11 Celeb Foodies Reveal the Athens Dish Not to Miss

“The dish I would recommend is the fish soup with celery root, carrot, and saffron from Kozani at Vassilenas. What wins me over in this soup is its full, concentrated flavor. You can tell it’s made with clean, exceptional ingredients, with nothing unnecessary weighing it down. It’s a soup that isn’t trying to impress; it simply lets the quality of the fish and the freshness of the vegetables come through. It has clarity, depth, and a gentle, comforting savoriness. It’s one of those dishes you remember because it’s honest and beautifully executed.”
– Melina Chomata, Executive Chef at Merceri Athens (Instagram)

“The legendary Ilia’s lamb chops in Thissio. Neither a secret nor a hole. On the other hand, this dish is so popular with locals and tourists that it’s a miracle to find a seat. Juicy lamb chops, probably the best around, crispy home cut fries, a Greek salad and an ice cold beer is my answer to what to eat in Athens. On top of that, their tree covered garden tables during the summer months, facing the Lycabetus hill, a stone’s throw from the Parthenon, are the perfect set up to enjoy the glorious Greek cuisine in it’s most simple but true form. If you don’t want to cause any weird looks, eat the lamb chops with your hands. Skip your fork and knife manners.”
– Vassilis Kallidis, Chef, Traveler, Author (Instagram)

“One of my absolute favorite dishes in any Athenian restaurant is the veal liver wrapped in caul fat (frygadeli), grilled to perfection at Mavros Gatos in Pangrati. It’s incredibly juicy and bursting with flavor. It’s the kind of dish I know will always be perfect and I love it every single time.”
– Phaedra Mavroeidi-Svana, Baker and Cook (Instagram)

“There’s a famous quote in Shakespeare’s Troilus & Cressida: ‘Everything includes itself in power, power in will, will into Appetite. Appetite an universal wolf’. And my appetite for gustatory discoveries seems endless. After I’m fed, I’m hungrier than ever. Just like a wolf. My favorite dish is the Pizza Pasta at Bottrini’s in Athens. I love its diversity – the way it combines pizza Margherita and pasta Napolitana; it’s a handmade tagliolini, with a tomato-water sauce, basil oil, fried basil leaves and roasted fresh yeast. It’s a combination of two iconic dishes, created by a chef who is Greek-Italian and whom I’ve known for 20 years.”
– Gregory Filippatos, Food Journalist & Restaurant Critic (Instagram)

“It is my pleasure to share with you one of my favorite dishes when I go out to eat. As a lover of Italian cuisine, I like to go to Mario & Luigi – The Eatalians restaurant and eat the pappardelle with beef ragu and pecorino romano because I like the taste of slow-cooked food with the combination of fresh pasta and pecorino cream. As a chef, it creates the feeling of a traditional dish that brings to mind my childhood.”
– Giorgos Tsolkas, Head Chef at Okio (Instagram)

“My favorite dish is a comfort food that literally embraces your soul. It is linguine with slow-cooked beef cheek and Roquefort cream at the base. It is so flavorful and delightful and literally one of the very best dishes I have tried in a while, and I love it dearly. You can find it at Rick’s in Kefalari, one of S1 Hospitality’s restaurants.”
– Nektarios Ntallas, COO of S-One Hospitality (Instagram)

“One of my favorite meals to eat in Greece is mussels cooked in wine and seafood in general, especially scampi or shrimps. That’s why at Botrini’s we created the Scampi dish which is basically scampi, mussels and the broth made out of the mussels cooked in wine, and includes the vegetables we use for cooking the mussels – celery, carrots and fennel. Having been abroad for almost 10 years I was always nostalgic about sitting at a table by the sea and eating this dish, tasting the essence of the Aegean.”
– Ilias Doukas, Executive Chef/RnD at Botrini’s Group (Instagram)

“Some people journal. I cope with the cinnamon roll from 72H Artisanal Bakery. Created by their head baker Nikos Chandolias, it’s a 72-hour fermented sourdough roll that somehow tastes like a small miracle, fragrant with Tahitian vanilla and Ceylon cinnamon, soft inside, a little crisp outside. When I order it home, it comes plain, but at the bakery, they crown it with a tangy cream-cheese frosting that melts into every swirl. On the days when nothing works, it’s my ultimate comfort bite: simple, indulgent, and weirdly therapeutic.”
– Marianna Gkitsaki (aka Surtuko), Food Content Creator (Instagram)

“My favorite dish, the Beef Tartar Pastitsio at Vezené, is an elegant reimagining of a beloved Greek classic – honoring every familiar element while transforming it: with beef tartar, fresh tomato, handmade pasta, and a whisper-light potato espuma. It feels both comforting and exquisitely elevated. I love it because it captures the soul of the original recipe while showing how graceful a tradition can become in the right hands.”
– Penny Georgakopoulou, Communications Specialist (Instagram)

My favorite dish in Athens is hidden in a basement in Pagrati, inside the old tavern of Marathonitis. It is a humble wine house that opened in the 1950’s. Back then people would walk into this basement room with their lunch from home and, during a short break from work, they would buy only the wine. Over the years it evolved into a tavern, although it never lost its truth, its authenticity or its remarkable depth of flavor. Among many dishes I love there such as the lamb chops and the outstanding meat patties, the one that stays with me above all is the Frygadeli. It is a traditional preparation with lamb sweetbreads wrapped in caul fat and grilled slowly until the inside becomes tender and the outside turns crisp. It is the kind of food a mother would keep for herself and pretend there was none left for her child. It is the kind of food that angels would eat in secret and never share with humans. It is the sort of pleasure that feels slightly forbidden, almost too good for the rest of us.”
– Konstantinos Antoniadis (aka Ikon5), Food Content Creator (Instagram)

“My favorite dish is the ‘Mylokopi’ – a delicate Greek white fish – served with fresh gnocchi, spinach fricassée and a lemon-scented shrimp cream. For me, it is a flavor-bridge between past and present. Mylokopi was always one of the specialities I remember being shared at family tables during my childhood – moments of warmth, simplicity, and togetherness. That memory still exists within me, but what truly moves me today is how this dish has evolved into something far more refined, expressive and modern. Our award-winning Executive Chef, Nikos Skliras, has transformed a familiar flavor from my childhood into a refined interpretation that reflects the essence of Athénée: finesse, technique and deep respect for Greek ingredients. The fish remains clean, tender and beautifully precise in its cooking, allowing its natural character to shine. The fresh gnocchi bring a comforting richness, gently absorbing the lemon-scented cream and tying all the elements together. The spinach fricassée adds a recognizably Greek warmth, something honest and familiar, while still feeling elegant. And the shrimp introduces a subtle marine intensity that elevates the mylokopi, giving each bite depth and quiet complexity. What I cherish most is the harmony of the dish. Nothing competes; every component supports the others. It carries emotion without nostalgia, technique without excess.”
– Chrysanthos Panas, Entrepreneur and Author (Instagram)