praline and seasonal fruit paired with milk ice cream. The bakery’s excellent sourdough and sweet pastries make breakfast, brunch or a daytime stop as appealing as dinner. The wine list complements the ingredient-led approach, and the Greek bottles are particularly well suited to the changing menu. Akra retains its Michelin Bib Gourmand, recognizing accomplished cooking at good value.

Aminta 12, Pangrati

In Exarchia, a central Athens neighborhood, Pharaoh brings traditional Greek cooking into a lively contemporary setting. At its heart is chef Manolis Papoutsakis, whose roots on the Greek island of Crete inspire a cuisine built on humble ingredients, traditional recipes and slow, patient cooking. There are no modern stoves in the kitchen. Wood and charcoal provide the heat, and a magnificent wood-fired oven turns out the restaurant’s exceptional bread and much of its soulful food. The appeal is in the depth of flavor the kitchen draws from familiar recipes. Meatless dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), chestnut stifado (a rich onion stew), tarama (fish-roe spread) with bottarga (cured fish roe) and slow-cooked lamb with traditional pasta show just how satisfying this style of cooking can be.

Choose Pharaoh for an evening that brings together traditional Greek cooking, natural wine and Athens’ vinyl-fueled nightlife. The multilevel, industrial-inspired interior, open kitchen, counter seating and atmospheric bar make it one of the city’s liveliest restaurants. The wine list leans toward natural and low-intervention labels, including organic and biodynamic producers, and DJs spin vinyl for an eclectic soundtrack. It’s easy to linger over another glass long after dinner is done, helped by warm, friendly service. For dessert, traditional Greek sweets such as galaktoboureko, a custard-filled filo pastry, are treated with the same respect as the savory dishes. Pharaoh holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, an award for good cooking at good value.

Solomou 54, Exarchia

If you want a genuinely Greek meat taverna interpreted by one of the country’s most influential contemporary chefs, Manari is an essential stop. It was created by Ari Vezené, the chef, butcher and restaurateur behind the Greek bistro Vezené and the Japanese-inspired grill and bar Birdman, and this lively spot on Agion Theodoron Square brings traditional charcoal grilling into the heart of Athens.

The philosophy is deliberately uncomplicated: carefully sourced meat, skillful butchery and charcoal grilling, with a nose-to-tail approach that gives lesser-used cuts their place at the table. Manari brings the generous spirit of the Greek kreotaverna, or meat taverna, into the center of Athens, with dishes made for passing around and sharing.

Come here for the pleasure of a Greek meat feast: charcoal-grilled cuts, plates to share and a lively square in the city center. Beside Agion Theodoron Square, Manari combines the energy of an old-fashioned neighborhood taverna with the design sensibility and attention to detail of Vezené’s restaurant group. The wine and drinks list is built to accompany robust Greek flavors, and desserts bring the familiar, comforting finish this style of meal calls for.

Plateia Agion Theodoron 3, historic center

Few restaurants capture the creative spirit of Psyrri, a neighborhood in Athens’ historic center, as convincingly as Linou Soumpasis & Co., where a former commercial space has become an unexpectedly atmospheric destination for contemporary Greek cooking. Named after its founders, Myrsini Linou and George Soumpasis, the restaurant makes candles part of both its identity and its welcome. The restaurant even shares its premises with a candle-making operation, and a candle is placed on the table to welcome each guest. An industrial interior, open kitchen and lively street-side seating create a setting that feels thoroughly urban without sacrificing warmth. Chef Lucas Mailer takes a restrained, ingredient-first approach, favoring organic produce, seasonal vegetables and carefully sourced fish over culinary theatrics.

Choose this candlelit Psyrri restaurant for contemporary Greek cooking in an atmospheric setting within the historic center. The pleasure here is in the precision of seemingly simple dishes. Michelin’s inspectors singled out the poached cod with potato and monk’s beard, a leafy green vegetable, as well as the freshly baked breads, served warm with exceptionally crisp crusts. The cooking reflects Greek tradition but feels contemporary in its attention to texture, freshness and balance. Wine is an important part of the leisurely, convivial experience, though the menu’s shifting seasonal character makes individual pairings preferable to any fixed recommendation. Linou Soumpasis & Co. is included in the Michelin Guide.

Kalamida 9 and Melanthiou 2, Psyrri

Asotos – which means (colloquially) an endless/inexhaustible thing – brings a spirited, slightly rebellious energy to the dining scene in Athens’ Pangrati neighborhood. It calls itself a rogue taverna, and it’s led by chef and co-founder Michalis Merzenis, who draws on Greek and Mediterranean traditions without feeling obliged to follow their rules. The emphasis is on seasonal sharing plates, good raw materials and a relaxed approach to contemporary cooking.

Sourdough with tarama, a fish-roe spread, shrimp tartare, grilled octopus, Greek tuna, fresh fish and dry-aged beef are among the dishes on the menu, where generous flavors and careful preparation matter more than elaborate presentation. Vegetarian and vegan options widen the appeal beyond the seafood and meat specialties.

Come for a relaxed night in Pangrati, with Greek-inspired sharing plates, a lively bar and an inviting garden. The intimate dining room and vinyl soundtrack make it easy for dinner to turn into a long evening. Natural and low-intervention wines are an important part of the drinks program, with bottles chosen to suit the food’s informal, sharing-friendly style.

Aminta 6, Pangrati

At Ateno, acclaimed chef Nikos Karathanos offers a highly personal interpretation of Greek culinary memory, turning familiar recipes into dishes that are comforting, playful and technically accomplished. The restaurant occupies a beautifully restored 19th-century neoclassical building at the corner of Aiolou and Miltiadou streets and pairs a dining room with a ground-floor delicatessen with a counter specializing in cured meats. This dual identity is fundamental to its appeal. Greek cheeses, artisanal products and carefully selected charcuterie sit alongside a menu inspired by the dishes of Greek family kitchens.

Karathanos reinterprets classics such as moussaka, the layered eggplant-and-meat bake; pastitsio, a baked pasta dish with minced meat; lamb fricassee with greens; and Greek salad. His take on gemista, the familiar Greek dish of stuffed vegetables, captures Ateno’s appeal: recognizable flavors given a fresh, contemporary form.

Choose Ateno for a fresh take on Greek home cooking in the historic center, with a deli downstairs for discovering local cheeses and cured meats. The first-floor dining room has the warmth of an elegant Athenian home, while outdoor tables put guests in the middle of the lively commercial district. Choose individual dishes from the menu or settle in for a tasting menu. Greek wines accompany the food, and desserts include creative versions of ice cream, meringue and seasonal fruit. Ateno joined the Michelin Guide’s main selection in October 2026.

Aiolou 52 and Miltiadou, historic center

In the Athens neighborhood of Ilisia, chef and restaurateur Ari Vezené was championing whole-animal butchery, carefully sourced meat and live-fire cooking long before they became fashionable in Athens. His namesake restaurant remains an influential reference point for the city’s modern dining scene. Raised in a Greek family in New York, the self-taught chef and restaurateur combines the rustic traditions of the Greek mainland with the briny flavors of the Aegean and Ionian seas.

Provenance, responsible sourcing and respect for the whole animal are central to the kitchen’s identity, and dry-aged lamb, goat, game and lesser-used cuts get the same attention usually reserved for expensive prime meat. Yet Vezené is not simply a steakhouse. Seafood, vegetables and imaginative reinterpretations of Greek classics have become equally important to its rich, cosmopolitan character.

Come to Vezené for a lively Greek bistro evening, with bold flavors, generous plates and a menu that gives meat, seafood and vegetables equal attention. Among its memorable creations are goat-neck fricassee, a stew with aromatic greens, and a contemporary take on pastitsio, the Greek baked pasta dish, made here with beef and a light potato foam. Vinyl records, an energetic dining room and an interest in natural wines create a sophisticated but relaxed atmosphere. Vezené is included in the Michelin Guide.

Vrasida 11, Ilisia

In Kolonaki, a posh, central Athens neighborhood, Simul combines chef Nikos Thomas’s adventurous cooking with the relaxed setting of an intimate bistro. The restaurant received its first Michelin star in the 2027 guide, announced in October 2026. Its name comes from the Latin for “together,” reflecting an approachable dining philosophy.

Thomas, originally a rock musician, takes exceptional seasonal Greek ingredients and pushes them in surprising directions, bringing in French fine-dining techniques and bold international flavors without losing sight of the ingredients themselves. Michelin inspectors particularly praised a dish of langoustines, small lobster-like shellfish, with fermented honey and frozen foie gras powder, which shows the kitchen’s willingness to experiment while maintaining exceptional precision.

Choose Simul for a special dinner of inventive tasting courses in a relaxed Kolonaki bistro. The tasting menu gives visitors a chance to explore Thomas’s cooking over several courses, with wines selected by sommelier Triantafillos Louzis. Inventive desserts and unexpected sweet-savory combinations continue the kitchen’s playful approach through the end of the meal.

Ipsilantou 63, Kolonaki

Few chefs in Athens have a culinary personality as instantly recognizable as Adam Kontovas, whose restaurant Ex Machina, in the Athens neighborhood of Pangrati, is as much an expression of his interests, travels and cultural influences as it is a place to eat. His cooking draws inspiration from Asia, the Mediterranean, Egypt and beyond, producing bold, unexpected combinations without slipping into fusion for its own sake. In September 2026, the restaurant entered a new phase with Ex Machina 2.0, a renewed menu reflecting three years of experimentation and experience. New dishes include beef tartare with avocado, bottarga (cured fish roe) and a charcoal-grilled sourdough waffle; fried fish stuffed with sausage, finished in a crisp coating of Japanese panko breadcrumbs and served with green curry mayonnaise; and roasted guinea fowl marinated in coconut milk, lemongrass and aromatics.

Come to Ex Machina for an adventurous dinner in Pangrati, where Greek ingredients meet flavors from Asia, Egypt and beyond. Established favorites include raw fish with cashews and seasonal fruit, cauliflower with brown butter and espresso, an eggplant tart with aged graviera (a Greek cheese), scallops with beet and buckwheat, and the blue-crab omelet. Industrial details, a cobalt-blue open kitchen and carefully chosen music give the room a distinctive character. Wine is part of the experience, and a monthly spotlight on a Greek cheese and cured meat offers another way to discover local producers. Ex Machina has received a Top Notch distinction from Greece’s Golden Chef’s Hats restaurant awards.

Empedokleous 34, Pangrati

At Iodio in Kolonaki, the debonair downtown neighborhood, chef Georgianna Hiliadaki brings an inventive, contemporary approach to Greek fish and seafood. She previously made her name at Funky Gourmet, the experimental Athens restaurant that earned 2 Michelin stars. Working with partners including Erasmia Balaska, she now puts that creativity into a concise seafood menu. Dishes include oysters with jalapeño sauce, bottarga (cured fish roe) with white chocolate, and raw grouper inspired by giouvarlakia, the traditional Greek meatball soup. Sea urchin with orecchiette, small ear-shaped pasta, and calamarata, ring-shaped pasta, with bottarga show another side of the kitchen’s approach.

Choose Iodio for inventive Greek seafood in an intimate Kolonaki setting, with pavement tables for watching the neighborhood go by. The contemporary dining room is elegant and light-filled, while outdoor seating opens onto Loukianou Street. Leave room for dessert: the restaurant makes its ice creams in-house and is known for an elaborate pistachio version to share, a playful dessert named “Chicago in Kolonaki” and a traditional milk pie with caramelized nori seaweed. Iodio joined the Michelin Guide’s main selection in October 2026.

Loukianou 36, Kolonaki

Travolta is proof that some of Athens’ most compelling restaurants are found well beyond the historic center. In Peristeri, a lively residential district in western Athens, brothers Spyros and Vaggelis Liakos have spent more than a decade reimagining the traditional Greek fish taverna, working with chef Anestis Lazai to create seafood dishes that combine freshness, technical finesse and an unmistakably Greek sense of generosity. The transformation began in 2012, when the brothers took over a neighborhood taverna and set about developing an entirely new approach to fish dining.

Raw preparations, grilled fish and traditional recipes with richly flavored contemporary twists sit comfortably together. Dishes include sea bream carpaccio, thin slices of raw fish, with sea urchin; red mullet kebab; orzo, rice-shaped pasta, with squid ink; fava, a smooth split-pea purée, with smoked eel; and calamari kontosouvli, a seafood take on the Greek spit-roasted skewer.

Make the 20 min trip to Peristeri for a Greek fish-taverna meal beyond the sightseeing circuit, with inventive seafood and a wine list that opens up Greece’s vineyards. The setting keeps the pleasures of a classic taverna, with a welcoming, unpretentious interior and outdoor dining in warm weather. Wine expert Yiannis Karakasis, who holds the Master of Wine qualification, curates a list designed around seafood. It is a chance to explore Greek wines and food pairings in a relaxed setting.

Agiou Pavlou 33, Peristeri

Set within a restored 19th-century mansion in Metaxourgio, a neighborhood west of Athens’ historic center, Aleria pairs the grace of an old Athenian home with the cooking of chef Gikas Xenakis. His contemporary Greek cuisine draws on regional traditions, seasonal ingredients and childhood memories of the countryside. The restaurant received its first Michelin star in the 2027 guide, announced in October 2026.

The experience centers on 2 tasting-menu concepts, Earth & Sea and the vegetarian Garden & Nature. A dish of crab with fennel, peach and chamomile shows Xenakis’s talent for bringing fruit, vegetables and seafood together with delicacy.

Choose Aleria for a romantic dinner in an old Athenian mansion, with contemporary Greek cooking and a courtyard for warmer evenings. The softly lit courtyard is a highlight in warmer months, while the richly decorated interior makes an inviting winter setting. The cellar holds more than 400 wine labels, with pairing options alongside the tasting menus. Sommelier Despina Tokalakis received the Michelin Sommelier Award in the latest selection. Desserts follow the same seasonal approach as the savory courses.

Megalou Alexandrou 57, Metaxourgio

Nature is not simply an inspiration at Soil; it is the foundation of the entire dining experience. Chef Tasos Mantis has built his Michelin-starred restaurant in the Athens neighborhood of Pangrati around a deeply personal connection to the land, drawing extensively on aromatic herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables grown in the family gardens at Alepochori, a coastal village west of Athens.

This farm-to-table philosophy shapes a highly original style of contemporary gastronomy, in which familiar ingredients are transformed through sophisticated techniques without losing their natural character. The experience often begins with an introduction to the herbs that will appear throughout the meal, establishing a direct connection between the garden and the plate. A signature dish of prawns with orange, marigold and mussels, wrapped in kombu seaweed and finished at the table, is characteristic of the kitchen’s inventive, botanical approach.

Come to Soil for a garden-inspired tasting menu in a Pangrati townhouse, where herbs, flowers and seasonal produce shape the meal. The neoclassical property dates from the 1920s and offers a chef’s table, an elegant dining room and an atmospheric garden. Handmade ceramic tableware by Mantis’s wife, Elia Lampiri, adds a personal touch. The evolving tasting menu can be accompanied by wines, juices or low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks. Desserts draw on the same herbs and fruit as the savory courses. Soil holds 1 Michelin star.

Ferekidou 5, Pangrati

Chef Dimos Samourakis brings French technique to seasonal Greek ingredients at see|ds, an understated restaurant in the equally unassuming neighborhood of Ilisia. It received its first Michelin star in the 2027 guide. The tasting menus include the shorter Short Story and the more extensive Long Story. Recently published dishes include cod with artichoke, zucchini and lobster-pepper sauce; foie gras, a rich liver delicacy, with hazelnut granola and onion butterscotch; and guinea fowl with maitake mushrooms, a wine-and-butter sauce and a truffle sauce.

Choose see|ds for a quiet, intimate tasting-menu evening, with chefs bringing their cooking to your table. The restrained dining room has a Nordic feel, with clean lines and warm wood keeping the attention on the food. The chefs frequently present or finish dishes at the table, giving guests a closer connection to the kitchen. Several wine-pairing options accompany the menus. Desserts continue the seasonal approach, with published examples including white chocolate and yogurt with peach, almond, oatmeal and chamomile, and a fruit course with strawberry, lime, gin and basil.

Oumplianis 14 and Diocharous 27, Ilisia

On the rooftop of the AthensWas Hotel, SENSE overlooks the Acropolis, the ancient hilltop landmark, and Dionysiou Areopagitou, the stunning pedestrian promenade running along its southern side. Executive chef Alexandros Charalabopoulos explores Greek home cooking and regional traditions through contemporary tasting menus. The setting places guests close to the ancient monuments, while the food gives them another way to discover Greece.

SENSE received its first Michelin star in the 2027 guide, announced in October 2026. Its tasting menus revisit familiar dishes, including tzatziki, the yogurt-and-cucumber dip; pastitsio, baked pasta with minced meat; and kayanas, scrambled eggs with tomato. A vine-leaf dolma, a stuffed vine leaf, comes with herb rice, mint and lemon sorbet, grape, vine-leaf cream and extra-virgin olive oil.

Choose SENSE for an intimate rooftop dinner with a close view of the Parthenon and modern interpretations of Greek home cooking. The terrace is particularly appealing around sunset, as the light changes across the ancient temple. The tasting menus include a vegetarian option, with thoughtfully selected wines to accompany the food. Desserts and refreshing aromatic touches complete a meal that brings together the setting and the flavors of Greece.

Dionysiou Areopagitou 5, AthensWas Hotel, Koukaki

At Makris, in the historic Akropolis-bound neighborhood of Thissio, a glass floor reveals archaeological remains beneath the dining room. Chef-patron Petros Dimas brings a contemporary perspective to this setting, working with seasonal ingredients from the restaurant’s farm and selected producers. His cooking combines Greek ingredients with meticulous technique, with dishes ranging from seafood preparations to vegetable-led courses inspired by the farm.

Choose Makris for a special dinner that connects Athens’ past with its present, with archaeology beneath your feet and contemporary Greek cooking on the table. The Genesis and Utopia tasting menus sit alongside Physis Vegan, a fully plant-based menu. An à la carte option lets tables of up to 4 guests choose individual dishes. Wines and alcohol-free botanical drinks can be paired with the meal, while desserts continue the seasonal approach. Makris holds 1 Michelin star.

Astiggos 10 and Ermou 119, Thissio

Delta offers an experimental tasting-menu experience on the fifth floor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the pride-of-the-city arts complex and park in Kallithea, south of central Athens. Executive chef George Papazacharias builds his cooking around fermentation, preservation and carefully sourced ingredients. The 12-course Omnivore menu explores unusual flavors and textures. Michelin inspectors highlighted tuna aged using koji, a culture used in Japanese fermentation, served with chili peppers, a plum-pit paste and a sauce made with amazake, a fermented rice drink.

Choose Delta for an experimental dinner in one of modern Athens’ landmark buildings, with a dramatic dining room and views toward the coast. Suspended trees, sculptural bronze elements and enormous windows give the room a theatrical character. Sommelier Dimitris Zannikos oversees wine pairings, while alternative drinks offer other ways to accompany the menu. Desserts continue the kitchen’s interest in fermentation and unexpected textures. Delta holds 1 Michelin star in the 2027 guide, announced in October 2026, having previously held 2.

Syngrou 364, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Kallithea

Created by chef Ari Vezené, Birdman brings Japanese-inspired grilling and a record-bar atmosphere to central Athens. Its open-fire kitchen serves yakitori, Japanese chicken skewers, alongside grilled meats, seafood and small plates, with an emphasis on Greek sourcing and using the whole animal. Chicken katsu sandwiches, made with breaded chicken, lightly seared beef tataki, gyoza dumplings and crisp chicken-skin skewers offer an approachable way into the menu.

Come to Birdman for a complete night out: Japanese-inspired food, cocktails and music in a small, sociable space in the city center. Just below Syntagma, Athens’ central square, it has the feel of a lively Japanese pub, with intimate counter seating and a strong bar identity. Cocktails range from savory to spicy and work equally well with a few bites or a longer meal.

Voulis 35 and Skoufou 2, Syntagma

Focu Sauvage is the permanent home of Nomade et Sauvage, the traveling outdoor-dining project created by Iordanis Tseneklidis and Panagiotis Siafakas. After 8 years of cooking outdoors over fire, the team opened its first restaurant in summer 2026 in Keramikos, a neighborhood west of the historic center, beside the Rouf railway area.

Housed in a restored stone building from the 1930s, Focu Sauvage puts traditional Greek cooking techniques at the center of the experience. The kitchen works over live fire, using wood, charcoal, cast iron and handmade equipment. Seasonal dishes have included imam, slow-cooked eggplant, with grilled octopus; lamb cooked in cast iron; and rooster with gigantes, the large white beans used in Greek cooking.

Come to Focu Sauvage for Greek cooking over open fires in a handsome stone building, with wood smoke and the activity of the kitchen shaping the evening. The atmosphere is rustic and relaxed. Fall 2026 dishes have included wood-fired beet, carrot and onion; octopus stifado, an onion stew; steamed cod with beans and greens; and kid goat with orzo, rice-shaped pasta. Sommelier Giorgos Karampinis’s wine list includes Greek and French bottles and by-the-glass options, with cocktails also available.

Megalou Vasiliou 52 and Konstantinoupoleos 2, Keramikos

Chef Ettore Botrini draws on his Greek and Italian heritage at his Michelin-starred restaurant in Halandri, a leafy northern Athens suburb. His influences range from Corfu, the Greek island where he grew up, to Thessaly in mainland Greece and the Italian region of Tuscany. Working with Ilias Doukas, the restaurant’s executive research and development chef, he turns family memories and regional traditions into contemporary tasting menus.

The current menus are Varkada, meaning a boat ride, and Peripatos, a leisurely walk. Each unfolds through courses inspired by memories, places and family stories, moving between Greek and Italian flavors.

Make the trip to Halandri for a special dinner that tells the story of a leading Greek-Italian chef through an imaginative tasting menu. A former school building now houses contemporary art, an open kitchen and a garden, with a chef’s-table option for a closer view of the cooking. An extensive cellar supports carefully chosen wine pairings. Desserts continue the menu’s personal, inventive approach. Botrini’s holds 1 Michelin star.

Vasileos Georgiou B 24B, Halandri

In Vari, an up-and-coming southern Athens suburb, chef and pizza maker Francesco Granata has created a destination for Neapolitan pizza and satisfying Italian comfort food. Originally from Naples, he won the Best Pizza Margherita Award at the international Best Pizza Awards in Milan in 2026 and was ranked the world’s 16th-best pizza chef by the same organization.

The recognition is particularly significant for a restaurant outside Italy’s established pizza capitals. Granata’s carefully matured dough produces the defining qualities of an excellent Neapolitan pizza: a thin, supple center, a generously puffed crust and a balance of tenderness, chew and the smoky aroma of the wood-fired oven.

Head to Napulè for a relaxed Italian meal in the southern suburbs, with outstanding pizza, comforting regional dishes and a welcoming setting for families. Granata’s cooking draws on Naples and other parts of Italy, while the spacious dining room and covered courtyard suit a leisurely meal. Leave room for tiramisu or chocolate semifreddo, a softly frozen dessert flavored here with amaretto liqueur. Napulè also holds 2 stars from FNL, a Greek restaurant guide separate from Michelin.

Vasileos Konstantinou 43, Vari

Osteria Mamma brings the warmth of an Italian family kitchen to Keramikos, an industrial neighborhood west of Athens’ historic center. On the pedestrian stretch of Salaminos Street, chef and co-owner Eleni Saranti explores regional Italian dishes beyond the familiar pizza-and-pasta repertoire. These include cima alla Genovese, a stuffed veal dish from Genoa, and cotoletta Bolognese, a breaded cutlet served here with Parmesan sauce. The emphasis is on generous flavors, traditional preparation and sharing good food.

Choose Osteria Mamma for a leisurely Italian meal around an inviting courtyard, within easy reach of Athens’ historic center. An open kitchen welcomes guests, and a covered passageway leads to the dining spaces and internal courtyard. The mood is young and lively, with the warmth of a trattoria, an informal Italian restaurant. An Italian-focused wine list offers a chance to explore bottles from different regions.

Salaminos 64 and Paramythias, Keramikos

Behind curtains in Ano Petralona, an Athens neighborhood southwest of the Acropolis, Hervé offers an intimate fine-dining experience with a sense of theater. Named after French chef Hervé Pronzato, the restaurant brings together Pronzato, chef and co-owner Grigoris Kikis, and hospitality specialist George Efthimopoulos. Guests receive a personal access code before entering the dimly lit dining room, where a glossy counter overlooks the open kitchen. A small, stylish courtyard offers another setting for the meal.

The hours-long experience revolves around a tasting menu reflecting the chef’s journeys through Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with playful references to street food. French technique meets Asian influences, Italian inspiration and seasonal produce. Dishes have included quail egg with spinach, dill and lumpfish roe; sea bass with rhubarb, rose water and green chili; and foie gras, a rich liver delicacy, with aged soy sauce, peach and sudachi, a Japanese citrus fruit. Each course pays close attention to texture, presentation and unexpected combinations.

Come to Hervé for an intimate tasting-menu evening that feels like a performance, with counter seats facing the open kitchen. The wine list, curated by sommelier Christos Theodoropoulos, brings together Greek and international labels, with carefully considered pairings and a walk-in cellar. Hervé holds 1 Michelin star, combining inventive cooking and attentive service with an atmosphere that stays relaxed.

Trion Ierarchon 170, Ano Petralona

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